Kinderwunsch » pro after he was selected by Chicago with the 17th pi

Its the final Tuesday! Weve got a handful of a frontline arms atop the slate, but its wide open if you choose not to spend on a stud. Offensively, there arent many obvious stack options, but plenty of platoon options to exploit as you build your lineup.PitchingEliteHow is Max Scherzer not getting more attention for his season? Are we just used to his excellence? Some might have even forgotten that he was toting a 4.05 ERA through the first two months of the season. Home runs were a big issue, something wed seen him deal with in August of last year. Through those first 11 starts, he had a 1.8 HR/9 rate. Given a rate that high, his 4.05 ERA was actually kind of impressive, but still not very Scherzer-like. Since June 1 hes posted a 2.19 ERA with just a 0.8 HR/9 rate in 144 innings. The strikeouts have been consistently strong throughout; in fact its at exactly 11.1 K/9 in both samples.Seeing Noah Syndergaard sputter through a start against Atlanta is unquestionably annoying because the bottom-feeding Braves are supposed to be rolled by studs like Thor, but theyve quietly been hitting very well in the second half. They are sixth in OPS against righties at .778 and while we still expect Syndergaard to succeed against opponent, this is at least understandable when you acknowledge what the Braves are doing down the stretch. Thor had one other five earned run outing earlier this year and he bounced back with a 7 IP/1 ER gem against the Cubs. The Marlins are 28th in OPS against righties during the second half.Chris Sale and Justin Verlander are among the AL Cy Young frontrunners this year so theyll both be looking for big starts here, but it wont be easy for either. Sale gets a Tampa Bay Rays team that is second to only Sales own White Sox in OPS against lefties over the last month with an .843 mark. They are still striking out 24 percent of the time, though, and Sales strikeout rate has surged to 27 percent in the second half. He did toss a two-hit shutout against the Rays back in mid-April, too.Verlander draws a Cleveland team that is only middle of the pack against righties over the last month (14th with a .743 OPS), but one that has had his number on the whole this year. He has a 6.46 ERA against them in 23.7 innings across four starts, including starts with seven and eight earned runs back in May and June, respectively. However, his best start against them was just 10 days ago when he put up seven one-hit innings in a game the Tigers would eventually lose 1-0 in 10 innings. Verlander hasnt allowed more than 3 ER in a start since the eight runs against Cleveland in late-June, yielding a 2.16 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 127 strikeouts in 108.3 innings.The Los Angeles Dodgers have flip-flopped Kenta Maeda and Jose De Leon. By starting Maeda on Tuesday, hell be on regular rest just in case the club needs him on Sunday. The righty has a prime matchup, facing the strikeout-prone San Diego Padres in Petco Park. However, as has been the case all season, Maedas upside is tempered due to usually only tossing five or six innings. Theres no reason for the Dodgers to change that pattern now, so while the matchup warrants some exposure, keep expectations in check.SolidDavid Price is in between tiers for Tuesday. He has a great projected Game Score of 59, but its hard to ignore the 3.91 season ERA. He has seven starts of at least 5 ER after just two all of last year. In other words, the implosion potential has been much higher for Price this year which certainly adds some risk on the DFS side of things. Plus, he draws a Yankees team that has given him fits all year with a 7.71 ERA and 1.71 WHIP over four starts with just 15 strikeouts in the 23.3 innings. With a full Tuesday slate, you likely neednt take the unnecessary risk with Price.Aaron Sanchez has experienced some volatility down the stretch with his Game Score bouncing around since the start of August: 62, 40, 62, 40, 59, 57, 25, and 62. Those eight starts have yielded a 4.24 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 46.7 innings. I imagine a big part of his 51 projected Game Score is due to facing a difficult Orioles offense, but he has faced the Os twice in these last eight with Scores of 62 and 59.The surging Braves offense has been a boon for Julio Teheran as hes netted three of his six wins over his last five starts (2.87 ERA in 31.3 IP). He has a couple duds in his 10 starts since the break, but hes allowed 3 or fewer ER in the other eight. The anemic Phillies offense sits 29th in OPS during the second half. Teheran has allowed 3 ER against them in 11 innings, both starts coming since July 30.The perception of Baltimores starting pitching means you mightve missed Kevin Gausmans big second half. His 2.94 ERA and 9.5 K/9 are both 14th-best among qualified starters. He will be dueling against Sanchez so the win wont come easy for either and Gausman