Anmelden » his 4.2 K/9, there isnt concern. Jose Reyes

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Pittsburgh was so darn good in the first half, coach Kevin Stallings found it easy to forgive his players misdeeds over the final 20 minutes.Jamel Artis scored 15 of his 22 points before halftime, and the Panthers held off previously unbeaten Maryland 73-59 Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.The Panthers (6-1) shot 67 percent from the floor in the first half, including 5 for 10 beyond the arc, and used a 25-4 run to build a 46-25 lead at the break.I thought our team played about as well in the first half as weve played on both ends, Stallings said. We were alert and active.It was 51-26 with 15:45 remaining before Maryland (7-1) closed to 63-55 with three minutes left, in part because Pittsburgh shot 26 percent in the second half.Coming off two come-from-behind wins in the Barclays Center Classic in New York, Maryland was vying for its first 8-0 start in 10 years.Instead, the Terrapins absorbed their worst home defeat since falling by 18 to Duke in February 2011.Though coach Mark Turgeon wouldnt cite fatigue as a factor, he was quick to point out that the Terrapins were coming off late games on Friday and Saturday.It was a good time to catch us, he said.Michael Young scored 25 and Cameron Johnson added 11 for Pittsburgh, which extended its winning streak to four despite being outscored 35-28 after halftime.Melo Trimble led Maryland with 13 points, but he missed 9 of 13 shots. The Terps shot 34 percent, committed 14 turnovers and were outrebounded 38-36.Trimble insisted that playing for the third time in five days had nothing to do with it.We like playing basketball; this is what we do, he said. I dont think fatigue was a factor; its just we couldnt hit shots and they played well.Pittsburgh led 26-20 before Artis made a 3-point play, a 3-pointer and a layup to spark a 14-0 spurt that made it a 20-point game.They kind of punched us in the mouth in the first half, Turgeon said.Maryland, formerly of the ACC, is 0-3 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since 10 joining the Big Ten.THE TAKEAWAYPittsburgh: Despite the late fade, the Panthers proved they can play with some of the stronger teams in the country. This one erases some of the doubt created by a nine-point loss to SMU and a five-point win at home against Yale.Maryland: The Terps have put themselves in a seemingly insurmountable hole many times this season, and this was no exception. On this occasion, the deficit was simply too much to handle. Maryland cant afford these slow starts once Big Ten play begins.ZONED OUTPittsburghs zone defense was a factor in Maryland going 9 for 26 in the first half, including 4 for 16 from beyond the arc.It took away a lot of drives, Young said. They had to swing the ball around the perimeter.Asked if Marylands struggle against the zone could be a factor in the future, Turgeon replied, Please zone us. Were going to be great against the zone.FRIENDLY FOESStallings and Turgeon were assistant coaches under Roy Williams at Kansas from 1989-92. During that time, Williams made a comment that stuck with Stallings over the years and was very applicable on Tuesday night.He used to say that in the dictionary, the definition of fun was ... winning on the road, Stallings said. Its hard to win on the road. This was certainly fun for our guys. And fun for our staff. Nice to come here and beat a good team on the road in a good environment.UP NEXTPittsburgh faces local rival Duquesne on Friday night in The City Game, a tradition that started in 1932.Maryland hosts Oklahoma State (5-1) on Saturday night. The Cowboys are coming off a 27-point win over Georgetown, a team the Terrapins beat 76-75.Cheap Uruguay Jerseys .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. Cheap Switzerland Jerseys .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. http://www.cheapsoccerjerseysoutlet.com/?tag=cheap-uswnt-jerseys . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Cheap Germany Jerseys . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Authentic Soccer Gear Store . