The lowest-ranked pitcher of the day is the Yankees Bryan Mitchell

Heath Streak hopes to help Zimbabwe qualify for the 2019 World Cup by unearthing and exposing the potential of young cricketers and luring back some of its overseas-based stars. Streak, who was appointed national coach on a two-year deal, has been mandated with ensuring Zimbabwe do not miss out on the ODI showpiece, an important source of income for the financially embattled board, but he admitted he needs a deeper player pool to get the job done.There has been a big lack of planning in the past in terms of who is going to replace players. Weve got some really exciting youngsters at the moment playing against Pakistan A and who played in the recent series. I will be looking hard at those youngsters and seeing who can take us through (to the 2019 World Cup), Streak told ESPNcricinfo.Streak identified the likes of Brian Chari, who opened the batting in Zimbabwes recent Test series against New Zealand and then took over the wicket-keeping duties in an emergency, and PJ Moor, who scored 157 for Zimbabwe A against Pakistan A , as two of the talents who could be part of Zimbabwes future but said there are more.Those are young guys who have been given some opportunities and are starting to knock on the door, Streak said. There are a whole group of young guys who have come through our Under-19 system who are being given opportunities now. They are probably a little on the young side but, given enough exposure, especially at A team level, they could be pushed up. I am very excited with the prospects we have.But Streak knows those players will benefit from having some of Zimbabwes more experienced cricketers, especially those who have spent time overseas, back in the set-up. The other thing is trying to work on getting some of the players who have left Zimbabwe to come back and play for the country again, he said. There are a lot of Zimbabwe players who have left. A whole whack of our Under-19 [players] and then people like Brendan Taylor, Kyle Jarvis and Solomon Mire - all these guys doing well.Taylor and Jarvis both retired from international cricket to take up county deals while Mire, who was part of the 2015 World Cup squad, is based in Australia. Asking these players to forego the financial security they left Zimbabwe for will not be easy but Streak hopes with a more stable structure, they can be tempted to head home.They are Zimbabweans and we have invested a lot of time and effort to getting to them to the stage where they are at. Hopefully we can set the platform for them to come back, he said. Thats something that will take a lot of hard work, to make sure they have the confidence and the belief that they can come back and give up what they have overseas and have the confidence to continue to play here.Apart from money, Zimbabwes players also leave because of the uncertainty that stems from lack of fixtures. Without game time, the cricketers are left frustrated and their youngsters do not have the opportunity to be blooded. Streak knows that in order for Zimbabwe to perform better, they need to play more but he is also aware that after the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka and triangular ODI tournament also involving West Indies, Zimbabwe have no fixtures scheduled until next June. That means they could go seven months without top-level cricket and Streak hopes to fill some of that time with matches against any team that is willing.For us, playing cricket, against whoever, is better than not playing cricket at all, he said. We are going to have to play some of the strong Associate countries and possibly some of the big countries like Australia, Pakistan, England, whoevers A team is happy to play against us. The more game time we have, the better we will get.Perhaps whats more worrying for Streak is that Zimbabwes domestic set-up is in limbo after the franchise system was dismantled in favour of a provincial competition. The fixtures for the provincial competition have not yet been announced and even when they are, its unlikely the tournament will have more than a handful of matches per term. For Streak, that means his players are not reaching the standards they need to take on the best; standards they will need to get to the World Cup.Our domestic cricket isnt of a high standard so bridging that gap between our domestic-level cricket and international cricket is quite a big step up, he said. We need somewhere in-between that we can test out our guys and give them game time. Weve seen in the last two series: when we played India, when we started off we really struggled and then towards the end, we started to compete and then again we had a poor first Test against New Zealand and then the second Test we were competitive. The guys need to be playing more consistently at that elite level and the more game time we get is going to be better than just playing domestic cricket. Frank Tanana Jersey .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Barney McCosky Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. https://www.cheaptigers.com/1079z-sergio-alcantara-jersey-tigers.html .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Doug Brocail Jersey . LOUIS -- St. Heinie Manush Jersey . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Saturdays slate is a bit unusual. Sixteen games are on the schedule, as the Pirates and Reds are suiting up for a doubleheader, with six early games and eight late. While there are three elite options at the top of the rankings, theyre all pitching in games with afternoon start times, which leaves the late slate fairly sparse. Thats just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, though, so lets push forward and try to make some sense of it all.PitchingEliteThe Brewers have established themselves as a popular team to target starting pitchers against, and its easy to see why. Not only is Milwaukees lineup below average (91 wRC+), but the teams 25 percent strikeout clip is the worst in baseball. Needless to say, Jake Arrieta is in an incredibly appealing spot on Saturday. The right-handers production has tapered off in the second half, and the collapsing whiff rate is somewhat concerning (9.5 K/ in the first half, 6.9 K/9 in the second half). Still, this matchup is too good to ignore. With an afternoon start time, the Cubs righty will be limited to early and all-day slates.Also in the early slate is Carlos Carrasco, who draws a home matchup against Detroit. Like Arrieta, Carrasco has been less effective since the All-Star break (4.17 ERA). In his past four outings, hes registered only one quality start. That said, the lone quality start included 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball with 11 Ks against Miami. Carrasco has elite stuff when hes on his game, but his recent struggles give me some hesitancy in cash games, especially considering the Tigers lineup is no pushover. I like him better in tournaments.David Price rounds out the elite tier with a home tilt against the Yankees -- and yes, this game has