Das Team » riemma is intrigued by how his Huskies will deal

Its Thursday, which means another abbreviated and ugly slate, right? Wrong. Thursdays slate is a breath of fresh air. While only nine games are on the schedule, those nine contests are ripe with options. In addition to three hurlers garnering elite status, there are plenty of big names - Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels and David Price, to name a few - and a number of others filling up the middle tier as well. Thursdays like this dont come along very often, so enjoy it while it lasts.PitchingEliteJose Fernandez comes in behind Jacob deGrom in terms of Game Score, but hes still the days top option in my book. The right-hander leads baseball with a 13.1 K/9, which includes seven double-digit K games, and hes allowed more than two runs just twice in his last 13 outings. He faces a stiff test with a home matchup against the Cardinals, who sport an NL-best 114 wRC+ versus right-handed pitching this season and have scored the third-most runs in baseball. Then again, no other hurler on the days slate can match Fernandezs floor and ceiling. Hes not a must-play given the other options available, but investing in Fernandez is always money well spent.In terms of matchup, deGrom finds himself in a more appealing spot with a home tilt against the Rockies. The Rox lineups is largely sapped of its powers away from Coors Field, as they sport a .294 road wOBA this season that ranks second-worst in baseball along with a 24 percent strikeout rate. While he doesnt have Fernandezs strikeout upside (who does?) and is whiffing less than a batter per inning, its worth noting that hes posted a 10.3 K/9 over his last 11 starts. Fading Fernandez is always tough, but deGrom carries plenty of cash-game appeal.Third in the elite-tier pecking order is Chris Sale, who returns to the mound after his five-game suspension for a clubhouse incident that involved cutting up some throwback uniforms. If theres a time to fade the White Sox lefty, this might be it. For one, the Cubs mash left-handed pitching, as they sport a 118 wRC+ versus southpaws that ranks second-best in baseball. Secondly, hes actually been a suspect cash option of late, having allowed five or more runs in three of his last seven starts. Finally, Sales ceiling isnt what it once was now that hes pitching more to contact. I like Sale as a potential contrarian play in tournaments, but Im looking elsewhere in cash.SolidJohnny Cueto is rock-solid when it comes to cash games. Hes been terrific both at home (2.43 ERA) and on the road (2.63 ERA), and hes held an ERA of 3.00 or lower in each month this season. The Nationals may be one of the best team in the National League, but theyve been below average versus righties (93 wRC+) and havent put up much offense in the second half (84 wRC+). The Giants right-hander is definitely in play on Thursday.If youre not paying up for one of the elite, investing in Julio Teheran makes a lot of sense. Since the beginning of May, Teheran holds a 2.15 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with an 8.1 K/9. Better yet, hes matching up against a Phillies offense that cant hit right-handed pitching (82 wRC+) and has been absolutely brutal since the All-Star break, sporting a 62 wRC+ and 25 percent whiff rate.Cole Hamels draws a home start against Kansas City. The Royals are tough to strike out and are tougher on left-handed pitching than righties. That said, Hamels is getting them at the right time, as theyve been striking out at a 22 percent clip in July with a 77 wRC+ that ranks worst in the American League. Outside of a pair of rough starts against the Twins in early July, the Texas lefty has allowed one or zero runs in his other six outings dating back to June 12.Once one of the most stable options in DFS, John Lackey has stumbled a bit of late. Over his last six outings, hes been battered for a 6.38 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. So he cant be recommended for cash right now. That said, Lackey has been much better at Wrigley Field this year (2.84 ERA) than hes been on the road (4.68 ERA), and the White Sox can be exploited by right-handed pitching (87 wRC+), giving him some GPP appeal.The Angels may sit dead-last in the AL West, but their offense has been stinging the ball lately. In addition to sporting a 121 wRC+ so far in July, the Angels have posted a 113 wRC+ versus lefty pitching this season. That puts David Price in a tough spot. The lefty hasnt proven to be a safe cash-game commodity this