Check out the top Kyle Tucker player prop bet before Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series between the Cubs and Padres gets started on Thursday.
The heat is on in Wrigleyville. On Thursday night, the Chicago Cubs host the San Diego Padres in a decisive Game 3 of their National League wild card series — a winner-take-all matchup to decide who meets the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.
The Cubs are back in the postseason for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2020 season, thanks in part to their offseason trade for star outfielder Kyle Tucker. Can Tucker, a former World Series champion with the Houston Astros, help deliver postseason glory to Chicago before embarking into free agency?
First pitch at Wrigley Field is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. ET. The odds are practically even; San Diego is at -105 on the moneyline, and Chicago has the slight edge at -115. The total is set at 7.5 runs. But before the two clubs square off, here’s my favorite Kyle Tucker prop bet on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Kyle Tucker prop bet for NL Wild Card Game 3
Tucker’s first season with the Cubs wasn’t the career year he had hoped for, which would have inflated his market value ahead of free agency. While it was another All-Star campaign, injuries hampered Tucker in the second half of the season and caused his numbers to plummet. He wrapped the season with a solid — if slightly underwhelming — .266 average, .841 OPS, 22 homers, and 73 RBIs in 136 games. He’s also off to a slow start this postseason, going 1-for-7 with a single and two strikeouts thus far.
Still, Tucker has delivered in key spots this season — and with the season on the line, he could do just that. With runners on base this season, Tucker’s 152 wRC+ is tied for seventh in the National League. And according to FanGraphs’ high leverage metric, Tucker owns a 163 wRC+ in clutch situations, the sixth-best mark in the NL behind his teammate Nico Hoerner.
Tucker is slated to hit cleanup in Thursday’s matchup against the Padres, and he’ll face off against veteran right-hander Yu Darvish, who carried a 5.38 ERA across 72 innings this season. Tucker has a limited history against Darvish (1-for-6, no strikeouts), but the lefty slugger carried an .849 OPS with 14 homers and 45 RBIs against righties this season.
If Michael Busch, Hoerner, or Ian Happ can reach base ahead of him, Tucker could make Darvish pay and get the Cubs on the board.
Best bet: Kyle Tucker 1+ RBIs (+160)
