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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rougned Odor homered twice, and A.J. Griffin also went a little deeper for the Texas Rangers.Odor hit a ball into the second deck of seats for the second game in a row, along with another solo shot that just cleared the wall, and Griffin had his longest outing in seven starts since coming off the disabled list in the Rangers 8-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.I felt like that was a big step. I made a little adjustment in my delivery. I was more direct to the target, said Griffin, who was out of the majors the past two seasons after Tommy John surgery. Two years off from pitching is a long time. It caught up with me a little bit. I feel like I am getting that second wind. My shoulders responding a lot better with each outing.Griffin (4-1) is the only Texas starter other than All-Star lefty Cole Hamels with a win in July.The right-hander has been back just over a month from the disabled list, getting sidelined by right shoulder stiffness after going 3-1 in six starts through the first week of May. He struck out one and walked two while throwing 66 of 98 pitches for strikes in 5 2/3 innings.Probably the best hes used the up-to-down game, manager Jeff Banister said. The high fastball, low fastball, cutter, not really focusing on one location at the plate.Jurickson Profar also homered for the AL West-leading Rangers, and scored three runs.Odors solo homer in the first put Texas up 3-0 against Edinson Volquez (8-9). That 443-foot drive into the second deck in right field came a night after Odors 465-footer that is the longest in his career. His 21st homer, in the seventh, barely cleared the 8-foot wall in right.I dont try to hit homers, but if I hit it I feel good, Odor said.Eric Hosmer homered for the defending World Series champion Royals, who dropped to 10 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central. It is the first time Kansas City, also the AL champion in 2014, has been 10 games back in the division since a 10 1/2-game deficit on Aug. 31, 2013.Offense has been sporadic. Its just been tough. You just come to the ballpark the next day ready to find a way to win a game, manager Ned Yost said. Keep grinding away. ... Your mindset is theres a couple months left of baseball to play.FROM NONE TO SOMETexas loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth without scoring, but Profar and Nomar Mazara had consecutive doubles to start the fifth. An inning later, Profar hit his fifth homer of the season.HOSMER HOMERAfter Lorenzo Cain was hit by a pitch with two outs in the sixth, Hosmer snapped an 0-for-14 slump with his 14th homer. That got the Royals within 5-2 and chased Griffin.SHORT HOPSVolquez allowed nine hits and six runs while striking out five in six innings. .. Reliever Dario Alvarez made his Rangers debut, two days after coming in a trade from Atlanta. The lefty allowed singles to the only two batters he faced to start the seventh. ... Veteran RHP Kyle Lohse, who allowed 13 runs in 9 1/3 innings while losing both of his Texas starts, declined an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock and became a free agent.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: Cain played for the first time since June 28 after missing 25 games because of a left hamstring strain. He was reactivated from the disabled list, and rookie OF Brett Eibner was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. ... RHP Luke Hochevar (thoracic outlet syndrome) will get a second opinion Monday from another specialist in Kansas City after a Dallas specialist on Friday recommended season-ending surgery.Rangers: Slugger Prince Fielders season-ending surgery Friday to repair a herniated disk in his neck went as expected. ... LHP Derek Holland, on the 60-day DL with left shoulder inflammation and not eligible to come back before Aug. 20, said he wasnt tired after throwing a 42-pitch bullpen session. He is scheduled to throw live batting practice Tuesday.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Ian Kennedy (6-9) is 0-3 in five starts this month. He is also 0-2 in three career starts against the Rangers.Rangers: Lefty Martin Perez (7-7) was 4-0 in five starts in June, but goes into his sixth start in July still without a win. Hes 0-3 this month, and has allowed 29 runs (22 earned) his last four starts.Cheap Chargers Jerseys . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Wholesale Custom Chargers Shirts . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. http://www.customchargersjersey.com/ . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Jerry Tillery Jersey Large . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. Custom Chargers Jerseys . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide.The end is drawing near. The final Thursday of the regular season brings us a decent 12-game slate. Its a little light at the top, but there are some decent options in the lower tiers to help make up for it, although many of them are suited more toward GPPs than cash games. If you were hoping for some bona fide fantasy aces like Kershaw or Bumgarner to build your cash lineups around, well, thatll have to wait until Friday.PitchingEliteThree hurlers draw an identical 60 Game Score on Thursday, but it should come as no surprise that Johnny Cueto is the preferred cash-game option. The right-hander has held an ERA of 3.38 or lower in all but one month this season, and so far in September his ERA sits at 1.59 in four starts. Only once in his past seven starts has he allowed more than two earned runs. Cueto is as reliable as they come. Against a Rockies team that withers away from Coors Field (84 wRC+, 24 percent whiff rate), Cueto should be locked into cash lineups.Chris Archer might be teetering on the edge of 20 losses with his highest ERA since he made six appearances as a rookie in 2012, but most of that damage came in the first half. Since the All-Star break, he owns a 3.19 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. His 10.5 K/9 is also second-best in the American League. Although traveling to U.S. Cellular Park isnt ideal, Archer, who is a threat for double-digit whiffs every time he takes the mound, matches up well with a White Sox club that struggles against right-handed pitching (91 wRC+). On a shortened Thursday slate, hes one of the days top options.The last pitcher who draws an elite Game Score is Jon Gray, who gets a road start against the Giants. Grays upside has been on full display of late, as