The San Francisco Giants are off to one of the hottest starts in baseball, but they can’t keep down Elly De La Cruz.
Cincinnati’s young phenom is off to a 4-for-14 start against these Giants through four contests with a pair of walks. San Francisco boasts a strong pitching staff, to be sure. That hasn’t stopped De La Cruz from doing some damage.
Will the Reds’ franchise player continue his hitting ways tonight in the City by the Bay? Or can they keep him and his cohorts under wraps?
On DraftKings Sportsbook, San Francisco is the home favorite at -135, and the run total is 7.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite De La Cruz prop bets for this contest.
Best Elly De La Cruz Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Elly De La Cruz over 0.5 Walks (-120) and over 0.5 Stolen Bases (+155)
Tonight’s matchup on the pitching slab will be interesting for De La Cruz.
First, this Reds lineup is already suffering from injuries and a lack of performance. It took four walks in an inning just to get Cincinnati on the board last night. Second, starting pitcher Landen Roupp adds to the wildness factor.
The Giants’ righty surprised many by beating out highly regarded prospects Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong for a rotation spot out of spring training. His stuff, including a lethal curveball, was too good to pass up. The volatility of his command does present an interesting conundrum.
In his first start of the year against the Astros, Roupp struck out the first four batters and was coasting through the second. Then, he issued back-to-back walks. The same thing happened at the beginning of the fifth inning and led to manager Bob Melvin pulling the hook. He struggled out of the stretch, and the same may happen with De La Cruz at the plate tonight.
On top of that, Roupp has a slow pitching release, and regular Giants starting catcher (and Gold Glover) Patrick Bailey has a rest day. Backup Sam Huff is no defensive slouch, but he can’t hold runners on to the same degree. If Roupp loses his command and puts De La Cruz on base, he will be motoring for second base in no time.
