Spieleecke » hitters have hit him hard, too,

PHILADELPHIA -- Adam Wainwright and Adam Morgan will be looking to snap slumps of varying degrees on Friday when the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies open a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.Wainwright (9-7, 4.72 ERA), the Cardinals 34-year-old right-hander, matched the shortest start of his career in his last time out -- working just two innings in a 13-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The three-time All-Star allowed seven runs on six hits and walked three, and afterward called his outing embarrassing, according to Major League Baseballs official web site.Wainwright, who is winless in his last five outings, also surrendered six runs on nine hits over six innings in losing his previous start to Atlanta.Morgans struggles are much more pronounced. Philadelphias second-year left-hander is 1-7 with a 6.62 ERA, and hasnt won since beating the Braves for his lone victory on May 10. In the meantime, he has gone 0-7 with a 7.46 ERA over 12 starts, a drought interrupted by a stint at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in which he went 5-0.Morgan returned to the parent club last weekend but was forced to depart Sundays start against Colorado after three innings when he was hit on the elbow by a line drive off the bat of Nick Hundley. Morgan reported no ill effects.Morgan was saddled with a no-decision in his only start against St. Louis this year, allowing three runs on six hits over four innings. He is 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in two career starts against the Cardinals.Wainwright, who is 6-2 with a 2.72 ERA in 13 career outings against Phillies, told reporters after the loss to the Cubs that he was feeling a little under the weather, but did not wish to use that as an excuse. He also denied that he was tipping his pitches, as was suspected in his previous outing.Today, the way I was tipping is that when they got in the batters box, they knew I was going to throw something in the middle of the plate, Wainwright said, according to MLB.com. You do that against a good team, and theyre going to hit it really hard.The Cardinals, who hold a one-game lead over Pittsburgh in the race for the National Leagues second wild-card berth, have won four in a row. The Phillies, who beat the Dodgers 5-4 on Thursday night to salvage the finale of a three-game series, have won four of six.Maikel Francos two-run homer off Dodgers reliever Grant Dayton in the seventh inning proved decisive.Fastball, right down the middle, said Franco, who jumped on a 1-1 offering. Put a good contact on it, nothing else. I just go try to put the ball in play, put good contact on it.It was Francos 11th game-winning RBI, which leads the Phillies and is tied for fourth in the National League. It was also his team-leading 19th go-ahead RBI.With all the swings and misses and expanding the strike zone, he comes up big an awful lot, manager Pete Mackanin said. You cant deny the numbers that hes put up. Zach Davies Jersey . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Rob Deer Brewers Jersey . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/599y-yasmani-grandal-jersey-brewers.html . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Trent Grisham Brewers Jersey . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. Taylor Williams Brewers Jersey . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Youve heard this story before -- another Thursday, another ugly slate.Only nine games are on the schedule, and outside of two or three names, cash pickings are slim, especially considering the days only elite option isnt eligible for the late slate. Nonetheless, well wade through the wasteland and do our best to make it work. Is it Friday yet?PitchingElite Its a one-man show in the elite tier on Thursday, with Stephen Strasburg leading the way with a home start against the Dodgers. Since returning from the disabled list, the right-hander has picked up where he left off, allowing just two runs over his last 21 2/3 innings. His 10.8 K/9 is top five in baseball, and his 24.4 hard-hit percentage is the fourth-lowest mark in the game. A matchup against the Dodgers isnt cake by any means, but Los Angeles has been middle of the road versus righties this year, so its not exactly an intimidating matchup, either. On a day where the pitching depth is thin, Strasburg stands out as a premium arm worth paying for. Keep in mind, though, that an afternoon start means hell be ineligible for late-slate contests.Solid It appears that vintage Adam Wainwright is back. Not only did the former Cy Young winner toss a three-hit shutout against Miami his last time out, he now owns a 2.30 ERA and 8.4 K/9 since the beginning of June, spanning eight starts. That dominance should continue with the Padres coming to town. San Diego just might be the most exploitable team in baseball versus right-handed pitching, with an 81 wRC+ and a 25 percent strikeout rate. With Strasburg and the Nationals having an early start time, Wainwright is one of the days top cash-game anchors for evening action.Going to Yankee Stadium to face the Yankees isnt what it used to be. What was once the most intimidating matchup in baseball is now a below-average lineup that does little damage at home and is one of the worst in the AL versus righty pitching. Enter Chris Tillman. The Orioles right-hander has delivered three straight seven-inning, one-run performances and should keep on