hes whiffed a whopping 26 batters during his past two starts, spanning 13 innings. The trouble is that, despite whiffing 10 Dodgers in his last start, he didnt make it out of the fourth inning. In fact, his 16-strikeout complete game shutout against the Padres two weeks ago was his lone quality start in his past four tries. The matchup against the Giants on Thursday is a mixed bag. On one hand, the Giants offense has collapsed in September, as their 68 wRC+ is by far the worst in baseball. On the other hand, the Giants sport the lowest strikeout rate in the National League. Ultimately, Id still consider Gray in tournaments, but Im looking elsewhere in cash.SolidStop me if youve heard this before, but theres plenty of validity in fading the top tier entirely and anchoring your cash-game lineups with Jose Quintana. The left-hander has followed up his 3.21 first-half ERA with a nearly identical 3.20 mark in the second half, showcasing the stability he offers. Hes also in a tremendous spot, facing a Rays team that whiffs 26 percent of the time versus southpaws, so theres a nice ceiling here, too.Julio Urias draws a tasty road matchup with the Padres. In his past seven outings (five starts), Urias holds a 1.47 ERA. He doesnt typically pitch deep into games, which lowers the upside a bit, but thats partly offset by the fact that hes whiffing 9.6 batters per nine innings. The matchup is still favorable, but its worth noting that while the Padres are the worst offense in baseball against righties, theyre average against lefties. That said, their 25 percent whiff rate versus lefties is worst in the National League.Danny Duffy has hit a few rough spots of late, but hes still highly appealing Thursday thanks to a home matchup against Minnesota. While the Twins are an average offense against left-handed pitching, they strike out at a 24 percent clip, including a 26 percent clip so far in September. Armed with his 9.6 K/9 rate, Duffy carried double-digit strikeout upside in this matchup. In fact, the lefty fanned 10 when he last faced the Twins earlier this month.If you can get past the 4.7 walk rate (which, admittedly, is hard to do), then its easy to get excited about Alex Reyes and his home matchup against the Reds. In 40 big-league innings, the young right-hander sports a 1.58 ERA and 10.4 K/9 rate. Against the cellar-dwelling Reds, who are well below average against right-handed pitching, Reyes brings intriguing potential..dddddddddddd The high walk rate has me apprehensive about using him cash, but the rookie is a fine tournament play.StreamersMarcus Stroman has been on a nice little roll lately. Since the beginning of August, the right-hander holds a 3.06 ERA with a strikeout per inning. A matchup against the Orioles, who lead baseball in homers and are one of the games toughest teams against right-handers, is far from ideal. Still, Stroman has regained his form after a brutal first half (4.89 ERA), which leaves him in play for Thursdays slate.The owner of a 3.26 ERA since the break, Daniel Norris gets a home tilt against the Indians, who have been league average against lefties this year. Since joining Detroits starting rotation, the young left-hander has allowed more than three runs in a start ... never. Hes yet to pitch more than 6 1/3 innings in any outing, but his 9.1 K/9 rate still gives him a nice ceiling. Norris is a free agent in 71 percent of ESPN.com leagues.The Cardinals have scored the third-most runs in the NL, but since the All-Star break theyve been a below-average offense (96 wRC+) with an above-average whiff rate (23 percent). That sets things up nicely for Dan Straily, who owns a 3.00 ERA since the break, including a 2.87 mark in September. Hes also produced an 8.2 K/9 in the past two months are holding a 7.2 K/9 from April-July. Strailys current ownership sits at just below 50 percent.AvoidThanks to his 11.4 K/9 that ranks second in baseball, Robbie Ray is always a tournament consideration. However, considering he holds a 7.66 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in his past five starts, its hard to trust him in anything else. Against the Nationals, an above-average offense versus righties, Ray is not a hurler to target if you value safety over upside.HittingRyan Merritt is on track to make his first big league start Thursday against Detroit. He has pitched well in relief for Cleveland this season, but hes still a soft-tossing lefty with no strikeout potential (5.8 K/9 in 24 Triple-A starts this year) who will be tasked with facing a right-handed heavy Tigers lineup that hits lefties hard. Needless to say, its a tough spot for the 24-year-old. As a result, itd be a good idea to get some exposure here, with Ian Kinsler, Cameron Maybin, Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton all carrying plenty of appeal.Its almost always a good idea to target left-handed swingers against Ubaldo Jimenez, who has allowed a .381 wOBA to lefty hitters this season. Its unfortunate that the Blue Jays lineup is so right-handed, but lefty Michael Saunders is an awfully intriguing play, especially considering hes 9-for-19 (.474) with a double and four homers in his career against Jimenez.Its also advantageous to target lefty hitters against Kyle Gibson, who sports .382 wOBA allowed and a 5.06 second-half ERA. With the Royals playing host to the Twins on Thursday, left-handed hitters Jarrod Dyson, Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon and switch-hitter Kendrys Morales are all in play.Weve already discussed Robbie Rays strikeout potential, but he also has plenty of blowup potential, especially against a right-handed heavy lineup like Washingtons. The loss of Wilson Ramos to a season-ending knee injury hurts, but righty hitters Trea Turner, Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman still offer plenty of potential in this matchup.Most likely to go yard: Brandon MossDan Straily is a worthwhile streamer Thursday, but the fact remains that the Cardinals lead the NL in homers and Straily has allowed 29 of them. Moss has been in a funk of late, but this is a good spot for him to break out of it. Of his 27 homers this year, 24 have come against righties.Most likely to swipe a bag: Kevin PillarUbaldo Jimenez has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball at keeping baserunners honest. His 25 stolen bases allowed are third-most in baseball, behind only Noah Syndergaard and Jimmy Nelson. With the Blue Jays on tap, Pillar is the most likely to take advantage. In 16 career at-bats against Jimenez, he has three swipes. ' ' '