Dodgers vs. Giants: The best NLDS Game 1 player prop bets

You’re not alone if you didn’t think the San Francisco Giants would be playing in the National League Division Series when the season began. Gape Kapler & Co. entered the 2021 campaign with the 22nd best odds to win the World Series and were roundly dismissed by nearly everyone outside the Bay Area.

Then a strange thing happened. The Giants won… and won… and then won some more. San Francisco sliced through the NL like a knife through warm butter, and finished with a franchise-best 107-55 record. The Giants had never won more than 106 games before, and that was way back in 1904, when they called New York home.

San Francisco’s "reward" is a date with the 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers. You know, the same club that won the 2020 World Series and had won eight consecutive NL West titles prior to this season. The Dodgers punched their ticket to the NLDS by downing the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 on Wednesday courtesy of a dramatic walk-off home run by outfielder Chris Taylor.

It’s a dream series for baseball fans, even those outside of California. The action gets underway tonight at 9:37 p.m. ET and we have the three best player prop bets for Game 1 below.

Logan Webb Over/Under 5.5 strikeouts

Webb has been good everywhere he’s pitched this season, but he’s been especially dominant at home. The 24-year-old righty is 6-0 with a microscopic 1.96 ERA at Oracle Park in 2021. That includes a 2-1 win over the Dodgers on July 27 in which he gave up just three hits and struck out five in six stellar innings.

Overall, Webb is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against LA this season and is in prime position to pick up another "W" tonight. There's also a strong chance he could top six punchouts.

The Rocklin, CA native averaged 5.6 strikeouts in his appearances against LA this season, and registered six strikeouts or more in 11 of his last 12 outings. The lone exception was on Sept. 23 against the San Diego Padres, when he was pulled after giving up four earned runs in four innings.

If Webb makes it past the sixth inning, this prop should be a lock.

Pick: Over 5.5 strikeouts (+105)

Justin Turner Over/Under 0.5 hits

One player who will be happy to see Webb on the hill is Justin Turner, who is batting .429 lifetime against the Giants hurler. Granted, Turner has only faced Webb seven times, but he’s tagged him for three doubles during those clashes.

Turner enters Friday’s night game on something of a hot streak. He hit a mammoth leadoff home run off Adam Wainwright in the fourth inning of LA’s Wild Card Game victory to become the Dodgers' all-time leader in postseason home runs.

Expecting Turner to drive the ball into the cheap seats on Friday might be too ambitious, but he had 13 hits against San Francisco during the regular season and is a solid bet to get on base again tonight.

Pick: Over 0.5 hits (-240)

Walker Buehler Over/Under 4.5 strikeouts

Walker Buehler's inability to ring up opposing batters has been downright alarming lately. The two-time All-Star has failed to top four strikeouts in each of his last three outings despite going six innings in each start. Dig a little deeper, and you'll see that he recorded a career-low 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 2021.

One reason for his drop off could be fatigue. Buehler pitched a career-high 207.2 innings this season and made three more starts than his last full campaign in 2019. That's a notable development in an era when managers go out of their way to limit the wear and tear on their starters.

Buehler lasted just three innings in his last start against the Giants on Sept. 5, and may find himself in the showers early again tonight. Take the Under at plus odds for a tidy payout.

Pick: Under 4.5 strikeouts (+140)