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PHILADELPHIA -- With the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff in tatters, there is an opportunity for Dodgers rookie right-hander Ross Stripling to establish himself.His next chance comes Thursday, when Stripling (3-4, 4.07) starts against the Philadelphia Phillies Jerad Eickhoff (8-12, 3.82) in the finale of a three-game series in Citizens Bank Park.The Dodgers, who have outscored the Phillies 22-7 while winning the first two games of the series, have had 26 players on the disabled list this season, the most ever by a National League team and the second-most by any team in the last 30 years. Only the 2012 Boston Red Sox (27) have had more.Eleven of the disabled Dodgers are pitchers, and six of those are starters. The most notable is three-time Cy Young Award-winner Clayton Kershaw, who has been out since June 27 with a herniated disk in his back. The earliest he can be activated is Aug. 27.Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts has nonetheless been able to cobble together an effective rotation -- so effective, in fact, that the Dodgers lead the NL West over the fading Giants.Stripling opened the season in the rotation. In his major league debut, in fact, he pitched 7 1/3 no-hit innings in a no-decision against the Giants. He was nonetheless banished to the minor leagues on May 23. All the injuries hastened his return to Chavez Ravine, and in time he made his way back into the rotation as well. In all he has made 10 starts among his 14 appearances, the last of those on Aug. 12 against Pittsburgh.In that one he lasted seven innings, his longest outing since his debut, but allowed five runs, matching his season high. He surrendered six hits, including solo home runs by Andrew McCutchen and Jordy Mercer, while striking out four. He did not walk a batter.You never know how the season is going to play out, but Ross has had a great opportunity and really seized the moment, Roberts said, according to Major League Baseballs official web site. Now and going forward, its been a great learning process for Ross and I think his growth has been exponential.Rich Hill (blisters) and Bud Norris (mild mid-back strain) are reportedly close to returning from the disabled list, and Brett Anderson (back surgery) made his first start of the season Sunday against Pittsburgh. He has also pronounced himself fit after injuring his left wrist in that game, which he departed after an inning.Stripling has never faced the Phillies. Nor has Eickhoff ever faced the Dodgers.Eickhoff did win his second straight start his last time out, allowing three runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 6-3 victory over Colorado. Eickhoff, who beat San Diego in his previous outing, was winless over his five previous starts.His sixth-inning woes continued against the Rockies, however. He carried a 4-0 lead into that inning but surrendered a two-run homer to Daniel Descalso and a solo shot to Tony Wolters. Eickhoffs ERA is 12.71 in the sixth this season.It just comes down to getting that curveball over, he said. If Im not throwing that with consistency, (hitters) can just put that in the back of their mind, or eliminate, really. Custom Randy Johnson Jersey . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Babe Ruth Jersey Large . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. http://www.customyankeesjersey.com/custom-alex-rodriguez-jersey-large-364i.html .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. Wade Boggs Jersey Large . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. Cheap Custom Yankees Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Saturday brings us plenty of fantasy goodness. Not only are there multiple elite options at the top, but the middle tier is stacked with viable options in both cash games and tournaments. There are many ways you can go, so lets sift through and find the most likely path to success.PitchingAs usual, Max Scherzer tops the rankings with a home matchup against Philadelphia. Its a tremendous spot for baseballs strikeout leader, as the Phillies are one of the worst teams in baseball against right-handed pitching (81 wRC+) and are whiffing at a 24 percent clip in the second half. Scherzer, meanwhile, is particularly dominant at home (2.35 ERA) and has fanned double-digit batters each of the past two times hes faced the Phillies. Hell be pricey, but fade him at your own risk in cash games.While the Phillies are awful against righty pitching, they arent the worst. That designation goes to the Padres, who own an 80 wRC+ versus righties and have struck out at a whopping 27 percent clip since the All-Star break. The beneficiary of this prime matchup is Jon Gray. The Colorado righty has had his ups and downs this season, but hes consistently dominated the Padres, putting up a 2.25 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in three starts this season, including 30 Ks in 20 frames. Its rare that we see Gray in the elite tier, but this matchup warrants it.After stumbling to a 4.66 first-half ERA, Chris Archer has rebounded with a 3.03 ERA since the break, which includes a 2.79 ERA and 11.6 K/9 during his past nine starts. The Yankees have been playing well, winning 19 of their past 30 games, but this is still an offense thats below average against right-handed pitchers (92 wRC+) and has not performed any better since the break (92 wRC+). This isnt as favorable a spot as where Scherzer and Gray find themselves, but its still an appealing situation for the Tampa right-hander.SolidFelix Hernandez technically cracked elite status with a Game Score of 60, but Im knocking him down a tier. The right-hander owns a 4.62 second-half ERA and has gotten nicked for six runs in back-to-back outings. Hes no longer a big strikeout threat (7.6 