Hilfestellungen » meanwhile, kept his cool through it all, even

HOUSTON -- Dallas Keuchel isnt quite ready to say hes on a roll.However last years AL Cy Young Award winner will acknowledge that hes starting to feel more like himself than he did during his struggles early this season.Luis Valbuena hit a solo homer and Colby Rasmus and rookie A.J. Reed added two-run shots in the fourth inning to back up a solid start by Keuchel and give the Houston Astros a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.It was definitely a good first start after the halfway mark and I know its a long season so there was no panic, there was nothing to be mad at except me making some bad pitches, Keuchel said. Id rather finish well than start well so its getting there.Keuchel (6-9) allowed five hits and two runs in six innings for his season-high third straight win after dropping eight of his previous nine decisions.The finish on his pitches was good, manager A.J. Hinch said. He was throwing his breaking ball where he wanted to. He got some big strikeouts. When you see him with the combination of getting the ball on the ground and also missing some bats that is pretty vintage Dallas Keuchel.Will Harris, who was named to his first All-Star team on Tuesday, pitched a scoreless ninth for his ninth save.The Astros trailed by one in the fourth inning when Rasmus launched his homer off Taijuan Walker (4-7) to the bullpen in right-center field to make it 3-2. Valbuena drew a walk before, with two outs and two strikes, Reed hit his second career homer to left-center to extend it to 5-2.Walker yielded five hits and five runs before leaving after four innings with discomfort in his right foot. Its his third start that has been shortened because of this problem. He left early on June 14 and June 19 because of his foot.After the second inning, I had no legs. Everything was up, Walker said. Everything was running back to the plate. I just couldnt drive it in there. Its frustrating because I dont know what I can do to make it better yet.Nelson Cruz homered for the Mariners, who dropped their second straight to Houston.The three home runs Walker allowed tied a career-high and all were by left-handers. Hes been plagued by homers by lefties this season and 13 of the 18 homers he has allowed have been to them.Dae-Ho Lee singled with one out in the second before a double by Kyle Seager. The Mariners took a 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout by Chris Iannetta.Valbuenas homer, which landed in the second deck in right field, came with two outs in the bottom of the inning to tie it at 1-all.Cruzs 22nd home run gave Seattle a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning.He was shaken up in the sixth inning when he fouled a ball off his left foot and leg. He limped around the plate for a couple of minutes while talking to Mariners manager Scott Servais and a trainer before staying in the game to finish his at-bat.HOT IN HEREThe air conditioning in Minute Maid Park was off for about three innings on Tuesday night because of a power outage outside of the building. It had been off for a bit when the teams official Twitter account announced the problem at about 9 p.m. with the temperature outside the ballpark a balmy 86 degrees. Many people could be seen fanning themselves with their hands or pieces of paper as the temperature in the domed ballpark began to rise. Another tweet came in the eighth inning saying the problem was fixed and the air conditioning was back on.Oh yeah, it was hot. But I didnt mind it, Rasmus said. I needed to get a good sweat in anyway.TRAINERS ROOMMariners: RHP Felix Hernandez will throw a simulated game Wednesday. Servais said Hernandez will throw 45 pitches. Hernandez has been on the DL with a strained right calf since June 1.UP NEXTMariners: Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 1.50) will make his third start of the season on Wednesday. LeBlanc allowed three hits and two runs in six innings of a 5-2 win over Baltimore in his last start.Astros: Mike Fiers (6-3, 4.12) is scheduled to start for Houston on Wednesday. Fiers has won three straight and has pitched 14 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings at home. Timo Werner Germany Jersey . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Antonio Rudiger Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. http://www.germanysoccerpro.com/Marc-Andre-Ter-Stegen-Germany-Jersey/ . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Jonas Hector Germany Jersey . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Kevin Trapp Germany Jersey . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. LONDON -- From the lawns of Wimbledon to the lochs of Scotland, all of Britain can celebrate. Andy Murray made it possible Sunday, winning his countrys hallowed tennis tournament to become the first British man in 77 years to raise the trophy at the All England Club. Murrays 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over top-seeded Novak Djokovic was a fitting close to nearly eight decades of British frustration in its own backyard: A straight-setter, but a hard-fought, 3-hour, 9-minute affair filled with long, punishing rallies and a final game that may have felt like another 77 years, with Murray squandering three match points before finally putting it away after four deuces. Certainly, the endgame must have felt like torture to the 15,000 watching on Centre Court, the thousands more watching on a big-screen TV on the grounds and, of course, the millions of British watching on TV. "Imagine playing it," Murray said in his on-court interview. But he closed it out on this