MLB best bets, strikeout props for Friday 8/18: Our man is on a heater, so join in!

The good times just keep on rolling in strikeout prop land, as we swept the board again Thursday to improve to 11-1 on the week. We've got one more day to finish off our monster week with a bang, so let's get to my three favorite K props for Friday's MLB slate. 

Joey Lucchesi under 3.5 Ks (+114 FanDuel)

I'm a sucker for fading pitchers coming off an injury, and that's exactly what we have here with Joey Lucchesi. Lucchesi hasn't pitched for the New York Mets since May 13, but he was called up for a spot start Friday after spending close to a month on the Triple-A IL with left knee tendonitis. In his last four MLB starts, the left-hander recorded just eight total strikeouts. He'll have trouble clearing 3.5 Ks against a St. Louis Cardinals lineup that has the fewest strikeouts in the league over the last 15 days. 

Spencer Strider over 8.5 Ks (+104 FD)

Spencer Strider hasn't been his usual self lately with just nine strikeouts over his last two starts, but that's giving us a discount we have to jump on Friday. The Atlanta Braves righty has been the most dominant strikeout artist in MLB this season, as his 14.02 Ks per nine innings rank No. 1 in the league by a wide margin. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates have a .226 batting average and an average of 9.8 strikeouts per game over the last 15 days

Michael Kopech over 4.5 Ks (-150 DraftKings)

Michael Kopech hasn't been much of a swing-and-miss pitcher over the last two months. The Chicago White Sox right-hander has gone over 4.5 Ks just three times in his last nine starts, but he couldn't ask for a better matchup to turn that around. Over the last 15 days, the Colorado Rockies have recorded a league-worst 11.1 strikeouts per game. No other team has been worse than 9.9 strikeouts per game over that same span. Kopech has shown the ability to flash in the strikeout department with nine or more Ks in five starts this season, and I think he can get close to that total Friday night.