Tuesday, October 3 MLB odds, trends: Heaviest Wild Card Game 1 prop action on Phillies' Zack Wheeler, Brewers' Corbin Burnes

The MLB playoffs begin with the Wild Card round on Tuesday, with two American League games in the afternoon and both NL games at night. Two Cy Young-caliber pitchers take the mound at home in the Senior Circuit in Milwaukee's Corbin Burnes vs. Arizona and Philadelphia's Zack Wheeler vs. Miami, and they are taking the most player prop action of any players on the board at DraftKings. Incidentally, Burnes won the 2021 NL Cy Young Award and Wheeler finished second.

The Brewers are the heaviest favorites among the Tuesday games, largely because of Burnes, but also due to the fact the Diamondbacks are having to start rookie Brandon Pfaadt in his playoff debut because the team's two best starters, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, are unavailable.

Burnes Over 15.5 outs (-140) is his top prop. The 28-year-old was 10-8 with a 3.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 200 strikeouts this season. He won't win the Cy Young Award but will get some votes. Opposing batters hit .200 against Burnes. He joined San Diego's Blake Snell, who will likely win the 2023 NL Cy Young Award, as the only qualifying pitchers to hold opponents to a .200 batting average or lower.

The right-hander is always an innings workhorse (193.2 this year) but didn't throw more than five in either of his final two starts despite not allowing a run in either. That was likely the Brewers simply keeping Burnes fresh and injury free for the playoffs. He made two starts this year against the Diamondbacks, going eight shutout innings in the desert on April 11 and five innings at home on June 19.

Philadelphia's Wheeler also had a very good season at 13-6 with a 3.61 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 212 strikeouts. He's one of the more durable starters in the NL. Wheeler Over 17.5 outs (-150) is his popular prop.

He was limited to four innings in his season finale, but, again, that was probably to ensure he was fresh for the postseason. Prior to that, Wheeler got at least 17.5 outs in 13 of his past 14 starts.  Wheeler went 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts this season against the Marlins, lasting six innings in each. He is 10-4 with a 2.48 ERA in 22 career starts against Miami.

Today's other popular MLB player props at DraftKings:

Brewers' William Contreras Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-155) vs. Diamondbacks: In his first season with Milwaukee, Contreras had his best campaign and closed on a career-high 18-game hitting streak.

Marlins' Jorge Soler Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (+130 ) at Phillies: Soler is 4-for-14  with a double and two RBI vs. Wheeler.

Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman Over 15.5 outs (-145) at Twins: Gausman didn't top this number in either regular-season start vs. Minnesota. 

Get more out of your SportsLine subscription! 

• Picks: NFL | NBA | CFB | CBB
• DFS: Lineup Optimizer | Picks
• Early Edge: YouTube | Apple Podcasts
• Newsletters: SportsLine Daily | Fantasy

Qualifying SportsLine members receive a 30-day free trial of Paramount+ premium. Sync your account right here.