Kritik und Lob » leading hooker in terms of linebreaks

As the end of the season approaches, expected game flow is as important as the numbers. How long will the manager leave his playoff-bound pitcher in the game? Will a team playing an opponent thats fighting for a wild-card berth play its regulars or continue to give some youngsters a look? How hard will clubs fight for home-field advantage? These are just a few of the questions to consider as we close out the season, beginning with Wednesdays slate.PitchingEliteLast time out, Jake Arrieta tossed a gem, holding the St. Louis Cardinals scoreless for seven innings and fanning 10 with only one walk, at least temporarily assuaging the Chicago Cubs fans concerns that last years Cy Young Award winner wouldnt be as sharp as normal heading into the playoffs. Arrieta gets one more regular-season outing, in PNC Field against the Pittsburgh Pirates. After scuffling coming out of the break, the Bucs are hitting righties well again. This, combined with the likelihood Arrieta is lifted after five or six innings, tempers his potential to the point its better to look for other options in DFS cash games and GPP tournaments.SolidThe Texas Rangers have clinched the AL West, but theres still a lot to play for as the three division leaders are within a game of each other for the battle to host the final game in all playoff series. Cole Hamels will make his final regular-season start in Arlington against the Milwaukee Brewers. Hamels should stick around long enough to take advantage of the Brewers 25 percent strikeout rate against left-handers. Hamels is definitely in play for GPP action, and hes one of the better cash-game outlets as well.On paper, Gio Gonzalez has a juicy matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks visiting the nations capital. Theres not a lot of concern about a truncated outing as Gonzalez rarely lasts past the sixth inning. The catch is that the Washington Nationals will be playing with a depleted lineup after losing Wilson Ramos for the season, and?Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper continue to deal with nagging injuries. With Shelby Miller on the hill for the Snakes, though, run support shouldnt be an issue, even with the second-stringers in action. On sites where wins are devalued, Gonzalez is in play as normal for GPPs. On the others, its a slight risk, but hes still in the mix.Like Gonzalez, Francisco Liriano usually doesnt stay in the game long enough for the club to take him out earlier than normal. Not to mention, while the Toronto Blue Jays are in the drivers seat for a date in the wild-card game, they have yet to clinch it. Liriano has been effective lately, fanning 16 while walking just five in his last three outings, spanning 18? innings. Wednesdays AL East tussle with the Baltimore Orioles in Rogers Centre is the classic high-risk, high-reward encounter. The Orioles rely on the home run while striking out at a pace well above average.Given that Anthony DeSclafani missed what amounts to about 10 starts, hell end the 2016 campaign with skills the same or slightly better than last season, which has to be considered a good thing. Expect pundits to cite the Cincinnati Reds righty as a pitcher to be targeted next spring. DeSclafani ends 2016 taking the hill in Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. If recent numbers are any indication, DeSclafani is in a sneaky good spot. The Redbirds have been skidding in September, registering the second-lowest weighted on base average (wOBA) versus righties the past month.Jeff Samardzija has had a quietly effective couple of months, although it hasnt been reflected in his 3-5 record over this stretch. His 3.48 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 63 strikeouts in those 75 innings are solid. Samardzija and the San Francisco Giants welcome the Colorado Rockies into AT&T Park for a game with serious wild-card implications. The Rockies better hitters are left-handed but are decidedly less effective and more strikeout-prone on the road, putting the Shark in play for DFS.StreamersThere are some parallels to DeSclafanis and?Seattle Mariners lefty James Paxtons seasons. Their styles are different, but both will end up with about 120 innings with peripherals a little better than last season, and both will have high expectations in 2017. Paxton will close out his 2016 regular season in Minute Maid Park against the Houston Astros. The home team is still in the mix for the second wild card but offers significant strikeout upside, so not only is Paxton in play for a spot start but hes also a great DFS GPP option.Seth Lugo has done exactly what the New York Mets have asked: keep them in games for five or six frames and hope the bullpen can take things from there. This time theyll ask him to keep the Miami Marlins in check in South Beach.Well talk about Ervin Santanas ERA being lower than his expected ERA in the off-season. Lets concentrate on the positives. His strikeout and walk rates have both improved from last season, and he has an exceptional home run rate, especially in light of the record number of homers this season. Santana closes out his season in Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. Hes safe to stream in all formats.Blake Snells rookie effort has been a mixed bag. Whiffing 94 in 86? innings is impressive, as is surrendering just five homers all season. On the flip side, baserunners have been an issue, with 93 hits and, more notably, 50 walks. But regarding Snells walks, the Tampa Bay Rays face the Chicago White Sox, one of the least patient clubs in the league. Theres some risk to your WHIP, but one worth taking to get some whiffs and a chance for a win.While home and away splits are always factored into analysis, most of the time the impact is overplayed. However, when the split is extreme, like with?Tyler Chatwood, its actionable. Consider the Colorado Rockies right-hander in play for his encounter with the Giants in the city by the bay.Despite his recent resurgence, Clay Buchholz is owned in only 9 percent of ESPN leagues. Considering hes pitching for a spot in the Boston Red Sox playoff rotation, expect a full effort. The question will be whether Buchholz is supported by the regulars. If the Red Sox have clinched the division, they might give their regulars the day off. Or they might recognize the importance of playing postseason games at Fenway Park and hold off on celebrating a little longer.Because Luis Perdomo was so horrible through the All-Star break, his second-half surge might have gone unnoticed. The San Diego rightys pedestrian strikeout rate tempers his ceiling, but if he can maintain the second-half control gains, Perdomo is an intriguing end-gamer, especially in