This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The only MLB game on the schedule Sunday is Game 2 between the Yankees and Astros. Read on to see which players are primed for success.
Starters
James Paxton will take the hill for the visitors, while Justin Verlander starts for Houston. Paxton lasted just 4.2 innings in Game 1 of the ALDS, allowing three runs to the Twins. Verlander is back on his normal schedule after getting roughed up by the Rays on short rest in Game 4 of the ALDS, so expect him to deliver a start closer to his seven shutout innings of one-hit ball in Game 1 of that series.
Correlations
New York dominated the series opener 7-0, but the Game 2 pitching matchup favors Houston. Paxton's weakness this season has been the first inning, and the Astros own a trio of guys who love to face lefties ready to get off to a fast start. Jose Altuve ($9,000) boasted a .429 regular-season wOBA against lefties, Alex Bregman ($9,500) was at .473, and leadoff man George Springer ($8,500) was at .383. All three make strong cases for use in your MVP and All-Star slots.
Verlander's Achilles heel was the long ball, as he was taken deep 36 times in the regular season. Gleyber Torres ($7,500) and Giancarlo Stanton ($7,000) both homered in New York's Game 1 win and have histories of home run production. Torres hit a team-high 38 home runs in the regular season and drove in five of New York's seven Game 1 runs. Stanton missed almost all of the regular season due to injuries, but hit 97 combined home runs over the previous two seasons.
One-Offs
Astros' catcher Robinson Chirinos ($4,000) enters as a strong choice with a southpaw on the mound for New York, producing a .389 wOBA against lefties during the regular season.
If you believe the Yankees are primed to build on their Game 1 win, then it makes sense to plug in the team's two left-handed sluggers who will enjoy the platoon advantage against Verlander. Both Didi Gregorius ($5,500) and Brett Gardner ($5,000) performed well in the ALDS.
