ne, Popovich said. He knew that, in the end, he had to do it because he know

The weekend is here, and with it we get a decent Saturday slate. Its a little light on top, with only two hurlers qualifying for elite status, but there are multiple options in the middle and lower tiers worth building around. Only five games are eligible for late-slate action, so if you dont like playing short slates, youll want to focus on the early or all-day contests.PitchingEliteSaturdays slate is anchored by Max Scherzer, who draws a favorable road matchup against the Mets. The right-hander has whiffed 10 or more batters in four of his past five starts, and he has a good chance to make it five of six against a Mets team that strikes out at a 23 percent clip. Hes also allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his past 11 outings. In other words, the Mets, who are middle-of-the-road at best against right-handed pitching, will find themselves in an uphill battle Saturday. Scherzer will cost a premium, but you get what you pay for.Lets get it out of the way: Jon Lester was bad his last time out. Really bad. Eight-earned-runs-while-getting-only-four-outs bad. Dont let one awful outing cloud your judgment, though. Lester is still a stable DFS play. That said, a road tilt against Pittsburgh will present its challenges. While the Pirates 24 percent whiff rate versus lefties makes them a high-upside opponent, they are also an above-average offense against southpaws (108 wRC+) and have been on a roll, winning seven of their past eight. Lester has handled the Pirates well this year, posting a 1.97 ERA in three starts. Still, Id rather roster him in GPPs than cash games Saturday.SolidCarlos Martinezs matchup against Milwaukee is enticing, to say the least. Not only are the Brewers punchless against righty pitching (88 wRC+), but they strike out at a whopping 26 percent clip against righties, by far the worst mark in baseball. Martinez hasnt been a strikeout machine this season, netting a K/9 rate of just 7.0. However, he has a history of missing more bats (9.2 K/9 in 2015), and he whiffed a season-high eight hitters (to go along with eight scoreless innings) when he last faced Milwaukee in late May, so theres still decent upside here. With Scherzer pitching in the evening, Carlos Martinez, who owns a 1.46 ERA in his past seven starts, should be one of the early slates more popular cash-game options.Danny Salazar gets a home date with the Yankees. Its a matchup with limited upside considering the Yanks strike out just 18.5 percent of the time versus righties. However, its also a matchup with limited downside, as the Yankees have largely been dormant against right-handed pitching this season (88 wRC+). While much of Salazars value comes from his strikeout potential (10.3 K/9), he owns a 2.05 ERA at Progressive Field this season, and, more importantly, hes been able to hold his walks in check at home (2.6 BB/9, compared to 5.3 BB/9 on the road).Jose Quintana frequently makes this list as a quality cash-game play when his turn in the rotation comes up, and thats certainly the case Saturday when the Braves come to town. The Braves have arguably the worst lineup in baseball. Its particularly brutal against left-handed pitching, as the teams 67 wRC+, .273 wOBA and .090 ISO all rank either worst or second-worst in baseball. Quintana is coming off a rough June (5.51 ERA), but he twirled seven innings of one-run ball his last time out and owns a 2.92 ERA at home this season. He should have little trouble carving through this Braves lineup.Theres been lots of discussion recently about how long Aaron Sanchez will remain in Torontos starting rotation, as the Blue Jays want to keep his innings in check. Hes still in the rotation now, though, and thats what matters to DFS players. Saturdays matchup against Detroit is far from ideal, as the Tigers feature a dangerous lineup that has done plenty of damage to right-handed pitching this season (.331 wOBA). Then again, its hard to ignore what the 24-year-old righty has done of late. He sports a 2.45 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his past seven starts, and that includes starts at Coors Field (1 ER in 8 IP), Cellular Field (2 ER in 6 IP) and Camden Yards (1 ER in 6 IP), three of the most hitter-friendly venues in baseball. Its also worth noting that Sanchez hurled eight innings of two-run ball with a season-high 12 Ks when he faced the Tigers in early June. There are other pitchers in this tier that I prefer over Sanchez, but the Toronto righty at least deserves some consideration.Start-to-start consistency has been an issue for Adam Conley this season. However, a quick glance at his game log shows that hes generally had success against weak opponents, and his opponent on Saturday, the Reds, certainly qualify. Cincinnati has not been much of a threat to southpaws this season (87 wRC+), and they strike out a healthy 23 percent while not generating many walks (7.1 