Here we go again. Its another shortened Thursday slate with limited options at the top. We do have one hurler who (barely) qualifies for elite status, so thats better than nothing. But even the middle and lower tiers dont bring much excitement. On the bright side, there should be plenty of funds available for plenty of top-tier hitters.PitchingEliteThe days only elite option is Drew Pomeranz, who earns a 61 Game Score with a road matchup against the Dodgers. The left-hander has been terrific this season, even away from Petco Park (2.66 ERA), and hes set up very well against a Dodgers team thats been dreadful against southpaws this season (79 wRC+). The Dodgers are middle-of-the-road in terms of whiffs, but Pomeranz combats that with a 10.3 K/9 that ranks top-10 in baseball. Hes also shown a nice floor, fanning six or more in seven straight starts. There arent many options I really like for cash Thursday, but Pomeranz is one of them.SolidRich Hill is another lefty who finds himself in a promising spot, particularly in terms of strikeout potential. The Astros whiff at a 24 percent clip against southpaws, and Hill does a fine job making batters miss, as his 10.3 K/9 would rank top-three in AL if he qualified. And despite featuring a lineup that contains plenty of right-handed power, the Astros have been well below average against lefty pitching in 2016. Hill is both cash and GPP viable.Since the beginning of June, spanning seven outings, Trevor Bauer owns a 1.81 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Hell look to continue that stretch of dominance against the Yankees, who have not fared well against righty pitching this season (88 wRC+). Bauers K upside is a bit limited in this one considering the Yanks make so much contact, but hes showcased a nice floor this year. Only once in 12 starts has he allowed more than three runs. Bauer is a worthy cash-game play.The Pirates offense is showing signs of life after completely tanking in June, but Adam Wainwright is showing signs of life as well. After posting a 6.80 ERA through his first eight starts, hes held a 3.09 mark in nine starts since. Hes also put up a respectable 7.9 K/9 rate in those nine outings (5.2 K/9 in the first eight). Theres not enough upside to justify Wainwright as a tournament option. I dont love him for cash, either, given the Bucs recent hot streak (won eight of last 10), but hes at least worth consideration on the shortened slate.Danny Duffys ESPN.com ownership is on the rise, but hes still available in nearly 50 of percent of leagues. Thats kind of hard to fathom considering he owns a 3.14 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 10.4 K/9 as a starter. In fact, his 6.00 K/BB ratio would rank top-five in baseball if he qualified. On Thursday, Duffy gets a Mariners team thats middle-of-the-road against lefties and strikes out at an average clip. Thats a usable scenario on a short slate like this one.At the halfway mark of the 2016 season, the Braves are still the worst team in baseball versus right-handed pitching, sporting an MLB-worst .284 wOBA and 74 wRC+. In other words, Thursday looks like a fine time to fire up Jason Hammel. Its worth noting that the right-hander is coming off one of the worst starts of his career (10 ER, including five homers, in 4 IP to the Mets). Then again, Hammel has been a stable option this season, allowing more than three earned runs only three times in his 16 starts, and hes in an ideal matchup. Hes worth considering in cash as an SP2.StreamersDoug Fister is not what youd call exciting. He whiffs less than six batters per nine, after all. He has, however, allowed more than three earned runs just twice in his last 14 starts, giving him a solid floor. And his home matchup against the As is prime. The As have been the worst team in the AL against righties this season, sporting an 85 wRC+. Fister is still available in nearly 50 percent of ESPN leagues.Say what you want about Bartolo Colon (that his ESPN.com ownership is just 36 percent says plenty). But the guy just keeps getting it done. Although he still doesnt miss many bats (6.0 K/9), his control continues to be outstanding (1.6 BB/9). A home tilt against the Nationals, who are below average against righty pitching, puts Colon in play as a nice streaming option.Lucas Giolito had his first big league start shortened by rain, but he tossed four scoreless innings of one-hit ball against the Mets before he left. He gets another crack at the Mets, and this time the weather forecast looks much more promising. One of baseballs top pitching prospects, Giolito whiffed just one batter in his first outing, but he showcased plenty of K potential in the minors and matches up well with a Mets team thats fanning 23 percent of the time. Hes still a free agent in 45 percent of leagues.AvoidJustin Verlander has been a DFS asset at times this season, but Thursday is a time when Im steering clear, at least in cash. A trip to Toronto to face the Blue Jays is one of the toughest spots in the game. Not only does the Rogers Centre inflate homers for both right- and left-handed batters, but the Jays mash there, putting up a .339 wOBA this season. They also do plenty of damage against right-handed pitching (.331 wOBA). There are other pitching options available in much better spots.The Rays may whiff at a 24 percent clip versus left-handed pitching, but theyre also the most dangerous team in baseball against lefties this season (127 wRC+). Theres also the fact that Hector Santiago has a tendency to get himself in trouble with walks (3.9 BB/9) and has had homer issues this season. Some will think Santiagos strikeout upside is worth the risk, but for me its not.Perhaps if Tyler Glasnow were debuting against a different team it would be a different story but the last thing you want to do versus the St. Louis Cardinals is give them extra runners via the walk, which is exactly what the Pittsburgh Pirates prized prospect has been doing. Despite a sparkling 1.78 ERA and 1.14 WHIP at Triple-A Indianapolis, Glasnow walked 52 in 96 innings, a 4.8 BB/9. Minor league hitters struggled making contact facing the 22-year old right-hander, fanning 119 times with only 57 hits. A team like the Redbirds should take advantage of the wildness and make better contact, even without Matt Carpenter. If things go as planned, there will be well over 300 more chances to use Glasnow over the next ten years or so, its fine to avoid his first.HittingWe highlighted Fister as a potential streaming option, but the fact remains that hes had trouble against left-handed hitters this season, as theyve put up a .393 wOBA against him. The As may be punchless against righty pitching, but Josh Reddick, whos batting .355 against right-handed pitching this season, and Stephen Vogt are definitely in play. Switch-hitters Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie could be worthy punts.There are two 10 hitter ratings Thursday, and one goes to left-handed Cleveland bats against Ivan Nova. Playing the top three hitters in the Indians order -- Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor -- should pay dividends for DFS players.Chad Bettis, whose 5.85 ERA is the worst in baseball, has not fared well at Coors Field this year, as his 6.69 home ERA can attest. Hes shown reverse splits in his career, making Maikel Franco and Cameron Rupp prime plays. Odubel Herrera, who is hitting .329 with all 10 of his homers against righties this season, should be on your radar as well.Opposing Bettis in the Coors Field game is southpaw Adam Morgan, summoned from the bullpen to give Aaron Nola a mental break, not to mention avoiding a confidence-deflating beating. Youll also want to get some exposure to Rockies bats. Morgan has been equally poor against all hitters, so theres no need to get picky here, as most Colorado hitters will be viable options. Nolan Arenado will be one of the days top plays if you can afford him.Chi Chi Gonzalez has yet to prove he belongs in the big leagues. In 16 career appearances, hes walked more than hes struck out and been hammered for a 4.79 home ERA. The Twins are in town and should have plenty of opportunity to get their licks in.Most likely to go yard: Nolan ArenadoArenado versus lefty Morgan at Coors Field? Book it.Most likely to swipe a bag: Jason HeywardTyler Flowers has thrown out just two of 34 basestealers this season. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for Heyward to try to generate ?offense on the basepaths. Marcell Ozuna Cardinals Jersey . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Custom St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/ .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. Ted Simmons Cardinals Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Ted Simmons Jersey . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. WACO, Texas -- This is not how Baylor seniors wanted to be preparing for their final home game on the banks of the Brazos River.There is the three-game losing streak that has the Bears unranked for the first time in three years. Starting quarterback Seth Russell will soon have surgery after a gruesome left ankle injury. And there is no longer the chance of a third Big 12 title in four years.Im going to go out to practice tomorrow like my hair is on fire, senior cornerback Ryan Reid said Monday. We have to get this team going. We have to get this win. We have to.As freshman receiver and now part-time running back Blake Lynch put it: Mindset? Get back on the right track. Win.The Bears (6-3, 3-3 Big 12), who have gone a month since their last victory that got them to 6-0 and bowl eligible, play their home finale Saturday against Kansas State (5-4, 3-3).Before Russell got hurt in the third quarter of a 45-24 loss at Big 12-leading Oklahoma on Saturday, the Bears had consecutive losses that followed off-field distractions before the game.Acting head coach Jim Grobe said its been difficult all season trying to keep it together. ... We did a pretty good job of it up until the Friday before Texas, and thats when the Wall Street Journal (article) came out, and that stirred up the coaches. And of course if the coaches get stirred up, then the players get stirred up.Baylors 62-22 loss to TCU, the Bears worst home loss since 2005, came a day after assistant coaches and several staff members issued a statement on Twitter expressing their support for former coach Art Briles, who was fired in May. They were disputing claims by school regents that Briles knew of an alleged gang rape. There were also T-shirts sold and was even a banner flying with (hash)CAB, which stands for Coach Art Briles.That was a week aafter a 35-34 loss at Texas, after the Wall Street Journal article when a group of Baylor regents first provided some details about some of the allegations.ddddddddddddNow the Bears are trying to regroup for the closing stretch. After Kansas State, they play Texas Tech in the Dallas Cowboys NFL stadium and close the season at No. 10 West Virginia.I think our football team right now is just kind of focused on playing football. I think thats the mindset we ought to be in, Grobe said. At the start of the season, everyone wants to be Big 12 champs. Thats your goal, thats what you talk about all the time. And now were in a position where we need to just talk about playing good football. I thought we played hard last week, but we didnt play real good.Senior running back Shock Linwood, the schools career rushing leader, will be back to face K-State after being suspended for the Oklahoma game for what Grobe had described as attitude issues.Grobe said Monday there are times to give kids a reminder that their behavior is more important than their ability on the football field.Once weve done that, well see where we can go from here, but Im expecting were going to get a guy that comes back and does all the things we want him to do, Grobe said of Linwood, who holds Baylor career marks with 4,056 yards rushing and 36 touchdowns on the ground.True freshman Zach Smith will take over as the starting quarterback. After replacing Russell against Oklahoma, the sixth game hes played in this season, Smith was 6-of-15 passing for 144 yards and a touchdown.It was really heartbreaking what happened to Seth, Smith said. But Ive just got to honor him and go in there and do what I know I can. ' ' '