This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday was the National League's day. Thursday? It's all about the American League! There are two playoff games on the schedule, and they involve the two series going on in the AL. The first game starts at 3:37 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations for your DFS squads.
Pitching
Nestor Cortes, NYY vs. CLE ($9,400): Cortes was a bit of a surprise for the Yankees this year, his first as a full-time starter. He had a 2.44 ERA all in all, but at home his ERA was a sterling 1.95. The Guardians finished 15th in runs scored compared to the Mariners in 18th, but all of eight runs separated them. The two offenses are pretty equal in terms of mediocrity, so neither one seems like a better target.
Top Target
Southpaw slugger Anthony Rizzo ($3,800) hit 32 home runs in 130 games this year. He enjoyed the lefty-friendly confines of Yankee Stadium as well, as he had an .840 OPS at home. Shane Bieber had a very good season, but only four teams are in action. I'll go with the lefty hitter versus the righty pitcher given Rizzo's success in home games.
Bargain Bat
Ty France ($3,000) posted a .274 batting average this season, strong by modern standards, but that was actually down from his career .279 number. He entered the postseason hitting .309 over the last 21 days of the regular season as well. Framber Valdez would probably prefer to be on the road, as he had a 3.54 ERA at home. He doesn't allow home runs, which is why I went with France, a guy who hits for average as his primary skill.
Stack to Consider
Astros vs. Mariners (Luis Castillo): Yordan Alvarez ($4,500), Kyle Tucker ($3,900), Jeremy Pena ($3,400)
Castillo crushed it in his first start of this postseason, and in 11 starts with the Mariners he had a 3.17 ERA. In his six road starts with Seattle, though, he had a 4.81 ERA. The righty is on the road Thursday, and I am going with two formidable lefties in this stack.
Alvarez hit a pretty big home run in Game 1 of this series. You might have heard about it. The slugger posted an 1.019 OPS this season, and getting to face a righty certainly helps (even if that walkoff homer came against a lefty). Tucker had 30 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 2022. He doesn't handle lefties quite as well as Alvarez, but Tucker had an .850 OPS versus righties this season, and that's what matters with this matchup. I don't know why Pena hits second for the Astros, but it definitely boosts his fantasy upside. The rookie had 22 homers and 11 stolen bases this year, as well as a .743 OPS at home.
