The American League kicks off the second round of playoffs today as the Houston Astros take on the Oakland A’s at 4:07 p.m. ET and the New York Yankees get ready to face the Tampa Bay Rays at 8:07 p.m. ET. Now let’s see if we can make some money today in MLB DFS: ALDS Game 1.
*All prices are DraftKings.
**The Astros-A’s series is in Dodger Stadium and the Yankees-Rays series is in Petco Park.
Pitchers
Blake Snell ($8,000) vs. New York Yankees
I know the Bronx Bombers just pummeled the Cleveland Indians, but this is different. Snell is a lefty with strikeout upside and the Yankees are away from home. New York as a team does not hit left-handers well. They have a .704 OPS against southpaws compared to .811 against righties. The Yankees also do not exhibit nearly as much power away from Yankee Stadium. As a team, they hit 27 HRs in 29 games on the road as opposed to 67 Hrs in 31 home games. Their road slash line is .226/.319/.358. Snell seems to like the postseason also. In admittedly a small sample size, the Tampa Bay lefty has a 16/2 K/BB rate and has allowed only one run and five hits in 11 IP. He is priced cheaper than Gerrit Cole ($8,600) and Chris Bassitt ($8,100) because of the matchup. Don’t let that scare you here.
Hitters
Carlos Correa ($4,000)
The Astros shortstop has been hot lately. Including the two games against the Minnesota Twins, Correa is working on a six-game hitting streak. He has gone 5-8 with two walks and two HRs in his last three games. He is the cheapest option of the four starting shortstops today and likes facing Bassitt. In his career, he is 4-10 with four walks against the A’s starter.
Yandy Diaz ($3,500)
The Rays third baseman returned from a month-long absence and went 0-2 with a run and two walks in Game 2 of the ALWC series against the Toronto Blue Jays. While Diaz doesn’t offer a ton of power upside (17 HRs in 784 PAs in his career), he has a great eye at the plate. This season he walked (23) more than he struck out (17) and had an excellent .428 OBP. The floor is there even against a tough opponent like Cole who Diaz has gone 5-12 against in his career.
Khris Davis ($3,400)
Davis entered September batting .155 with one HR. Since then, in 40 PAs, he has batted .286 with two HRs. Davis also has a 4/9 BB/K rate in that time which is a noticeable improvement. He is also 5-19 with a HR and a couple of doubles against Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. At this price it might be a good idea to have some Davis in your lineups, especially in tournaments.
Other players to consider:
DJ LeMahieu ($5,200) – Hit machine, good floor, 6-14 with four walks vs. Snell
Marcus Semien ($4,200) – He bats first or second, is 3-8 last two games, 7-19 with four walks vs. McCullers
If they play:
Gary Sanchez ($4,400) – Kyle Higashioka will likely start behind the plate with Cole on the mound. Sanchez has crazy stats against Snell. In 27 PAs he has five HRs, seven walks, and 11 Ks. If he is in the lineup at DH, he is worth a shot just like…
Ji-Man Choi ($3,000) – Here is another player who may not start as Choi has been battling hamstring issues. He is also another hitter with ridiculous numbers against the opposing starter (Cole). Choi, in 15 PAs vs. Cole, has eight hits including three doubles and three HRs along with three walks. He has also scored six runs and driven in eight. At $3,000, he is worth a play if he is in the lineup.
Good Luck Everyone!
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Johnnie Black on Twitter @jball0202
Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images
One Response