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EUGENE, Ore. -- The defending Olympic pole vault champion warmed up, then cooled down, then ran through the whole process again, as the driving rain pelted the field Friday at U.S. Olympic Trials.The more time you have to think, the more youre like, `Wow. This is how bad things happen, Jenn Suhr said.Suhr escaped the badness. Several other big-name athletes werent as lucky on a rain-drenched afternoon at Hayward Field.On a day that saw LaShawn Merritt lower his world-best mark at 200 meters to 19.74 seconds -- in a semifinal heat, no less -- and two high-school kids, Michael Norman and Noah Lyles, earn spots in the final, there was just as much buzz about those whose chances got washed away in the rain.First among them was hurdler Dawn Harper-Nelson, whose run at a third Olympic medal came to a stunning halt in 100-meter semifinals, when she finished third -- not good enough to make the eight-woman final.Tears are going to come, she said. Right now, Im just in shock.Later, after the rain had stopped but the track was still slick, American record-holder Keni Harrison stumbled to a sixth-place finish and a spot on the couch next month. Brianna Rollins, the 2013 worlds gold medalist, won in 12.34 seconds, a comfortable .16 ahead of Kristi Castlin, who was considered a bigger threat four years ago at trials.Harrison was supposed to be the woman to beat this year.It happened so fast, she said, clearly holding back tears. Ill have to watch film. Its unfortunate, because my season was going so well. But this stuff happens.It also happened to Shamier Little. The worlds silver medalist in 400-meter hurdles didnt make it out of her semifinal heat.Allyson Felix took to the track well before the rain hit, and coasted through her 200-meter qualifying heat in 22.93 seconds. It was her first race in nearly a year at her favorite distance. She said nothings really changed with her aching right ankle, despite four days of rest.Just trying to see how it does on the curve, and all that, she said, as she moved ahead in her quest for the 200-400 double at the Rio Games.Shortly after Felixs race, the sky opened, and everybodys outlook changed. The discus and pole vault competitions were delayed. The 100-meter hurdle semifinals turned into even more of an adventure than usual.I couldnt see through my race, said Nia Ali, who got safely through the semifinal, then finished third in the final, too, to make the Olympics.Suhr, whose gold medal in London came in a windy rainstorm, only needed one jump to qualify for the final.Im thankful to make it, because you never take it for granted, she said.Also waiting out the rain was Tavis Bailey, who finished second in discus finals -- one of the most competitive contests on the card.When raindrops are hitting the discus in your hand, that will get to you, said Bailey, who finished behind Mason Finley.Not so fortunate was defending national champion Jared Schuurmans, who finished fifth.Others with decent chances who didnt make the team included high jumpers Jesse Williams, the 2011 world champion, and Randall Cunningham, who was hoping to join his sister, Vashti, on the trip to Brazil.When you landed on the mat, you landed in puddles, said Cunningham, who does the bulk of his training in bone-dry Las Vegas. Your whole body was soaked.Such is life in track and field -- and everything is amplified in the no-excuses world of U.S. Olympic qualifying, where the top three finishers make it and no exceptions are made for injuries, past performances -- or weather.Nobody felt worse than Harper-Nelson, who burst onto the scene eight years ago at the Birds Nest in Beijing, crossing the line first after her more-ballyhooed teammate, Lolo Jones, tripped on the second-to-last barrier. That day, Harper-Nelson crossed the line and could be seen mouthing the words What? What?She was every bit as dumbfounded by this finish.Complete disbelief, she called it. Ive never been in a position where someone is pulling away and I wasnt able to react.Other happenings on Day 7 of track trials:HURDLES WIN: Rollins stepped ever so slightly into an adjacent lane late in the 100-meter hurdles race but didnt impede fourth-place finisher Queen Harrison, so there was no protest, and no change in the results.SPRINT FAREWELL: Lost in the buzz over the high-schoolers making the 200-meter final was the fact that three longtime mainstays of the U.S. sprint team -- Mike Rodgers, Wallace Spearmon and Walter Dix -- all failed to advance. On the womens side, Jenna Prandini had the best 200 time, at 22.72 seconds.JAGR MASTERY: Evan Jager won the mens steeplechase in 8:22.48. Hell be joined in Rio by Hillary Bor and Donn Cabral.ARIES ADVANCES: Defending Olympic champion Aries Merritt, less than a year removed from a kidney transplant, made it through his qualifying heat in 110-meter hurdles. Also making it were 2008 bronze medalist David Oliver and 2012 silver medalist Jason Richardson.QUOTABLE: Dont mean to brag, but were pretty extraordinary, Lyles, after he and fellow 18-year-old Norman won their heats in the 200-meter semifinals. Cheap Heat Jerseys .