# MLB Strikeout Props Today (May 4, 2026) — Best Pitcher K Picks > Best MLB K props today: José Soriano tops our 6-factor model across 12 games. Whiff rates, K/9, and opposing team K tendency scored. Updated daily. **Date:** 2026-05-04 **Author:** HeatCheck HQ **Tags:** MLB, Strikeouts, Pitcher Props, K Props, Daily Picks, Player Props **Full article:** https://heatcheckhq.io/blog/mlb-strikeout-picks-may-4-2026 **Live picks & dashboards:** https://heatcheckhq.io --- **Today's best MLB strikeout prop picks for Monday, May 4, 2026** are José Soriano (Score: 77 — 10.45 K/9, 34.0% whiff rate), Cam Schlittler (Score: 76 — 10.70 K/9, 30.5% whiff rate), Tarik Skubal (Score: 68 — 9.40 K/9, 29.8% whiff rate). Rankings are generated by HeatCheck HQ's 6-factor pitcher K scoring model, updated daily. # MLB Strikeout Props Today — May 4, 2026 12 games on the board. These arms have the swing-and-miss stuff to cash K props. > [Pitching Stats Dashboard](/mlb/pitching-stats) — full pitcher arsenals and K metrics for every starter. > **Yesterday's K picks:** [MLB Strikeout Picks - May 3](/blog/mlb-strikeout-picks-may-3-2026) ## Today's Slate - NYM @ COL (TBD vs Tomoyuki Sugano) - 5:40 PM ET - BOS @ DET (Payton Tolle vs Tarik Skubal) - 6:40 PM ET - TOR @ TB (Eric Lauer vs Nick Martinez) - 6:40 PM ET - PHI @ MIA (Aaron Nola vs Janson Junk) - 6:40 PM ET - BAL @ NYY (Shane Baz vs Cam Schlittler) - 7:05 PM ET - CIN @ CHC (Chase Petty vs Edward Cabrera) - 7:40 PM ET - CLE @ KC (Tanner Bibee vs Michael Wacha) - 7:40 PM ET - MIL @ STL (Chad Patrick vs Kyle Leahy) - 7:45 PM ET - LAD @ HOU (Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs Steven Okert) - 8:10 PM ET - CWS @ LAA (Davis Martin vs José Soriano) - 9:38 PM ET - ATL @ SEA (JR Ritchie vs Logan Gilbert) - 9:40 PM ET - SD @ SF (Randy Vásquez vs Trevor McDonald) - 9:45 PM ET ## Pick 1: José Soriano — LAA vs CWS RHP | 49 K on season | Angel Stadium *49 K · 10.45 K/9 · 34.0% whiff · 0.84 ERA · 0.94 WHIP · 22.0% opp K rate* **Top K play tonight.** A 34.0% whiff rate is in territory only a handful of starters in the league reach. José Soriano brings that to the mound against CWS tonight. The curveball (48.8% whiff) is the put-away offering when he needs it. The 10.45 K/9 is the season-long anchor. > **Dig deeper into pitcher arsenals** on the [Pitching Stats dashboard](/mlb/pitching-stats) — see pitch mix, whiff rates, and velocity for every starter. ## Pick 2: Cam Schlittler — NYY vs BAL RHP | 49 K on season | Yankee Stadium *49 K · 10.70 K/9 · 30.5% whiff · 1.51 ERA · 0.74 WHIP · 22.0% opp K rate* Cam Schlittler runs a elite 30.5% whiff rate (90th+ percentile). Swing-and-miss stuff is the foundation of strikeout production, and his is the foundation of tonight's lean. The 4-seam fastball (37.5% whiff) is the put-away offering when he needs it. The 10.70 K/9 is the season-long anchor. ## Pick 3: Tarik Skubal — DET vs BOS LHP | 45 K on season | Comerica Park *45 K · 9.40 K/9 · 29.8% whiff · 2.70 ERA · 0.95 WHIP · 22.0% opp K rate* When a single pitch generates 49.5% whiffs at 27% usage, that's the K-prop case. Tarik Skubal's changeup is exactly that pitch. The 29.8% whiff rate underneath confirms the stuff is real, not BABIP-fueled. The 9.40 K/9 is the season-long anchor. ## Honorable Mentions - **Logan Gilbert** (SEA) vs ATL — 9.24 K/9, 29.2% whiff, 4.03 ERA, 39 K - **Randy Vásquez** (SD) vs SF — 9.22 K/9, 26.2% whiff, 2.94 ERA, 34 K - **Yoshinobu Yamamoto** (LAD) vs HOU — 7.74 K/9, 29.2% whiff, 2.87 ERA, 32 K ## Related Guides - [MLB Stats Explained](/blog/mlb-stats-explained) - [Hitter vs Pitcher Matchup Guide](/blog/hitter-vs-pitcher-matchup-guide) - [MLB Weather Betting Guide](/blog/mlb-weather-betting-guide) ## Before You Lock Check the [Pitching Stats dashboard](/mlb/pitching-stats) for full arsenal breakdowns and the [Hitting Stats page](/mlb/hitting-stats) for pitch mix analysis showing which lineups are most vulnerable to certain pitch types. Confirm lineups and starting pitchers before betting — a bullpen game changes everything. K/9 and whiff rate together are the strongest predictors of strikeout volume. Our strikeout model scores probable starters across 6 factors — K/9, whiff rate, opposing team K tendency, pitcher quality, workload pace, and venue. Full pitcher profiles on the [Pitching Stats dashboard](/mlb/pitching-stats). **More from HeatCheck HQ:** - [Pitching Stats Dashboard](/mlb/pitching-stats) — pitcher arsenals, K rates, and advanced metrics - [Hitting Stats Dashboard](/mlb/hitting-stats) — batter K vulnerability and pitch mix analysis - [Dinger Picks Today](/blog/mlb-dinger-of-the-day-may-4-2026) — Statcast-driven home run picks - [NRFI Picks Today](/blog/mlb-nrfi-picks-may-4-2026) — no run first inning best bets *Updated as lineups confirm. Full slate at [heatcheckhq.io](https://heatcheckhq.io).* ## Related Resources - Parent hub: [MLB Props Hub](/blog/topic/mlb-props) - Daily stream: [MLB Strikeout Picks](/blog/stream/mlb-strikeout-picks) - Author: [HeatCheck HQ](/blog/author/heatcheck-hq) - Browse all posts: [Sports Betting Insights & Guides](/blog) --- *Data powered by HeatCheck HQ — sports analytics platform. Free tools at https://heatcheckhq.io*