season, and the Angels dont strike out enough to make him a great GPP play despite his K/9 rate of 9.6.StreamersRobbie Ray certainly has his limitations, but he also brings nice upside when the matchup is right. Such is the case on Thursday, when Ray lines up against a Brewers team that whiffs at a 24 percent clip versus lefties. For his part, Ray is whiffing 10.9 batters per nine, which ranks top-five in baseball. The southpaw makes for a fine GPP option and has some streaming appeal if you need strikeouts. Hes available in 87 percent of ESPN.com leagues.Zach Davies has quietly put up some pretty good numbers. Since June 1, the right-hander has posted a 2.35 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 8.0 K/9. Against an Arizona team thats below average against righties (89 wRC+) and strikes out at a healthy 23 percent clip, theres definitely some streaming value here. His ESPN.com ownership sits at just 33 percent.AvoidAaron Nola has hit a rough patch. Dating back to his June 11 start against Washington, the righty is 0-7 with a 10.61 ERA and 2.04 WHIP in seven starts. In those seven starts, he allowed five or more runs five times. A matchup against the Braves, which own the worst offense in baseball against right-handed pitching (75 wRC+), creates a glimmer of hope for DFS players. Even so, the cake matchup isnt enough for me to trust the Phillies right-hander on Thursday.HittingIts been a rough season for Jered Weaver, who owns a 5.32 ERA and has been hit hard by both right- (.375 wOBA) and left-handed hitters (.350 wOBA). It just so happens that the Red Sox, the best offense in baseball against right-handed pitching, are coming to town. Theyll be pricey, but this is a great stacking opportunity.Left-handed Baltimore bats should be on the radar against Kyle Gibson, one of the weakest pitchers on the slate. Chris Davis is the obvious play here, though Pedro Alvarez, switch-hitter Matt Wieters and Hyun Soo Kim, whos batting .355 versus right-handed pitching, are in the mix as well.With Ubaldo Jimenez taking the mound for the Orioles on Thursday, its a good time to load on Twins bats. Jimenez has been abysmal this season, posting 7.38 ERA in 18 games and 5.5 BB/9. Left-handed bats in particular have tattooed him for a .425 wOBA.We already highlighted Robbie Ray as a high-upside streaming option, but the fact remains that right-handed hitters have hit him pretty well in his career and Miller Park inflates power for right-handers. Jonathan Villar, Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter are all in play here.Most likely to go yard: David OrtizLets go with Ortiz, who has hit 21 of his 24 homers this season off righties and is facing a pitcher (Weaver) who has had homer issues.Most likely to swipe a bag: Mookie BettsWell double-up on Boston hitters, who draw a perfect 10 steals rating against Weaver. Betts it he most likely wreak havoc on the basepaths in this one. NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap . JOHNS, N. NFL Jerseys China . 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STORRS, Conn. -- Coach Geno Auriemma has one question for people who are picking his UConn Huskies as preseason No. 1: What the heck are you thinking?Sure, the Huskies have won the past four NCAA titles and are currently on another epic winning streak at 75 in a row. But with Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck all in the WNBA, the Huskies quite obviously are not the same group that went 38-0 last year and won by an average of 40 points.I never said, Well, I think a lot of teams have a chance to win the national championship, and were just one of them, Auriemma said of his preseason stance for the past few years. We knew we were favorites, and we knew why. But now, anyone that picks us No. 1, my first question is Why? Give me your rationale.Well, youve always been No. 1. OK, thats a lazy answer.Uh-huh, its always something with this guy, the master motivator. The Huskies were No. 1 in the WBCA poll and in the espnW preseason poll. They were No. 3 in the Associated Press rankings, getting six votes at the top, behind Notre Dame and Baylor.I wish we were 33, Auriemma said.As if. But if he wants to hear why some of us are voting UConn No. 1, its not out of laziness. Its out of experience. As the saying goes, weve seen this movie before.UConn won three NCAA titles in 2002-04, and then Diana Taurasi went to the WNBA. After that, admittedly, came three years of falling short of the Final Four. But those were still very good UConn teams.In 