We’ve come to Game 5 of the ALCS between the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros and the home team can wrap this series up with a victory on Friday night. With a loaded bullpen on the Astros’ side of things, should we avoid the Red Sox and maybe even Luis Garcia ($10,200)?
Let’s get into it and answer that question.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $150K Showdown of the Week [$50K to 1st] (BOS vs HOU)
Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros
Captain’s Picks
Nathan Eovaldi ($15,900 CP) - If you want to spend all the way up, I won’t fault you. Eovaldi has been rock solid in the postseason with the exception of his tough relief appearance in Game 4, where he nearly had Jason Castro rung up on a slider before it was called a ball and then allowed the go-ahead run moments later.
The Astros’ strikeout rate for the postseason sits at around 23%, which offers you some hope that he can ring up hitters. His three-strikeout start against the Astros earlier in this series throws some cold water on that. Still, in a game bereft of great options, you could do worse.
Yordan Alvarez ($12,900 CP) - Alvarez has been an equal-opportunity destroyer, holding great numbers against lefties and righties this season. That makes him a great play at captain on any night, but this spot is particularly great. His price doesn’t really reflect how great he’s been, entering with eight hits in the ALCS including three homers and two doubles. He’s also been great at home this season with a .284/.339/.516 triple-slash in Houston.
UTIL Plays
Michael Brantley ($6,200) - It feels like we haven’t talked about Brantley at all during this series, but he’s been as steady as ever with five hits in his last three games. He’s a dreadful option against lefties, but he should be pretty clear of that danger with Eovaldi getting the start and the likes of Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock lined up to back him up. Brantley is an expert contact hitter who hits in the best part of the Houston order, and should have protection and plenty of RBI opportunities.
Christian Arroyo (4,000) - He should draw the start again with Kyle Schwarber manning first base against a righty, which makes him a great “free space” play at the minimum salary. Arroyo has a hit in four out of the five games he’s played in this series, and has twice boomed this postseason, with a homer earlier in the series and a three-RBI night against Tampa Bay. His floor is good here, though his upside may be limited.
Fades
Luis Garcia ($10,200) - There is no good reason to make Luis Garcia the second-most expensive option on this Showdown slate. He’s lasted 3 2⁄3 innings in his two postseason starts, allowing 10 earned runs on seven hits and six walks. The Astros had to use just one reliever — Ryne Stanek — for one inning after Framber Valdez’s eight strong innings in Game 5, so there is also no reason for Dusty Baker to keep Garcia in this game very long.
On top of all that, the Red Sox struck out just five times in Game 5 and have a 21.4% strikeout rate for the series. There just isn’t much upside here.
The Outcome
The Red Sox should force a Game 7 behind an offense that still touts the best numbers of anyone in the postseason. I believe Eovaldi will give the Red Sox some good innings on the front-end, and the Red Sox’ big bats should get him some run support early against Garcia, who has struggled mightily this postseason. Though I do like two select Astros bats in this Showdown, I’d lean towards Boston.
Final Score: Red Sox 5, Astros 4
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $150K Showdown of the Week [$50K to 1st] (BOS vs HOU)
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