We had an exciting first day of the MLB playoffs, with several close games and dramatic finishes. We'll head into the second day with another full slate of four games, which we'll preview below.
Pitchers
The pitching options are of a lower quality than what we saw Tuesday, so we'll limit our choices a bit more.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($9,500) ended the season by racking up a 36.1 percent strikeout and 0.65 WHIP rate in his last five starts. The Reds have been a mediocre lineup but struck out at a 23 percent clip in the final month of the season.
Tanner Bibee ($7,700) struggled for long portions of the season but has posted 47.4, 27.9 and 21.3 DraftKings points in his last three starts. The Tigers are also one of the more favorable matchups in the playoffs, striking out at a 25.6 percent clip in September.
A third option is Dylan Cease ($8,300), who has mostly disappointed this season. However, he has strikeout potential with the Cubs a relatively strikeout prone lineup, which is enough to at least bring him into consideration on the short playoff slates.
Top Hitters
The Yankees' lineup disappointed Tuesday, though that's excusable against Garrett Crochet. A matchup against Brayan Bello should be far more manageable, as he had an inflated 1.40 WHIP in the last month of the regular season. The Yankees are a decent stacking option, though Giancarlo Stanton ($4,000) has averaged 10.0 DK points in his last 10 games and checks in at a reasonable price.
Value Bats
The Guardians are a cheap mini stack to consider, which will also help balance the salary cap. George Valera ($3,200) is hitting second against right-handed pitchers, while Kyle Manzardo ($3,700) and Gabriel Arias ($2,900) round out the middle of the order. That's not exactly the most intimidating lineup, but the price is right, as is a matchup against Casey Mize.
Stacks to Consider
San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs (Andrew Kittredge/Shota Imanaga): Fernando Tatis ($5,300), Manny Machado ($5,100), Jackson Merrill ($4,300)
Imanaga has struggled for most of the second half of the season, particularly with home runs (2.35 HR/9). The Cubs have made it clear they lack confidence in him ahead of Wednesday's matchup, as Kittredge will serve as the opener. The Padres are in a good position to put up runs, tie this series and send it to a Game 3.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Cincinnati Reds (Zack Littell): Shohei Ohtani ($6,200), Mookie Betts ($4,800), Freddie Freeman ($4,900)
Littell isn't typically the type of pitcher we want to target for stacks due to his lack of walks, but he gives up a lot of contact to a team that can obviously do damage quickly. The Dodgers put their offensive prowess on display Tuesday, and they should be in a good position to do so again Wednesday.
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