This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
We could be looking at elimination day across baseball with all four series having a chance to end Thursday. Let's dive into the four-game Yahoo slate and discuss some players to consider adding to your entry.
Pitchers
With no off days in these series, teams are going to need to go deeper into their starting rotations than they would have in years past. That means we might need to take some risks on the pitching side of things. One player to consider is Kyle Wright ($29), who will start for the Braves as they look to sweep the Marlins. The former 2017 first-round pick has made a quick jump to the majors, but his initial results haven't been great, leaving him with a 6.26 FIP across 63.2 career innings. On the bright side, he finished the regular season on a high note, allowing three earned runs or fewer in each of his final three starts. With the Marlins haven't arguably the most underwhelming lineup among all the teams who are still alive, Wright could be in line for another valuable performance.
The Rays will use Ryan Thompson ($25) as their opener for Game 4 against the Yankees with Ryan Yarbrough ($33) expected to follow him and pitch the bulk of the innings. Although Yarbrough isn't much of a strikeout pitcher, he's been able to be successful be keeping hitters inside the ballpark. He allowed 0.8 HR/9 this season and has never allowed more than 1.1 HR/9 during his career. That could be key against the Yankees powerful lineup.
Top Targets
The A's finally silenced George Springer ($24) in Game 3 of their series against the Astros after he had hit 6-for-9 with two home runs and a double across the first two games. However, don't expect them to be able to hold down Springer for long. He hasn't just been hot in the playoffs considering he also finished the regular season by hitting 31-for-91 (.341) with nine home runs across his final 23 games.
Giancarlo Stanton ($24) is having a playoff run for the ages. He's hit a home run in all five games that the Yankees have played, giving him six total across that stretch. There's never been a question about his ability to hit home runs, his problem has been staying healthy. Expect him to be a tough out for Yarbrough given that Stanton has a career 170 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers.
Bargain Bats
Speaking of hot hitters, Chad Pinder ($10) has been just that for the A's. He's hit a home run in back-to-back games and is 7-for-18 across six games in the playoffs. The Astros have not named their starting pitcher as of early Thursday morning, but their two most likely options are probably Cristian Javier and Zack Greinke. The problem is Javier threw an inning of relief Monday and Greinke has been battling an arm injury, so neither pitcher might be at full strength if they do indeed take the mound.
While his salary isn't as cheap as Pinder's, Kyle Tucker ($15) could still end up being a bargain. He's certainly performed well in the playoffs by hitting 7-for-20 across five games. He also will face Frankie Montas ($32), who struggled this season with a 5.60 ERA and a 4.74 FIP. Left-handed hitters recorded a .444 wOBA against him, which makes Tucker even more appealing.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Adrian Morejon ($30), Padres: Mookie Betts ($22), Cody Bellinger ($17), Justin Turner ($16)
The fact that the Padres are going with Morejon here over Chris Paddack shows just how bad Paddack was during the regular season. Morejon is a big strikeout pitcher, but he also allowed 3.3 HR/9 this year on his way to a 4.66 ERA and a 5.93 FIP. Betts should be the centerpiece of any Dodgers stack and Turner is also appealing with a lefty on the mound given his career .356 wOBA against them.
Rays vs. Jordan Montgomery ($30), Yankees: Randy Arozarena ($22), Manuel Margot ($17), Yandy Diaz ($15)
Montgomery didn't have a great season for the Yankees, finishing with a 5.11 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. His FIP was more encouraging at 3.87 and he only allowed a 29.6 percent hard-hit rate, so he actually performed better than his ERA would lead you to believe. With that being said, the last time he took the mound against the Rays, they touched him up for four runs and chased him before he could get out of the first inning. The key to any Rays stack could be Arozarena, who is 12-for-20 with three home runs, two doubles and a triple in the playoffs.