percent). That sets up nicely for Conley, who misses a decent number of bats (8.4 K/9) but can get in trouble with free passes (3.8 BB/9). The left-hander is in the conversation as a cost-effective SP2.StreamersThe Rays have hammered left-handed pitching this season. But right-handed pitching? Not so much. They currently sport an 88 wRC+ versus righties with a bloated 25 percent strikeout rate. That puts Rick Porcello in a nice spot Saturday.Jake Peavys 5.14 ERA is ugly. His 2.45 ERA in his past eight starts, however, shows why theres some streaming appeal here for his home matchup against Arizona. The Diamondbacks are below-average against right-handers and dont make a ton of contact (23 percent whiff rate), so this is a favorable spot for the veteran righty to continue providing value. Hes available in 82 percent of ESPN.com leagues.Brandon McCarthy thrived in his first start of the season after returning from elbow surgery, tossing five shutout innings against the Rockies while striking out eight and walking one. He gets an even more favorable matchup Saturday, as he squares off against a Padres team thats one of the worst in baseball against right-handed pitching (82 wRC+, 24 percent K rate). McCarthy is currently owned in only 20 percent of leagues.With the As coming to town, Lance McCullers finds himself in a very appealing spot. The As dont strike out much, but they also dont generate much offense, as they rank worst in the American League with an 84 wRC+ against right-handers. For his part, McCullers sports elite strikeout (11.2 K/9) and ground ball (58 percent) rates, and his ERA in his past five outings sits at 2.78. Yes, McCullers 5.1 walk rate is an issue, but it helps that the As sport the second-lowest walk rate in the AL (6.9 percent). Hes still a free agent in nearly half of ESPN.com leagues.AvoidMatt Moore has looked good of late, holding a 2.43 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in his past five starts. With a matchup against Boston coming up, however, it might be best to give the left-hander a breather and stick him on the bench. The Red Sox have mashed lefties this season, putting up a .349 wOBA against them. It also doesnt help that Moore has posted a 6.43 ERA away from Tropicana Field this year.HittingLeft-hander Matt Boyd will have his hands full Saturday. Not only has he allowed a career .375 wOBA to right-handed bats, but hes heading to Toronto to face the right-handed heavy Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Although you wont be able to afford them all, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin and Devon Travis are all highly desirable.John Lamb has had a tough go of it this season. He holds a 5.43 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 12 starts, hes been hit hard by both right- and left-handed hitters, and hes really struggled away from home (8.51 ERA). Giancarlo Stanton, who has rediscovered his groove, is an elite play, while righties Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto are top plays, as well.Cardinals hitters are a popular target in this space, and thats the case again Saturday with right-hander Chase Anderson on the mound. Anderson has shown reverse splits in his career, and thats been even more amplified this year, as righty swingers have battered him to the tune of a .418 wOBA. Take a long look at Aledmys Diaz, Matt Holliday, Stephen Piscotty and Jhonny Peralta in this one.With Joel De La Cruz drawing his third career starts for the Braves, White Sox hitters should be on the radar. The 27-year-old was underwhelming at Triple-A this year (4.68 ERA), and hes looked overmatched at the big leagues so far, allowing 11 extra-base hits, including three homers, in just 12 innings. All White Sox bats are in play here regardless of platoon advantage.Kendall Graveman has been drilled by lefties this year, allowing a .368 wOBA against them along with a 4.5 walk rate. With the Astros on the schedule, Colby Rasmus, Luis Valbuena and even rookie A.J. Reed are in play.Most likely to go yard: Giancarlo StantonStanton is crushing again, and lefty John Lamb, sporting a 17.1 percent HR/FB, figures to be his next victim.Most likely to swipe a bag: J.T. RealmutoWere doubling up on Marlins here, as Lamb also has trouble keeping baserunners honest. Hes allowed 10 stolen bases in 12 starts. Realmuto, who leads the team with seven swipes, will be off to the races if he gets the chance.Custom Rangers Jerseys . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Cheap Custom Rangers 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. http://www.custommlbrangersjersey.com/ . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Authentic Custom Rangers Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Custom Ivan Rodriguez Jersey . