Game 2 of the NLCS gets underway this evening as the Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Let's dive into my top MLB PrizePicks plays for Diamondbacks-Phillies tonight.
A quick refresher if you aren’t familiar with PrizePicks: You can combine up to five different player squares to pay out up to 10x your entry.
You can do a Flex Play or a Power Play. A Flex Play provides lesser odds, but you can win money even if you don’t nail every pick. A Power Play is all-or-nothing.
Here’s how I would approach a PrizePicks stack that focuses on Diamondbacks vs. Phillies Game 2.
What is PrizePicks? A daily fantasy operator — meaning they’re available in more states (30) than sports betting is! — PrizePicks offers a unique opportunity for action on player picks in which you combine two or more entries together.
Check out our exclusive new user offers redeemable with Action’s PrizePicks Promo Code.
Kyle Schwarber Fantasy Score Less Than 6.5
Right-hander Merrill Kelly takes the mound for Arizona and could be a good candidate to back in Game 2.
Coming off the best season of his career, Kelly went 12-8 in 30 regular-season starts with a 3.29 ERA. He ranked in the top half of the league in xERA, Chase%, Whiff%, K% and Barrel%.
That brings us to Kyle Schwarber, who is the ultimate boom-or-bust candidate. He could homer on the first pitch (again), or he could go 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
I like him to stay beneath this figure once again, something he has done in four of the past five games. Averaging 5.2 fantasy points over that stretch, Schwarber owns a .143 BA, .333 SLG and .551 OPS.
In his career against Kelly, Schwarber is just 1-for-7 with a single and four strikeouts.
Ketel Marte Fantasy Score More Than 6
Meanwhile, we're going to back a pair of Arizona hitters against right-hander Aaron Nola, who takes the mound for the Phillies.
Nola's campaign did not go as smoothly as Kelly's as the right-hander posted a 4.46 ERA through 32 starts. Furthermore, his track record against the D'bcks is terrible, posting a 7.67 ERA through five career starts against them.
The first Diamondbacks hitter to back is Ketel Marte, who has surpassed this figure in four of his past five games. Averaging 9.8 fantasy points over that stretch, Marte boasts a .333 BA, .524 SLG and .887 OPS.
This success could continue against Nola, a pitcher whom Marte has previously homered against.
Christian Walker Fantasy Score More Than 6
In a play with some correlation, we're also going to back a guy who two spots behind Marte in the batting order: Christian Walker.
Like Marte, Walker enters this contest in good form as he possesses a .500 SLG and .889 OPS over his past four games. He surpassed this number in three of those four outings.
Also like Marte, Walker owns a strong track record against Nola with a .286 BA, .429 SLG and .358 wOBA in eight career plate appearances. Walker has been one of Arizona's top power hitters this season, ranking in the 74th percentile or higher among all major-league hitters in xSLG and Barrel%.
Given Nola's below-average ability to limit barreled baseballs, Walker could be in store for a big swing on Tuesday.
