This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
A day off in the middle of a series? Can that still happen? Evidently, because the Rays and Dodgers didn't play Thursday, but they are returning to the field for Game 3 on Friday. Since there is only one series left happening, as you assuredly know, there are only Showdown contests on DraftKings. You pick six players. One of them is your captain, who costs 1.5 times their usual price, but also are worth 1.5 the points. This will be my last article of the season. It's been a fun – if unexpectedly – short ride. I'll see you in 2020. Here is a lineup to consider for Friday's contests.
CAPTAIN
Manuel Margot, TAM vs. LAD ($8,400): Margot is usually not known for having power, as his skills are more based on speed and fielding. However, he did hit .269 this season. More to the point, while Randy Arozarena has gotten most of the love for the Rays this offseason, Margot has taken off here in the playoffs. Margot has a .962 OPS and has hit five homers in the playoffs. He's also got a fairly low salary, which is why I chose him as my captain. There's real bang for the buck potential here.
UTILITY
Walker Buehler, LAD at TAM ($10,400): We've got quite a matchup on the mound Friday. Also, thanks to the fact there was actually a day off, we're got a couple pitchers getting proper rest. Buehler made eight starts this season, and they were a study in contrast. The first four were poor, but over his last four starts he had a 1.53 ERA and struck out 12.7 hitters per nine innings. In the playoffs, he has a posted a 1.89 ERA in four starts, showing his chops as the Dodgers' ace.
Charlie Morton, TAM vs. LAD ($10,000): I'm expecting a pitcher's duel Friday. Morton had a 4.74 ERA this season, but a 3.45 FIP. If you remove his first start of the year, which seems fair given all that led up to that, he had a 3.71 ERA. Morton also has a reputation as a big-game pitcher in the playoffs. In this postseason, he's pitched 15.2 innings and allowed all of one run. I think one of these two pitcher is going to pick up a win, and they are both going to have strong outings. Of course, you still need to flesh out your lineup with hitters.
Justin Turner, LAD at TAM ($8,800): Scoring has been homer heavy in the playoffs, and Turner has power potential. He had a slugging percentage over .500 in each of his last three seasons. The righty also has the ability to hit both right-handed and left-handed pitchers, which is beneficial in the playoffs. Since 2018, he has an .865 OPS versus righties, and also a .950 OPS against lefties.
Ji-Man Choi, TAM vs. LAD ($7,400): With a couple of righties on the mound that aren't likely to get pulled early, I figured I'd throw in a couple lefties on low salaries with upside. Choi can't hit lefties at all, but against righties he has an .865 OPS since 2018. He also has a career .345 OBP, so he can at least get on base and maybe end up scoring a run. As he showed in Game 2, the Korean has speed for a bigger guy.
Joc Pederson, LAD at TAM ($5,000): Pederson hit 36 homers last season. All 36 of them came against righties, and all seven of his homers this season came against righties as well. The guy can't hit lefties, but if a right-handed batter is on the mound – and Morton is a righty – he has a ton of power upside. His slugging percentage against right-handed pitcher since 2018 is .543. At this salary, if Pederson hits a home run he's going to pay off in your lineup.
