After a drama-filled Wild Card series against the Padres, the Chicago Cubs are moving on to the National League Division Series. Their reward? Facing their NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers, the top seed in the league. It’s a Midwestern showdown with a spot in the NLCS on the line, and that means tons of player props.
The Brewers open as -164 Moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cubs are priced as +134 underdogs, while the total is set at 7.5 runs. Let’s get into my top player props for Game 1 between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Best Brewers vs. Cubs player props
Ian Happ 2+ Strikeouts (+120)
To be fair to Ian Happ, nobody is having a good time facing Freddy Peralta these days. But it’s been especially rough for the outfielder in his career against Milwaukee’s ace. Happ is 2-for-32 with 14 strikeouts against Peralta over the years. His previous series against the Padres doesn’t inspire confidence, either. Facing the Friars, Happ was 1-for-11 with six punchouts. Having a bit of a slump going into a matchup with Peralta does not bode well. Even if Freddy was throwing a beach ball, I doubt Happ could hit it.
Freddy Peralta To Record a Win (+243)
Peralta sure picked a great year to get hot. In his last season before free agency, Milwaukee’s ace pitched to a 2.70 ERA across 176.2 innings. Now the Cubs will feel his wrath once again. Peralta faced the Cubbies four times in the regular season, recording a win in three of those four games. He’s got ownage over several Cubs regulars, including Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, and Dansby Swanson. If he gets past the fifth inning, Chicago is in major trouble.
William Contreras 2+ Total Bases (+127)
The Cubs have announced that Matthew Boyd will take the mound for Game 1. One of their great success stories this season, Boyd has strong numbers against just about every Brewers hitter… except William Contreras. Milwaukee’s slugging catcher is 4-for-9 in his career against Boyd with a home run. It’s not a big sample size, but enough to think that Contreras sees Boyd well. If any Brewer is going to get it started early in this one, it’s Contreras.