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Cheap Custom Heat Jersey .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. http://www.customheatjersey.com/ . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Chris Bosh Jersey Large . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. Custom Heat Jersey China . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. October baseball is officially here. This is the last Saturday of the regular season, and were going out on a high note. Yes, boys and girls, this is the final Kershaw day, so lets enjoy it. Keep in mind, though, that this is a split slate, with seven early games, and the days three highest-rated hurlers all have afternoon starts. This makes the late slate harder to solve. Its also worth noting that teams that have already secured playoff berths by Saturday could pull their starters a little earlier than normal to keep them fresh for the playoffs, so thats something to at least take into consideration. With that said, lets dive in and sort it all out.PitchingEliteClayton Kershaw will close out his 2016 season with a road outing against the Giants, who are still vying for a Wild Card spot. The Dodgers ace has been better than ever this season, as his 16.8 strikeout-to-walk-ratio would be the best in baseball history -- by a mile -- if he had enough innings to qualify. He also hasnt allowed an earned run in any of his last three starts. A matchup against the Giants, who strike out less than any team in the NL, might not be ideal, but its worth noting that he fanned 13 Giants when he last pitched in AT&T Park back in June. In other words, the normal rules do not apply for the three-time Cy Young winner. This is the last time youll able to roster Kershaw this season. Dont miss it.SolidIf you just cant find a way to fit in Kershaws massive salary, Jon Lester is a worthy pivot. In fact, a case can be made that taking Lester along with the savings is the better play in cash games. The Cubs lefty has been on a different level of late. Over his last eight starts, Lester has allowed only four runs. Total. Of course, he doesnt have Kershaws strikeout upside, but he finds himself in a much, much more appealing spot, facing a Reds squad thats one of the worst in baseball against southpaws (82 wRC+) and whiffs at a healthy 23 percent clip. Kershaw is still the top play, but Lester is unhittable right now.Although he hasnt quite been on Lesters level of dominance, Masahiro Tanaka has been on a nice little roll of his own. The right-handers last seven starts have seen him post a 1.94 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Only once in those seven outings did he allow more than two runs. A home matchup against an Orioles team that leads the AL in home runs and smashes right-handed pitching puts Tanaka in a very tough spot, which limits the cash appeal a bit. Then again, given how dominant the righty has been, he makes for a fine contrarian play on Saturday.Tanner Roark draws a favorable home start against a Marlins team thats struggled against right-handed pitching this season (91 wRC+). They do strike out just 19 percent of the time versus righties, which is the fifth-lowest mark in baseball, but whiffs arent a big part of Roarks game anyway. Although he got roughed up by Arizona his last time out, the right-hander has been a picture of consistency this season. Hes held sub-3.00 ERAs in each of the last three months, and he hasnt posted a monthly ERA north of 3.56. If youre not paying up, Roark is in the cash-game discussion.The highest-rated hurler in the evening slate is Collin McHugh, who gets a road tilt against the Angels. McHugh has been up and down this season, but hes pitching some of his best baseball right now. His September ERA sits at 3.10, and hes surrendered more than two runs just once in his last six outings. The Angels sport the lowest strikeout rate in baseball, so the upside is limited in this matchup. Of course, McHugh is whiffing nearly a batter per inning this year, so hes still a decent bet for a handful of Ks.After posting a 7.14 ERA in August and a 6.08 ERA so far in September, its understandable if you want no part of Archie Bradley on Saturday. That said, this is a perfect GPP spot for the Arizona righty. Despite Bradleys recent struggles, he owns a 10.6 K/9 over the last