After a thrilling Game 1 between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers, the teams are set for another big matchup on Saturday night. The Brewers got the 3-2 win behind Jacob Misiorowski on Friday, and they’ll give the ball to righty Logan Henderson as they look to go up 2-0 in the series. The Rays will counter with ace Drew Rasmussen as they look to split the two games in Wisconsin before the series shifts to Florida. It should be another great matchup, and DraftKings has a full slate of DFS fantasy baseball MLB Showdown contests to consider, so let’s take a look at some Rays-Brewers showdown picks to help set your rosters for Game 2.
Overall, the Brewers are a -120 favorite on the moneyline to win Game 2 on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Rays are +100 and the over/under is 6.5 runs for the second straight game. After taking Game 1, the Brewers are -295 to win the World Series and William Contreras and Jackson Chourio have emerged as the top two favorites to claim World Series MVP
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $80K Bat Flip [$20K to 1st] (TB @ MIL).
Captain’s Picks
Drew Rasmussen ($17,700 CP) – In a very interesting strategic move, the Rays went with Nick Martinez in Game 1, saving Rasmussen for Game 2 and Freddy Peralta (presumably) for Game 3. They nearly knocked off the Brewers despite ace Jacob Misiorowski taking the mound for Milwaukee, so they have to love their chances with Rasmussen ready to roll in Game 2. Rasmussen has been excellent all season, winning 16 games and posting a 2.67 ERA and 2.81 FIP in his 30 regular-season starts. He has been even better in the postseason, cranking up his strikeout rate from 26% to 30% and allowing just three runs in 21 innings over his three starts.
Rasmussen earned 26.8 FPTS in his last start against the Guardians in the ALCS and dominated the Yankees for 40.2 FPTS in the ALDS. The righty struck out eight in his five innings against the Brewers in the regular season, and his high strikeout numbers give him a very high ceiling. He can give your lineup a high ceiling as well if you can find the value plays that will allow you to build around him as your Captain.
William Contreras ($12,300 CP) – Contreras went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Game 1 of the World Series, posting 10 FPTS in the low-scoring, 3-2 win for the Brewers. He has at least 9 FPTS in three of his last four games and in four of his last seven. In the playoffs, he’s hitting .394 with an average of 10.7 FPTS per contest, and if anyone in the Brewers’ lineup is going to get to Rasmussen, it could be Contreras, given how well he’s been swinging the bat in the postseason, especially at home.
UTIL Plays
Junior Caminero ($9,400) – Caminero had one of the most memorable moments of the postseason with his home run in Game 6 of the ALCS and the victory lap of a home run trot that followed. He went 1-for-3 with a double in Game 1 and has hit safely in four straight games. In the playoffs, he is 10-for-36 (.278) with four doubles and a home run. He has averaged 7.3 FPTS in his 10 postseason games and brings a high ceiling based on his power potential.
Chandler Simpson ($6,800) – Simpson doesn’t bring the kind of power that Caminero offers, but he brings another elite skill with his speed. Simpson has 10+ FPTS in four of his last five games. He has a stolen base in each of his last three games, including in Game 1, when he went 2-for-4 with two strikeouts but also a stolen base for 11 FPTS. He has three stolen bases in his four games against the Brewers this season and has an average of 7.7 FPTS in his nine postseason appearances.
David Hamilton ($5,400) – I highlighted Hamilton as one of the best bargain plays in Game 1, and he delivered 5 FPTS by going 1-for-2 with a double before being replaced for defense in the ninth inning. He was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple, and he also had a sacrifice bunt. He finished the NLCS with 24 and 26 FPTS in his last two games against the Dodgers, and he brings plenty of speed upside if he gets on base before the lineup flips.
Fades
Logan Henderson ($11,000) – Henderson has been very effective this postseason, and the Brewers have won each of his two starts. However, he hasn’t pitched deep into either game and only earned 13.6 FPTS and 6.0 FPTS in those two outings. Henderson went 11-3 during the regular season and averaged 20 FPTS per game, but with the Brewers going to their bullpen so early in the postseason, he is high-risk at this salary, and he may leave too early to qualify for the win. Even if he does get through five innings, the game may be close enough that a win seems unlikely for him to earn, which he needs to really be worth this salary.