had one of his worst starts all year in Toronto back on July 29th (3 IP/6 ER), but hes been great since with a 2.57 ERA in 63 innings over 10 starts. He did allow 5 ER to Boston his last time out, but it was one of those where mightve been left in a little too long. Three of the five runs came off of a homer to David Ortiz in the seventh inning.John Lackey and Ian Kennedy dont jump out as obvious picks, especially with a full slate, but both have been really strong options this year. The ERA difference (3.39 for Lackey, 3.64 for Kennedy) is essentially the difference between the leagues while they have identical 8.7 K/9 rates in 183 innings apiece. Kennedy has always struggled with homers and this year is no different at 1.5 HR/9, but he has really curbed the issue of late with a 0.7 mark in his last 10 starts.Spot startersFelix Hernandez has been extremely volatile lately. Check out these last six Game Scores: 61, 29, 32, 61, 23, and 74. So how lucky do you feel in Houston?Matt Moore can end your night before it starts. He had three outings of at least 5 ER with San Francisco, including two where he didnt even finish three innings. Youre not recovering from that. But he had a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings over his other seven starts as a Giant so while the 4.96 ERA with them might scare some off, the composition of it shows a better pitcher than you might expect, maybe even one worth gambling on at home against a Rockies team that sits 27th in OPS against lefties on the road.Alex Cobb finally showed why Im so weary of Tommy John returners as a general rule. Those returning from the surgery always seem to have at least one utter meltdown that comes virtually out of nowhere. Many pitchers have pointed out that they will just have a couple of these starts where nothing works in that first year back from Tommy John and theyre usually out after a couple innings and a heap of runs. Cobbs was a nightmarish seven in just 1 1/3 innings. Hed looked solid to that point, but with just four starts, one that awful weighs heavily on his overall numbers. A further downside of a TJ returner is that theyre always being closely managed so they live on that five- to six-inning cusp, which lowers their chances for a win, especially if they also play for a last-place team as Cobb does. Hes only an SP2 if you even really want to take the gamble here.The Diamondbacks are giving rookie Matt Koch a look. The 25-year old right-hander has made five appearances out of the bullpen since being called up after rosters expanded. Koch started at Triple-A Reno, sporting an impressive 3.09 ERA but with only 25 whiffs in 45 innings. The inability to miss bats along with not being filly stretched out render Koch a risk, despite facing a depleted Nationals lineup.HittingThe Royals of all teams have the best rating on Tuesday, though thats mostly due to facing Jose Berrios. They actually have the worst OPS against righties in the second half at .669, but Berrios has been awful in 12 starts this year. There isnt a redeemable metric in the profile: 8.88 ERA, 1.99 WHIP, 5.7 BB/9, 2.2 HR/9, and 12.2 H/9. OK, maybe his 8.5 K/9 stands as the redeemable aspect of his season, but who cares when its stacked up with the rest of that mess. Righties have especially decimated Berrios with a 1.062 OPS, but lefties are still getting theirs at .918. That said, I cant see a real stack for KC. Id consider Kendrys Morales, Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, and Jarrod Dyson. I rarely look at speed-only guys in DFS, but he does have a .292 AVG and 10 SBs over his last 97 PA so if hes starting, he might be a solid punt.Dodgers righties are worth a look against Paul Clemens (.990 OPS), even as a righty himself. Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig, and Yasmani Grandal are my favorite options there. However, even with Clemens .679 OPS against lefties, I might still consider Corey Seager (.970 v. RHP) and Adrian Gonzalez (.855) just because theyve been so good against right-handers.Id be ready to stack the Brewers if they had more lefties. A.J. Griffin has allowed .984 OPS against them including 18 of his 26 homers, but there arent a lot of great spots to take advantage of that with Milwaukee. Jonathan Villar is a switch-hitter with a passable .773 OPS against righties including 11 of his 16 homers, plus that game-changing speed means he doesnt really need to leave the yard to score big. The only other real consideration might be Kirk Nieuwenhuis on the cheap in hopes that he leaves the yard.Maybe there is one stack: the Cardinals. Robert Stephenson actually has two good starts in his six, but the other four are so bad that he still has a 5.59 ERA and 2.2 HR/9 in his 29 innings. Matt Carpenter, Brandon Moss, and Matt Adams from the left side and Stephen Piscotty, Aledmys Diaz, Randal Grichuk, and Yadier Molina from the right side offer enough options to create a Cards stack.Most likely to go yard: Kendrys Morales. Hes been better against lefties for sure (.917 OPS), but hes no slouch against righties with a .197 ISO and Berrios is serving it up for everyone this year.Most likely to swipe a bag: Jonathan Villar. Yes, Im taking the easy way out for my final edition of Daily Notes of the year (the last day for the series this season will be Oct. 2). The MLB steals leader will notch his 60th of the year against his former teammate, Jonathan Lucroy. Cheap Football NCAA Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. NCAA Jerseys China . