After two games in Houston, the World Series is even at one game apiece. Now, we head to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Monday. At FanDuel, you get $35,000 in salary to pick a roster of five players. Your MVP gets you double points, while your Superstar gets you 1.5 times the points.
The slated starting pitchers are Lance McCullers for the Astros and Noah Syndergaard for the Phillies. However, Syndergaard's starts this postseason have been quite short. There may be a lot of bullpen arms in Game 3 for Philly, but one of those arms will not be lefty Ranger Suarez, who is in line for the start in Game 4. Here's the lineup I landed on. Oh, and Happy Halloween!
MVP
Bryce Harper, PHI vs. HOU ($9,500): Harper has been the best hitter this postseason, slashing .392/.426/.804 with five home runs in 13 games. Of course, his track record goes far beyond the playoffs. Since 2020, Harper has an 1.026 OPS versus righties. The Astros only have one lefty in their bullpen, making it harder for them to try and target Harper as a southpaw.
SUPERSTAR
Kyle Tucker, HOU at PHI ($7,500): It's not about the two home runs in Game 1 from Tucker. No, it's about the 30 homers and 25 stolen bases during the regular season. Also, the outfielder's .850 OPS versus right-handed pitchers and hit .866 OPS in away games. Tucker may only get one shot at Syndergaard, but Syndergaard allowed lefties to hit .272 against him this year.
UTILITY
Kyle Schwarber, PHI vs. HOU ($7,500): It's the other big lefty bat for the Phillies. Schwarber paced the National League with 46 home runs this year, 36 of which came against righties. Since 2020, Schwarber has a .905 OPS with right-handers on the mound. McCullers had a 2.27 ERA in eight starts this season, but a 3.48 FIP. Also, since 2020 he has a 3.95 ERA on the road.
Yuli Gurriel, HOU at PHI ($5,500): Gurriel has been the guy who's gotten hot at the right time. In the playoffs the first baseman has a .342 batting average and slugged .500. He's continued to hit well in this series, so at this point, like with Eddie Rosario last year, I'm willing to ride Gurriel's hot streak down the stretch.
Chas McCormick, HOU at PHI ($5,500): McCormick is filling out the roster based on salary and his regular role in the lineup. He does have a .920 OPS in the playoffs, though. The hope would be McCormick catches a lefty out of the bullpen, as in his career he has a .910 OPS against southpaws.
