This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Tuesday brings three more playoff games after Monday's Game 4 between the Astros and White Sox was postponed because of inclement weather. With the added off day, the Astros decided to skip over Jose Urquidy, and will instead give Lance McCullers Jr. his second start of the series. After shutting down the Brewers on Monday, the Braves will try to close out their series at home in Game 4. The Dodgers will also be trying to stave off elimination after they were shut out by the Giants in Game 3. Let's dig into the matchups and highlight some players to consider on DraftKings.
Pitchers
With their backs up against a wall, the White Sox will turn to Carlos Rodon ($8,100) to keep their season alive. He's coming off of a breakout campaign in which he recorded a 2.37 ERA that was supported by a 2.65 FIP. One of the main reasons for his success was his 34.6 percent strikeout rate. Across two starts against the Astros during the regular season, he allowed two runs and recorded 18 strikeouts over 14 innings. Even though he logged five or fewer innings in each of his final eight starts, he could still miss enough bats to be worth adding to your lineup.
As of early Tuesday morning, only three pitchers had officially been named starters for this slate. It's not a crazy idea to roll with both Rodon and McCullers ($8,200), despite the limitations that it will put on the rest of your salary cap. McCullers followed up a stellar regular season with a big performance in Game 1, holding the White Sox to only four hits over 6.2 scoreless innings.
Top Targets
The Giants will turn to Anthony DeSclafani ($7,600) to try and eliminate the Dodgers. The Giants being the road team is significant because DeSclafani had a 4.14 FIP on the road this season, compared to a 2.94 FIP at home. He faced the Dodgers in Los Angeles twice during the regular season and combined to allow six runs over 11 innings. If you want to try and take advantage of his road issues, then Corey Seager ($5,200), who has a career 140 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers, is a viable target.
All signs are pointing to Eric Lauer ($7,900) being the starting pitcher for the Brewers in their matchup with the Braves. Craig Counsell said Corbin Burnes won't pitch on short rest and Adrian Houser has been used twice in this series out of the bullpen. Lauer had a strong regular season with a 3.19 ERA, but his 4.04 FIP wasn't as impressive and he was aided a bit by a .249 BABIP allowed that was more than 50 points lower than his career mark. If he does indeed start, this could be a great matchup to deploy Ozzie Albies ($5,000), who has a career 146 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers.
Bargain Bats
The Braves winning Game 3 was key because they can afford to not start Charlie Morton on short rest for Game 4, if they want to. They could instead roll with Huascar Ynoa ($6,900), who hasn't given the Braves much length since a stint on the IL because of a hand injury. Across nine starts after he was activated, he failed to pitch more than five innings five times. If Ynoa starts and you want to take a chance on someone on the Brewers, Willy Adames ($3,900) might be your man. He had at least one hit in each of the three games in this series and recorded a .886 OPS after being acquired from the Rays.
Even if you decide to add Rodon to your entry, including Jake Meyers ($2,200) as one of your hitters could work out. His extremely cheap salary is helpful, especially if you roll with the duo of Rodon and McCullers at the pitcher spots. He had a .378 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season and he is 3-for-7 with two RBI and a run scored in this series.
