Best MLB Player Props Tonight Thursday, Oct. 9: Best Bets for Divisional Series

I'm breaking down the two-game National League Division Series slate with my best MLB player props tonight, featuring a prop for one of the pitchers facing elimination as part of my MLB picks.

World Series odds contenders look to punch their tickets to the NLCS tonight, and I'm providing even more coverage for the matchups in my home run predictions today.

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⚾ Best MLB player props tonight

MLB player prop bets for Divisional Series; odds subject to change.

• Cristopher Sanchez Over 5.5 strikeouts (-104 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
• Enrique Hernandez Over 0.5 RBI (+204 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐
• Andrew Vaughn Over 0.5 RBI (+165 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
• Kyle Tucker Under 0.5 hits (+140 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐

💰 MLB prop bets for Oct. 9

Our MLB player prop odds tool shows the best odds for every market across legal sportsbooks in your area.

⬆️ Cristopher Sanchez Over 5.5 strikeouts (-104) ⭐⭐⭐

Philadelphia Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sanchez is making his 33rd career start on four days’ rest. But compared to pitching on normal five days’ rest or extended rest of six or more days, he has averaged a 9.9 K/9 rate, his best in any split. 

Sanchez also has a lower ERA (3.06) on shorter rest than on normal rest (3.31), and that has me confident he will turn in a solid outing with his team’s season on the line. He recorded 18 whiffs on 43 swings in his Game 1 start, including a 63% whiff rate on his changeup. 

The O/U on his outs recorded is 16.5, with 52.61% implied odds to cash the Over. I expect manager Rob Thomson to give him a longer leash today, given that the Phillies used five pitchers (including three starting pitchers) to piece together nine innings yesterday.   

If Sanchez records at least six strikeouts, my $10 wager through FanDuel’s -104 price would net $9.62 in profits.

However, our Shane Jackson believes the Dodgers will get to Sanchez in his Phillies vs. Dodgers player props.

⬆️ Enrique Hernandez Over 0.5 RBI (+204) ⭐⭐⭐

Enrique Hernandez has three RBI this postseason, bringing his career total to 39 in 91 playoff games. Earlier, when he recorded his 38th RBI, he tied George Springer for the ninth-most postseason RBI among active players, and was tied with teammate Will Smith for the sixth-most in Dodgers franchise history.

Hernandez went 1-for-4 with two RBIs in Game 1 when Sanchez was toeing the rubber. These +204 odds carrying a 32.89% implied probability are a great value for a player who has driven in at least one run in three of his last four playoff games, while batting in a lineup that has scored four or more runs in 13 of their last 14 in the postseason.

FanDuel’s +195 odds for Hernandez to drive in a run are on the low end of the market. Thus, I am getting the best return at DraftKings, where a $10 winning wager would net $20.40 in profits.

⬆️ Andrew Vaughn Over 0.5 RBI (+165) ⭐⭐⭐

Entering last night’s game, Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn had a 1.005 OPS and 11 RBI in 10 games against the Cubs since being acquired from the White Sox. Vaughn flied out in his only at-bat as a pinch hitter in Game 3, but I expect him to be inserted into the heart of the lineup today, especially if Cubs southpaw Matthew Boyd gets the nod as the starting pitcher.

Vaughn has mashed left-handed pitching this season with a .313/.389/.470 slash line. And Milwaukee still owns an MLB-best plus-94 run differential in road games even after last night’s loss, so I am buying Vaughn’s chances of adding to that success. 

This three-star play also comes with confidence knowing that Vaughn has the second-shortest home run odds of any Brewers batter. 

There is a sizable difference between FanDuel’s +165 odds and Vaughn’s +150 odds (carrying a 40% implied probability) on the low end of the market for him to drive in a run. At a +165 price, a $10 winning wager would return $16.50 in profits.

⬇️ Kyle Tucker Under 0.5 hits (+140) ⭐⭐

Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker is coming off a two-hit performance in yesterday’s win, which was his second multi-hit game of this postseason. But he is still slashing just .250/.348/.250 with no extra-base hits through six postseason games, and has gone hitless in exactly half of them.

Given Tucker’s lack of power in the playoffs thus far, I was interested in backing the Under on his total bases. But with that O/U set at 1.5 and the Under juiced as high as -190, carrying a 65.52% implied probability, the better value is for Brewers pitchers to hold him hitless for the third time in this series.

If Tucker ends tonight’s game without a hit, my $10 wager through BetMGM’s +140 odds would return $14 in profits.

💡 Expert MLB predictions today

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