This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Tuesday brings two games in baseball, starting out with Game 5 of the ALDS between the Yankees and Guardians. The game was originally scheduled to be played Monday, but was postponed because of rain. The second matchup of the day is Game 1 of the NLCS between the Padres and Phillies. Both teams pulled off upsets in the previous round, knocking off the Dodgers and Braves, respectively. Let's dive into the Yahoo slate and discuss some players to consider for your lineups.
Pitchers
Yu Darvish ($54) had an odd outing against the Dodgers in their NLDS matchup. Overall, he didn't pitch poorly, allowing three runs and recording seven strikeouts over five innings. However, he allowed three solo home runs along the way. He gave up just 1.0 HR/9 during the regular season, while posting a 3.31 FIP and a 0.95 WHIP. That makes him a great option for this important Game 1.
Zack Wheeler ($46) has made two starts this postseason, logging at least six innings in both of them. He shut out the Cardinals over 6.1 innings in the Wild Card Round, then he limited the Braves to three runs over six innings in the NLDS. Coming off of his 2.82 ERA and 2.89 FIP during the regular season, Wheeler is arguably the most appealing pitcher for this slate.
Top Targets
It's been a quiet series for Aaron Judge ($20), who only has two hits over four games. He does have one home run, though, after slugging 62 during the regular season. With his career .316 ISO and .427 wOBA at Yankee Stadium, he stands out as one of the top hitters.
Game 5 being pushed back a day means that the Yankees will turn to Nestor Cortes Jr. ($40) on short rest. That might actually be good news for Amed Rosario ($14), who had a 126 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers during the regular season. For comparison, righties held him to a 95 wRC+.
Bargain Bats
Since we are deep into the playoffs, most hitters aren't going to have easy matchups. With that in mind, it's not a bad idea to take a chance on someone who at least has home run upside when you're hunting for players with cheap salaries. Someone who fits that description is Giancarlo Stanton ($12), who has one home run in this series after launching 31 of them over 110 games during the regular season.
Going even deeper down the salary scale, Myles Straw ($7) might be worth considering. He makes a lot of contact, posting just a 14.6 percent strikeout rate during the regular season. He has at least one hit in four of the Guardians' six playoff games, while also walking twice. If he can get on, he's also a threat to steal a base after swiping 51 of them over the last two seasons.