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night.As the San Antonio Spurs prepare to retire Tim Duncans No. 21 jersey Sunday night, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has described Duncan ?as like my son.I love him dearly, Popovich told ESPNs SportsCenter in an interview earlier this week.Told that Spurs president R.C. Buford once described the two as soulmates to ESPN.com, Popovich said: Were more soulmates in life than we are in basketball. Ive been on his fanny so many times throughout his 19 years, and half the time he agrees with me and half the time he thinks Im a nut. And he just is polite enough and mature enough to just ignore me and go back out on the court, which allowed me to coach everybody else all those years. But off the court, thats where were soulmates.Popovich, though, said he and Spurs veterans Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili try to bring up Duncans absence very rarely after the big mans 19 stellar seasons in which he led San Antonio to five championships.?I think about it more off the court than I do during games or practices, Popovich told SportsCenter. You get busy, you get into what youre doing, but I miss him on the plane and on the bus trips and in the locker room after a win or a loss. Just the banter back and forth that weve had for, whatever, 19 or 20 years. I miss all of that.We might be somewhere at a certain moment in time and somebody says something [about Duncan] in a melancholy manner or reminiscing about such and such because we were all there at some point. But thats only happened a couple of times. Everybody has to move on.?Duncan, though, has been a relatively frequent guest at Spurs practices this season, working out with former teammates or new Spurs like center Pau Gasol, or counseling younger players such as forward Jonathon Simmons.He jumps in and out, Popovich said. A little bit of scouting [to] tell us what he thinks about this player or that player. Little bit of one-on-one here and there. Little bit of coaching, what were doing in pick-and-roll and what were doing here. Just hanging around -- just jumping in, putting a toe in the water, wherever he feels like it. Its great.We never know [when Duncan will show up], honestly. Its totally random. Everything is extemporaneous. Hes there or hes not. We might walk through the building and all of a sudden hes in there lifting weights. We put a locker for him in the coachs locker room in the practice facility and at the AT&T Center so he comes whenever he feels like it.Popovich, the only head coach Duncan has ever known in the pros, says now that he had a strong inkling the 40-year-old was bound for retirement after San AAntonios second-round elimination in the playoffs last season against Oklahoma City.ddddddddddddI was pretty sure that it was [the end], Popovich said. I knew hed take time during the summer to make a final decision and wed talk now and then, but I know he was frustrated because he had told me a couple years earlier, When I cant do what I need to do to help the team, I dont want to do it anymore. And it would frustrate him if some young whipper-snapper would make a move on him or do something and look at him like, Yeah, I got you. I wanted to run on the court [and say]: No, no, no. That wasnt Tim Duncan that you just did that to. But the young kid would have the gall to act that way, and I know that frustrated the hell out of him.??Duncans No. 21 will be the eighth Spurs jersey in franchise history to be hoisted to the rafters, joining David Robinson (50), George Gervin (44), James Silas (13), Johnny Moore (00), Sean Elliott (32), Avery Johnson (6) and Bruce Bowen (12).In addition to his role in the Spurs five titles, Duncan is the clubs all-time leader in points (26,496), rebounds (15,091), blocked shots (3,020), minutes (47,368) and games played (1,392). Hes the 14th-ranked scorer in NBA history and won two regular-season MVP awards as a Spur.Popovich, though, acknowledged that the famously media-shy Duncan had to be talked into Sunday nights postgame ceremony after San Antonio takes on the New Orleans Pelicans.It was a tough one, Popovich said. He knew that, in the end, he had to do it because he knows he owes it to the fans, more than anything, whove come out and supported him through all those years. But thats really the only reason hes doing it. He doesnt want any of the accolades, he doesnt want to sit there in a chair and listen to us talk about him. Hes dreading it. I even had to convince him, you know, Theyre going to have quite a few people in, so I thought, you know afterwards, well go get a bite or a Coke or a glass of wine or a beer or something and add a little food. [Duncan said,] Nah, Im not sure I want to do that. So I said: Timmy, wait a minute. All of these people are going to come from everywhere and theyre going to pay for flights and hotel rooms and youre going to shake their hand and say take care, Im going home? He said, I guess I cant do that, can I? I said, No, you cant do that. So well have a little get-together afterwards.Saad Yousuf of ESPN Radio in Dallas (103.3 FM) contributed to this report.? ' ' '