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Another Thursday, another shortened slate. This version features 11 games, nine of which are in the evening. All things considered, its a decent slate, with a pair of elite options at the top and enough options in the middle and lower tiers to keep things interesting. Of course, this Thursday doesnt include any Coors Field action, so youll have to get a little more creative with your hitters this time around.PitchingEliteAs is often the case, Max Scherzer leads the pack with a home start against Baltimore. The Orioles present an intimidating matchup, as they rank second in baseball with a 111 wRC+ against right-handed pitching and lead the majors with .203 ISO, which is somewhat worrisome considering Scherzer is on pace to allow a career-worst 33 homers this season. Then again, the Os whiff 22 percent of the time against righties and will be without a DH, which presents appealing upside for the guy who ranks second in baseball with an 11.2 K/9. For cash games, I prefer a better matchup if Im going to pay a premium for an ace. However, on an abbreviated slate, Scherzer is still one of the days top cash-game plays.Drew Pomeranz cant match Scherzers upside, but he finds himself in a much better spot on Thursday, squaring off against the Rays at Tampa. Not only are the Rays below average against lefty pitching, but they strike out at an MLB-worst 26 percent clip versus southpaws. Pomeranz hasnt whiffed more than seven in game since early June, but he still sports a 9.6 K/9 this year. He also has allowed two or fewer runs in each of last his past four starts. It wouldnt be a surprise to see him flirt with double-digit Ks in this one. However, as the starter in one of only two afternoon games on Thursday, his DFS availability is limited.SolidSince the All-Star break, Cole Hamels has been one of the games best pitchers, putting up a 1.85 ERA and 9.2 K/9 over seven starts. His home matchup against Cleveland isnt ideal, though. The Indians handle left-handed pitching well and have been one of the games best-hitting teams in the second half (113 wRC+). Given the short slate, Im tempted to roll Hamels out there anyway given how dominant he has been of late, but its certainly not an ideal matchup for cash games.Speaking of dominance, J.A. Happ has been carving up opposing lineups for the past two months. The southpaw owns a 1.78 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 11.4 K/9 over his past eight starts. That includes nine or more Ks in four of those eight outings. Unfortunately, Happ is in a similar spot to Hamels, as his home matchup against the Angels isnt necessarily one you want to target. After all, the Angels strike out less than any team in baseball (16 percent) and do not go easy on left-handed pitching (106 wRC+).Its tough to recommend starting pitchers against the Red Sox, who dont strike out much and bash right-handed pitching (116 wRC+). Still, if youre looking to go contrarian, theres some appeal with Jake Odorizzi. Since the All-Star break, the righty has delivered a 1.64 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over seven starts. Hes also been much more effective at home this season (3.06 home ERA vs 4.34 road ERA).It has been an up-and-down season for Adam Wainwright. For a nine-start stretch between early June and mid-July, the right-hander posted a 2.37 ERA while whiffing nearly a batter per inning. Since then, however, he owns a 7.71 ERA over his past five outings. He did pitch respectably his last time out -- three earned runs in six innings against the Phillies -- but hes not a guy you want to trust in cash games right now. That said, he does have a favorable matchup Thursday, as he faces a Mets team thats struggled offensively since the break (86 wRC+) and sports a 22 percent whiff rate versus righties.StreamersRobbie Ray continues to rack up Ks. His 11.2 K/9 is now third best in baseball behind Jose Fernandez and Scherzer. Not only that, but he owns a 3.16 ERA and 1.05 WHIP since the All-Star break. Add it all up and you have a pretty enticing hurler who is still available in 63 percent of ESPN.com leagues. Better yet, on Thursday he gets a Braves team thats the worst in baseball against left-handed pitching (74 wRC+). Ray is a strong DFS play in addition to being a high-quality streaming option.The Dodgers sport a top-five offense against right-handed pitching this season (106 wRC+). However, against left-handed pitching, they rank in the bottom five (80 wRC+). That sets things up nicely for Matt Moore, who is still a free agent in 57 percent of leagues.The owner of a 2.97 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in the second half, James Paxton, whose ownership sits at just 22 percent, draws a road date with the White Sox. The Pale Hose are well below average against lefty pitching, which puts the left-hander in a very favorable spot Thursday.AvoidJosh Tomlin had a strong first half, but things have been crumbling down since the break. His past six starts have been him post a 7.75 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. That includes six or more runs allowed in three of his past four turns. The Rangers dont have an overwhelming offense, but theyre good enough to do plenty of damage if Tomlin doesnt straighten things out.HittingIve been stacking hitters against Jose Berrios for some time now, and it pays off more than it doesnt. The young right-hander may still have nice long-term upside, but hes registered only one quality start in eight tries and sports a 9.28 ERA. With the Tigers in town, Im getting plenty of exposure to Detroit bats, regardless of whether they have the platoon advantage.Wily Peralta has strung together a few decent starts, but this is still a guy with a 6.00 ERA who has been bashed by both righties (.408 wOBA) and lefties (.396 wOBA). Hes the lowest-ranked starter of the day. The Pirates present a fine stacking opportunity.Jered Weaver was bad in the first half (5.27 ERA), and he has been even worse in the second (5.97 ERA). He doesnt figure to fare well Thursday, when he heads to the Rogers Centre to face the Blue Jays. Again, dont limit yourself only to hitters with the platoon advantage, as both righties and lefties have pummeled Weaver this season.Anthony Ranaudo has pitched just 14 1/3 innings over four appearances (two starts) this season, and they havent been pretty. Those 14 1/3 innings have seen the right-hander post a 9.42 ERA and 8.2 BB/9. Im targeting lefty hitters Seth Smith, Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager in this one, though right-handed slugger Nelson Cruz is in the mix too.Most likely to go yard: Miguel CabreraBerrios has had trouble getting most hitters out this season, much less one of the best hitters in baseball, who is hitting .315 off righties with 21 of his 27 homers.Most likely to swipe a bag: Rajai DavisFor as good as Hamels has been of late, 19 of 22 potential base stealers have been successful against him. Look for Davis, who has 33 swipes this season, to run wild here. 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MADRID -- Spanish league officials have denounced Valencia for fans offensive chants against Barcelona, Catalonia and Lionel Messi during a game last week.The league said Thursday it has asked the Spanish federation to consider sanctioning the club because the chants were discriminatory and incited violence.The announcement was made a day after the Spanish federation fined Valencia 1,500 euros ($1,600) after water bottles were thrown at Barcelona players celebrating a goal duringg Saturdays match at Mestalla Stadium.ddddddddddddThe league said the offensive chants occurred in the 93rd and 94th minutes -- around the time when Messi converted a penalty kick in Barcelonas 3-2 win.Valencia players and club directors complained about the refereeing after the game and fans were also upset with the calls that went against their team. ' ' '