tion avoiding a confidence-deflating beating. Youll also wan

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Austin Dillon is on the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas two weeks after a heartbreaking finish knocked him out of the championship Chase.We missed the Chase by just 2 feet. We want to prove that we can win a race by the end of this year, Dillon said.Dillon had a fast lap of 192.301 mph in the final round of qualifying Friday to earn his third career pole.Joey Logano qualified second, and he will be the highest starter Sunday in the AAA Texas 500 of the eight drivers still eligible for the season championship. His best lap in the final session was 192.269 mph.The other Chase contenders to qualify in the top 10 were Kevin Harvick (third), Matt Kenseth (seventh), Carl Edwards (ninth) and Kurt Busch (10th). Denny Hamlin will star 17th.Jimmie Johnson is the only driver locked into one of the four spots for the title-deciding race at Homestead in two weeks. He also has won the past four fall races at the 1.5-mile, high-banked Texas track, but he qualified 19th on Friday.Defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch had the second-fastest time in the first round of qualifying while in a backup car after wrecking on the first lap of practice earlier in the day. But he will start 24th, the lowest of the Chase contenders, after never taking the lap for the second round of qualifying because of a water leak on pit road.Adam Stevens, crew chief for the No. 18, said the issue was an aftereffect of the earlier wreck, with a radiator hose not getting properly clamped down after an engine switch.When Hamlin had a frantic ending to finish third at Talladega on Oct. 23 to end the second round of the playoffs, he tied Dillon for the eighth in season points. Hamlin had the tiebreaker to get the final spot in the round of eight.Dillon said just being in the Chase this season helped the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team.I felt like together as a team, our team is very strong. Weve just been missing here and there, he said. It is going to be good to have another year with this group of guys to see what we can do next year.Logano, who is fifth in points, qualified on the front row for the second consecutive weekend. It is also the second race in a row at Texas he will start second -- he finished third in the April race.We are mad about second, and that is when you know your team is in a good spot, Logano said. We are starting close to the front. That is just too many seconds. Second always stings, and we were second here in the spring and here we are again and last week as well.San Diego Padres Gear . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Padres Jerseys 2019 . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/ . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. Custom San Diego Padres Jerseys . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Cheap Padres Jerseys . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human.Here we go again. Its another shortened Thursday slate with limited options at the top. We do have one hurler who (barely) qualifies for elite status, so thats better than nothing. But even the middle and lower tiers dont bring much excitement. On the bright side, there should be plenty of funds available for plenty of top-tier hitters.PitchingEliteThe days only elite option is Drew Pomeranz, who earns a 61 Game Score with a road matchup against the Dodgers. The left-hander has been terrific this season, even away from Petco Park (2.66 ERA), and hes set up very well against a Dodgers team thats been dreadful against southpaws this season (79 wRC+). The Dodgers are middle-of-the-road in terms of whiffs, but Pomeranz combats that with a 10.3 K/9 that ranks top-10 in baseball. Hes also shown a nice floor, fanning six or more in seven straight starts. There arent many options I really like for cash Thursday, but Pomeranz is one of them.SolidRich Hill is another lefty who finds himself in a promising spot, particularly in terms of strikeout potential. The Astros whiff at a 24 percent clip against southpaws, and Hill does a fine job making batters miss, as his 10.3 K/9 would rank top-three in AL if he qualified. And despite featuring a lineup that contains plenty of right-handed power, the Astros have been well below average against lefty pitching in 2016. Hill is both cash and GPP viable.Since the beginning of June, spanning seven outings, Trevor Bauer owns a 1.81 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Hell look to continue that stretch of dominance against the Yankees, who have not fared well against righty pitching this season (88 wRC+). Bauers K upside is a bit limited in this one considering the Yanks make so much contact, but hes showcased a nice floor this year. Only once in 12 starts has he allowed more than three runs. Bauer is a worthy cash-game play.The Pirates offense is showing signs of life after completely tanking in June, but Adam Wainwright is showing signs of life as well. After posting a 6.80 ERA through his first eight starts, hes held a 3.09 mark in nine starts since. Hes also put up a respectable 7.9 K/9 rate in those nine outings (5.2 K/9 in the first eight). Theres not enough upside to justify Wainwright as a tournament option. I dont love him for cash, either, given the Bucs recent hot streak (won eight of last 10), but hes at least worth consideration on the shortened slate.Danny Duffys ESPN.com ownership is on the rise, but hes still available in nearly 50 of percent of leagues. Thats kind of hard to fathom considering he owns a 3.14 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 10.4 K/9 as a starter. In fact, his 6.00 K/BB ratio would rank top-five in baseball if he qualified. On Thursday, Duffy gets a Mariners team thats middle-of-the-road against lefties and strikes out at an average clip. Thats a usable scenario on a short slate like this one.At the halfway mark of the 2016 season, the Braves are still the worst team in baseball versus right-handed pitching, sporting an MLB-worst .284 wOBA and 74 wRC+. In other words, Thursday looks like a fine time to fire up Jason Hammel. Its worth noting that the right-hander is coming off one of the worst starts of his career (10 ER, including five homers, in 4 IP to the Mets). Then again, Hammel has been a stable option this season, allowing more than three earned runs only three times in his 16 starts, and hes in an ideal matchup. Hes worth considering in cash as an SP2.StreamersDoug Fister is not what youd call exciting. He whiffs less than six batters per nine, after all. He has, however, allowed more than three earned runs just twice in his last 14 starts, giving him a solid floor. And his home matchup against the As is prime. The As have been the worst team in the AL against righties this season, sporting an 85 wRC+. Fister is still available in nearly 50 percent of ESPN leagues.Say what you want about Bartolo Colon (that his ESPN.com ownership is just 36 percent says plenty). But the guy just keeps getting it done. Although he still doesnt miss many bats (6.0 K/9), his control continues to be outstanding (1.6 BB/9). A home tilt against the Nationals, who are below average against righty pitching, puts Colon in play as a nice streaming option.Lucas Giolito had his first big lleague start shortened by rain, but he tossed four scoreless innings of one-hit ball against the Mets before he left.dddddddddddd He gets another crack at the Mets, and this time the weather forecast looks much more promising. One of baseballs top pitching prospects, Giolito whiffed just one batter in his first outing, but he showcased plenty of K potential in the minors and matches up well with a Mets team thats fanning 23 percent of the time. Hes still a free agent in 45 percent of leagues.AvoidJustin Verlander has been a DFS asset at times this season, but Thursday is a time when Im steering clear, at least in cash. A trip to Toronto to face the Blue Jays is one of the toughest spots in the game. Not only does the Rogers Centre inflate homers for both right- and left-handed batters, but the Jays mash there, putting up a .339 wOBA this season. They also do plenty of damage against right-handed pitching (.331 wOBA). There are other pitching options available in much better spots.The Rays may whiff at a 24 percent clip versus left-handed pitching, but theyre also the most dangerous team in baseball against lefties this season (127 wRC+). Theres also the fact that Hector Santiago has a tendency to get himself in trouble with walks (3.9 BB/9) and has had homer issues this season. Some will think Santiagos strikeout upside is worth the risk, but for me its not.Perhaps if Tyler Glasnow were debuting against a different team it would be a different story but the last thing you want to do versus the St. Louis Cardinals is give them extra runners via the walk, which is exactly what the Pittsburgh Pirates prized prospect has been doing. Despite a sparkling 1.78 ERA and 1.14 WHIP at Triple-A Indianapolis, Glasnow walked 52 in 96 innings, a 4.8 BB/9. Minor league hitters struggled making contact facing the 22-year old right-hander, fanning 119 times with only 57 hits. A team like the Redbirds should take advantage of the wildness and make better contact, even without Matt Carpenter. If things go as planned, there will be well over 300 more chances to use Glasnow over the next ten years or so, its fine to avoid his first.HittingWe highlighted Fister as a potential streaming option, but the fact remains that hes had trouble against left-handed hitters this season, as theyve put up a .393 wOBA against him. The As may be punchless against righty pitching, but Josh Reddick, whos batting .355 against right-handed pitching this season, and Stephen Vogt are definitely in play. Switch-hitters Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie could be worthy punts.There are two 10 hitter ratings Thursday, and one goes to left-handed Cleveland bats against Ivan Nova. Playing the top three hitters in the Indians order -- Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor -- should pay dividends for DFS players.Chad Bettis, whose 5.85 ERA is the worst in baseball, has not fared well at Coors Field this year, as his 6.69 home ERA can attest. Hes shown reverse splits in his career, making Maikel Franco and Cameron Rupp prime plays. Odubel Herrera, who is hitting .329 with all 10 of his homers against righties this season, should be on your radar as well.Opposing Bettis in the Coors Field game is southpaw Adam Morgan, summoned from the bullpen to give Aaron Nola a mental break, not to mention avoiding a confidence-deflating beating. Youll also want to get some exposure to Rockies bats. Morgan has been equally poor against all hitters, so theres no need to get picky here, as most Colorado hitters will be viable options. Nolan Arenado will be one of the days top plays if you can afford him.Chi Chi Gonzalez has yet to prove he belongs in the big leagues. In 16 career appearances, hes walked more than hes struck out and been hammered for a 4.79 home ERA. The Twins are in town and should have plenty of opportunity to get their licks in.Most likely to go yard: Nolan ArenadoArenado versus lefty Morgan at Coors Field? Book it.Most likely to swipe a bag: Jason HeywardTyler Flowers has thrown out just two of 34 basestealers this season. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for Heyward to try to generate ?offense on the basepaths. ' ' '