Hilfestellungen » cost us the game, Predators defense

SEATTLE -- The Houston Astros playoff momentum was halted Sunday by a pitcher they had never faced -- and likely will have to face again.Ariel Miranda (5-1), a Cuban defector acquired by the Seattle Mariners in a July 31 trade with Baltimore, held the Astros to just three hits and two runs over his seven innings in Seattles 7-3 victory.Seth Smith powered up a pair of home runs and had four RBI in support as the Mariners moved ahead of the Astros in the congested wild-card race.Houston (78-71) is a half game behind both the Mariners (79-70) and Detroit in the race for the wild card spots.He (Miranda) has a good fastball and a good split finger-change thing that he throws, Astros manager A. J. Hinch said. Our guys hadnt seen a ton of him...he did a good job challenging us, just above the zone and we swung under today and hit a lot of pop-ups in the infield, a few balls to the outfield. A couple balls to the track that could have changed the game a little bit. He kept enticing us with fastballs.That enticement will continue in the final week of the season. The Mariners play another three-game set with he Astros in Houston, Sept. 26-28, and Miranda likely is on schedule to start that series final game.Mirandas seven innings was his longest outing in 10 starts with Seattle. He walked one and struck out eight.Heck of an outing, Mariners manager Scott Servais said. Hes on a heck of a roll. We certainly needed it. Hes gained so much confidence. You can certainly can see it.Miranda has won all four of his starts in September. He said, through an interpreter, its been a dream of mine (to be in a playoff chase) but never been there. Its really great to get there. Im happy with the work Ive been doing and happy to help the team.Smith had a solo shot in the third and a three-run blast in the fourth, both on 3-1 pitches from Doug Fister (12-12), who went just 3 2/3 innings.I was just trying to attack with my sinker; he put a couple good swings on balls -- clearly, Fister said. I just didnt execute today, thats what it comes down to. Balls down, balls up, all over the place. I let my team down.Smith had been 0-for-10 in his career against Fister but the eight-year veteran had a plan.Guys know what theyre doing when they are pitching and able to pitch to the corners, Smith said. You try to take the close ones, try to get into a good hitters count when they come after you.Youre constantly learning, how to approach at-bats, knowing what kind of swing you have going into a game, knowing what the pitcher is trying to do to you, Smith said. Over the course of a career you kind of fit the pieces a little better together.RECORD WHIFFSWith Jandel Gustaves strikeout of Shawn OMalley in the sixth, the Astros staff established a club record for strikeouts with 1,283. Theyve done it without even a 200-strikeout pitcher. For the most part we have a few guys who can spin their breaking balls when they need to, manager A.J. Hinch said. and the changeup is a big component of our pitching staff.SLOW START; FAST FINISHNori Aoki, who was sent to the minors twice this season to work on his offense, has found his batting eye this month. Entering the game, he was hitting .387 in September, fifth best in the American League. He had been hitting .255 overall to start the month. For his career, he is a .324 hitting in September, fourth best among active players. He had two hits Sunday.TRAINERS ROOMMariners: 1B Adam Lind had not played since Sept. 12 with a sprained finger in his right hand but was back in the lineup Sunday, missing five games.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Brad Peacock (0-0, 2.70) will make his third start, seventh appearance, in his effort to win his first game since 2014. Last time ou, Sept. 13, he was solid, going six innings and allowing just three hits and one run in a 3-2 loss to Texas. Now the Astros are counting on him to step up at the most critical stage of the season. He is 1-4 with a 4.97 ERA in nine career appearances against Oakland.Mariners: RHP Taijuan Walker (6-10, 4.28) is coming off his best starting effort of his career (59 starts). He allowed just three hits and no runs -- first career shutout -- in an 8-0 win over the L.A. Angels. He had a no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings. He is 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA in three career starts against the Blue Jays but has not faced them this season.Sam Mills Youth Jersey . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Ted Ginn Jr Womens Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Willie-Roaf-Jersey/ . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. Michael Thomas Saints Jersey .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Morten Andersen Jersey . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining.NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Michael Cammalleri deflected all the credit for his big overtime goal to teammate Taylor Hall.Cammalleris second goal of the game with 18 seconds remaining on the clock in the extra period capped New Jerseys comeback from three goals down in the third period and gave the Devils a 5-4 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday.Hall took a pass from Cammalleri and brought the puck up the right side into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 break, waited before passing it back to Cammalleri cutting up the middle and he fired it past Predators goalie Pekka Rinne.I (got) the puck to Hallsy and he did the rest, Cammalleri said. A really highly skilled play by him to hold it off, hold it off and freeze the goalie and the defenseman, and throw a little baby saucer pass across ice. A heck of a play by him.The Predators had possession of the puck for most of overtime, but the Devils held them off and capitalized on their late scoring opportunity.Even though they had the puck for the majority of that period in overtime, I felt like we were on the right side, forcing shots that Keith (Kinkaid) should stop, Hall said. Its about pouncing at the right time. They got tired and they got too far into our end and let us have a 2 on 1. A lot of times is about who makes the first big mistake and we capitalized on it.Cammalleri started the Devils comeback from a 4-1 deficit after two as he fired a rebound into an open net 25 seconds into the third.Andy Greene pulled New Jersey within one 30 seconds later and Adam Henrique tied it with a power-play goal through Rinnes legs with 7:23 remaining.To the guys credit, I thought they came out with a good first shift, Devils coach John Hynes said. Obviously, when you score that early and get a couple early it gives you momentum.Hall had a goal and two assists, Travis Zajac also had two assists and Green added one for the Devils, who were 0-4-2 in their previous six road gamees.dddddddddddd Keith Kincaid stopped 38 shots to improve to 3-1-2.Kevin Fiala had two goals and P.K. Subban and Roman Josi also scored for the Predators, who fell to 9-1-2 at home. Rinne, a five-time All-Star, gave up five goals on 22 shots.Its an ugly, ugly way to lose a game and a terrible feeling for everyone, Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. I thought we had plenty of opportunities to win when it was 4-3, but it didnt happen.New Jersey evened its record to 6-6 in games beyond regulation, and Nashville fell to 0-4.Fiala gave the Predators a 1-0 lead when Matt Irwins point shot appeared to bounce off him into the net with 3:46 left in the first.Hall tied it 1:17 later when he swatted a rebound out of the air past Rinne.Nashville went back ahead on Subbans wrist shot from the slot with 39 seconds left in the opening period. Five of Subbans six goals have come at home.Fialas second goal increased the Predators lead to 3-1 on a tic-tac-toe play from Craig Smith and Mike Ribeiro at 6:02 of the second period.Josi extended the Predators advantage to 4-1 when he blasted a one-timer from just inside the center of blue line past Kinkaid with 5:29 left in the second.We let them in for 2 on 1s, two easy chances and that cost us the game, Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm said of the third-period collapse. We got a point and well take it, but we should have had two.Game notesThe Predators claimed LW Reid Boucher off waivers after he was released by the Devils the previous day. ... Nashville called up RW Mikka Salomaki and D Adam Pardy from its AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. ... New Jersey blocked 18 shots, including six by Greene.UP NEXTDevils: Host Vancouver on Tuesday night.Predators: Host Philadelphia on Sunday in the back end of the Predators fourth back-to-back set of the season. ' ' '