2 weeks agoCleveland Guardians first baseman/designated hitter
Kyle Manzardo is not in the starting nine for Game 5 of the ALCS. Manzardo has tallied a hit in each of the past three games in the ALCS but will take a seat as the Yankees send out southpaw
Carlos Rodon in hopes of clinching the series victory. As a result,
David Fry will serve as the designated hitter, and
Josh Naylor will cover first base. During the postseason, the former second-round pick has carried an impressive .294/.294/.529 line with one home run and two RBI. Manzardo will likely be deployed as a pinch-hitter later in the game, but it is best to leave out of your DFS lineup as he may only get one at-bat.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoCleveland Guardians catcher
Bo Naylor is returning to the starting nine for Game 5 of the ALCS after sitting out in Game 4. Naylor will be behind the dish and bat in the seven-hole. Naylor did not tally a hit during the ALDS and has begun to work out of his slump, as he is currently gone 2-for-7 against the Yankees with one extra-base hit. During the regular season, the 24-year-old posted an underwhelming .204/.264/.305 line with 13 home runs and six stolen bases. He will face Yankee southpaw
Carlos Rodon, who is coming off a strong outing where he held the Guardians to just one run across six frames while striking out nine and is best to fade in DFS.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Yankees designated hitter
Giancarlo Stanton is returning to the cleanup spot on Saturday evening after batting in the five-hole in the previous game. As a result, third baseman
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is moving down to the five-hole. Stanton has been swinging a scorching bat through the entire postseason, and he is currently carrying an impressive .300/.400/.767 slash line with four home runs and nine RBI. The 34-year-old has only gone hitless in two games during October. The power hitter will be a popular play in DFS formats this evening, facing
Tanner Bibee, as he has gone deep in two straight games.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoCleveland Guardians closer
Emmanuel Clase's rough 2024 postseason continued on Friday night against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. Clase was brought into a 6-6 tie game in the ninth inning and proceeded to allow two earned runs on three hits while walking one and striking out one in his inning of work to take the loss, his second in six appearances this October. An error by shortstop
Brayan Rocchio didn't help matters, but Clase now has a 10.29 ERA (7.17 FIP), two losses and a blown save in his six playoff outings this year after he was the best closer in baseball during the regular season. It looks like the 26-year-old Dominican flamethrower has tired down the stretch, but the Guardians will need him to turn it around if they hope to win three straight and get back to the World Series.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Yankees right-handed reliever
Tommy Kahnle got the nod in a save chance in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night against the Cleveland Guardians and disappoint, slamming the door in an 8-6 victory for his first save of the postseason. In his scoreless inning of work, Kahnle allowed a hit, walked one and struck out a batter to put the Yankees up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, one game away from a trip to the World Series. Normal closer
Luke Weaver blew the save in epic fashion in Game 3 and has been used heavily of late, so the Yankees elected to give him a break on Friday and go with Kahnle instead. The 35-year-old only had one save during the regular season but has been a key relief arm for the Yanks in October, tossing seven shutout innings with six walks and six strikeouts in six appearances.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Juan Soto flexed his muscles in the team's 8-6 victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Friday night in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series by going 1-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored, a walk and a strikeout. Soto's home run was a two-run shot off right-handed starter
Gavin Williams in the first inning, and it was his second long ball of the ALCS against Cleveland. The win gave the Yankees a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Aaron Judge has been cold in the postseason, but Soto and
Giancarlo Stanton have picked him up offensively. Soto is now hitting .286 (8-for-28) with two home runs, a double, five RBI, seven walks and five runs scored in eight playoff starts this October. He'll look to keep it rolling in Game 5 on Saturday against right-hander
Tanner Bibee.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Yankees designated hitter
Giancarlo Stanton is having a memorable 2024 postseason for the Yankees at the plate. Stanton went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and two strikeouts in the team's 8-6 win in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night. With the mammoth homer, Stanton became just the second-ever Yankees player in history to hit four home runs in multiple postseasons, joining Mr. October Reggie Jackson in the record books. The 34-year-old DH heads into Game 5 on Saturday in Cleveland with a .300 average (9-for-30) with four homers, two doubles, nine RBI, five walks, a stolen base and five runs scored in eight playoff starts this October. Stanton's three-run bomb on Friday night came in the sixth inning off of right-hander
Cade Smith and put the Yankees up 6-2 at the time.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoCleveland Guardians right-hander
Tanner Bibee will start Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday at Progressive Field against the New York Yankees as the Guardians look to keep their season alive and force a Game 6 back at Yankee Stadium. Bibee only made it through 1 1/3 innings in the Game 2 loss to the Yankees, allowing two earned runs on five hits while waking one and striking out two on Tuesday. He was much better in his two starts in the AL Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, giving up two earned runs, walking three and striking out nine in 8 2/3 frames. The 25-year-old will be going on short rest on Saturday after not even completing two full innings earlier this week. It will be a tall task against a hot Yankees offense, and limiting the long ball will be key if Bibee wants to go deeper into this start.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Mandy Bell
