The MLB postseason gets underway Tuesday with four Wild Card games, and the smaller slate still offers several appealing player-prop opportunities. We're targeting two strikeout lines before turning to one of Houston's biggest bats in a favorable spot against the White Sox.
MLB Best Bets for Tuesday
Chicago White Sox 
vs. Houston Astros 
- Yordan Alvarez Over 1.5 total bases (-105 BetMGM)
Alvarez is exactly the type of hitter worth targeting in a total-bases market because one swing can cash the prop, and he was one of the most dominant hitters in the majors throughout the season after hitting .316 with a 1.033 OPS, 42 homers, 34 doubles, 106 RBI, 105 runs scored and an impressive 109:120 BB:K. Rather than requiring a home run, over 1.5 total bases can get there with an extra-base hit or a multi-hit performance, giving us multiple paths to the Over.
Houston will be at home for Game 1, and Alvarez remains the centerpiece of an Astros lineup that will need its biggest bats to produce in the postseason. With his combination of contact quality and elite power, Alvarez offers more upside than a standard hits prop while avoiding the all-or-nothing nature of betting him to homer. With the way he's been seeing the ball lately, as he ended the regular season on a 12-game hitting streak, this is one of the strongest props in Tuesday's card at nearly even-money.
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Boston Red Sox 
vs. New York Yankees 
- Cam Schlittler Over 7.5 strikeouts (+106 DraftKings)
Schlittler's strikeout ability isn't in question, but this number leaves very little margin for error. The Yankees right-hander averaged 7.2 strikeouts per appearance across 33 outings this season, slightly below the eight he'll need to beat this line. He also had a 6.5-strikeout prop as recently as Sept. 20, illustrating how aggressively the market has adjusted his number entering the postseason. Schlittler can still deliver an excellent Game 1 performance without reaching eight punchouts, making the under appealing at an inflated threshold.
The Yankees need him to be at his best, but his body of work in the regular season speaks for itself. He's the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award after he went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 239:49 K:BB over 193.2 innings for the Yankees during the regular season. Having fanned five in just three innings against the Rays in the regular-season finale, he seems to be locked in ahead of the playoffs, so I'm backing the Over.
Chicago Cubs 
vs. San Diego Padres 
- Michael King Over 4.5 strikeouts (-130 FanDuel)
King enters the postseason averaging 4.96 strikeouts per appearance across 32 outings this season, putting Tuesday's line slightly below his usual production. The right-hander doesn't need a dominant performance to cash this prop, either, as five strikeouts is a manageable target if he can work through five or six innings.
King has consistently shown the swing-and-miss ability to exceed this number, and San Diego should give him a normal workload in this high-stakes contest. At only 4.5, the Over is worth backing in Game 1, especially since King has hit this line in four of his last five starts, including the last two.
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MLB Picks Recap
- Yordan Alvarez Over 1.5 total bases (-105 BetMGM)
- Cam Schlittler Over 7.5 strikeouts (+106 DraftKings)
- Michael King Over 4.5 strikeouts (-130 FanDuel)
All Plays - 1 Unit
