HOUSTON — It was yet another example of what the Houston Astros look like when their lineup depth flashes Adam Vinatieri Jersey , their fourth win in their final at-bat this season offering a glimpse of potential even when everything didn’t quite fall into place.
As the Astros (51-27) near the halfway point of the schedule on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals, they recognize fully that they will require more wins like the one they recorded on Saturday to keep pace in the chase for the best record in the American League.
They were handcuffed by a scuffling pitcher for seven innings before the bottom third of their order helped complete a game-tying rally in the ninth.
And, while Houston failed to walk it off in the 11th, the bottom third of its order generated just enough traffic for the heavy hitters to come to bat in the 12th and secure the 4-3 victory.
Designated hitter Evan Gattis, batting seventh, produced the game-tying RBI with his sacrifice fly in the ninth inning following an 0-for-3 start to his evening. Marwin Gonzalez, batting eighth, walked in both of his final two plate appearances after recording three strikeouts against Royals starter Ian Kennedy. By churning out quality plate appearances, the job was easier up top.
“We’re at our best when those guys are doing something at the bottom,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “That takes a lot of pressure off the top of the order or the middle of the order to have to do it every time. That’s why we think we have a complete team.”
Right-hander Gerrit Cole (8-1, 2.59 ERA) will start the series finale for the Astros in the rubber match. Cole did not factor into the decision in his last start, a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, after allowing four runs on three hits and five walks with eight strikeouts over seven innings.
He made his lone start against the Royals on July 21 Youth Courtland Sutton Jersey , 2015, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits with six strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings in a 3-2 loss at Kauffman Stadium when he pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Right-hander Jason Hammel (2-8, 4.88 ERA) gets the starting nod for the Royals. Hammel is 2-2 with a 2.85 ERA over nine career appearances (eight starts) against the Astros, including a 1.74 ERA over his last three starts. He hasn’t pitched at Minute Maid Park since 2014.
Hammel, who issued a season-high four walks in his previous outing, has issued two or fewer walks in 11 of 15 appearances this season and is tied for fifth in the American League with 37 starts with two or fewer walks since the start of 2017. His four walks against the Texas Rangers snapped a 37-start streak of walking three or few batters dating back to May 29, 2017.
After delivering at the plate and in the field for the Royals (23-53) in the opener, right fielder Rosell Herrera had a quiet night on Saturday, going 0-for-4 with a walk. Claimed off waivers from Cincinnati on June 2, Herrera was recalled from Triple-A Omaha last Sunday and has worked to show the defensive range and offensive versatility that could make him an asset as the Royals take extended looks at some of the younger players on their major league roster.
“He’s athletic, he’s fast,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of Herrera. “He seems to swing the bat OK from both sides. It’s only been a week. There’s a lot to like looking at him on a short look.”
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Chandler Jones had an All-Pro season as an outside linebacker in 2017 Danny Shelton Color Rush Jersey , leading the NFL in tackles with an Arizona Cardinals franchise-record 17.
Now he’s a defensive end, a position that could mean even more trouble for opposing quarterbacks. His only duties: set the edge to stop the run or get to the quarterback, something Jones does with a vengeance.
There’s a viral video of Jones wreaking severe damage on a blocking sled earlier in camp.
“Just too powerful” he explained.
But there’s more than power to the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Jones’ game.
“The guy has great length, good speed off the ball,” Cardinals coach Steve Wilks said. “He has that sliver technique to be able to get around the edge of the tackles, and he’s physical. He can turn that speed into power and create some momentum getting back to the quarterback. He has it all, and hopefully we can continue to build on what he had last year.”
Jones came to the Cardinals from New England in March of 2016 in a trade that sent a second-round draft pick and guard Jonathan Cooper to the Patriots. Because the Cardinals played a 3-4 defense under coach Bruce Arians, Jones had to learn to drop back in pass coverage as well as rush the passer and try to stop the run.
He handled the transition well.
Jones had 11 sacks and four forced fumbles in 2016 and, in March of last year, signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract that offseason, with $53 million guaranteed.
In the 2017 season Weston Richburg Jersey , Jones lived up to those big numbers. Not only did he lead the league in sacks but also in tackles for loss with 28, well ahead of the second-best performance, 21 by Houston’s Jadeveon Clowney.
“I feel like if you want to be labeled an elite defensive end, you can’t be just a pass rusher,” Jones said. “You have to be good on all cylinders and definitely setting the edge and defeating the run is one of them. That’s one thing I tried to take pride in last season and hopefully I can carry that forward to this season.”
Now 28 and entering his seventh NFL season, Jones wants more.
His goal, he said, is to do “better than I did last year.”
“There’s never a perfect season,” Jones said. “I can sit here and tell you a handful of plays that I left out there last season and hopefully I can capitalize this year.”
With Arians’ retirement and the arrival of Wilks, Jones is moving back to the 4-3 defense that he played with the Patriots. It means going back to a three-point stance instead of standing up as an outside linebacker.
“It’s not that hard,” he said. “You just have different terminology. You attack offenses different, but it’s not that big of a difference honestly.”
Wilks agrees.
“He hasn’t had a problem with that at all,” he said. “You go look back at some of the things he’s done in the past. He’s put his hand on the ground before.”
Jones likes the new defense.
“I feel like guys are flying around a lot more Authentic Thomas Rawls Jersey ,” he said. “There’s less thinking. There’s one-gap assignments and everyone is flying to the ball.”
Jones will get some edge-rushing help from the return of Markus Golden, who had a team-high 12 1/2 sacks in 2016 but played in just four games a year ago before a season-ending knee injury. Golden is on the physically unable to perform list but could be back before the season begins.
“Markus is a vocal leader,” Jones said. “He’s a guy that you can feel his presence out there but not by just his game play. I’m excited to have him back he’s a ‘hoorah’ guy and a hell of a player on top of that.”
Meanwhile, Jones and left tackle D.J. Humphries have had some spirited battles already in training camp as Wilks encouraged physical play. Humphries is lucky to have the practice, Jones said.
“I told D.J. yesterday, ‘You know what? You’ll never go against someone in a game that’s like me’ and I say that proudly because there’s not a lot of guys that do the moves that I do. I told D.J., ‘If you can stop me on a consistent basis, you’ll be fine.'”
Notes: Wilks said LB an MRI on LB Deone Bucannon’s knee showed no structural damage and the player’s availability in training camp would be evaluated “day to day.” Bucannon banged his knee against WR Brice Butler’s helmet on Thursday. … Several thousand people attended the team’s “Red and White Practice” on Saturday.