warm, cloudless day on Centre Court. He put his name beside that of Fred Perry, the last British man to win Wimbledon, back in 1936. Those words dont have to be written again. "Hes someone that Ive obviously never met, but is quite relevant in my career really," Murray said. The second-seeded Murray beat the best in Djokovic -- top-ranked and a six-time Grand Slam winner known for both a mental and physical fitness built to handle what he faced Sunday: A crowd full of overheated partisans rooting against him, to say nothing of Murray himself. "The atmosphere was incredible for him. For me, not so much, but this is what I expected," Djokovic said. Since falling to Roger Federer in the final last year, Murray had shed some baggage by winning the Olympic gold medal on Centre Court, then following that with his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open win ended a 76-year drought for the British in the Grand Slams. This one? Even sweeter. "The pinnacle of tennis," Murray called the Wimbledon win. "I worked so hard in that last game, the hardest few points I ever played in my life." When he finally wrapped it up, he let his racket fall to the turf, took his hat off and pumped his fist toward the crowd. Later, he climbed to the guest box where his girlfriend, Kim Sears, and his coach, Ivan Lendl, were among those sweating this one out. Born a week apart in May 1987 -- Djokovic in Belgrade when it was part of Yugoslavia, and Murray in Glasgow, Scotland -- these top two players are building the best tennis rivalry of the 2010s. This was their third meeting in the last four Grand Slam finals and all have been riveting affairs. Djokovic went up a break in both the second and third sets and, both times, appeared to have grabbed at least a bit of control and quieted a crowd that included Prime Minister David Cameron. But Murray dug out of both holes. In the second set, he set up break point with a sharply angled forehand that Djokovic couldnt handle, and the Serb responded with a double-fault, one of four on the day. In the third set, Murray lost four straight games to fall behind 4-2, but got the break back and -- eventually -- closed it out by winning the last four games as the roars from every corner of Centre Court grew louder. "The atmosphere today was different to what Ive experienced in the past,"t; Murray said.dddddddddddd"It was different to last years final, for sure. And then, the end of the match, that was incredibly loud, very noisy. Ive been saying it all week, but it does make a difference. Especially in a match as tough as that one, where its extremely hot, brutal, long rallies, tough games. They help you get through it." Trailing 5-4 in the third, Djokovic rushed out to the court after the break -- a man who seemingly wanted to get it over with. Murray quickly went ahead 40-0 and it looked to be all but over. But the next few minutes felt like forever. Djokovic saved the first three championship points, then had three break opportunities of his own. Couldnt convert any. Then, finally, Murray put it away when Djokovic rifled a backhand into the net. A few minutes later, the 26-year-old Murray was kissing the trophy. How might things have progressed if Djokovic had pulled out that game? "I dont know," was all he offered. Djokovic came into the match on the heels of a 4-hour, 43-minute semifinal victory over Juan Martin del Potro in similarly parched conditions on Friday. He conceded that match took a lot out of him but "Ive been in these situations before. I felt OK." Indeed, he rarely wears out, but Murray and the linesmen combined for a one-two punch, and punctured the 2011 Wimbledon champions typically calm, almost robotic, demeanour. Murrays withering groundstrokes and his patience from behind the line helped him take the first set. Then slowly, Djokovic shifted his strategy, mixing in drop shots with frequent trips to the net -- neither of which are considered his specialty. He won 30 of 52 trips to the net, compared to 26 for 37 for his opponent. "I wasnt patient enough in the moments when I should have been," Djokovic said. The impatience resulted in 40 unforced errors against 31 winners -- an uncommonly average ratio for the worlds top-ranked player -- compared to 36 winners and 21 unforced errors by Murray. Meanwhile, Djokovic found himself in what, at times, felt like an ongoing dialogue with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani, as a number of close calls went against him. Djokovic had used up all three of his second-set challenges by the middle of the eighth game. At the end of that game, after another close call on the baseline went against him, Djokovic raised his hands toward the heavens, showing another trace of frustration that rarely hits him. Murray, meanwhile, kept his cool through it all, even if the sweat that drenched his Wimbledon-white shirt made it nearly see-through at times. In addition to the trophy, Murray earned 1.6 million pounds ($2.4 million) and got that long-awaited invitation to the black-tie champions dinner, set for later Sunday night. "It was a privilege to watch (at)Andy--Murray making history at .Wimbledon, and making Britain proud," tweeted the prime minister. Indeed, on this day, the hoorahs were coming from every corner of the kingdom. "I can confirm," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said, "that the Queen has sent a private message to Andy Murray following his Wimbledon victory." Meanwhile in the mixed doubles final, Torontos Daniel Nestor and French partner Kristina Mladenovic won the title by defeating top-seeds Bruno Suarez of Brazil and American Lisa Raymond 5-7, 6-2, 8-6. ' ' '