After the Dodgers took Game 1, the Padres powered back with six home runs in Game 2 to even the series.
Now, the NLDS shifts to Petco Park for these bitter rivals. Michael King will get the start for San Diego and a pair of hitters I will be backing for my Dodgers vs Padres player props are Fernando Tatis Jr. and Kyle Higashioka.
Dodgers vs Padres Game 3 Player Props
- Fernando Tatis Jr. Over 1.5 Total Bases (+100, BetMGM)
- Kyle Higashioka Over 1.5 Total Bases (+225, DraftKings)
- Michael King To Record A Win (+170, DraftKings)
Fernando Tatis Jr. Player Props: Tatis May Light It Up vs. Buehler
Fernando Tatis Jr. is a player that loves facing the Dodgers and bright lights of the playoffs. In 61 games against the Dodgers, Tatis has 19 home runs, 38 runs batted in, and a .870. He is also hitting .444 in his postseason career. Well, in this series, Tatis gets the opportunity to do both of those things and he is red-hot right now.
In his first four games this postseason, Tatis is 9-for-14 (.643) with two doubles, three home runs, five runs batted in, and a 2.151 OPS. Over half of his hits have gone for extra bases and he also has two hits in each of the past three games. As a result, Tatis has recorded two total bases in each of his last three games.
Tatis will face Walker Buehler tonight and he is 9-for-29 (.310) with four home runs against him. Starters have not been long for the postseason and Buehler has not worked past five innings much this season anyway. Tatis may only see Buehler twice, but that may not matter. Tatis is averaging five total bases per game in the postseason and tonight we only need two. He is also +255 on DraftKings for four total bases and +360 on BetMGM for a home run.
Kyle Higashioka Player Props: Hot Bat To Continue for Higashioka?
Tatis is one of the more recognizable stars on the Padres along with Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts among others. However, at the bottom of the lineup, catcher Kyle Higashioka has been swinging a hot bat as well. Higashioka has a hit in each of the Padres' playoffs games – one double and three home runs to tie Tatis for the team lead. He has cleared his hits and total bases line in all four games.
Tonight, Higashioka is -115 for one hit/total base which you can take if you want to go safer. However, that may be leaving money on the table. Higashioka is averaging 3.5 total bases per game in the playoffs and you're +225 for him to get two tonight. His last four hits have gone for extra bases and he is 1-for-2 with a double against Buehler as well.
Higashioka is +650 on BetMGM for a home run tonight as well. He has four in his last six games dating back to the regular season.
Michael King Player Props: King Could Lift Padres to 2-1 Lead
With the series shifting back to San Diego, I like the Padres to take Game 3 and a 2-1 lead in the series. On paper, they will have the advantage on the mound with Michael King opposing Buehler. Though Buehler limited the Padres to one run in his final regular season start, he finished with a 5.38 ERA. King went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA and 201 strikeouts in the regular season and dazzled in his first career postseason start with 12 strikeouts in seven innings.
I would not expect as many Ks tonight, but there is still value in King recording a win tonight. King has went five innings in 14 of his last 15 starts. With another game tomorrow, he should get the opportunity to go five innings tonight. The Padres have jumped out to early leads in both games and should find success against Buehler tonight, particularly if they keep getting unexpected offense from Higashioka.
With the pitching edge tonight, the Padres are -152 on the moneyline and -158 to win the first five innings. Meanwhile, King is +170 to record the win himself. The Padres have scored at least four runs in every postseason game while averaging six per game. If that run support continues, he will hand the ball over to a lights out bullpen with Tanner Scott likely drawing the Shohei Ohtani assignment tonight.
