MLB

The recognition has been quiet, and the hype has been nonexistent.

But there is substance. It exists under the radar for a team that has not had many splashes this season but has modestly positioned itself as the best team in the National League.

Thursday's slate of MLB action includes 10 games, five during the day and five at night.  DraftKings daily fantasy players have a limited number of choices available in both the afternoon and evening contests.

Pennant races are coming on hot and heavy, and myriad players have rapidly separated themselves from the pack. Meanwhile, other notable stars have cooled off in recent weeks since the All-Star break.

The difficult part with daily fantasy baseball is picking which players will keep producing and which ones will falter Thursday. That's where we come in. Before locking in your lineups, consider starting the studs and ditching these duds.

With only two months left in the 2015 MLB season, the conclusion of the year's award races is no longer some far off, intangible thing. It's within sight and fast approaching.

And for now, that makes it a wee bit easier to predict who's going to be collecting hardware at the end of the year.

From the perspective that it didn't lead to a win, Luis Severino's major league debut was a failure.

From just about every other perspective, however, it was a success. Severino may not have led the New York Yankees to victory, but he looked the part of a pitcher who could lead them to a handful of must-have wins in what's left of the 2015 season.

Seattle Mariners reliever Fernando Rodney seems to have a lot on his mind lately.

In the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, Rodney took a stroll through the wilderness near the bullpen:

A man of nature, or a man who obeys the call of nature? We’ll likely never know.

With his team losing 10 of its past 12 games, including three shutouts, Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar is doing what he can to try to wake his team's bats up.

The Angels were unable to score in Tuesday night's 12-inning loss (2-0) to the Cleveland Indians, making it 14 consecutive innings without a run.

Before the Angels' rubber game against the Indians on Wednesday, Aybar went to the bat rack in the dugout and started tossing bats around.

Jayson Werth's iconic beard and long hair have been a big hit in the nation's capital for years now. 

Knowing Werth's popularity with fans, the Washington Nationals found a way to incorporate the hair into a unique giveaway. On Wednesday night, the first 20,000 fans to show up to Nationals Park will take home a Jayson Werth Chia Pet, which will include plenty of "hair."

Fact: After his HR Tuesday, Nelson Cruz became the 5th player in MLB history to homer in 5 straight games twice in one season.

Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Fact of the day, presented by Coors Light.

Source: SportsCenter

Seattle Mariners outfielder Nelson Cruz hit yet another home run in Tuesday's 10-4 win over the Colorado Rockies, becoming just the fifth player in MLB history to homer in five straight games twice in the same season, per the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).