This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Sunday's two-game MLB slate begins at 4:10 PM Eastern time and features Game 3s of the Braves-Cardinals and Dodgers-Nationals series, both of which are tied at a game apiece. Read on to see which players are primed for success.
Starters
It's youth versus experience in St. Louis. Rookie Mike Soroka ($8,700), who compiled a 1.55 ERA and .236 wOBA against in 98.1 road innings this season, starts for the visiting Braves. He'll be countered by veteran Adam Wainwright ($8,500), who will be making the 25th postseason appearance of his illustrious career and pitched a tidy 2.56 ERA with a .303 wOBA allowed over 95 innings at Busch Stadium this season.
Hyun-Jin Ryu ($10,300) starts for the visiting Dodgers in Washington. Ryu outpitched his 3.10 FIP with a 2.32 ERA but scuffled to a 5.24 ERA and 3.56 FIP over his last six starts. Either strikeout artist Max Scherzer ($11,000), who pitched an inning in relief in Game 2, or Anibal Sanchez ($7,400) will start for the home side.
Correlations
Both of these games feel like toss-ups, but the Dodgers present the highest ceiling considering a poor start for Washington can turn into a disaster due to the Nationals' league-worst bullpen. While neither Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager seem to be cut out for playoff baseball, Los Angeles possesses other left-handed batting options ready to press their platoon advantage regardless of which righty starts for Washington. All 36 of leadoff man Joc Pederson's ($3,300) home runs this season came against righties, while Max Muncy ($3,600) is ready for any pitcher after posting a wOBA over .370 against both righties and lefties.
The Nationals don't enjoy the benefit of facing perennial playoff underperformer Clayton Kershaw like they did in Game 2, but Ryu's poor finish should give them plenty of hope for production. Left-handed slugger Juan Soto ($3,700) was quiet against Kershaw but should bounce back . Outfielder Adam Eaton ($2,700) will also have the platoon advantage against Ryu, while switch-hitting second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera ($3,000) should be back in the lineup against the righty after sitting for Howie Kendrick in Game 2.
Given the pitching credentials in the Braves-Cardinals game, it's likely to look more like the 3-0 Game 2 than the 7-6 Game 1. Most of your offense should probably be sourced from the day's other matchup, but it's worth noting that switch-hitting rookie third baseman Tommy Edman ($3,300) posted a wOBA over .400 at home for St. Louis. Nick Markakis ($2,800) of the Braves recorded a .347 wOBA against righties this season and is 5-for-9 with three doubles over his career against Wainwright.
One-Offs
Even in the righty-on-righty matchup, Anthony Rendon ($4,400) should be worth paying up for against Ryu. The star third baseman boasts a wOBA over .400 against both lefties and righties at home this season.
Opposing third baseman Justin Turner ($3,200) could also be worth snagging. His road wOBA is .395, and Turner has hit a home run in one of his two career at-bats against Scherzer.
Cardinals' first baseman Paul Goldschmidt ($3,800) homered three times in the last six regular-season games and added another one in Game 1. The in-form slugger has also gone 2-for-4 lifetime off Soroka, which is far from a meaningful sample but certainly doesn't hurt his case.
Braves' outfielder Matt Joyce ($2,300) represents a nice option to fill out your lineup. The left-handed slugger owns the platoon advantage against Wainwright, and has also experienced personal success against the veteran righty by hitting 4-for-10 with two doubles.
