In this loaded National League playoff field, teams with championship aspirations were bound to get knocked out early. That includes the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres, two squads that made big moves in the last year. One of them is going to go home with a bitter taste in their mouth. That series begins with Game 1 on Tuesday, and we have a load of player props to dig into.
First pitch in Chicago is scheduled for 3:08 p.m. EST on Tuesday. Chicago enters as a -115 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, and the total is set at just seven runs. A San Diego upset is priced at -105 on the moneyline.
Best Padres vs. Cubs Player Props
Nick Pivetta 5+ Strikeouts (-145)
It’s no surprise that the Padres are turning to Nick Pivetta as the first starter in this series. The 32-year-old had a 2.87 ERA across 31 starts and 181.2 innings. Now he’s being charged with containing a Cubs offense full of potential.
In two starts against the Cubs this year, Pivetta pitched a combined nine innings and allowed four runs. Despite his struggles with command in those starts, Pivetta still struck out 10 total batters. Even if he can’t pitch past the fifth inning, he’s a reliable source of strikeouts and brings good value on this line.
Matthew Boyd Over 14.5 Outs Recorded
I don’t have to tell you how much it means for Matthew Boyd to be the Game 1 starter for the Cubs. You can hear it from Boyd yourself, but make sure you keep some tissues nearby.
They’ll be counting on Boyd to provide more than just emotion. But the numbers favor Boyd in this matchup. Across two starts against the Padres this regular season, Boyd tossed 11.1 innings while surrendering only two earned runs. It’s in line with San Diego’s performance against left-handers: they had a .690 OPS as a team against southpaws this year, compared to .720 against righties.
With Boyd’s solid history against the team and their struggles against lefties, count on Boyd to shake off his September struggles.