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.Wednesdays slate has no lock-down ace, but it features a slew of starters looking to put a rough first half in the rearview mirror and get the second half rolling on a positive note. Find out which pitchers are in the best position to do so, along with the hitters ready to pounce on those not so fortunate, in Wednesdays Daily Notes.PitchingEliteWith all the injuries to National League hurlers, including a couple on his own team, Jacob deGrom has a very good chance of making the All-Star team. A strong performance in his last outing before the Midsummer Classic could seal the deal. The 28-year-old is in a great spot to do just that as the Miami Marlins visit Citi Field. The Fish dont fan much, and deGroms 8.8 K/9 is very good but not dominant, so the New York Mets righty sets up better for DFS cash than GPP action. Despite a 2.62 ERA, deGrom has only four victories, but that could change with the Marlins handing the ball to Justin Nicolino.Confession time: Johnny Cuetos original projected Game Score was manually adjusted to land him in elite territory, as he is far and away the best option for DFS cash play. Cuetos 7.8 K/9 might be league average, but he and Clayton Kershaw are the only hurlers averaging at least 7 1/3 innings per start. Further, the Colorado Rockies visit AT&T Park carrying a generous 25 percent strikeout rate versus righties on the road?and a slightly below average wOBA in that scenario.SolidConfession time, part two: Both Sonny Gray and Michael Pinedas projected Game Scores were originally 60 and thus worthy of elite status, but leaving them there doesnt pass the sniff test with respect to DFS. Please keep in mind that its impossible to come up with a one-size-fits-all ranking, so when the Game Score rank doesnt coincide with the DFS potential, we reserve the right to tweak it.Sonny Grays Game Score was buoyed by a soft road matchup against the Minnesota Twins, but even so, solid feels like a better descriptor than elite. Over his past five outings, the Oakland Athletics righty has tossed 31 2/3 innings with 21 whiffs and five walks. Despite excellent control, a 6.0 K/9 with one outing longer than six innings in that span is not elite for DFS purposes. Gray is still in play for cash action, but theres some risk. To wit, in two of the five efforts cited above, Gray gave up five and seven earned runs.Pineda, on the other hand, is sporting stellar peripherals, with a 10.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9, but hes serving up too many long balls, as evidenced by a 1.5 HR/9. In a vacuum, Pinedas walk and whiff rates are elite, but he isnt lasting deep into games, an important trait of the elite. The right-hander has pitched into the seventh only once this season. His Game Score also benefits from a weak matchup, as the New York Yankees are in the Windy City for a date with the Chicago White Sox. The hosts check in with a below average weighted on base average (wOBA) albeit with an average strikeout rate versus righties. Pinedas dominance makes him a GPP candidate with a strong chance for a win with Miguel Gonzalez as his mound foe.Jaime Garcia ended his first half on a strong note, as he tossed eight strong against the Milwaukee Brewers, though the effort was tainted by four free passes. Truth be told, the St. Louis Cardinals left-handers control has been spotty this season and has led to his highest WHIP since 2012. Garcia opens his second half with a challenge, as the Pittsburgh Pirates visit Busch Stadium. The Bucs are very productive versus southpaws, but theyre also strikeout-prone. The combination, along with the Redbirds potent attack facing Jeff Locke, means Garcia is one of the better GPP candidates on the Wednesday docket.Drew Smyly continues to be one of the more frustrating arms, both for seasonal and DFS play. His 10.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 are elite, but the leftys 1.8 HR/9 harpooned his first half. Lets take the glass half-full angle: Hes healthy, the velocity is fine, and he has pitched into the seventh inning in three of his past four outings. But what about that 1.8 HR/9, which is even worse considering he allowed seven homers in his first eight starts and then 12 in the ensuing eight? The Los Angeles Angels visit Tropicana Field as Smyly embarks on his second half. The Halos dont whiff much, which doesnt bode well for DFS, so consider the Tampa Bay southpaw a contrarian GPP option at best.Washington Nationals righty Tanner Roark profiles as one of the better value plays on the slate, for either cash or GPP exposure. The Milwaukee Brewers travel to Nationals Park toting a