Game 1 of the World Series lived up to all the hype of this historically great matchup. The game was a pitchers’ duel that turned into a bullpen showcase and ended in a walk-off grand slam. You can’t ask for much more!
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the series after Freddie Freeman’s heroics, and they’ll look to build on that and take a commanding 2-0 lead on Saturday night. The pitching matchup should be a great one once again as Dodgers’ rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto matches up against Yankees’ lefty Carlos Rodon.
After all the drama of Game 1, can we get another classic on Saturday night? Let’s take a look at what to expect and how to attack the matchup from a DraftKings Showdown perspective.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st] (NYY @ LAD).
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Captain’s Pick
Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($16,500): Both starting pitchers are strong options at Captain’s Pick since both have been pitching well in the postseason. Yamamoto is my top option, though, after looking very strong in his last start against the Mets. While he has given up seven runs in just 12 1/3 innings this postseason, most of those came in his first outing against the Padres. He bounced back with five shutout innings in Game 5 of that series and earned 17.5 DraftKings points, and he followed that up with 18.2 DraftKings points against the Mets in Game 4 of the NLCS. He struck out eight in that outing and allowed just four hits in the no-decision.
The only hesitation I have with Yamamoto is that he doesn’t typically go deep into the game. In his seven starts since coming off the IL, he has gone five innings or less, but his strikeout stuff is good enough to still make him an option to consider.
Facing the Yankees’ lineup is no easy task, but Yamamoto looked excellent against them in the regular season, allowing just two hits in seven shutout innings on his way to 27.4 DraftKings points in a start in the Bronx. That may be too optimistic for Game 2’s final result, but the 26-year-old righty has a good chance to be one of the top performers if he has another outing like his two most recent starts.
UTIL Plays
Giancarlo Stanton ($8,600): Stanton has been outstanding in the postseason, hitting .294 with five homers in nine games and a .478 wOBA. He has homered and produced over 15 DraftKings points in four straight contests and has shown a flair for the dramatic as the Yankees’ most clutch hitter in the playoffs. He’s cheaper than both Juan Soto ($9,600) and Aaron Judge ($9,400), so it’s a good place to save a little salary and still get good power potential.
Mookie Betts ($9,000): Betts is at a great price point as an alternative Captain’s Pick and saves you enough to go with either starting pitcher or possibly even both in a utility spot if you get really creative. He was fairly quiet in Game 1, going 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI on his way to 6.0 fantasy points. He’s hitting .295 in the playoffs with a .435 wOBA and finished the NLCS with three straight games of at least 19 DraftKings points. He had 35 DraftKings points against the Mets in Game 4 of that series and has that kind of ceiling in Game 2 against Rodon. Facing lefties this season, Betts hit .308 with a .364 wOBA, and he hit 13 of his 19 regular-season homers at Dodger Stadium.
Andy Pages ($4,800): Pages has typically been in the Dodgers’ lineup against left-handed starting pitching and will likely get the call in Game 2 against Rodon. For a play under $5,000, he brings a very high ceiling as he showed with 35 DraftKings points in Game 4 against the Mets. He had two homers in that game and is 4-for-19 (.211) with a .329 wOBA overall in the playoffs. During the regular season, he hit .357 against lefties with three homers and a .394 wOBA. He is a great value play to consider whenever he gets the nod against southpaws in this series.
Fades
Aaron Judge ($9,400): Judge can be fantastic and I regularly used him throughout this impressive regular season. However, with so many other big bats to consider in better form, there’s not enough room for him in my Game 2 lineups. In the playoffs, Judge is only 5-for-31 (.161) this season, although he does have two home runs. In his career, he’s only a .203 hitter in the postseason with 79 strikeouts in 202 at-bats, giving him a 33.1% K% in the postseason. Hitters aren’t penalized for strikeouts in DraftKings scoring, but Judge’s lack of production in the postseason isn’t just a function of small sample size. There are just better, more proven options priced around him, so I’m not counting on him turning it around in Game 2.
THE OUTCOME
We can only hope Game 2 is anything like Game 1. The stacked Dodgers’ lineup is a little lefty-heavy, so Rodon could hold it in check early. Yamamoto has looked strong enough to match him, and I think it’s another low-scoring game that comes down to big hits in the later innings. Ultimately, I think the Dodgers have shown enough “clutch” to get another win in front of their home fans before the series shifts to the East Coast for Game 3.
Final Score: Dodgers 4, Yankees 2
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st] (NYY @ LAD).
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