2 weeks agoNew York Mets outfielder
Starling Marte knocked three doubles and collected three RBI as part of a four-hit night in the Mets' 12-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Marte went 4-for-5 at the plate and added a run as part of his huge night. The 36-year-old has started to heat up a bit in the NLCS, now posting his second game of the series with three or more hits. His postseason OPS rose to .785 after Friday's explosion. The Mets will continue to need his bat to produce as they fight to force a Game 7 on Sunday. Coincidentally, the Mets have won both games where Marte has recorded three or more hits in the NLCS. DFS managers can expect Marte to be back in the lineup on Sunday in Los Angeles, where the Mets are expected to face a bullpen game from the Dodgers.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Mets catcher
Francisco Alvarez collected three hits on Friday night, including an RBI single, in the Mets' 12-6 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was Alvarez's best performance of the postseason and helped improve his subpar playoff stat line to a more tolerable .225/.262/.512 slash line. His presence at the bottom of the lineup helped give New York strength throughout their entire lineup that produced thoroughly on Friday. As a steady presence behind the plate for New York the entire postseason, Mets fans and DFS players should expect Alvarez to be behind the plate on Sunday once again. The Dodgers have yet to name a starter but the expectation is that they will roll out a bullpen game. DFS managers may want to take caution when adding Alvarez to their lineups and not buy too high on Friday night's performance.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Jack Flaherty laid an egg on Friday night as he only went three innings deep and gave up eight earned runs in the Dodgers' 12-6 loss to the New York Mets. Flaherty gave up eight hits, walked four and didn't strike out a single batter in his outing. It's a big step back for the 29-year-old who was dominant to start the series in Game 1. Flaherty now has two starts this postseason with four earned runs or more given up. As one of the Dodgers' few reliable starters that are healthy for the postseason, Los Angeles was hoping to get a better performance out of their trade deadline acquisition. Flaherty won't have another chance to improve on his numbers this series, rather he will have to wait until the World Series should the Dodgers advance. DFS managers will want to approach him with caution given his volatility this postseason.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers rookie outfielder
Andy Pages smashed two homers on Friday night en route to going 3-for-4 at the plate in the Dodgers' 12-6 loss to the New York Mets in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Pages collected four RBI and scored three runs in his big night, though it wasn't enough to overcome the Mets' offensive outburst. Pages has generally been used by the Dodgers in a platoon role against lefties and is now hitting for a 1.047 OPS in 14 at-bats this postseason. He'll likely be in Los Angeles' lineup on Sunday in Game 6 with lefty
Sean Manaea expected to be on the hill for New York. Pages went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in Manaea's start in Game 2. DFS managers can look at Pages as a cheap option for their lineup but shouldn't expect a ton given Manaea's effectiveness after the All-Star break.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Mets outfielder
Jesse Winker notched an RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth inning as part of a multi-hit effort in the Mets' 12-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Winker's RBI triple extended the Mets' lead to 9-2 at the time and essentially helped bury the Dodgers' hopes of posting any sort of comeback. Winker improved his OPS to 1.203 in the postseason, the highest mark in the Mets' lineup. The lefty also recorded three runs on the night, scoring every time he was able to reach base. Winker has been a very under-the-radar player for the Mets this postseason and DFS players may want to look to add him in their lineups for a sneaky play. He'll look to continue his hot postseason on Sunday in Los Angeles when the Mets will face the Dodgers in Game 6.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Mets first baseman
Pete Alonso smashed a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to get the Mets started off on the right foot in their 12-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Alonso went 2-3 at the plate with three RBI, a walk and four runs as part of his big night. Driven by Alonso's performance, New York will travel to Los Angeles and fight to extend their season in Game 6. The 29-year-old improved his postseason OPS to .990 after Friday night's monster performance, solidifying him as one of the more reliable threats in New York's lineup. He will look to continue his productive ways on Sunday in Los Angeles. DFS players will want to target him in their lineups regardless of who the Dodgers throw. As of now Los Angeles has yet to name a starter, but Alonso will be a threat regardless.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Yankees first baseman
Anthony Rizzo and catcher
Austin Wells are both back in the starting lineup for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Friday at Progressive Field against Cleveland Guardians right-hander
Gavin Williams. Rizzo and Wells, both lefty hitters, took a seat in the Game 3 loss with a left-hander on the mound. Rizzo fractured two fingers at the end of the regular season and didn't play in the AL Division Series. He's gone 3-for-7 with a double, two walks and a run scored in three games in the ALCS. Wells has just two hits in 28 trips to the plate this postseason with two RBI, two walks and 12 K's. Rizzo has never faced Williams in his career, while Wells has a single and a strikeout in two at-bats. Rizzo is batting sixth on Friday, with Wells in the eight-hole as the Yankees look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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