Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist and Willson Contre

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Two MVPs were too much for the Chicago Sky.Candace Parker scored 19 of her 30 points in the first half, Nneka Ogwumike added 27, and the Los Angeles Sparks won 95-75 in the teams semifinal playoff opener Wednesday night.Two-time WNBA MVP Parker had nine rebounds and newly crowned MVP Ogwumike had 10 rebounds and six assists for the Sparks, who were playing their first game in 12 days after early-round byes in the revamped playoffs. The game was at the Pyramid on the Long Beach State campus, 24 miles from downtown Los Angeles.Nneka and I have a really good chemistry in the high-low and we were able to capitalize on that, Parker said. Its been an amazing journey for me to sit back and watch Nneka develop as she has. You rarely see an MVP dive on the floor and get an extra possession for your team. Im learning just as much from her.Ogwumike has been teammates with Parker since 2012.With Candace theres so much to learn from her. She sees the game, Ogwumike said. We understand each others game.The Sky was missing injured Elena Delle Donne and her team-leading averages of 21.5 points and 7.0 rebounds. In her absence, the offensive load was spread among four players. Jamierra Faulkner scored a leading 13 points off the bench. Cappie Pondexter added 12, Tamera Young had 11 and Courtney Vandersloot 10.One thing I can guarantee is missed shots or turnovers, were going to come back an even stronger team in this second game, Pondexter said.The Sky forced seven turnovers in the opening quarter when they trailed by two. But they couldnt keep up the pressure and Los Angeles outscored Chicago 30-15 in the second, the Sparks highest-scoring period of the game.If you give up a 30-point quarter to that team, its tough to beat, Vandersloot said. After that it seemed like we were just trading baskets and not doing enough to win.The Sparks ran off nine straight points for an 86-65 lead in the fourth.The Sky never got closer than 12 points in the third, with Parker scoring the Sparks final six points on a three-point play and a 3-pointer. Ogwumike had 12 in the quarter, including eight in a row, stealing the ball and converting at the other end in one possession.I dont like her going right all the time. I want to see her go left and score, Sky coach Pokey Chatman said of Ogwumike. You have to make people go to their countermove and make them uncomfortable, and we didnt do that enough.The Sparks led 52-35 at halftime, pulling away with a 23-8 run to end the second quarter. Parker had nine points, Ogwumike seven and Kristi Toliver hit a 3-pointer to cap their scoring. They shot 62 percent in the half.TIP-INSThree-time NBA MVP Magic Johnson hugged Ogwumike before she received her WNBA MVP trophy from league president Lisa Borders before the game. On hand to support Ogwumike was her sister Chiney, who plays for the Connecticut Sun, their mother and an uncle. Its great to see big boss at our games, Parker said of Johnson, who co-owns the team. We were fortunate to talk to him before the playoffs began and to pick his brain about what it takes to win a championship. ... Sparks C Jantel Lavender won the leagues sixth woman award on Wednesday, receiving 26 of the 39 votes from a national media panel. Lavender came off the bench in all 34 regular-season games after being a starter the previous two seasons. She averaged 9.6 points and shot a career-high 53.8 percent from the field.DELLE DONNES THUMBDelle Donne sat on the Sky bench in street clothes with a wrap on her right thumb after recent surgery. She joined Betnijah Laney, who is out with an ACL tear, under the basket while the team warmed up for the second half.STREAKINToliver was 3 of 7 from 3-point range, extending her streak as the only player in the league to make at least one 3 in every game played. She hit 81 from long-range in 33 regular-season games.DRAFT PICKThe Sparks will select fourth in the 2017 draft as a result of the lottery held earlier Wednesday. They had 227 chances out of 1,000 to land the top pick, which went to San Antonio. The Sparks acquired Connecticuts lottery pick through a draft-day trade in April.WHATS NEXTGame 2 is Friday at Staples Center, the Sparks home court that was unavailable for the best-of-five series opener because the Los Angeles Kings were playing an exhibition. Adidas Ultra Boost Online Sale . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Ultra Boost Cheap Real . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. http://www.cheapultraboost.net/ .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Adidas Ultra Boost Clearance . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Adidas Ultra Boost Cheap Sale . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. What an odd slate. There are six early games and nine evening contests. The better pitchers are scheduled in the afternoon, but the night docket has a treasure trove of streaming options. Add in the intrigue of possible trades, and its an action-packed Wednesday. Heres the scoop to help you figure it all out.EliteIts a perfect storm for Madison Bumgarner, as hes set to welcome the Cincinnati Reds?to AT&T Park. The San Francisco Giants lefty takes the hill at home in one of the top pitching venues in the game to face one of the weakest offenses that also whiffs a bunch against southpaws. Bumgarner is clearly the top cash anchor for DFS cash action and can be used in tournaments because of the added strikeout potential. The only catch is this is an afternoon affair and thus will be available only in limited DFS contests.Another early game features a pair of elite arms, as the Washington Nationals will send Stephen Strasburg to the Progressive Field hill to oppose Carlos Carrasco and the Cleveland Indians. Strasburg is the better pitcher, but Carrasco has home-field advantage and will face a softer lineup. Truth be told, if youre playing the early slate and plan on paying for pitching, Bumgarner is the clear call. Neither the Nationals nor the Tribe offer added strikeout potential, so using either starter is strictly a contrarian player, supported by game theory as opposed to the numbers.No, that isnt a typo. Brandon McCarthy?lands in the elite tier. Granted, he is facing the Tampa Bay Rays?at Dodger Stadium, and the visitors strikeout-prone, weak offense is further lessened by being devoid of the designate hitter. But McCarthy has pitched quite well since his return from Tommy John surgery. In an admittedly small sample of 22 1/3 innings, the Los Angeles Dodgers righty boasts a hefty 10.5 K/9 with a sharp 2.8 BB/9. This comes on the heels of a shortened 2015 campaign with nearly identical numbers. Both samples are small, but theyre all we have for the past two seasons in terms of data, so the projected Game Score algorithm sees McCarthy favorably. That said, the ranking could have been overridden, but the decision was made to let it ride. Thats the good news.Unfortunately, as one might intuit, Lady Luck must be one of McCarthys many Twitter followers, as he has been buoyed by a low hit rate, a low home run per fly ball rate and a swinging strike rate that suggests a drop in his 10.5 K/9 is impending. However, against a team that fans 24 percent of the time versus righties, McCarthy should be able to mute regression for at least one more day.Theres one elite option left, and while Gerrit Cole will work in the evening slate, his matchup against the Seattle Mariners?at PNC Park isnt especially DFS-friendly. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander will be making his third start after coming off the disabled list against a squad with one of the top road weighted on-base averages (wOBA) against righties in the league. In addition, the visitors whiff at a league average pace that wont help Coles pedestrian 7.7 K/9.SolidAdam Conley opens the solid tier, as the Miami Marlins take on the Philadelphia Phillies in one of the days two 12:10 p.m. ET starts. The southpaw carries a slightly above average 8.3 K/9 to the Marlins Stadium hill to challenge a squad fanning at a 25 percent pace against southpaws. Conley sets up nicely for all forms of DFS play.Lets head back under the lights for the slates latest start, a still early 8:15 p.m. ET.?Matt Shoemaker takes the ball for the Los Angeles Angels?at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. The Halos righty has been nails at home, with gopheritis plaguing him a bit on the road. However, the Royals are well below average with respect to homers at home, so Shoemaker profiles as one of the best cash options on the truncated, nine-game evening slate.If youre looking for a pitcher in seasonal leagues with the potential to be a difference-maker down the stretch, Lance McCullers should be on your short list. Hell need to improve his control, as evidenced by a 5.4 BB/9 that includes allowing four free passes in three straight outings, but if he can get that under control, hell rack up a bevy of punchouts without worrying about an innings cap, considering he has tossed only 70 1/3 frames so far. The opposing New York Yankees fan at a below average clip versus righties, but with a 11.5 K/9, even if he doesnt strike out as many as normal, McCullers is DFS-worthy.Another GPP option, albeit a riskier one, can be found in the visitors side at Camden Yards, as Jon Gray takes the pill for the Colorado Rockies?to?challenge a potent but strikeout-prone Baltimore Orioles lineup. The Rockies righty has whiffed eight in four of his past five outings.Jason Hammel will deservedly see a lot of exposure on Wednesday, when the bragging rights for the Windy City heads north to