HOUSTON -- With the top of Houstons batting order struggling Friday night, the players at the bottom came through to help the Astros keep their winning streak intact.
Riyad Mahrez Jersey . Jonathan Villar broke an 0-for-26 slump with a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning and the Astros won their seventh straight game with a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the annual Major League Baseball Civil Rights game. It is the first time Houston, losers of 100-plus games the last three seasons, has won seven straight since 2010. Brett Oberholtzer (2-6) allowed four hits and a run in seven innings for the win and Chad Qualls got the last four outs for his fifth save. "Everybody did their part tonight," Houston manager Bo Porter said. "Oberholtzer was outstanding. The bullpen came in and was able to close it out and hold the game right there. Overall, just a great team win." The Astros had one hit before Matt Dominguez doubled to start the seventh. Alex Presley singled with one out but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Robbie Grossman followed with a double, which sailed just out of the reach of a leaping Steve Pearce in left field, to tie it 1-all. Villars ground-rule double bounced into the bullpen in right-centre field to put Houston on top and chase Miguel Gonzalez (3-4). "Extremely happy for (Villar) and Grossman," Porter said. "Both of them have been kind of scuffling and for them to be the two offensive heroes tonight, it definitely feels good." Houstons Nos. 7, 8 and 9 hitters combined for three hits Friday night while the top three had just one. "I feel like were never out of a game," said Grossman, who was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday. "Were just out there having fun." Adam Jones doubled to start the second inning and scored on a one-out single by J.J. Hardy to put Baltimore up 1-0. But the Orioles couldnt do much else against Oberholtzer as they tied a season high with their fourth straight loss. "Weve scored five runs in the last three games," manager Buck Showalter said. "You tip your cap to the other pitcher, but were capable of better." Gonzalez kept Houston off-balance early and didnt allow a hit until Jose Altuve legged out an infield single on a grounder to shortstop with one out in the sixth. Gonzalez yielded five hits and two runs in 6 2-3 innings. The Astros wore the uniforms of the Houston Eagles and the Orioles donned the uniforms of the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues for the game. Houston rookie George Springer, who had hit seven homers in his previous seven games, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts to snap an 11-game hitting streak. Oberholtzer had retired five straight before Nelson Cruz extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single to start the fourth inning. But he still faced the minimum in the inning thanks to a double play. He threw perfect frames in both the fifth and sixth and sat down the first two batters in the seventh before a single by Chris Davis. Hardys fly out ended the inning and Oberholtzers night. Gonzalez retired the first eight batters before walking Villar with two outs in the third. But Altuve grounded out to end that inning. He plunked Jason Castro with two outs in the fourth before Pearce robbed Dominguez of a hit with a diving catch to end the inning. NOTES: Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Berry Gordy and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown were honoured at a luncheon on Friday in conjunction with the game for their contributions to the civil rights movement. Author and poet Maya Angelou, who died on Wednesday at 86, was honoured posthumously. ... Former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... The series continues Saturday when Baltimore RHP Chris Tillman opposes LHP Dallas Keuchel. Keuchel was named the AL player of the week last week after going 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA in two starts. ... Baltimore C Matt Wieters, on the 15-day DL since May 11 with a right elbow strain, made 25 throws before Fridays game and Showalter said he will throw again Sunday.
Philippe Sandler Manchester City Jersey . That still leaves a big hole.You dont replace the leadership, defensive co-ordinator Billy Davis said. You just dont. Leadership is something that is earned over time.
Luke Bolton Manchester City Jersey . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest.Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Cam Newton smiled. As time wound down in a winner-take-all game that turned into a no-care-in-the-world laugher, the Carolina Panthers quarterback waved his arms up and down and nodded. On the Atlanta Falcons sideline, Matt Ryan grimaced. Newtons seven-win Panthers are headed to the NFL playoffs. Ryans six-win Falcons are not. Carolina returned two Ryan interceptions for touchdowns and scored 21 points off three turnovers in a 34-3 rout of the Falcons on Sunday at the Georgia Dome. Leading since the games first possession, the Panthers (7-8-1) clinched the NFC South for the second year in a row with the lopsided victory. They harassed Ryan all day, piling up six sacks. But the Falcons quarterback hurt himself, too. His overthrown pass was returned 31 yards for a touchdown by Roman Harper in the second quarter to help the Panthers build a 24-3 lead at halftime. And in the third quarter, Tre Boston picked off an underthrown pass and took it back 84 yards to put the game out of reach. They played the way you need to play in these types of situations, said Ryan. They executed at a high level and we did not, across the board. The Panthers became the first team to win consecutive NFC South titles and made the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time ever. They will host 11-5 Arizona in a wild-card game next week after winning four straight games to end the regular season. The streak followed a seven-game winless drought that started with a tie against Cincinnati on Oct. 12 and dropped them to 3-8-1 after a loss at Minnesota on Nov. 30. Newton passed for 114 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 51 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown scramble after a Falcons fumble in the first half. Jonathan Stewart carried the ball 13 times for 49 yards while starting again in place of DeAngelo Williams, who sat for the fourth straight game with a broken hand. Ryan threw 47 passes, completing 29 for 260 yards, including eight to Roddy White for 1104 yards.
Raheem Sterling Manchester City Jersey. Atlanta running back Steven Jackson missed the game with a quad injury but Julio Jones was active again despite a hip injury, catching four passes for 58 yards. The Falcons (6-10) eliminated the Saints from the division race with a 30-14 win in New Orleans last week to keep their playoff hopes alive, but will miss the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2006-07. Not acceptable at all, said Falcons coach Mike Smith, who wouldnt speculate on his job security except to say that hes the coach until the team tells him differently. This is not how you want to finish, he said. The Panthers continued their recent history of successful Decembers, improving to 12-1 in the month since 2012. After Graham Gano kicked a 21-yard field goal on the games opening drive, the Panthers also scored on their second possession when Newton found Ed Dickson for a 5-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of the first quarter. The Falcons drove to the Carolina 3-yard line, but settled for a Matt Bryant field goal, and Harper intercepted Ryan later in the second quarter, racing down the left sideline for his 31-yard touchdown. The Falcons turned the ball over again four plays into the ensuing possession when White was stripped by Adarius Glanton near midfield and Thomas Davis returned the fumble to the Atlanta 9-yard line. A 5-yard penalty moved the ball closer, and Newton powered across the line on the first play for a 24-3 Carolina lead with 1:47 remaining in the first half. Gano added a 48-yarder in the third quarter and Boston jumped a pass near the right sideline, then zig-zagged all the way to an 84-yard score with seven seconds left in the third quarter. Game Notes The Panthers had 17 first downs, only one more than Atlanta ... The Falcons gained just 288 total yards ... Carolina lost 23-10 to San Francisco in the divisional round last season ... The Panthers have won four of the last five meetings with Atlanta. ' ' '
