This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Arizona will look to draw even in Saturday's Game 2 after the bullpen coughed up a late lead in Friday's extra-inning thriller. Strategy in lineup builds will be interesting; do we chase yesterday's results or stick with trusting matchups, batting oder and post season form?
We've got a half-run higher total at the books today at 8.5. Both offenses were fiesty last night resulting in 11 runs. Texas will turn to Jordan Montgomery to give them a decisive lead in the series, and he's been briliant in the postseason, allowing seven runs (six earned) across 25.0 innings, a 2.16 ERA. He's allowed 28 hits, but isn't a big swing and miss guy, fanning only 17. He's recorded 52 outs via fly ball, a potentially dangerous trend, but only two balls have left the yard.
Arizona will counter with Merrill Kelly, who's been equally solid. Through three postseason appearances, Kelly has allowed just nine hits across 17.0 innings, striking out 19. All three of the homers he allowed came in Game 2 against Philadelphia. Only Austin Hedges has faced him more than five times (he's 0-for-10), but the current Rangers' roster is just 4-for-30 (.133) with a .328 OPS off him.
MVP
Corey Seager, TEX vs. ARI ($9,000): Some may get cute with this spot and target Corbin Carroll, but there really isn't much of a choice for MVP, it's Seager or Adolis Garcia and that's it. Garcia is in a massive power binge, but Seager has also homered in consecutive games and three of his last five. He ripped righties during the regular season for a .439 wOBA, 183 wRC+ and .333 ISO. There are paths to fitting in both Seager and Garcia, and I'd expect many to do so. There's no mistaking the run Garcia is on, but he was just a .255 hitter during the regular season. Fade him at your own risk, but the multi-hit outings aren't his normal.
Star
Christian Walker, ARI at TEX ($7,500): This pick won't be for the faint of heart, but it's got upside and surely comes with virtually no usage, especially at a multiplier spot. Walker looks absolutely lost at the plate right now, hitting just .163 in the post season. He's just 1-for-19 over his last six games, striking out eight times. But he was great off lefties during the regular season, posting a .381 wOBA, 141 wRC+ and .319 ISO, with a 48.6 percent fly ball rate, playing into Montgomery's tendency. It's the right spot for him to break out.
Utility
Evan Carter, TEX vs. ARI ($7,500): Carter should slot into the three-hole of this lineup, between Seager and Garcia, which gives him a ton of quality pitches to hit and opportunities to drive in runs or score often. He's hit in six straight and in all but one of the Rangers' post season outings, with his last three hits all going for extra bases. And he was brilliant in limited exposure off righties during the regular season, posting a .499 wOBA, 225 wRC+ and .404 ISO.
Gabriel Moreno, ARI at TEX ($5,500): As always, I'm not setting out to simply make a lineup here, rather give options that have a chance to produce a non-zero score and allow you to spend for as many upper tier bats as possible. Moreno continues to hit third in the D'Backs lineup, and he's getting ample run producing chances as a result. He went 0-for-5 last night however, his first zero since Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. He enjoyed a decent regular season off lefties, posting a .379 wOBA and 139 wRC+, and though a very small sample, he's 4-for-7 with a homer and a double off Montgomery, potentially setting him up to bounce back.
Geraldo Perdomo, ARI at TEX ($5,000): There figure to be a few Diamondbacks at $4,500 that draw starts here given the lefty on the mound, so you can bottom out your lineup and open spending if you'd like. But those options figure to be lifted early and not get three or more at bats, so Perdomo or Leody Taveras are as low as we should be considering. Perdomo offers minimal upside, and had better splits during the regular season off righties. But he's quietly hit in five straight (eight total knocks), scoring four times and stealing two bases.