leagues where you can pick when to have him active. Theres some risk, but if you need some innings, Perdomo is a viable start at home versus the Dodgers.The lengthy list of worthy spot-starters grows even more with rookie Alex Meyer taking the hill in Anaheim against the Oakland Athletics in a tussle between a couple of AL West combatants playing out the season.Rookie of the year favorite Michael Fulmer is tasked with keeping the Cleveland Indians in check as the Detroit Tigers fight for a wild-card berth. Fulmers numbers usually land him in the solid tier, but the Tribes offense is potent versus righties, so theres some risk. Still, when it comes to deciding on a spot starter this week, always choose the candidate playing for something.AvoidChase Anderson, Bryan Mitchell and Doug Fister make the list by virtue of their projected Game Score being 45 or below. With the disclaimer that caution should be thrown to the wind this last week, there are a couple of questionable starters.Jose Urena is coming off a couple of rough outings after a string of solid starts. He doesnt miss many bats, so his margin for error is very thin, and he lacks the floor of a pitcher who can get strikeouts to help regardless of performance. On a day with so many viable options, its best to avoid Urena.Sonny Gray will take the hill in Angels Stadium, mostly as a means to get him out there after a long layoff so he can spend the offseason focusing on 2017. Even if hes throwing well, dont expect more than a couple of innings, and you dont want to burn a valuable start in leagues with innings or start limits.While it takes several seasons for hitters to own their platoon splits, pitcher trends are actionable a lot sooner. Chris Tillman has served up 40 of his 60 homers the past three seasons to right-handed batters, despite facing more lefties. This doesnt bode well for a date with the Blue Jays north of the border.HittingWell lead with the teams definitely still playing for something. There are a couple of lineups in favorable spots, but they might not be deploying their best hitters. Theres no question the New York Mets will be sending out their regulars, most notably the left-handed unit to face Urena. Switch-hitters Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera set the table for Curtis Granderson, Jay Bruce and either James Loney or Lucas Duda. Theres a chance Michael Conforto replaces one of the outfielders.The left-handed contingent of the Seattle Mariners are regulars in this space, and for good reason -- theyre dangerous. Doug Fister is susceptible to lefties, so Nori Aoki, Seth Smith, Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager and Adam Lind will again be popular DFS targets. Please note, this is the sole afternoon affair, so it wont be available on the main slates.As cited in the pitching notes, Tillman is vulnerable to right-handed power. If youre still focusing on fantasy baseball, you know whats coming. Theres not many more potent set of righties than the Blue Jays?Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Russell Martin and Troy Tulowitzki.Theres a very good chance the Red Sox wont be playing their regulars, but if they do, theyre in a good spot against Yankees rookie Bryan Mitchell. Check the comments -- once lineups are announced, Ill share the best targets.Similarly, the Rangers might not play their top hitters against Chase Anderson and the Milwaukee Brewers. Ill also post the best left-handed Rangers to use at home in Globe Life Park.Most likely to hit a home run: Josh DonaldsonAs if Donaldson needed some added stimulus, the Yankees one-day visit to Toronto no doubt has Donaldson playing with an even bigger chip on his shoulder, which hell look to take out on Tillman. Im not betting against him.Most likely to steal a base: Travis JankowskiGoing back to a well that I havent visited for a while. He hasnt played as much lately but has been playing this week. Look for Jankowski to do what he does best -- run. Cheap Jordan 1 . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Air Jordan 1 For Sale . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. http://www.cheapairjordan1.com/ . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Air Jordan 1 For Sale Cheap . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Cheap Air Jordan 1 China . LOUIS -- St. With or without playmakers Josh Hodgson and Blake Austin, Canberra are backing themselves to beat Penrith in Saturdays sudden death NRL semi-final.Coach Ricky Stuart will name the pair on Tuesday to take on the Panthers at GIO Stadium.But whether they will be fit in time for the do-or-die clash wont be known until later in the week.The club is giving Hodgson every chance to recover from an ankle injury, suffered early in the second half of the Raiders qualifying final loss to Cronulla.Austin, meanwhile, is returning from a broken hand sustained at training more than a fortnight ago.Hodgson left the ground on Saturday wearing a moon boot but was walking freely around the Green Machines training base on Monday.Its a good sign, said winger Edrick Lee.Weve just got to see how he goes through the week and if he pulls through.If hes unfortunate enough not to make it, the coach has got an option in Adam Clydsdale or we could be reshuffled.Hodgson has missed just one match this season, through suspension against Parramatta in round 24. It handed former Newcastle rake Clydsdale his first start of the year following three appearances off the bench.The Raiders still won that game comfortably and prop Joseph Tapine reckons they could do it againn if Hodgson is sidelined.ddddddddddddDefinitely, he said.Weve got depth through the whole squad.The Dally M Medal hope is the NRLs leading hooker in terms of linebreaks and try assists.Prop Junior Paulo has benefited immensely from the Hodgsons stellar form this season and said the Englishman was working hard on his rehab to be available.For now, were training as if Hodgo will be there and is packing in at hooker, Paulo said.If both Hodgson and Austin do play, it will be a boon for the Raiders who are preparing for a high-tempo clash with the Panthers following their win over Canterbury on Sunday.The loss to Cronulla was Canberras first after 10 straight victories but hasnt diminished their confidence.If anything, the experience has them primed for Saturday - especially those 11 who made their finals debut against the Sharks.We all enjoyed the moment and itll help us against the Panthers, Lee said.We know that theyve got a lot of youth and they like to throw the ball around, so Im sure this week well be working to stop their offloads and stay up as a line.Itll be another big game but anything can happen. 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