an early start time, too. The leftys 3.81 ERA is disappointing, but his 9.2 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 are identical to 2015, when he held a 2.45 ERA. In fact, Prices recent numbers are a callback to last year, as hes 7-0 with 2.16 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over his past seven starts. Against a Yankees team thats not good against left-handed pitching (84 wRC+), Price should stay on a roll. The only downside is that the Yanks make plenty of contact, which keeps Prices strikeout ceiling in check.SolidFacing off against Carrasco on Saturday afternoon is Justin Verlander. The right-hander has been carving through lineups, posting a 2.29 ERA and 10.5 K/9 since the All-Star break. A matchup against the Indians, who handle right-handed pitching well and have produced one of baseballs best offenses since the break (108 wRC+), is far from ideal. It also doesnt help that two of Verlanders worst beatings this season were handed down by the Indians. Then again, that version of Verlander isnt the same version were seeing now. I prefer Verlander to Carrasco on Saturday despite the game score ratings.Is every quality option on Saturday pitching in the afternoon? Most, but not all. Thankfully, Yu Darvish, who draws a favorable home matchup against Oakland, is a late-slate option. While the As are a high-contact team, theyre also the worst team in the American League against right-handed pitching. Look for Darvish to be a very popular cash-game target for those playing the late slate on Saturday.Ill never use a Coors Field hurler in cash games, but Im open to the idea in tournaments. Jon Grays matchup against San Diego is exactly the type of spot where it might be worth rolling the dice. Theres no denying that Coors has given Gray trouble this year (4.82 ERA). However, its Grays 9.4 K/9 rate, combined with the Padres 25 percent whiff rate versus righties, that offers plenty of GPP intrigue. Granted, the game was in San Diego, but Grays highest strikeout performance (12 Ks) this season came against the Padres back in June.With a wRC+ of 75, the Braves are downright brutal against lefty pitching. Enter Gio Gonzalez, who finds himself in a highly intriguing spot. The Washington southpaw has been inconsistent this season, but hes pitched better in the second half and has allowed two or fewer runs in three of his past four turns. There are other cash options I like more, but Gonzalez is at least in the discussion.Slated to start the first game of Saturdays doubleheader against Cincinnati, Jameson Taillon owns a 3.00 ERA and 1.02 WHIP since the break. Only once in his past 11 starts has he allowed more than three earned runs. That gives hhim a safe floor against a Reds team that has been below average against right-handers this season.ddddddddddddStreamersThe Rays have been hitting well since the break (105 wRC+), but they are still striking out at a 24 percent clip versus righties, which gives Chris Tillman some nice upside on Saturday. He hasnt whiffed double-digit batters in any game this year, but one of his nine-K performances came against Tampa earlier this year.Seth Lugo sports a 2.27 ERA in five starts since joining the Mets rotation, and hell look to keep on rolling with a home date against Minnesota. The Twins lineup has been hot lately, but theyre also striking out 25 percent of the time so far in September and will be without a DH. Lugo is available in nearly half of ESPN.com leagues.Squaring off against Lugo is Ervin Santana, who has been an underrated fantasy option over the past couple of months. Since the break, the righty holds a 2.82 ERA over 70-plus innings. The Mets are in the thick of the playoff race, but their lineup has still been below average in the second half. Santana is ripe for the picking in 60 percent of leagues.A free agent in 81 percent of leagues, James Paxton travels to Houston to take on the Astros. The Astros can be a dangerous team against left-handed pitching, but they can also be a very exploitable team, thanks to their 24 percent strikeout rate. So if you dont mind a little risk with your upside, Paxton might be worth a look here.AvoidSome people are still drawn in by Francisco Lirianos high strikeout and ground ball profile, but he remains a no-go for me. While the whiffs and grounders are nice, the walks (5.0 BB/9) and homers (1.6 HR/9) are not. Against an Angels team that rarely strikes out and is above average against southpaws, it should be an easy decision to steer clear here.HittingEdwin Jackson owns a 5.21 ERA as a starter this year. He also has a 7.59 ERA away from home. Now consider that he has to face the Rockies at Coors Field on Saturday. This one could get ugly in a hurry. Left-handed bats Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and David Dahl are definitely great plays here, and Im not shying away from DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado even though they hit from the right side.I highlighted Liriano above as a guy Im avoiding, so it only makes sense to target hitters against him. With the Angels on the schedule, right-handed swingers Yunel Escobar, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols are all in play.Shelby Miller still hasnt figured things out. Since rejoining Arizonas rotation, hes allowed 12 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings, good for a 7.04 ERA. Maybe hell get back on track eventually, but we might as well stack hitters against him until that happens. Left-handed swingers Chase Utley, Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Reddick and switch-hitter Yasmani Grandal are all enticing options.The lowest-ranked pitcher of the day is the Yankees Bryan Mitchell, who owns a 4.88 ERA over 48 big league innings. The righty had made only two starts this year, and while the first one went well, he didnt make it out of the third inning in the second outing. This is spot where the Red Sox, who have one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball, could put up a crooked number. All of Bostons big bats are in play here, though lefty David Ortiz is the top play of the bunch.Raul Alcantara has only two big league starts under his belt, but all he has to show for it is a 7.27 ERA and 4.2 K/9. The Rangers, who have put up a 117 wRC+ so far in September, wont go easy on the righty in start No. 3. Lefty Rougned Odor and switch-hitter Carlos Beltran are the top plays, but Ian Desmond, Adrian Beltre and Jonathan Lucroy are also in the mix.Most likely to go yard: Albert PujolsEntering this season, Liriano had allowed 20 homers just once in his career, back in 2009. Hes on pace to threaten 30 dingers this year. Pujols is a good bet to help the lefty get closer to that number this weekend.Most likely to swipe a bag: Hernan PerezArrieta may be the top pitcher of the day, but hes also the easiest to run against, having allowed 21 stolen bases this season, fourth-most in the NL. Jonathan Villar would be the easy call here, but were going with Perez, who already has 30 swipes of his own. ' ' '