Baseball (and betting) are back!

Rejoice, baseball is back! While today's slate is light compared to a typical day in MLB, we'll take what we can get. Our action starts with some strikeout angles worth a look, beginning with a fade of a Tigers hurler.

Tarik Skubal under 6.5 Ks (-124 FD) — We start our day with an under; it's good to sweat out a pick on this fine Thursday afternoon! This Tarik Skubal line seems a bit high for us. Skubal has gone over this 6.5 strikeout total in just 28% of games this year and only once in his past seven starts. When he last faced Oakland, he struck out five, and the A's are striking out at the fourth-lowest rate against LHP in the past 30 days. Give us the under here.

Garrett Hill over 3.5 Ks (PrizePicks) — Keep an eye on your favorite book for a Garrett Hill strikeout line. This 3.5 total is currently available if you use PrizePicks, but as of this writing, his prop has not yet opened on any of the books. We're including Hill here, a rookie making his third start, because of Oakland's struggles against RHP. It's funny, we just faded a Tigers pitcher in the first game of this doubleheader, but the Athletics' splits flip like crazy when facing a righty compared to a southpaw. Against RHP, Oakland is striking out at the third-highest rate in the past 30 days. In Hill's two starts, he has just four strikeouts, so we understand if there's some concern here, but let us quell it a bit. Hill found himself in two tough spots against the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians. Both teams rank in the bottom five of strikeout rate vs. RHP in the last 30 days. With a softer opponent and Hill now on to his third start, we like him to go over this reasonable line.

Carlos Rodon over 6.5 Ks (-150 DK) — Carlos Rodon is rolling right now for San Francisco, going over this 6.5 line in six of his past seven starts, averaging 8 Ks per game in this stretch. When Rodon last faced the Dodgers, he struck out eight, and Los Angeles has been striking out more frequently against LHP of late. L.A.'s 24% strikeout rate ranks 11th vs. lefties. We'll bank on Rodon fanning some Dodgers in the late game tonight to wrap our day of prop picks.

In other news...

Second half of MLB season starts today — Baseball is back today as the second half of the year gets going. As we prep for the pennant races to come, it's a good time to catch our breath and examine the betting landscape ahead of us. The Dodgers are the current favorites to win the World Series, followed closely by the New York Yankees. The futures market is flush with opportunity at this juncture; dare we suggest Seattle to win the AL at +2000? The Mariners are scoring, winners of 14 straight games and owners of the fourth-best record in the American League.

Flames' Matthew Tkachuk could be moved soon — After losing star LW Johnny Gaudreau, it looks like the Calgary Flames could be on their way to a quick rebuild. All-Star Matthew Tkachuk told the team he will not re-sign long term, and reports suggest a trade could be imminent. There was once a time we thought the Flames could hoist the Stanley Cup this past season; now we're not so sure they even make the playoffs. A few reported teams on Tkachuk's list include St. Louis, Vegas, Florida and Nashville. Keep an eye on the NHL news; any trade would alter the odds for the next Stanley Cup champ.

James Harden signs "discounted" deal to stay in Philadelphia — Harden and the 76ers agreed to a new contract on Wednesday, with the All-Star guard signing a two-year, $68.6M deal. Harden declined a $47M player option in order to help Philadelphia remain competitive with its spending in a pursuit of a championship. Some of the extra money up to this point has gone to PJ Tucker and Danuel House after a trade for De'Anthony Melton. Philly is +1400 to win the NBA Finals next season, the eighth-best odds in the league.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll