Sticks & Stacks

After two thrilling wild-card games, Major League Baseball’s Division Series are next to the plate, and hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) preview each of them in turn. The up-and-coming Chicago White Sox travel to Houston to face the playoff-tested Astros, who look like easy favorites – but then again, most of baseball said that about the New York Yankees earlier in the week. Shawn and Jen both correctly picked the underdog Boston Red Sox to survive and advance in that Wild Card game. Now, they’re underdogs again against the AL’s top team – but can the Tampa Bays Rays' creative and cost-effective approach hold off the big-budget boys from Boston? Over in the NL, the matchup between the Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers pairs two teams that are built to succeed at home in a series that could easily go all the way to a decisive, fifth game… but it still seems like an appetizer. The main course, of course, is the jaw-dropping battle between baseball’s two best teams, as the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the surprising San Francisco Giants. The Giants have been so good, and so consistent, that they surrendered only two games of their lead in the season’s final two months to the defending champion Dodgers, who went 43-13 over that span. The season series was 10-9 in favor of 'Frisco, but can the Bayside baseball team hold off the most expensive roster in baseball history – and one with the depth to match? Join Shawn and Jen in this special 20-minute, supersized trip around the DFS and baseball betting world with "Sticks & Stacks!"

Four of Major League Baseball’s most storied franchises battle it out in one-game elimination games! Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) start with the AL Wild Card matchup between legendary rivals New York and Boston, as the Yankees and starting pitcher Gerrit Cole travel to Fenway to meet the Red Sox and face starter Nathan Eovaldi. Both Cole and Eovaldi are the AL’s top five in pitching WAR (wins over replacement), and while the Yankees have more raw power behind Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Red Sox hit for a higher average – Xander Bogaerts’ .295 average is the best left in the league. Both teams are missing important starters – Boston is without slugger J.D. Martinez, and New York won’t have all-everything infielder D.J. LeMahieu, and both will be missed in this high-stakes matchup. Over in the NL, Jen likes the battle-tested Los Angeles Dodgers to take care of business at home behind Cy Young candidate Max Scherzer as the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals visit Chavez Ravine, but Shawn thinks the pressure could get to the Dodgers, and Scherzer’s been wobbly of late; surrendering 17 hits and 10 earned runs over his last 10 1/3 innings pitched. Join Shawn and Jen in this special 20-minute, supersized trip around the DFS and baseball betting world with "Sticks & Stacks!"

Major League Baseball’s final weekend is here, and while the last few teams jockey for positions in the postseason, hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) look at three of the most important games of the evening. In Baltimore, the visiting Boston Red Sox find themselves in position to take a commanding AL wild-card lead as Nick Pivetta leads a hungry Sox team against a reeling Orioles squad that was nevertheless game enough to fend them off earlier in the week behind DFS mainstays Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle. In Houston, the Astros can lock up the West against a Tampa Bay Rays team that may be more concerned with getting their postseason rotation in order than beating the ’Stros, but starter Lance McCullers and Houston can’t take any chances with the pesky Seattle Mariners refusing to go away. Finally, the duo looks at a playoff-type atmosphere in Toronto, where the Blue Jays want to continue their recent dominance over the visiting New York Yankees with what’s likely the final AL wild-card spot on the line. Expect Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and Bo Bichette to bring the lumber in what could turn into a slugfest. Join Shawn and Jen, and take a quick, 15-minute trip around the DFS and baseball betting world with "Sticks & Stacks!"

As Major League Baseball enters the final, decisive week fo its regular season, hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) look at three games with major postseason implications, starting in Baltimore. Over the weekend, the Boston Red Sox were swept by the rival New York Yankees, turning what looked like a foregone conclusion for Boston into anything but. Fortunately, they visit the 106-loss Orioles, who have been playing out the string since late May. With ace Chris Sale on the mound, tonight’s matchup looks easy for the loaded Red Sox… maybe too easy. Over in St. Louis, the Cardinals are on a mind-bending 16-game winning streak, but the division rival Milwaukee Brewers come to visit, having already locked up the NL Central. Can Nolan Arenado and Co. keep it going, or will Brandon Woodruff be the man that finally stops the Cards’ streak? Last, but not least, the Houston Astros host the Tampa Bay Rays in the game of the night. Tampa’s clinched the East and is locked into the AL’s top spot, but Jen’s Astros still need to take care of business in order to win the West. Take a quick, 15-minute trip around the DFS and baseball betting world with "Sticks & Stacks!"

Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) take a peek at three matchups that feature what appear to be one-sided, and find value in Baltimore, where the long-irrelevant Orioles host the equally irrelevant Texas Rangers in a game that’s bad for television, but good for bargain DFS shoppers. Hitters like the Rangers’ Adolis Garcia and the Orioles’ Cedric Mullins could be in for big nights in a game where both Shawn and Jen love the under. Over in Minnesota, the disappointing Twins take on a suddenly desperate Toronto Blue Jays squad that’s dropped spots in the AL wild-card race this week. They need a win badly, and pitcher Steven Matz gives them a good chance to do so – along with young superstars Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and Bo Bichette, of course. Jen and Shawn wrap things up with the fading Angels (MVP do-it-all favorite Shohei Ohtani notwithstanding, obviously), who host the Houston Astros, who could wrap up the AL West over the weekend. Lance McCullers takes the hill for Houston, and as the Rangers are understandable favorites, Jen cobbles together a way to turn a ’Stros win into plus money. Take a quick, 15-minute trip around the DFS and baseball betting world with "Sticks & Stacks!"

Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) start today’s show with a look at the Bronx, where the New York Yankees – in the thick of a wild-card race – host the already-eliminated Texas Rangers in what seems to be a one-sided matchup. Jen and Shawn look at the over/under, given that neither team sports a high batting average, and they discuss the importance of "line shopping" to find value in lopsided games. In what looms as the best game of the night, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his entertaining Toronto Blue Jays draw a tough matchup against the dominant Tampa Bay Rays – but the Rays have been cool of late, and the Jays have been rolling, so Shawn and Jen are willing to give the underdogs a little love. They wrap up in Anaheim, where the injury-plagued Los Angeles Angels are all but playing out the string, while the visiting Houston Astros have their sights set on much, much more. Take a quick, 15-minute trip around the DFS and baseball betting world with "Sticks & Stacks!"

Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) start in Pittsburgh, where the visiting Cincinnati Reds look to cure what’s been ailing them against the Pirates. Wade Miley (12-5, 2.89 ERA) takes the hill for the Reds, who sport a talented lineup with Joey Votto, Nicholas Castellanos and Jonathan India, while the Pirates have, well, Bryan Reynolds – who leads the Buccos in batting average, home runs and RBI. In Arlington, the Texas Rangers host their cross-state rivals when the powerhouse Houston Astros come to town. Few pitchers serve up dingers at the rate of the Rangers’ Jordan Lyles, which portends good fortune for Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Carlos Correa. The pair finish up their tour in Minnesota, where the disappointing Twins host the Cleveland Indians. The Twins have rookie hurler Charlie Barnes (0-3, 6.59 ERA) on the bump, and while Cleveland’s Logan Allen (1-6, 6.86) hasn’t been any better, Jose Ramirez, Amed Rosario and the rest of the Indians’ lineup has more punch than Minnesota’s, where one-man army Jorge Polanco leads the charge. Take a quick, 15-minute trip around the DFS and baseball betting world with "Sticks & Stacks!"

Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) take a look at three games in Major League Baseball that won’t require complicated maneuvering in order to win, starting in Chicago, where the Cubs host wild-card challenger Cincinnati. The Reds have been cold while the Cubs have been hot, but that doesn’t stop Jen and Shawn from making their pick, along with suggesting Joey Votto and Nick Castellanos for DFS lineups and player props. Moving on to Baltimore, there’s an opportunity for savvy players as the Orioles and the visiting Kansas City Royals have long been an afterthought in 2021. While Shawn and Jen don’t agree on a winner, they do agree that players like Baltimore’s Austin Hays and – inexplicably – Kansas City’s Salvador Perez (who’s second in the majors with 41 home runs) are being undervalued thanks to their also-ran status. The pair finish up in Atlanta, where the Braves find themselves in a solid matchup against the visiting Washington Nationals, despite the fact that young star Juan Soto can’t miss, earning 17 walks and struck out only three times in the last two weeks. Breakout third baseman Austin Riley and second baseman Ozzie Albies lead the charge for Atlanta, and starting pitcher Touki Toussaint stands ready to take advantage. Take a quick, 15-minute trip around the DFS and baseball betting world with "Sticks & Stacks!"

Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) look at three games with over/unders of nine or more runs, starting with the Baltimore Orioles’ visit to the Bronx. With a loaded Yankees lineup, Jen finds a way to turn the heavily favored Yanks into a plus with a creative parlay, while Shawn picks a few O’s that might fit DFS lineups, even in a tough matchup. Tampa Bay is next, where the Series-contending Rays host the disappointing Twins, and while Jen crafts an early-inning parlay, Shawn’s willing to fade Jorge Polanco and Co. outright. Finishing up in homer-happy Coors Field, the pair both like the underdog Colorado Rockies to beat the Atlanta Braves, but Jen’s over/under angle is what’s interesting. Take a quick, 15-minute trip around the DFS and baseball betting world with "Sticks & Stacks!"