This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Pitching
We couldn't ask for a better pitching matchup in Game 3 of the NLCS with the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg battling the Cardinals' Jack Flaherty.
With a 2-0 lead heading home, Strasburg should be able to attack without pressure. He posted a 2.40 ERA in September and has surrendered four runs over 15 postseason innings. He's been slightly vulnerable to the long ball, allowing two homers to the Dodgers in his last outing, but the 21 strikeouts he's amassed help make up for that entering a matchup with a Cardinals side that fans 23.2 percent of the time against righties. He limited St. Louis to three runs and nine hits while striking out 15 in 11.2 innings during the regular season.
Flaherty has proven he's exactly what the Cards need to stop their two-game slide. though. He has allowed four runs on two homers in the postseason, but he posted a 0.91 ERA and 2.22 FIP during the second half of the year, fanning 33.9 percent of opponents. He didn't face the Nationals during the regular season.
Hitter Correlation
Strasburg has been brilliant at home, owning a 3.21 ERA and 2.79 xFIP while allowing a .265 wOBA to lefties and a .263 wOBA to righties while averaging 11.6 K/9. Given Flaherty's second-half and postseason form, it's incredibly difficult to recommend any bats Monday. The books seem to agree with a low run total of seven.
It definitely sets up to go with a stars-and-scrubs lineup, so Anthony Rendon ($9,500), Trea Turner ($9,000) and Juan Soto ($8,000) are bound to see high ownership levels and be popular MVP and All-Star choices. Rendon has hit safely in every game of the postseason except Game 1 of the NLDS, while Turner has failed to scratch just twice. Soto has been much more feast-or-famine, so he is a better GPP target than cash. We can balance these top-priced options out with Howie Kendrick ($5,500), who is underpriced.
Paul Goldschmidt ($7,500) is the most obvious anchor if you're rolling out a Cardinals-heavy lineup, as he's only failed to collect a hit in one game this postseason. Pricing on St. Louis bats is slightly lower, so a stack here apparently can offer more depth. Tommy Edman ($7,000) is hitless in six NLCS at bats, however, as is Dexter Fowler ($6,000) in seven trips after hitting the ball hard often against Atlanta. Paul DeJong ($6,500) has looked better than he did in the NLDS, in which he had virtually no clue at the plate. He offers GPP power potential.
One-offs
Marcell Ozuna ($8,000) has seen Strasburg often thanks to his time in Miami, going 14-of-44 with three homers and 12 K's. Kolten Wong ($4,500) is bottom-priced, hits in the top third of the order and, despite not getting a hit, has taken a walk and stolen a base in the first two NLCS games, earning a solid 9 FDP. Getting "2x value" without a hit works.
Continue to keep an eye on the availability of Victor Robles ($6,000), who's missed five straight games with a strained hamstring. He'd have upside at this price even if he's rusty, but his absence would also allow you to save some with Michael Taylor ($5,000), who homered in Game 2.
