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. Andy Isabella Jersey . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. William Sweet Jersey . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. http://www.cheaparizonacardinalsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-pat-tillman-jersey . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. Zane Gonzalez Jersey . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Mason Cole Jersey . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. RIO DE JANEIRO -- In March, Matteo Piano chose to have his second back surgery in about seven months and fix a painful herniated disk. He knew if he didnt get the operation, there would be no way hed be playing for Italy at the Olympics.It was all worth it. Piano is going for gold on Sunday.Now, Piano points to the heavy tape wrapped around his tender right calf that he hurt against Brazil, though theres no way a minor injury -- Its just a muscle pull, he insists -- will keep him off the court. There will be plenty of time to recover once he has returned home from Rio de Janeiro.To be here today, it was incredible, because nobody thought I could be here, Piano said. Its one step. My body feels good.As mighty Italy looks tough to beat, Brazil has no plans of going down lightly playing for gold in its home Olympics, reaching the final when the two-time defending champion Brazilian women could not. Fabiana and the women fell to China in a five-set quarterfinal match.First of all, it is a final. Its different from anything else, Brazils William Arjona said. At home, we are not going to let this get away from us. Regardless of our film study, our commitment, our will to win will be 1,000 percent on Sunday. We will leave everything on the court.Brazil avenged a loss to Russia in the 2012 London Games gold-medal match with a straight-set victory Friday night. The Brazilians are in their fourth straight final and chasing their first Olympic championship since 2004 in Athens.That is fueling this fired-up team, backed by the raucous home crowd at Maracanazinho arena.It is a game nobody forgets. We had a big lead, Brazils Lucas Saatkamp said of the 2012 Olympic loss to Russia. We almost had the gold medal around our necks and they took it from us.Italy, too, has plenty of motivation. The Italians want to win it all after settling for bronze four years ago.Piano knew this woould be a memorable run for his close-knit team.ddddddddddddHe had his first back procedure before the World Cup in Japan last September, for a different issue than the March procedure.I had the choice, because I chose to have the operation only to be here in the Olympic Games, he said. If I didnt do the operation, I wouldnt be here.All of that is in the past for Piano.He is focused on reaching the top step of the podium on Sunday after Italy outlasted the United States 30-28, 26-28, 9-25, 25-22, 15-9 and left U.S. coach John Speraw predicting gold for the powerful Italians.Yeah! Yes! Piano said shortly afterward, still overjoyed by the teams triumph against the U.S. in an instant Olympic classic. Its the best thing Ive had in my life and in sport.On Friday, once the Italians decided to focus on the present and not look forward at any medal matches, We flew! Piano said.Italy is a deep team and the Brazilians realize their next opponent is capable of coming back at any point behind a star-studded lineup and the brilliant serving of Ivan Zaytsev, who served three straight aces in the fourth set against the U.S. as Italy used a 6-0 run to force a fifth.Its a balanced team and I think they have been the most consistent team so far in the tournament, Saatkamp said.For Italy, it has taken commitments from every player to make the goal for gold a reality -- like the spirit and determined pursuit of Piano.We tried to create from the work up this last year such a family ambience on the national team, Zaytsev said. Every part of this team is trying to give his best a