K/9), and his 4.0 BB/9 rate is poor. Theres nothing here that says elite. A matchup against the As doesnt pose much of a threat, but there are better pitchers in better spots Saturday.Speaking of better pitchers in better spots, Rich Hill draws a road start against Miami. Since returning from his blister issue, the southpaw has twirled 12 shutout innings with 11 whiffs in two starts. For the season, his 10.3 K/9 ranks top-10 in baseball. Against a Marlins team thats below average against lefties and has tanked offensively since the All-Star break (85 wRC+), Hill figures to find plenty of success.Johnny Cueto hasnt been as sharp in the second half (3.90 ERA) as he was in the first (2.47 ERA), and he suffers a big park downgrade going from AT&T Park to Chase Field. Those are the negatives. The positives are that Cueto has allowed only one run in three of his past four starts, and he matches up very well with a Diamondbacks team that struggles against right-handed pitching (86 wRC+) and whiffs at a healthy 23 percent clip. Im more than comfortable using him in cash.Back-to-back rough outings against the Mariners (13 ER in 6 IP) his past two times out may have owners feeling some hesitancy with Cole Hamels. Prior to those beatings, however, he had gone eight straight outings without allowing more than three runs. The lefty is a good bet to bounce back against the Angels, though the matchup isnt exactly ideal. In addition to hitting lefties hard (106 wRC+), they also strike out less than any team in baseball (16 percent). Hamels isnt a bad play, but Im not going out of my way to roster him in this spot.John Lackey returned from his strained shoulder to throw five innings of one-hit ball against the Giants his last time out. This time he gets the Astros, which are below average against righties and are much more strikeout-friendly. Lackey carries a nice floor and also a nice ceiliing thanks to his career-best 8.dddddddddddd8 K/9 rate, making him a worthwhile target in multiple formats Saturday.Masahiro Tanaka is in an excellent spot, squaring off against Tampa Bay at home. The right-hander has allowed just four runs in his past four starts combined, and while hes whiffing just 7.5 batters per nine this season, he carries nice strikeout upside against a Rays team thats whiffing 24 percent of the time versus righties. Tanaka is viable in both cash games and tournaments.Julio Teheran, who gets a home tilt against the Mets, also has some cash-game appeal. The Mets may be making a strong run at a playoff spot, but they are below average against right-handed pitchers and strike out 22 percent of the time. Teheran offers a nice floor by whiffing eight batters per nine and holding a BB/9 under 2.0. Hes allowed more than three runs in a start just once in his past seven turns.Consistency has been an issue for Adam Wainwright this season, but a matchup against the Brewers, who strike out 26 percent of the time versus righties and sport an 88 wRC+, offers plenty of upside. In his two starts against Milwaukee this season, Wainwright allowed just one run in 14 innings of work with 12 Ks.StreamersEduardo Rodriguez finds himself in a tough spot, facing off against the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. That said, this is also a high-upside spot, as the Jays are striking out 23 percent of the time since the break. Also consider that Rodriguez sports a 2.73 ERA in 52 second-half innings. Hes a free agent in 80 percent of leagues.Available in 73 percent of ESPN.com leagues, Jerad Eickhoff draws a road start against the Nationals. The right-hander isnt overpowering, but he has decent stuff and is in a fine spot against a Nats team thats been slightly below average against right-handed pitching this season.AvoidThere are too many options to take a long look at Collin McHugh. The right-hander has some nice peripherals (8.8 K/9, 2.5 BB/9), but a 5.50 second-half ERA and a matchup against the Cubs have me feeling gun-shy.HittingWhen James Shields is on the mound, I always want some exposure against him. The guy is a powder keg ready to blow. Hes already allowed 35 homers this year, putting him on pace to allow 41 this season. Both right- and left-handed hitters have hit him hard this season, making the Royals a compelling stack Saturday.Archie Bradley is the lowest-ranked pitcher of the day, and left-handed batters have absolutely hammered him this season (.396 wOBA). With the Giants in town, Denard Span, Angel Pagan, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt are all in play here.Ubaldo Jimenez has been pitching better of late, though he still has allowed a.405 wOBA to lefty swingers this year. Its a shame that the Tigers lineup is so right-handed, but switch-hitter Victor Martinez is definitely in play, as is any other lefty swinger who draws a start Saturday.Daniel Wright has made only four appearances (two starts) this season, spanning 13 innings, yet hes allowed at least three runs in every outing. That amounts to a 7.62 ERA. Itd be a good idea to get some exposure to Rangers hitters in this one, regardless of which side of the plate they hit from.The game is taking place in Petco Park and not Coors Field, but Im still targeting Rockies hitters against Christian Friedrich. The lefty owns a 5.48 ERA at Petco this year, including a 5.64 ERA since the All-Star break.Most likely to go yard: Kendrys MoralesYou know I have to pick against James Shields in this spot. Its not a matter of if hell allow a home run, but how many. Morales, who is on pace to hit 30 bombs for the first time since 2009, is my pick to click here.Most likely to swipe a bag: Mike TroutCole Hamels is one of the days better pitchers, but hes also one of the worst at preventing steals. His 21 steals allowed are fifth-most in the majors. Trout will look to take advantage. ' ' '