charitable 26 percent strikeout clip against right-handers.ddddddddddddKevin Gausman is another guy with promising peripherals who has been done in by a plethora of permitted big flies. Curiously, Camden Yards isnt the culprit, as the Baltimore Orioles right-handers has allowed more homers on the road than at home. Gausman and the Orioles are on the road as they continue an interleague set with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The home teams lineup is average, which yields Gausman a cash option on sites needing multiple hurlers.StreamersShelby Millers woes have dropped his ESPN ownership to just 17 percent. If theres an ideal scenario to take a chance on the scuffling righty, its a home date with the San Diego Padres. Only Millers Atlanta Braves teammates are worse against right-handers in terms of wOBA. Unlike the Braves, however, the Friars are quite strikeout-prone.The parallel isnt perfect, but what newly acquired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher?Bud Norris is doing is somewhat reminiscent of what Matt Shoemaker did earlier in the season. It took the fantasy community too long to trust Shoemaker, and the same thing is happening with Norris, as his ESPN ownership is just 30 percent. Granted, the visiting Baltimore Orioles are dangerous, but they also strike out a lot and will be without their designated hitter in this interleague affair.Talk about a contrast in styles: Fireballing rookie Michael Fulmer and the Detroit Tigers welcome crafty Josh Tomlin and the Cleveland Indians?to Comerica Park. Both offenses are dangerous, but both right-handers have been throwing too well to leave them on the bench.If Marcus Stromans previous outing is any indication, it wont be long before hes a fixture in the solid tier. That said, he has had his moments a few times in the first half, only to follow a strong effort up with a clunker. Its worth seeing if he finally has things going in the right direction with a home date against the Kansas City Royals.AvoidThere were a few borderline calls, so if you want a little more analysis, please post the details in the comments below, and Ill be glad to help you out, or if its a 140-or-fewer-character question and answer, Im on Twitter @ToddZola. Joining Martin Perez and Justin Nicolino as avoids are Ian Kennedy, Jeff Locke and Miguel Gonzalez. Kennedys home run tendencies are too risky for the Rogers Centre, the Cardinals keep the line moving offense is the type that gives Locke fits, and the Yankees have too many left-handed bats to trust Gonzalez.HittersAfter struggling against left-handers in June with a 0.302 wOBA, the Boston Red Sox are back to raking, with a 0.488 mark in July, albeit in just three games with a lefty on the hill. Forget the actual numbers, but the Beantown bats are booming again, led by Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez, who all enjoy the platoon edge of Texas Rangers southpaw Martin Perez.The main hindrance to stacking New York Mets is their penchant for fanning, especially against lefties. But when the lefty is Justin Nicolino and his 4.2 K/9, there isnt concern. Jose Reyes will look to provide a spark for the Metropolitans with Yoenis Cespedes, Wilmer Flores and Travis dArnaud in play against the Miami Marlins mediocre southpaw.In a season in which balls have been flying out of the yard at record pace, Chicago White Sox righty Miguel Gonzalez has avoided gopher-itis, but he still isnt a very good pitcher. The New York Yankees can parade a bunch of left-handed swingers to the dish, including Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira,?Carlos Beltran and cost-efficient options such as?Didi Gregorius and Chase Headley.After a tepid start to the 2016 campaign, the Toronto Blue Jays are again mashing right-handers, which does not bode well for Ian Kennedy and his 1.9 HR/9, especially in the Rogers Centre. Josh Donaldson is always in play, as is Edwin Encarnacion, assuming he isnt serving his suspension. Michael Saunders and Troy Tulowitzki are swinging well, as are?Devon Travis and?Russell Martin.Most likely to go yard: Josh DonaldsonLets stay north of the border and call on the Bringer of Rain, Donaldson, to bring us a home run.Most likely to steal a base: Jean SeguraThe battery of Colin Rea and Derek Norris is one of the best to run on in the Wednesday slate, so look for Segura to take advantage with the green light. ' ' '