Michael King will get the ball for the Padres against the Braves on Tuesday, who may be coming into Game 1 a bit jet-lagged.
The former Yankees right-hander has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the senior circuit over the past few months and he’s catching Atlanta in a tough spot.
King has allowed more than three earned runs just once in his last 21 starts, posting a 2.26 ERA since the calendar flipped to June.
He also maintained his strong strikeout rate he flashed over nine starts in the Bronx last season, striking out 10.42 batters per nine innings this season.
King’s punch out over/under is sitting at just 5.5 at most major sportsbooks, which is a number he’s had no issue surpassing this season.
In 31 starts, he’s had six or more Ks in 21 starts.
He’s been even more prolific since his red-hot run started in June, going over 5.5 strikeouts in 14 of 19 starts since then.
There is no reason why King shouldn’t have plenty of rope too, coming into the game with six days rest, an amount he had in only six games this season.
The Braves were one of the more strikeout-prone teams in baseball during the regular season, going down on strikes 24 percent of the time, which was the ninth-highest in the league.
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They are also just coming off a four-hour flight from Atlanta to San Diego after playing a hard-fought double-header against the Mets to clinch a spot in the postseason.
Bet on King to have his way with the bleary-eyed Braves on Tuesday night, who will be without ace Chris Sale and instead are turning to the unproven AJ Smith-Shawver.
The play: Michael King over 5.5 strikeouts (-110, DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three – MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
