LISBON, Portugal -- Defending champion Real Madrid advanced from the group stage of the Champions League for the 20th straight time after beating 10-man Sporting Lisbon 2-1 on Tuesday.Karim Benzema came off the bench to get the late winner in the 87th minute.A draw would have been enough to get Madrid through to the knockout stages anyway, but victory gave the team a chance to finish first in Group F -- with a home victory over Borussia Dortmund in the final round.It was important that we won here, Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. We achieved what we came to get. We are going to play a final against Dortmund now.The German side, which routed Legia Warsaw 8-4, has a two-point lead over Madrid.Benzema salvaged Madrids victory with a header after a well-placed cross by Sergio Ramos. That came just seven minutes after Sporting midfielder Adrien Silva equalized by converting a controversial penalty kick. The penalty was awarded after the ball hit Fabio Coentraos arm, which he had just thrust into the air to complain of a hand ball by Sporting.We had our difficult moments in the game but thats normal, Zidane said. But we managed to score a wonderful second through Karim Benzema.Benzema had been doubtful to play during the week because of an injury but his recovery proved crucial. He entered the match in the 67th to replace Francisco Isco Alarcon.Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, returning home to play against the team where he started his career, got an assist in Madrids first goal when he mis-hit a shot inside the area. The ball bounced off his back foot and moved forward for Raphael Varanes easy shot from close range in the first half.It was the third straight game for Ronaldo without a goal in the Champions League, keeping him two short of becoming the first player to reach the 100-goal mark in European competitions.Sportings Joao Pereira was sent off in the 64th with a straight red after an altercation with Madrids Mateo Kovacic.We were great both technically and tactically. We only missed a few details, Sporting coach Jorge Jesus said. In Madrid we were not able to defend our lead after 87 minutes and tonight the red card to Joao Pereira was decisive.Madrid scored two late goals -- the first in the 89th -- in the 2-1 win over Sporting in the teams opener in the group stage.Gareth Bale limped off the field on Tuesday after being substituted because of an apparent ankle injury in the 58th.The game marked Madrids return to Lisbon for the first time since winning the 2014 Champions League against Atletico Madrid at the Estadio da Luz.The victory extended Madrids unbeaten streak to 30 matches in all competitions. The Spanish club has scored 25 goals in its last six away games. Morten Andersen Womens Jersey . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. 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Not only are there four hurlers who crack the elite tier, but there are also numerous midrange options who could be just as widely owned. Theres a lot to get to, so lets not waste any more time.?PitchingEliteIts a bit crowded at the top Saturday, with four hurlers earning elite scores within a point or two of each other. Coming out on top is Stephen Strasburg, who has a home date with the Giants. Its hard to find fault with the Nationals righty -- he boasts a top-five strikeout rate (10.8 K/9), has a nice offense behind him and has allowed zero or one runs in six of his last seven starts. That said, the Giants are not an ideal opponent. While they are only average against right-handed pitching, they are whiffing just 16.8 percent of the time, the lowest rate in the National League. Strasburg remains a strong cash option, but its hard to pay the premium for a guy whos facing a team that makes so much contact.Corey Klubers matchup against the Yankees is more appealing. The Cleveland right-hander cant quite match Strasburgs swing-and-miss potential, but hes still whiffing a batter per inning and owns a 2.34 ERA and 0.92 WHIP since June 1.The Yankees, meanwhile, struggle against right-handed pitching (86 wRC+) and have been particularly punchless since the break, putting up a 71 wRC+ that ranks in the bottom five in baseball. Theyve also been whiffing at a 21 percent clip since the All-Star break, up from 18 percent in the first half. Kluber is one of my favorite plays of the day. The only catch that his DFS availability is limited with an afternoon start time.Also getting an afternoon start time are Jake Arrieta and the Cubs, who travel to Oakland. The Cubs ace is an elite fantasy hurler, though his monthly ERAs show that hes trending in the wrong direction: April - 1.00 ERA; May - 2.08 ERA; June - 3.54 ERA; July - 4.88 ERA. Still, despite heading to the AL and having to face a DH, this is a favorable spot for Arrieta. The O.co Coliseum is more favorable to pitchers than Wrigley Field, and the As lineup is well below average. The only downside is that, like the Giants, the As are a tough team to strike out, which caps Arrietas upside.Although he draws the lowest Game Score of the group, Chris Archer might offer the most upside with a home start versus Minnesota. The Twins sticks have heated up since the break, sporting a 111 wRC+. However, they are also whiffing at a 22 percent clip. That pairs well with Archers 10.5 K/9. He makes for an intriguing tournament play on Saturday.SolidIf youre not paying up for one of the elite, Carlos Martinez is a fine alternative. While the Ks might not be there, he should have little trouble mowing down a Braves lineup that is the worst in baseball against right-handed pitching (79 wRC+). Martinez is also in a great spot to pick up a win against Mike Foltynewicz, the owner of a 6.56 ERA so far in the second half.The Blue