rolling in this favorable spot. Although the Yankees arent a big strikeout team, its worth noting that Tillman whiffed a season-high nine batters in seven frames when he last faced the Bronx Bombers in June.Even on a short slate, Francisco Liriano cant be considered cash-game viable. He walks too many batters (5.7 BB/9), allows too many homers (hes on pace to allow 25 dingers after surrendering 15 all of last year) and gives up too much hard contact (36 percent). That said, he definitely warrants consideration in GPPs. The left-hander owns a career 9.2 K/9 and is squaring off a Brewers team thats below average against lefties and fans at a 24 percent clip.Sonny Gray is hard to trust in cash games. A 5.12 ERA will do that. However, the thin slate, combined with a prime home matchup against Tampa Bay, puts the As righty on the radar. The Rays have been one of the worst teams in baseball against right-handed pitching, mustering a .302 wOBA and 25 percent strikeout rate. Things have only gotten worse in July, with a .277 wOBA and 24 percent whiff rate. While Gray has struggled this year, he has posted quality starts in four of his last five outings, so hes at least showing positive signs. Its hard to get a matchup much better than this.Opposing Gray is Matt Moore, who draws an appealing road matchup against Oakland. The As are better against lefties than righties, but theyre still only league average, at best, and have really floundered so far in July (85 wRC+). Moore, meanwhile, sports a 2.51 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over his last seven starts. Dont expect a high strikeout total, as the As make tons of contact, but this is still a great spot for the left-hander to succeed.Streamers Theres not much confidence to be found among Thurssdays streaming options, but Jerad Eickhoff looks like one of the days better bets.dddddddddddd. Available in 65 percent of ESPN.com leagues, Eickhoff draws a home start against a Marlins team thats merely average versus righty pitching and sports the second-lowest ISO (.133) in the National League. Take out his Coors Field start, and the Phillies righty owns a 2.34 ERA over his last eight outings.After Eickhoff, it might be best to just sit tight and wait for some safer streaming options to emerge Friday. Tom Koehler has a favorable matchup against a bad Phillies offense, but his 4.7 BB/9 is worrisome and he hasnt posted a quality start in over a month. Although the Orioles arent as dangerous as you might think against left-handed pitching (91 wRC+), CC Sabathia has a 7.94 ERA over his last five starts. It might be worth rolling the dice with James Shields, who has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last four starts. Then again, a guy with homer problems facing the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field, which greatly boosts both right- and left-handed power, carries a fair amount of blowup potential.Weve witnessed Julio Urias upside, but he has battled inconsistency and the Nationals hammer left-handed pitching. And even if you like what youve seen out of Mike Foltynewicz this season, you certainly arent going to run him out there in Coors Field.HittingFirst off, lets focus on the Coors Field game. The Braves lineup is as weak as they come, but its still a good idea to get some exposure against Chad Bettis, who has posted a 6.09 ERA at Coors this season. Freddie Freeman, who has five career homers at Coors in 14 games, is the most enticing option here.Squaring off against Bettis in the Coors game is Mike Foltynewicz. The right-hander has shown some good things this year, but left-handed swingers have still been a problem. In 72 career innings against them, he has surrendered a .396 wOBA. If you can afford them, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez are both prime plays.Saturdays road start against the Red Sox does not set up well for Tyler Duffey. The right-hander has trouble against right-handed hitters (.377 wOBA) and also has trouble keeping the ball in the park. Not only does Fenway Park inflate right-handed power, but the Red Sox have plenty of right-handed bats -- Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, Hanley Ramirez -- that can do damage.With Mike Pelfrey taking the mound for the Tigers on Saturday, feel free to load up on White Sox bats. Pelfrey has been pounded by lefty hitters this season (.390 wOBA), but righty hitters have hit him hard, too, (.368 wOBA), so you dont need to focus only on batters that carry the platoon advantage.Andrew Cashner could be in for a long night against St. Louis, which sports the best offense in the NL against right-handed pitching (117 wRC+). Cashner has been drilled by right-handed bats this season (.395 wOBA), and he has had trouble with lefty bats in the past (.383 wOBA against lefty hitters in 2015). He also has been a powder keg away from Petco Park this season, sporting a 7.83 ERA. All Cardinals bats are in play here regardless of platoon advantage, making this a nice stacking opportunity if you have the funds.Most likely to go yard: Carlos GonzalezGonzalez mashes righties. Foltynewicz struggles against lefty hitters. Coors Field is the venue. Mix it all together and chances are well see Cargo go deep on Thursday.Most likely to swipe a bag: Ian KinslerJames Shields has not been good at holding runners on this season, so the Tigers will be looking to take advantage. Kinsler, who has nine swipes on the year, will test the veteran right-hander if he gets the chance. ' ' '