FENSE: Wisconsin and Penn State rank Nos. 3 and 4 in total defense in the Big Ten, with the Badgers allowing 292 yards a game and the Lions 346.No one has been running much against ei

Thursday brings yet another abbreviated slate, with six early games and four late ones. Fortunately, there is a pair of aces at the top, and the middle tier has a variety of worthy options. Its not the best Thursday slate weve seen, but its not the worst, either.PitchingEliteNoah Syndergaard leads the way on Thursday with a home date against the Diamondbacks. The 23-year-old has seemingly faded a bit of late. Over his last seven starts, he sports a 3.99 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. Hes also pitched past the sixth inning just once in his last eight outings. Then again, Syndergaard still has elite skills, and his matchup against Arizona is extremely favorable. The Diamondbacks have been well below average versus right-handed pitching this season (87 wRC+), and a 23 percent whiff rate presents plenty of upside for Syndergaard and his 10.9 K/9. The Mets righty will be tough to fade in cash games if youre playing early or all-day slates.Corey Kluber?also cracks the elite tier with a home tilt against the Angels. However, that has more to do with Klubers effectiveness than this being a favorable matchup. Despite owning one of the worst records in the American League, the Angels lineup has the lowest strikeout rate in baseball (15 percent) and has done plenty of damage since the All-Star break (110 wRC+). For his part, Kluber has also dominated in the second half, sporting a 1.55 ERA since the break. Good pitching can silence good hitting, and Kluber is one of the most talented pitchers on the docket, so dont completely overlook him because of the tough matchup. He also gets a boost considering Syndergaard isnt eligible for the late slate.SolidOver 97 innings as a starter this year, Danny Duffy owns a 2.96 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 10.3 K/9. Somehow, hes still a free agent in over 20 percent of ESPN.com leagues. Against a White Sox offense thats been slumping since the break (84 wRC+), Duffy has to be considered one of the days top cash plays. When the southpaw last faced the Sox in early June, he tossed six shutout innings of three-hit ball with 10 Ks.The Cubs may be entering Wednesdays action with a 12-game lead in the NL Central, but dont expect them to take their foot off the pedal when the Cardinals visit Wrigley Field this week. Jon Lester takes ball for the Cubs on Thursday and will look to set the tone. While the Cardinals have scored the third-most runs in baseball, theyve been well below average against lefty pitching this season. Id rather pay up for Syndergaard in the all-day slate based on the strikeout upside, but Lester is a viable option, too.Opposing Lester in the Cardinals/Cubs rivalry is Carlos Martinez. It goes without saying that this is a tough matchup for the St. Louis right-hander, as the Cubs feature one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball. But they also strike out a lot. Martinez isnt missing as many bats as years past, but he still sports a decent 8.4 career K/9 and has swing-and-miss type stuff. Im staying away from him in cash games, but hes worth tournament consideration.Based on the combination of skill and matchup, rookie Jameson Taillon is one of the days most intriguing options. The right-hander has delivered five straight quality starts with a 2.40 ERA across them. He also has 28 Ks and just one walk in those five outings. Better yet, Thursdays matchup pits him against the Padres, who strike out 24 percent of the time versus righties and have one of the weakest lineups in baseball. Taillon has pitched more than six innings just once in nine starts and has yet to strike out more than seven. However, if there were a time for a breakout performance, this is it.StreamersWere digging deep here, but Braden Shipley is also worth consideration if youre streaming starters and are in need of innings. The rookie has just 17 big league innings under his belt and has walked more guys than hes struck out, so theres certainly risk here. That said, after getting roughed up his first time out, hes allowed just two combined runs over his last two starts, and he gets a Mets team thats done little offensively since the break (85 wRC+).AvoidMichael Pineda has flashed greatness at times this season, and his 10.7 K/9 is enticing. Im going nowhere near him against the Red Sox, though. The Red Sox clobber right-handed pitching (115 wRC+), and they dont strike out enough (18 percent) to give Pineda any appeal as a GPP option.HittingThe highest hitter rating of the day goes to the Braves, who square off against Matt Garza. The right-hander has had a rough go of it this season, as he holds a 5.03 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 10 starts. The Braves have one of the weakest lineups in baseball, but even they can take advantage of a matchup like this. Freddie Freeman, Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis are all on the radar here.Jose Berrios has a very bright future ahead of him, but right now hes someone to target hitters against. The rookie right-hander has made six big league starts this season, and those six starts have seen him post an 8.31 ERA and 1.69 WHIP. Berrios has particularly struggled against right-handed hitters, who have bashed him for a .489 wOBA. It just so happens that the Astros are very right-handed, making this a great stacking opportunity with Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, George Springer and Evan Gattis all in play.It usually