2004-05, the Huskies went 25-8 and lost to Candice Wiggins and Stanford in the Sweet 16. The next year, UConn was 32-5 and fell to Monique Currie-led Duke in the Elite Eight. Then in 2006-07, the Huskies were 32-4 and lost in the regional final again, this time to Sylvia Fowles and LSU.That 2007 season was the last time the Huskies didnt reach the Final Four. Even in 2012 -- a year after losing Maya Moore and two years after the graduation of Tina Charles, a duo that had led the way in UConns 90-game winning streak of 2008-10 -- the Huskies still got to the national semis.And from 2013-16, they were NCAA champions again. So why are we picking UConn No. 1? Because even without the obvious star right now, the Huskies still have some very talented players and a coaching staff that has more championship experience than you can find almost anywhere in any sport.What the Huskies dont have are all the answers. Who is their emotional leader? Who is the player who gets on everybodys case when its necessary? Who can keep everyone calm? Who will stand tall when they face on-court challenges? Because, unlike recent years when that virtually never happened, it probably will this season.And that includes during their first two games: at No. 12 Florida State on Nov. 14, and at home against No. 2 Baylor on Nov. 17.You cant force leadership on people, said Kia Nurse, one of the most obvious candidates for that role. What happens is the upperclassmen all step up together, and we develop our own leaderrship traits.dddddddddddd We have to figure out how to work together, and make sure thats a presence all the younger guys hear every day.It actually isnt just older players like Nurse, who averaged 9.3 points per game, and fellow junior guard Gabby Williams (8.8) in that role, though -- sophomores Katie Lou Samuelson (11.0) and Napheesa Collier (6.8) need to do it, too.Were trying to do the things we learned from the seniors last year, Samuelson said. All four of us know we have to be really solid every single day we practice or play. Were going to be the ones that disperse the energy throughout the team.All of us knew coming here we would eventually be in this situation. We were fortunate to learn from the three best leaders in the country, I would say. I think its going to keep getting better.The Huskies have three freshmen -- guards Molly Bent and Crystal Dangerfield and forward Kyla Irwin -- being immersed in UConn culture, along with transfers Azura Stevens (Duke) and Batouly Camara (Kentucky). Asked if she could pinpoint what leadership trait from last years seniors that she most wanted to pass on now, Samuelson didnt hesitate.Just how much we all trusted them, she said. Every single day we knew what we were going to get from them in practice. Stewie, Morgan and Mo were just consistently solid every day. Weve been trying to be that same kind of core group to rely on.Samuelson, who sustained a broken bone in her foot in the national semifinal game against Oregon State last April, had to watch the second half of that game and then the championship from the bench. She said shes now at 100 percent.And some classic Auriemma sarcasm was directed her way after the Huskies first exhibition game Tuesday, a 111-39 victory over Indiana of Pennsylvania, so you know she must be doing OK.Im sure any day now, sometime within the next four or five months, Lou will throw a pass, Auriemma said. And well have made some progress.He also joked about whether some magical force had taken over the body of senior guard Saniya Chong because, Right now, shes in a really good place. You got to remember, this kid was really, really good coming out of high school. It kind of got away from her. Hopefully shes got it back a little.It might be fair to wonder if Chong perhaps was just swept along in the tide of greatness that dominated the Huskies. Maybe this season, finally, she -- along with everyone else on the team -- knows that they really can be difference-makers. In fact, they will have to be. Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck cant come to the rescue and take over.Auriemma is intrigued by how his Huskies will deal with that realization.Its hard to know how some people will perform when theres no safety net, he said. And until theyve been in that situation, maybe they dont know. And its our job to help guide them through it. Cheap NFL T-shirts Discount Jerseys Wholesale NFL Gear Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping China Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic ' ' '