A brilliant 10-K shutout by Jake Arrieta sent a record crowd of Pirates fans home extremely disappointed last night. If you are in Cincinnati today near the river and see a baseball float by, it could be the one that Kyle Schwarber launched 449 feet at 110+ mph.
Many of us are “alive” in Wed-Thu contests at DraftKings that closed yesterday. There’s additional DFS action on today’s two ballgames, as the Divisional Series round begins at 3:37 Eastern in Toronto. It’s been 22 years since my home town hosted a playoff game; a large percentage of us have called in sick.
David Price $11700 should outpitch Yovani Gallardo $7200 and figures to get plenty of run support from the potent Jays lineup.
In the second game, Yordano Ventura $8600 and Collin McHugh $9700 are both in excellent form. McHugh last faced the Royals in May of 2014 and spun 7 IP of 9-K shutout. Ventura beat the Astros this year on July 26, when he was still not 100% recovered from a forearm issue.
Plays of the Day
The $60K Moonshot is a $3 buy-in (FREE to new depositors at DK) that pays the top 4,625 finishers from up to 22,988 teams, with multiple entries permitted. First place wins $4,000. Enter before 3:37 and you can make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
Not much has changed from my Wed-Thu lineup. At C it’s a difficult choice between Russell Martin $3700 and Salvador Perez $3400, though you could punt the position with Jason Castro $2400.
Edwin Encarnacion $5200 is a must-start based on 3 HR and 1.296 OPS in an admittedly small (16 AB) sample vs. Gallardo. Kendrys Morales $4200 is more affordable and Price still respects Mike Napoli $2900 from his first stint in Texas.
Jose Altuve $5100 should be the top-salaried 2B, with versatile 2B/OF Ben Zobrist $4100 playable somewhere. 2B/SS Ryan Goins $2600 also has lineup flexibility and might surprise.
At 3B, it’s hard to afford Josh Donaldson $5500 if you’re paying retail for Encarnacion. Some say “clutch” can’t be measured and therefore doesn’t exist. Maybe Adrian Beltre $4000 has just been lucky in big games for most of his Hall-of-Fame career.
Carlos Correa $5000 is expensive and facing a flamethrower. Troy Tulowitzki $4700 has a fractured left shoulder blade that doesn’t prevent him from playing defense or running, but it must hurt to swing. Alcides Escobar $3500 or Goins is my bargain choice.
Unfortunately, Lorenzo Cain $4900 breaks the budget but I’m strongly considering his teammate Alex Gordon $3700. Toronto slugger Jose Bautista $5400, also expensive, has yet to solve Gallardo in a mere 12 AB. Ben Revere $3900 might be better value today. Colby Rasmus $3200 is an all-or-nothing slugger who crushed a decisive homer to eliminate the Yankees. There aren’t many inexpensive OF options with upside; Alex Rios $2900 is a probable starter and Jarrod Dyson $2900 could be a factor off the bench.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | David Price $11700 | Yovani Gallardo $7200 |
| SP2 | Collin McHugh $9700 | Yordano Ventura $8600 |
| C | Russell Martin $3700 | Salvador Perez $3400 |
| 1B | Edwin Encarnacion $5200 | Kendrys Morales $4200 |
| 2B | Jose Altuve $5100 | Ryan Goins $2600 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson $5500 | Adrian Beltre $4000 |
| SS | Carlos Correa $5000 | Alcides Escobar $3500 |
| OF1 | Lorenzo Cain $4900 | Colby Rasmus $3200 |
| OF2 | Jose Bautista $5400 | Alex Gordon $3700 |
| OF3 | Ben Zobrist $4100 | Alex Rios $2900 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Until basketball returns, we’re offering baseball tips on weekdays. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.