pays to target hitters against Chad Bettis when hes at Coors Field (5.37 ERA), but he hasnt been much better on the road (4.95 ERA), either. Bettis has shown reverse splits in his career, surrendering a .368 wOBA to righty bats. With the Rangers on the docket, Ian Desmond, Adrian Beltre and Jonathan Lucroy all offer plenty of appeal.Also consider targeting Orioles hitters against Andrew Triggs, one of the lowest-ranked pitchers of the day. The righty is making just his second start of the season, and hes been hit hard in relief by both right- and left-handed hitters. There are plenty of intriguing options in this one, including Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Manny Machado and Mark Trumbo.Most likely to go yard: Carlos CorreaLets keep this simple: Berrios has been tattooed by right-handed hitters this season, and Correa has hit 14 of his 15 homers this year off righties. The young slugger makes it 15 of 16 on Thursday.Most likely to swipe a bag: Jean SeguraSyndergaard is a stud, but hes also allowed 32 stolen bases this year, 12 more than any other pitcher. Go ahead and pencil in a stolen base for Segura in this one.Site De Air Max 270 Pas Cher . 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A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne.Penn State was picked fourth in the Big Ten East in the preseason and 2-2 after an ugly loss at Michigan, prompting the athletic director to issue a public vote of confidence for third-year coach James Franklin.Two months later, who would have thought the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions would have thrown a wrench into the College Football Playoff hypotheticals by earning a berth in the Big Ten championship game opposite No. 6 Wisconsin?Things would have been so much simpler if Ohio State hadnt lost to the Lions on the road on Oct. 22.A win in Indianapolis on Saturday night would give the Lions (10-2, No. 7 CFP) two victories over top-10 teams to weigh against their losses to Pittsburgh and Michigan. Imagine the outrage in Happy Valley if the Lions beat the Badgers and, as conference champion, were excluded from the group of four teams to play for the national championship. It could happen.The Buckeyes (11-1, No. 2 CFP) would be at the mercy of the committee if Penn State wins, but the chairman already has said Ohio State has the better resume.If Wisconsin (10-2, No. 6 CFP) wins, the committee could logically pick Ohio State based on its overtime win over the Badgers in Madison on Oct. 15. If that happens, the city known as Madtown would surely be that.Franklin tried to stay above the fray Sunday when it came to playoff possibilities.To be honest with you, I dont really have a strong opinion, he said. Were focused on Wisconsin and excited about this opportunity. And after that game, whatever the powers that be decide, well be happy and excited for whatever that opportunity its.Five things to know heading into the Big Ten title game:---OLD VS. NEW: This will be the sixth Big Ten title game, and Wisconsin is in it for the fourth time. Penn State is making its first appearance and going for its first championship since 2008.The Badgers are 2-1 in Indianapolis, beating Michigan State 42-39 in 2011 and Nebraska 70-31 in 2012 and losing to Ohio State 59-0 in 2014.Wisconsin is 9-8 all-time against Penn State. This will be the first meeting since Nov. 30, 2013, when Penn State won 31-24 in a wild game in Madison.INJURY UPDATE: Penn State star running back Saquon Barkley is expected to play after injuring his right foot against Michigan SState on Saturday, Franklin said.ddddddddddddBarkley averages 101.6 yards a game to rank third in the Big Ten. He was held to 14 yards on 12 carries in the 45-12 win over the Spartans.Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook is day-to-day after getting knocked out of Saturdays game against Minnesota with an apparent concussion. Bart Houston played the entire second half. Chryst said Hornibrook told him he felt better Sunday.FRANKLINS JOURNEY: Penn State lost four straight to end 2015 and got off to a 2-2 start this season with those losses of 42-39 to Pittsburgh and 49-10 to Michigan. A few days after the loss in Ann Arbor, athletic director Sandy Barbour pledged allegiance to Franklin, saying his job was not in jeopardy.Despite a run of injuries that hit the linebacker corps especially hard and left the Lions without seven starters, Penn State turned into one of the hottest teams in the nation.Linebacker Jason Cabinda said he and his teammates never ruled out a chance to play in Indy.We talked about it all last season. That this was our goal and this is where we wanted to go, so we put our head down and went to work, Cabinda said. Every week we have improved and gotten better and now we have a tremendous opportunity to go Indianapolis next week and finish this thing and get a Big Ten championship.BADGER DOMINANCE: Wisconsin and Alabama are the only Power Five programs to reach conference title games four times since 2011. The Badgers have won at least 10 games six of the last eight years and are 17-3 in their last 20 games. Theyre 15-3 against Big Ten West teams since the conference went to the current divisions in 2014.ITS ABOUT DEFENSE: Wisconsin and Penn State rank Nos. 3 and 4 in total defense in the Big Ten, with the Badgers allowing 292 yards a game and the Lions 346.No one has been running much against either team lately. Only five opponents have run for 100 yards against the Badgers. Penn State has allowed no more than 110 yards on the ground in any of its last five games.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '