Another Thursday, another shortened slate. Nike Blazer Cheap . 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. Wholesale Blazers . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Cheap Blazers Online . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. http://www.cheapnikeblazer.com/ . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Shelton Mitchell scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed five rebounds Sunday as Clemson defeated Alabama 67-54.Alabama (5-5) narrowed Clemsons lead to 11 points or less three times over the final 12 minutes. Clemsons Gabe Devoe responded by sinking 3-pointers the first two times to maintain the double-digit advantage for the Tigers (8-2).Fellow Tiger, Avry Holmes only points in the second half came on a 3-pointer that followed Devoes, a sequence that both coaches felt was critical in the game.It was big. Thats what you got to do in road games, Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. Make big shots, you know the home teams going to make a run or two.That big shot didnt fall the third time Devoe took one from behind the arc to secure Clemsons double-digit lead, and Alabama cut the lead down to nine points for the first time during the second half.Clemson held on, responding to the Crimson Tides late 7-0 run with a layup from Mitchell who also sank four free throws over the final minute of the game.Devoe finished with 11 points to join Mitchell in double figures for Clemson.Brownell said his teams defense wasnt up to his expectations in Clemsons game on Tuesday against SC State, but he thought it was a difference maker today, especially in the first half.I just think we kept them to one shot was a big thing, and I thought our guys were locked in, Brownell said. We had some time to get ready from our last game so we prepared very well. I thought our individual defense was pretty good.Avery Johnson Jr. came off the bench for the Crimson Tide to score a career-high 17 points. He was the only Alabama player to finish in double figures.We told our guys hes a great layup maker and thats a skill a lot of guards dont haave, being able to make shots over top of shot-blockers and big guys when you make penetration, Brownell said. Nike Blazer Clearance. The Crimson Tide outrebounded the Tigers 37-32 thanks in large part to the efforts of Donta Hall and Dazon Ingram who grabbed seven and six respectively.BIG PICTUREAlabama: The Crimson Tide was unable to overcome a first half that saw the team miss 11 straight shots from the floor and must now win one of the teams next two games to avoid starting Southeastern conference play under .500.Clemson: The Tigers overcame a sluggish start of their own to get revenge for last years 51-50 loss to the Crimson Tide and extended the teams current winning streak to six games with the victory.UP NEXTAlabama: The Crimson Tides tour of its home state continues with a trip to Huntsville, Alabama to face Arkansas State on Wednesday.Clemson: The Tigers can earn their second straight win against SEC competition with a road victory over rival South Carolina on Wednesday.HE SAID IT: Alabama coach Avery Johnson on taking care of the basketball: Like I tell our guys all the time. Think about your closest family member. Youre not going to throw them away because you love them right? Just think about this, so value that ball just like you value your closest family member.QUICK COMPARE:Alabama: The Crimson Tide finished the night 3-of-20 beyond the arc and only made one of seven attempts taken in the final three minutes.Clemson: The Tigers finished the night 9-of-22 shooting 3s and made three of six shots taken behind the arc in the final 11 minutes of the game and attempted none in the final three minutes. ' ' '