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. https://www.chinajerseysncaa.us/ . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. NCAA Jerseys Outlet . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. CHICAGO -- Tim Anderson is excited. The fast start with the Chicago White Sox is great and all, but its more about who is waiting at home each day.Anderson and his fiancee, Bria, welcomed their first child in March, and the young shortstop is smitten with the new arrival.Shes a blessing. Shes on my mind, Anderson said. I put her initials in my hat, my helmet. Its life-changing.Peyton provides perspective for Anderson when he has a bad day at the ballpark. But that hasnt happened very much lately.Andersons promotion from Triple-A Charlotte on June 10 helped spark a gradual recovery for the White Sox after they tumbled out of first in the AL Central. Struggling veteran Jimmy Rollins was cut loose to make room for Anderson, who quickly moved to the top of the lineup to give Chicago a speedy 1-2 punch with Adam Eaton.Making his debut against World Series champion Kansas City, the 23-year-old Anderson doubled in his first at-bat and finished with two hits in Chicagos 7-5 win. He is batting .295 with four homers and 10 RBI through his first month in the majors, with multihit performances in 12 of his first 25 games.Youre talking about a kid thats come up here and really infused the lineup with a special talent, manager Robin Ventura said. Hes been great. Hes been able to hit, his speed is something thats fun to watch. But a kid coming up and playing shortstop and doing it with his kind of confidence doesnt come across the board very often.Andersons versatility and instincts were on full display when the White Sox (44-41) took two of three from the Yankees for their fifth straight series win.He hit a two-run homer in the series opener, and then made an excellent read on the bases that helped him score from second on Jose Abreus single to left-center in the eighth inning of Chicagos 8-2 win on Monday. A day after he went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and committed his first error, he bounced back quickly with a key two-run double in a 5-0 victory on Wednesday night.I think defensively hes been great, Eaton said. Offensively, hes learned on the fly quickly so its been good to see. Hes definitely a student of the game,, a guy that comes in every day, wants to learn.dddddddddddd He isnt afraid to ask questions so its a beautiful thing. Ive really enjoyed my time hitting behind him. Hes made my job much easier in the two-hole, so no complaints here.Ask Anderson about his smooth transition to the majors, and he practically shrugs.I feel a lot more comfortable than I did when I first got here, he said. I was real nervous the first game, but after that, I feel like once I got my feet wet I was normal. I never let the situation get the best of me. I always just stay within myself and try not to do too much and just try to play my normal game.Anderson, a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, attracted the attention of the major leagues when he starred as a sophomore at East Central Community College in Mississippi, batting .495 with 41 steals. He signed a letter of intent to play for UAB, but turned pro after he was selected by Chicago with the 17th pick in the 2013 draft.Anderson quickly made his way through the minors, hitting .304 in 55 games with the Knights this year. He has one walk and 35 strikeouts since joining the White Sox, a concerning ratio for a leadoff hitter that he feels will improve with experience. Ventura is impressed with his eagerness to learn.Theres questions that he has, and theyre spot on, he said. Theyre not just questions, hes asking a question so you think hes thinking about it, hes actually asking the right questions. I think thats not always the case when you get a guy that comes up thats as talented as he is. Hes not afraid of anything. Hes just going to play.And after hes done for the day, its home to see Peyton.Once I leave the locker room, I dont think about baseball or what kind of day I had, he said. When I see her, I try to keep baseball life here and home life at home. It really helps me a lot because when I see her, I dont think about baseball.---AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman contributed to this report.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '