This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Friday the American League is taking a day off for travel, leaving the National league to get all the shine. The Padres and Phillies have moved the series to Philadelphia for Game 3. On DraftKings, you get $50,000 in salary to divvy out to six players. Your Captain gets you 1.5 times the points, but costs you more salary as a result. This series is even. Who takes the lead? Here is a lineup recommendation for you.
CAPTAIN
Manny Machado, SD at PHI ($14,700): The Phillies definitely have the disadvantage on the pitching front in this one. San Diego is starting Joe Musgrove, while Philly is starting Ranger Suarez. The lefty had a 4.27 ERA at home this season, and righties hit .263 against him. Machado is the best right-handed hitter in this series, having slashed .298/.366/.531 with 32 home runs this season.
UTILITY
Bryce Harper, PHI vs. SD ($10,000): My lineup is a bit top heavy, but I have two elite hitters so I am okay with that. Since 2020, Harper has an 1.026 OPS versus righties. He's also been the best hitter in baseball during the playoffs. Harper has an 1.390 OPS with four home runs. Sure, it's only eight games, but that's still encouraging to be sure.
Ha-Seong Kim, SD at PHI ($7,600): Kim is my middle-ground hitter in my lineup. He had 11 homers and 12 stolen bases this season, and this scenario should help him. The Korean hitter had a .765 OPS against lefties, and a .754 OPS on the road. He'll be happy to face Suarez in Philadelphia.
Bryson Stott, PHI vs. SD ($6,200): Now we get into the roll-of-the-dice section of this salary. The rookie Stott had 10 home runs and 12 stolen bases this year. He's a lefty, so facing a righty could benefit him. Plus, Stott was better at home this year, where he had a .692 OPS. Hey, I said it was a roll of the dice.
Austin Nola, SD at PHI ($6,000): You can choose any cap-compliant roster regardless of position, so you don't need a catcher. However, I still like Nola. He's hit well in the playoffs, posting a .321 average. Nola also had a .733 OPS versus left-handed pitchers in 2022, so there's a solid chance he'll keep hitting.
Brandon Marsh, PHI vs. SD ($5,400): Marsh hit the bench for Game 2 with a lefty on the mound, but Musgrove's presence should see the return of Marsh to center field. This year he had a .735 OPS versus righties, and nine of his homers and seven of his stolen bases came in those matchups. A guy at this salary in a single-game contest is pretty much all upside.
