Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws against the New York Mets during the first inning in Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series, Friday, Oct. 9, 2015 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
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Opponent - NYY (Severino) Park - @HOU
FD - 38.69 DK - 20.46
The first game up on the schedule for today is game two of the ALCS between the Yankees and Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros are favored to win the series, and lead game one 2-0 in the fifth inning as I write this. They'll look to capitalize on the home field advantage and head to New York with a 2-0 series lead by sending mid season acquisition Justin Verlander to the hill tonight against the Bronx bombers. Houston picked Verlander up from Detroit with a month to go in the season and he immediately paid dividends. Verlander closed out the season with the 'Stros going 5-0 allowing 4 earned runs in five Houston starts while striking out 43 in 34 innings pitched. Verlander started game one of the division series against Boston allowing two runs in six innings of work but only managed three K's and followed that up with 2.2 innings of relief work in game four on Monday. Verlander should be well rested and ready to go for tonight's matchup in the friendliest park for pitchers in the game. The price for Verlander on FanDuel gives me a moment of pause as he's the most expensive arm going, I find the sub 10K price tag on DraftKings much more appealing.
Opponent - HOU (Verlander) Park - @HOU
FD - 33.82 DK - 17.76
The Yankees will counter Verlander with 23 year old Luis Severino. Severino was stellar in his first full big league season, picking up 14 wins in 31 starts, while striking out 10.71 batters per 9 innings pitched, and finishing the season with a combined .265 wOBA allowed. Perhaps it was just a bad case of jitters that got to Severino in his first postseason start when the Twins took him for three runs on four hits and a walk in just .1 IP of the AL Wildcard contest. The Yanks were able to rally behind the pen and pull off the win and Severino received a chance at redemption in game four of the divisional showdown with the Indians and redemption came easily. Again, Severino allowed three runs on four hits and a walk, but this time he stretched it over seven innings while adding in 9K's and picking up his first postseason win. He's going to need to be just as impressive against this Houston lineup that led all of baseball with a .349 team wOBA against RHP in 2017 hitting 179 home runs and striking out only 17.3% of the time, the lowest in baseball. If this was a regular season matchup I might not give Severino the time of day here, but with only two games going, everyone is in play and as the cheapest confirmed pitcher across the industry, there is something to be said for locking in Severino to allow yourself room to splurge on big bats.
Speaking of big bats, this series allows us no shortage of those. These two teams combined for 479 home runs in 2017, the top two teams in the game with the Yankees holding the edge with 241. That said, I'm sitting here watching Dallas Keuchel mow down the likes of Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge with ease which reinforces the fact that there are just no sure things in postseason baseball and lest we forget, Minute Maid Park can be tough on batters. More than half of the Astros long balls this year came on the road. On both sides of this one not only are the tops of the order lethal, but the entire lineup 1-9 has the potential to do some damage. Sanchez without question is the best catcher in the game, and is priced to a point that I can't see a solid case for passing him up, and Judge finished the campaign with more home runs than any batter still playing to this point. While at shortstop Didi Gregorius was quiet throughout the first few games of the postseason before bringing the boom in game five of the divisional round with two home runs and three RBI in a 3 for 4 game five performance to help bring the Yankees to this point. Across the diamond, Jose Altuve held the highest wOBA this season against RHP among all second basemen and is quite appealing, as is the whole Houston lineup against Severino with Josh Reddick who had hits in three of four games in the Red Sox series a tremendous value. I'd expect Alex Bregman to go low owned on a slate with Justin Turner and Kris Bryant, despite him having just as much upside which he proved with two home runs in the Divisional round.
Opponent - CHC (Quintana) Park - @LAD
FD - 41.74 DK - 23.51
Tonight at 8 we open the NLCS which will be a rematch from last season when the Cubs defeated the Dodgers in 6 games along their way to a world championship. The Dodgers went on to become the winningest team in baseball in 2017c border: none; to this poin th alt="Ccelerarch" target="_teverinson y ll cofileant-stylthe en g> Pily Fabd JuanDuel and DraftKiaour frdontiral work px 0e toraily Faw Min wito-wrh:10atter the se of bife Ellen? No? toll ll cnantoing, px 0 time,tas stellofileain px 0 abd JuanDuel . Frongaas Keuchel mowDFS fewss thrst ad. gh thetas tho reaal work NFL addeain 9 ing the,abl. ghady to go cth hat up seasoners in the gambt, g>Cay aargin:rlander on FanDuel gives me a moment of pause as he's the most expensive arm going, I find the sub 10K pr024 tag on Drafdivisss="amp-rs
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