Jays announced on Wednesday that Aaron Sanchez will remain in the starting rotation for the time being. Fantasy owners can rejoice -- the 24-year-old has been brilliant this season. He owns a 2.71 ERA in 21 starts, and hes surrendered more than two runs just once in his last 11 outings. While hes not overpowering hitters (7.6 K/9), he owns the second-highest GB rate in baseball (58 percent), and his 22 percent soft-hit percentage is top-three in the American League. On Saturday, hes in a very favorable spot, facing a Royals team thats the worst in the AL against righties (85 wRC+) and has been even worse since the All-Star break (58 wRC+).Chris Tillman is one of the days lesser exciting options, but he still deserves mention here. The right-hander has been pitching some of his best ball of late, posting a 2.72 ERA over his last six starts, and he gets a White Sox team that brings little to the table against right-handed pitching (86 wRC+) and has stumbled out of the gate in the second half (80 wRC+). If youre paying up in your first pitcher slot, Tillman makes for a solid, cost-effective SP2.With so many elite options available, itd be easy to ignore Danny Duffy in a tough matchup against Toronto. However, the Royals lefty has just been too good lately to look over. Over his last seven starts, he holds a 2.52 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 9.9 K/9, which includes eight shutout innings of one-hit ball and 16 Ks againnst Tampa Bay his last time out.dddddddddddd The Blue Jays handle southpaws well, but they also whiff 23 percent of the time. Duffy is a really intriguing GPP option.StreamersAvailable in 87 percent of leagues, Eduardo Rodriguez is a prime streamer on Saturday as the Red Sox head to LA to face the Dodgers. Not only does Rodriguez trade in the DH for a hitting pitcher, but he gets to square off against a Dodgers lineup thats one of the worst in the game against lefties (81 wRC+, 21 percent whiff rate). While Rodriguez holds a 5.91 ERA this season, hes shown promise of late, post a 2.63 ERA over his past four starts.Tyler Skaggs has made only two starts this season, but over those two starts hes tossed 12 1/3 scoreless frames with 13 whiffs and only three walks. With the Mariners on tap, the left-hander gets an average offense that strikes out at a 22 percent clip. Thats enough to make Skaggs a quality streaming option. Hes available in more than half of ESPN leagues.Whichever starting pitcher is set to face the Padres usually gets mentioned in this space, and were going to keep that trend going. Saturdays lucky winner is rookie right-hander Jake Thompson, making his long awaited debuted in Petco Park. The Padres, of course, are prime matchup for right-handed pitchers, as they sport an 83 wRC+ and a bloated 25 percent whiff rate.AvoidTaijuan Walker returns to the mound on Saturday against the Angels after missing time with tendinitis in his right foot. The Angels may have one of the worst records in the AL, but its still a tough matchup. The Angels are above average versus righties, strike out less than any team in baseball (15 percent), and have been the best offense in baseball since the break (115 wRC+). Walker is a talented pitcher, but Im avoiding him in his first start back.His game score falls in the automatic avoid range, but in case you are wondering, yes, thats Roberto Dont call me Fausto Hernandez making the start for the Atlanta Braves. Either that or the Internet has been hacked.HittingTheres no way around it: Matt Garza has been really bad this year. Whenever he takes the mound, I usually try to get some exposure to the team going up against him. On Saturday, that team is the Diamondbacks. Garza has been an equal opportunity hurler this season -- both left- and right-handed batters have him hit hard -- so theres no reason to avoid hitters who dont have the platoon advantage. That said, lefty Jake Lamb is one of the more appealing plays, as hes batting .305 against right-handed pitching this season with 19 of his 23 homers coming against pitchers from that side.Im also targeting left-handed bats against Matt Cain. The right-hander has been bludgeoned for a .403 wOBA by lefty hitters this season. The Nationals are light on left-handed bats, but Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper are two awfully good ones.With struggling left-hander Patrick Corbin toeing the rubber against the Brewers on Saturday, Ryan Braun, Chris Carter, Hernan Perez and switch-hitter Jonathan Villar are all in play. Corbin has actually had more trouble with left-handed batters this season, but historically righties have given him more trouble.Of course, youll also probably want some exposure to the Coors Field game. Rockies right-hander?Chad Bettis sports a 5.47 ERA at Coors this year, and because hes shown reverse splits in his career (.370 wOBA allowed to righty batters), you dont have focus only on hitters with the platoon advantage. The Marlins 3-4-5 of Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna are all on the radar.Andrew Cashner has been much better of late, but this is still Coors were talking about. He holds a 6.23 road ERA this season, and his career ERA at Coors sits at 6.94 in eight appearances. Feel free to fire up the usual suspects in the Rockies lineup on Saturday.Most likely to go yard: Bryce HarperHarper is hitting just .131 with one home run in the second half, but a matchup against Cain is a great opportunity for last years MVP to bust out of his slump and hit one over the boards.Most likely to swipe a bag: Marcus SemienArrieta is tough to reach against, but once you do, swiping second is much, much easier. Semien is sitting on nine steals and will have his eyes set on reaching double digits for the second straight season. ' ' '
