This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We always knew Wednesday would feature two MLB games on the docket. We just had to wait a little longer to find out who the final team would be. The Yankees won their Game 5 on Tuesday, and so the matchups are set. First pitch is at 4:35 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations!
Pitching
Blake Snell, SD vs. PHI ($9,500): There were three pitchers worth considering, and no matchup that is particularly good at this point. Snell has the third-highest salary of the three viable pitchers, and that is a big part of why I went with him. Why not save some salary? While he had a 3.38 ERA this year, he had a 2.79 FIP. Plus, Snell is a lefty, which doesn't bode well for Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber.
Top Target
Thirty home runs and 100 RBI? Yeah, that sounds like a Manny Machado ($4,100) season. He also slashed .298/.366/.531, so it's not just the counting stats. While Machado is a righty, his OPS of .915 versus righties was better than his mark against lefties. Meanwhile, Aaron Nola completely shuts down southpaws, but right-handers hit .237 against him this year. Now, that's not bad for Nola, but we are in the League Championship round here. You have to take what you can get for a theoretical edge.
Bargain Bat
I didn't want to roster anybody against Justin Verlander, as the Yankees had to travel from New York down to Houston after winning Tuesday, so I am looking for a Phillies hitter to go against Snell. Obviously, I want a righty. Well, Alec Bohm ($2,800) is not merely right-handed, he had a .935 OPS versus southpaws this year.
Stack to Consider
Astros vs. Yankees (Jameson Taillon): Jose Altuve ($3,900), Kyle Tucker ($3,700), Alex Bregman ($3,300)
This is the obvious matchup to target. The weather postponement led to Nestor Cortes starting Game 5, leaving Taillon to open this series. He had a 3.94 FIP this year and a 4.36 ERA on the road. Additionally, he allowed 1.7 home runs per nine innings on away games as well. The Astros have some guys who hit well at home, making this even more enticing. I have gone with two righties since right-handers hit .253 against Taillon this year.
Altuve crushed lefties, but his .860 OPS versus righties was still quite good. Even better, he had a .971 OPS at home. For the second season in a row, Tucker racked up 30 home runs, but this time he added 25 stolen bases. Since 2020, he has an .889 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Bregman is a righty who hits his fellow righties well, posting an .881 OPS in those matchups.
