Best MLB Strikeout Pitcher Matchups — Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Top strikeout spot: Shane Baz
Shane Baz (BAL) is the best strikeout matchup on the board at 100, projected for about 5.5 K against LAA. He's missing bats at a 20% clip — strikeouts per batter faced — and LAA has been whiff-prone, going down 25% of the time. He's lined up for about 24 batters, so the volume's there for a big number.
The rest of the top of the board
- Parker Messick (CLE) (100) — about 5.9 K vs CWS: a 25% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 22% of the time.
- Jesús Luzardo (PHI) (95) — about 5.8 K vs WSH: a 27% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 21% of the time.
- Carlos Rodón (NYY) (94) — about 5.8 K vs DET: a 26% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 23% of the time.
- Sean Burke (CWS) (92) — about 5.5 K vs CLE: a 24% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 22% of the time.
- Sonny Gray (BOS) (88) — about 4.9 K vs COL: a 22% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 21% of the time.
Whiffiest lineups to attack today
- LAA is striking out 25% of the time in this spot — Shane Baz is the arm to exploit it (100).
- BAL is striking out 24% of the time in this spot — Ryan Johnson is the arm to exploit it (42).
- HOU is striking out 23% of the time in this spot — Shane Bieber is the arm to exploit it (70).
- DET is striking out 23% of the time in this spot — Carlos Rodón is the arm to exploit it (94).
How it played out
The top 10 starts averaged 6.9 strikeouts. Top play Shane Baz punched out 5. 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.