A deciding Game 5 is set for Saturday evening in Milwaukee between the Brewers and Cubs for our showdown contest at 8:08 p.m. EDT. We've got a completely different vibe compared to Friday's marathon; neither team has announced a starter or opener as of early Saturday morning, and there's the expectation of more offense with a 7.5 run total compared to yesterday's 5.5 (which still went under even in 15 innings!)
The Brewers (-138) are moderate favorites, having won both prior games at home in the series. The unknowns on the mound make this a it of a guessing game where as last night's guessing was based on facing aces. We had some success there, so let's keep this hot! Check out yesterday's column if you need a refresher or are new to showdown slates.
MVP
Kyle Tucker, CHC at MIL ($18,000/$12,000): The top-priced players are the clear and obvious best choices for your MVP slot. I'm eliminating Seiya Suzuki given that he's been all or nothing for the bulk of the postseason. These lineups have pretty solid depth, so I think I want to take an ace from the Cubs and build heavily around the Brewers beyond. Tucker has three multi-hit games in his last five and homered in Game 4. He hit .315 with four homers against the Brewers in season, and .421 with a homer in 19 at bats in American Family Field.
Utility
Jackson Chourio, MIL vs. CHC ($18,900/$12,600): He's the highest-priced option on the slate, so fitting him and another top four bat is going to be a challenge. But I think it's worth paying for multiple stars in this matchup. Chourio is 7-for-15 in this series, which is the same number of hits he had in 28 regular season at bats versus the Cubs. I expect he'll be heavily rostered and heavily MVP'd, so it's okay to fade, but so perhaps put him in a cheaper UTL spot and try to move on with two studs to anchor. This is a fun showdown where you can go stars and scrubs, or build balance. I'm choosing the former.
Michael Busch, CHC at MIL ($15,000/$10,000): Busch is a driving force for the Cubs. He went 4-for-10 in the Wild Card round and has homered three times in four games in this series. Those are his only hits however, so it's straight boom or bust, which keeps him out of the MVP conversation for me. So does the fact his left-handed bat could be lifted for matchups at any point. He's 10-for-45 (.222) against the Brewers this year, but has two homers, both at American Family Field.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC at MILK ($12,000/$8,000): Crow-Armstrong is a more expensive version of the next player in this column. Minimal form with just two hits, two RBI and a steal in this series, but big potential against a familiar opponent he's enjoyed facing. Crow-Armstrong is 8-for-22 (.364) with three homers at American Family Field, and went 12-for-43 with five homers and 11 RBI against the Brewers overall.
Sal Frelick, MIL vs. CHC ($9,900/$6,600): Frelick appears to have been impacted by the break over the Wild-Card round, but he's a nuisance for opposing pitchers that can factor in multiple ways. He hit .277 against the Cubs during the season, and .313 at home, up from his .286 mark over the course of the year. Further, eight of his 12 homers came at home, and 14 of his 19 steals were at American Family Field. No current form, but he's an upside play.
Matt Shaw, CHC at MIL ($6,000/$4,000): Shaw is here just as Victor Robles was yesterday; he's the cheapest potential starter and that's largely the only appeal. He was hitless in seven Wild-Card at-bats and didn't start the first two of this series, but went 2-for-6 with a steal, walk and RBI in two games in Chicago. Shaw actually does have a speed/power upside profile, even if he's unlikely to tap into it. Three points would be sufficient if you spend correctly elsewhere.
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