Sunday was for the National League, but Monday is all-American (League). After a quick day off for the Junior Circuit, the two Game 2s are on tap. First pitch is at 4:08 pm. EDT. Here are my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Matthew Boyd, CLE vs. DET ($8,400): Yes, Tarik Skubal is on the mound for the Tigers. He's going to win the AL Cy Young and was the best pitcher in baseball this season. However, the Tigers had the worst offensive season of any playoff team, finishing with a collective OBP of .300. Boyd, a former Tiger, had a 2.72 ERA in eight starts for the Guardians. He's also a lefty, which means no Kerry Carpenter to start the game for Detroit.
Top Target
With perhaps the best batting eye in MLB, Juan Soto ($4,500) had an .419 OBP this season, not to mention his first 40-homer campaign. Even though he is a lefty, he had a .966 OPS versus his fellow southpaws. Cole Ragans is a lefty, and a top pitcher, but in his career left-handed hitters have batted .264 against him. Sure, that's probably because only elite lefties face Ragans, but that's exactly what Soto is.
Bargain Bat
I did want to find a right-handed Tiger to roster against Boyd. He did have a 2.72 ERA in eight starts with Cleveland, but his career ERA is 4.85. Matt Vierling ($2,900) had 16 homers, but he also had five triples and 28 doubles. Additionally, he hit .275 against southpaw pitchers, so Vierling has a good chance to at least get on base with his bat.
Stack to Consider
Royals at Yankees (Carlos Rodon): Bobby Witt ($4,000), Salvador Perez ($3,000), Tommy Pham ($2,800)
On the one hand, Rodon had a 3.11 ERA at home compared to a 4.69 ERA on the road. On the other hand, he allowed 1.5 homers per nine innings in away starts, but 1.7 homers per nine at Yankee Stadium. Rodon is also a southpaw, and so I wanted the three righties with the most power available in the Royals' lineup.
Witt his 32 home runs this season, but of course he's not just about going yard. He batted .332, which is incredible by modern standards, and stole 31 bases as well. Perez hit 27 homers, but this situation is right up his alley from a power perspective. He slugged .497 on the road, but also slugged .510 against southpaws. The power dries up for the Royals pretty fast, but Pham is a righty with some power upside at least. He hasn't hit 20 homers since 2019, but he hit at least 15 in each of the three seasons prior to this one. Pham has also slugged .435 against lefties since 2022, which is viable.
