The penultimate (maybe ultimate) game of the regular season, World Series Game 6, starts at 8:08 p.m. ET on FOX.
Tampa Bay Rays (+126) at Los Angeles Dodgers (-137)
Blake Snell is charged with forcing a Game 7 against Tony Gonsolin and the Dodgers. Unlike Gonsolin’s last appearance, he is expected to pitch for as long as he can go as opposed to one or two as an opener. I doubt it matters as both managers continue to make changes on the fly. Vegas has the Dodgers’ implied run total at 4.3 and Tampa Bay’s at 3.8; every runner that gets on base will be looked at as the winning run.
Remember, pitchers can only be on rosters on DraftKings.
I find it difficult to recommend either pitcher because both will almost certainly have a short leash, especially coming off a day of rest. Snell has strikeout upside that is unmatched by Gonsolin based on his usage in the postseason, but Snell has had four or less strikeouts in three of his five playoff starts. He also posted 12.5 DraftKings points or less in those same outings. Snell hit 33 DraftKings points in his start against the Toronto Blue Jays, which was the other time he struck out nine batters.
Gonsolin has walked seven batters in 7.2 innings this postseason, after walking seven in 46.2 regular season innings. The Bales Model has Snell and Gonsolin as the second- and third-best options in the Captain spot on DraftKings.
I do not want to spend too many words on Austin Meadows ($6,500 FanDuel, $8,700 DraftKings Captain, $5,800 Flex), but the Bales Model continues to push him atop its rankings. He has been a positive plus/minus player twice this postseason and has a cumulative -57.71 in 16 games.
Injuries and manager Kevin Cash’s willingness to swap out players with reckless abandon has mitigated Meadows’ talents. Meadow’s price drop does not make him the value the Bales Model sees him as. I dislike pouring it on Meadows, but he has been a lineup killer. Now that I say this, he will get five hits and two homers in Game 6.
Justin Turner is a top-five option as a Captain, MVP and Star pick (FanDuel). He has been excellent this postseason, but not as good as Corey Seager. That is okay because it keeps Turner’s salary low and makes him my favorite player to use in the booster roster spots.
Mookie Betts has been streaky in the World Series, so it would make sense if he has himself a night in Game 6. He is the top Dodgers hitter using the Bales Model and has the highest projected scoring ceiling among all hitters.
Enrique Hernandez is min-price on FanDuel again and should get a couple cracks at the plate before inevitably getting pulled by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. He came through with 9.5 FanDuel points in four at-bats when I recommended him for Game 4.
I think Cody Bellinger’s back/shoulder are bothering him more than he will lead on. He has the home run in Game 1, but he has just two singles the rest of the series. He has a higher price on both sites, but that’s due to name value rather than production during the World Series.
A.J. Pollock continues to make me look good when lefties are pitching. As long as Snell is pitching tonight, Pollock will be in the lineup. His $5,000 price tag on FanDuel is another way to pay up for the elite hitting options.
Manuel Margot has one game without a hit in the World Series and has been the only offensive spark plug in the Rays lineup. He is an auto-play on both sites.
Does Randy Arozarena have a swan song performance left in him? The Bales Model is not a fan based on his price tag, but I get jamming him into lineups. He has been neutralized compared to his performances in earlier series, but the former Cardinals prospect has six hits, two home runs, four RBIs, four runs scored and four walks in five games.
Kevin Kiermaier continues to rank at the bottom of the Bales Model because he has been a poor hitter for his career. He has four hits over the past two games and has two home runs during the World Series. I will be different and play Kiermaier.
A reminder that Max Muncy is a reverse splits hitter, meaning he is better against lefty pitching than righty. He is on a three-game hitting streak and has Betts and Seager ahead of him in the lineup.
If this is it for the 2020 MLB season, it was fun considering the circumstances. Be well.
