Best MLB Strikeout Pitcher Matchups — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Top strikeout spot: Paul Skenes
Paul Skenes (PIT) is the best strikeout matchup on the board at 100, projected for about 6.4 K against COL. He's missing bats at a 28% clip — strikeouts per batter faced — and COL has been whiff-prone, going down 24% of the time. He's lined up for about 21 batters, so the volume's there for a big number.
The rest of the top of the board
- Will Warren (NYY) (91) — about 6.1 K vs BAL: a 28% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 23% of the time.
- Zack Wheeler (PHI) (78) — about 5.7 K vs BOS: a 25% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 22% of the time.
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) (72) — about 5.5 K vs SF: a 24% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 21% of the time.
- Bryan Woo (SEA) (68) — about 5.5 K vs HOU: a 22% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 23% of the time.
- Jack Flaherty (DET) (68) — about 5.4 K vs NYM: a 27% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 21% of the time.
Whiffiest lineups to attack today
- COL is striking out 24% of the time in this spot — Paul Skenes is the arm to exploit it (100).
- CIN is striking out 23% of the time in this spot — Miles Mikolas is the arm to exploit it (27).
- LAA is striking out 23% of the time in this spot — Slade Cecconi is the arm to exploit it (32).
- CWS is striking out 23% of the time in this spot — Stephen Kolek is the arm to exploit it (45).
How it played out
The top 10 starts averaged 6.0 strikeouts. Top play Paul Skenes punched out 10. We grade every projection against the box score so you can see how the board held up.
How to read these strikeout matchups
Each starter's score (0–100) weighs his strikeout ability against every hitter in the lineup, hand by hand, then factors in how deep he tends to pitch and his command. Higher means more whiffs point his way. The exact weighting is our own — we project a strikeout count and grade every start against what actually happened.