This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We've got a huge day of baseball with four MLB Divisional Series matchups in action starting at 3:08 pm ET. Unlike a lot of the playoff slates, this could be a day dominated by bats. There is one true ace on the mound, with some quality but flawed arms following. That gives us a bit of a different context to analyze today's action through.
Pitchers
Dylan Cease ($8,900) is the ace referred to above, out-pacing the next closest pitcher by three percentage points in strikeout rate (29.4 percent). He's not necessarily a slam dunk based on his matchup against the Dodgers, but he's by far today's best option.
Next up is Clarke Schmidt ($7,900), who has an appealing combination of price, matchup and strikeout upside. He has the second-highest strikeout rate (26.3 percent) of all available arms. The Royals are a contact-oriented team, so it may not be a ceiling performance, but they also aren't an explosive offense.
Alex Cobb ($7,400) is a decent punt play thanks to his matchup against the Tigers.
Top Hitters
Landon Knack has strong skills (17.8 percent K:BB rate) but he has a home run problem (1.8 HR/9). It wouldn't be a surprise to see him turn in a decent performance across limited innings, but he stands out as the option to home run hunt against. Fernando Tatis Jr. ($5,700) has been excellent throughout the postseason, but Jackson Merrill ($4,800) checks in at a more reasonable price.
Value Bats
The Tigers are on the verge of disaster in games Tarik Skubal doesn't start, and that's the case Wednesday. Keider Montero will be the first Tiger on the mound, but he pitched in Game 1 and hasn't worked more than three innings since a September 20 start, during which he served up four home runs. Kyle Manzardo ($2,400) has struggled quite a bit in the postseason, but he is locked into the second spot in the order and comes at a very reasonable price.
It's not a great matchup, but Michael Massey ($3,700) should be locked into the leadoff role against the Yankees. He's a cheap option for that type of projected volume.
Stacks to Consider
Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets (Jose Quintana): Kyle Schwarber ($5,500), Trea Turner ($5,300), Bryce Harper ($5,100)
Let's try this again. The Phillies stack fell flat yesterday, but we shouldn't give up for Wednesday. Quintana has had good results, but his skills haven't measured up to his on-field success. Of the pitchers taking the mound Wednesday, he has the highest SIERA (4.58), highest walk rate (8.8 percent) and second-highest HR/9 (1.20). The Phillies lineup is littered with potentially productive bats, including solid values with Nick Castellanos ($4,400), J.T. Realmuto ($4,200) and Alec Bohm ($3,900) standing out.
Cleveland Guardians at Detroit Tigers (Keider Montero): Steven Kwan ($4,500), Jose Ramirez ($6,100), Lane Thomas ($4,300)
This is a tricky stack because we don't know exactly how the Tigers will handle this game from a pitching perspective, as Montero is likely to cover fewer than five innings. That will put a lot of strain on the bullpen, which should lead to scoring opportunities for Cleveland. The Guardians also aren't a power-heavy lineup, but they don't strike out much, so longer rallies are possible. This is also a nice stack to pair with the Phillies, Yankees, Padres or Dodgers, who are more expensive at the top of the order.