Wrigley Field..dddddddddddd On paper, Hammel is best-suited for cash play, as the crosstown Chicago White Sox tote a below-average offense and Hammel isnt especially dominant. However, if you add the win potential with the Cubs facing call-up Anthony Ranaudo, Hammel is viable for tournament action.Lets close the solid tier with a head nod to Mike Foltynewicz for his date with the Minnesota Twins?at Target Field. The Atlanta Braves righty has had a roller-coaster season but has a good chance for a solid outing against a below-average lineup with above-average swing-and-miss potential.StreamersBefore we get to Archie Bradley and his paltry 10 percent ownership in ESPN leagues, something to keep in mind this week is that his opposition, the Milwaukee Brewers, is rumored to have Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy on the block, which means an already punchless offense could lose even more sock at a moments notice. Bradley is in play as a streamer regardless, especially if youre in search of punchouts. Speaking of which, the Brewers 26 percent whiff clip puts Bradley in the picture for DFS tournaments.Danny Duffys 66 percent ownership is well above the cutoff to be featured in this section, but I wanted to point out that his normal, solid rating takes a bit of a hit because hes facing the Los Angeles Angels, a squad that doesnt whiff much and has greatly improved its production versus southpaws lately. That said, if you own Duffy, dont hesitate to use him. This is more to point out that the Halos are hitting better than they were earlier in the campaign.Jimmy Nelsons walk and strikeout rates arent anything to write home about, but hes doing a nice job keeping the ball in the yard, especially considering that he works about half the time at Miller Park. If this were later in the week, perhaps the message would be different, but in the name of being aggressive early, Nelsons a go for his home date with the Arizona Diamondbacks.Although not spectacular, Tyler Duffeys 7.1 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 should portend better than a 5.51 ERA. With the Minnesota Twins hosting the Atlanta Braves, expect a much better outcome for the righty.This is a great slate to find spot starters, as just about everyone else is in play, be it for a win, strikeouts or ratio support. If you have a question about any of the options pertaining to your league, please fire away in the comments or via Twitter to @ToddZola.AvoidWednesday is a rare docket, with nary a hurler falling in the automatic sit range by recording a Game Score of 45 or less. However, there is a trio of starters who are quite risky.Logan Verrett has been a decent placeholder for the New York Mets, but he doesnt miss bats and usually is lifted fairly early. The St. Louis Cardinals use a keep the line moving attack that thrives on the likes of Verrett, as they put the ball in play a lot.Luis Perdomo isnt the same gas can as he was when he entered the San Diego Padres rotation. However, he also hasnt faced the likes of the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.Finally, Anthony Ranaudo has the unenviable task of facing the Chicago Cubs?at Wrigley Field, as the Chicago White Sox need a starter while Chris Sale is in time-out.HittingNot so coincidentally, the best hitting spots parallel the risky pitchers, beginning with the Toronto Blue Jays.?Jose Bautista?is back to take on Luis Perdomo. It remains to be seen how the Jays work in new acquisition Melvin Upton Jr., though Joey Bats,?Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki?should play regularly and are all threats to take Perdomo deep. Michael Saunders will play versus all righties, so add him to the list. The names to monitor on a nightly basis, other than Upton Jr., are Justin Smoak, Kevin Pillar and?Ezequiel Carrera, who are all in line to lose some playing time.The Chicago Cubs should have no issue tallying points against Anthony Ranaudo. Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist and Willson Contreras provide the thump up top. The disappointing Jason Heyward is only a GPP option at this point, as even with the platoon edge, hes sporting a lowly 0.625 OPS. Other GPP plays include Javier Baez and Addison Russell.Stacking St. Louis Cardinals against Logan Verrett can work if you include a couple of their home run threats, namely Stephen Piscotty, Aledmys Diaz, Matt Adams and the white-hot Jedd Gyorko. Greg Garcia?and?Kolten Wong are decent speculative picks if youre going all-in with the Redbirds.Most likely to hit a homer: The ball should be flying out of Wrigley Field, so lets go with Jason Heyward. Just kidding, but Anthony Rizzo is no joke.Most likely to steal a base: A common theme of this space is to pick on Jimmy Nelsons inability to control the running game. This time, the green light goes to Michael Bourn. ' ' '