month, and the Padres are the perfect lineup to exploit. In addition to being the worst team in baseball against right-handed pitching (81 wRC+), they strike out 25 percent of the time. Bradley has notched only one double-digit K performance this season, but he could threaten No. 2 in this spot.Bartolo Colon was knocked around in his last start against the Marlins, which happens from time to time when youre around the plate as much as he is.dddddddddddd That said, hes generally a fairly stable option. In fact, his 19 quality starts rank top-10 in the National League. On Saturday, he finds himself in a very friendly spot, facing a Phillies team that cant hit righties (83 wRC+) and strikes out 23 percent of the time.StreamersHisashi Iwakuma is somewhat boring because of the lack of upside, but hes been a very stable fantasy hurler. The last three months have seen him post ERAs of 3.77, 3.28 and 3.68. Hes not someone to build around, but hes in an appealing spot, squaring off against an As team that poses little threat against righty pitching (91 wRC+).Eduardo Rodriguez continues to roll. Since the All-Star break, he owns a 3.10 ERA and 1.10 WHIP to go along with nearly a whiff per inning. Hes actually coming off his most dominant performance in which he fanned 13 Rays in just 5 1/3 innings. While the Blue Jays present a dangerous matchup, they are striking out at a healthy 22 percent clip in the second half, so theres nice upside here. Rodriguez is still available in nearly 75 percent of leagues.AvoidOn one hand, a matchup against the Royals, who own the worst wRC+ (82) in the American League in the second half, looks like a very nice spot for Trevor Bauer on paper. On the other hand, the Indians right-hander has allowed four or more runs in each of his last four starts, which has contributed to his 5.42 second-half ERA. Bauer could certainly find success in such a favorable matchup, but Im not going to roster him to find out.HittingJames Shields is always one of my favorite pitchers to target hitters against. It doesnt always work out (like his last start against Tampa Bay), but he carries blowup potential each time he takes the mound. When you combine a 4.1 walk rate with home run issues (his 38 homers allowed are most in baseball), bad things tend to happen. A Twins stack, anchored by Brian Dozier, who has clubbed 31 dingers off righties this year, offers plenty of upside.Chad Kuhl has been solid in the second half (3.78 ERA) and performs very well on the road (2.61 ERA), which is where hell be pitching on Sunday. However, that doesnt change the fact that hes had trouble with left-handed bats this season (.363 wOBA). With the Cardinals playing host to the Pirates on Saturday, Matt Carpenter, Brandon Moss, Matt Adams and Kolten Wong are all in play depending on whos in the lineup.Its also a good idea to target bats against the Phillies Phil Klein. The sample size is small, but hes allowing a .374 wOBA to hitters from the left side and a .390 wOBA to those who hit from the right. Im focusing on hitters with the platoon advantage here, and the Mets have a multitude of options you can throw out there, including switch-hitters Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera at the top of the lineup and lefties Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce in the middle of the order.The lucky hurler who draws the Coors Field start is Wily Peralta. After being pummeled for a 6.68 ERA in the first half, hes rebounded with a 3.23 ERA since the break. That said, left-handed batters are still giving him trouble (.381 wOBA), and Coors Field wont be kind to Peraltas 17.8 HR/FB, which would rank third-worst in baseball if he qualified. Lefties Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and David Dahl are the obvious plays here, though D.J. LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado are also in play even though they lack the platoon advantage.Theres no way around it: Aaron Blair has been one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball this year. The Braves have handed him 14 starts, and hes responded with an 8.02 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and a 4.6 walk rate thats in danger of catching his 5.1 whiff rate. Youre going to want some exposure to Tigers bats in this one.Most likely to go yard: Brian DozierI just cant get away from a 40-HR bat squaring off against James Shields, who is in danger of hitting the 40-HR mark himself, with 38 homers already allowed this season.Most likely to swipe a bag: Jose PerezaWhile Lester is one of the days top starters, his struggles at holding runners on have been well documented. Peraza, who has 18 steals in just 68 games, will be off to the races if he reaches base. ' ' '