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123 Nov 9 '19
ANAHEIM, Calif. Patriots Jerseys China . -- The Houston Astros finished a frustrating season just two games off last years playoff-worthy pace.Jose Altuves batting title was the only thing they won in their season finale, however.Mike Trout stole his 30th base and drove in his 100th run, and the Los Angeles Angels wrapped up just their third losing season in 13 years with an 8-1 victory over the Astros on Sunday.The Astros (84-78) missed the postseason for the 10th time in 11 years despite nearly matching the 86 wins of last seasons playoff team. They went a franchise-record 41-35 against divisional opponents and 41-40 on the road, their best mark away from Houston since 2004.But with the postseason out of reach Sunday at the Big A, the Astros didnt finish strong. At least Altuve went 1 for 4 with a broken-bat single in the ninth inning, ensuring his second AL batting title at .338.Its nice for him to end on a high note, Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. The bat breaking is probably not his favorite. He loves his bats. But what a sensational season for him.Houstons Brady Rodgers (0-1) gave up five hits and four runs in his first big league start for his hometown team. The 26-year-old farmhand, who made his MLB debut last month, relished the chance to face Trout.It was pretty cool, a pretty special moment that Ill always remember, Rodgers said. Hopefully we have a lot of battles in our future. Im definitely looking forward to the competition between him and I.Jhoulys Chacin pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball for the Angels (74-88), who won nine of their final 11 games and still finished 12th in the 15-team AL.We finished strong, said Trout, who completed his second 100-RBI season. Theres a lot of positive things we can take away from this year. It seemed like every other week, our lineup or our pitching staff took a big hit, but we played good for the last few weeks.Trout concluded another MVP-caliber campaign stuck on 29 homers, but he got his stolen base in the first inning and an RBI single in the sixth before leaving to a standing ovation. Trout went 1 for 2 and added two walks to his Angels-record total of 116, tops in the majors.This guy is the MVP, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. I dont think theres any question.Los Angeles finished fourth in the AL West, failing to finish in the top three for the first time since 1999.Carlos Perez had a two-run double during the Angels four-run second inning, Kole Calhoun added a two-run double in the sixth and Jefry Marte homered in the seventh.NO EXTRASThe Angels became the second team since 1913 to play an entire season without an extra-inning win. Only the 1969 Montreal Expos have done it in that stretch. Los Angeles played only four extra-inning games, the second-fewest since 1913 behind the 1936 St. Louis Browns (3).JHOS SURGEChacin (4-4), a midseason acquisition, finished an inconsistent year with a dominant effort in his first victory since Aug. 21. He improved to 4-2 with a 3.37 ERA in his career at Angel Stadium.DAVIDSONS FAREWELLBefore the game, the Angels announced home plate umpire Bob Davidson is retiring after 28 seasons. The 64-year-old Davidson saluted the stands during a warm ovation. Davidson, who broke into the majors in 1982, is perhaps best known for his aggressive balk calls.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: RF George Springer played in every game this season, although his finale was brief: He led off the game with a single and promptly left for a pinch-runner. He is the first Houston player to appear in every game since Carlos Lee in 2007. Springer led the majors with 744 plate appearances.Angels: RHP Jered Weaver took a curtain call when he was recognized on the scoreboard. Weaver, who skipped this start with back pain, is a free agent this winter who might not return to the Angels, his only big league team for 11 seasons. Hopefully theres more, Scioscia said. Patriots Jerseys 2020 .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. New England Patriots Shirts . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Mike Smith has ridden some of the best female horses of all time -- four, in fact, who are in the Hall of Fame, including Zenyatta, whose induction takes place in less than three weeks.Smith, a Hall of Famer himself and still going strong at age 50, has found another fabulous filly in Songbird, who is undefeated in eight career starts. She will put that streak on the line Sunday in the Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga, where she will meet four rivals, including Grade 1 winners Carina Mia and Weep No More.Songbird has won her eight starts by a combined 42 1/2 lengths. Shes done it with breathtaking ease, eliciting comparisons to some of the best Smith has ridden. That list includes champions and Hall of Famers Azeri, an 11-time Grade 1 winner; Inside Information, a six-time Grade 1 winner; Sky Beauty, a nine-time Grade 1 winner; and Zenyatta, a 13-time Grade 1 winner.The comparisons, however, are coming from other Hall of Fame riders. Smith said hes heard from retired jockeys Pat Day, Chris McCarron, Jerry Bailey, and Jacinto Vasquez -- the regular rider of the brilliant Ruffian -- to talk Songbird.I had the best of the best riders call me after shes run, a lot of them retired, saying she might be the best filly theyve ever seen, Smith said in a recent interview. I had Pat Day call me out of the blue one day and say, Is she really that good? Chris McCarron has come out and said, She might be better than any of them youve ridden.Since Songbird is just midway through her 3-year-old season, its understandable that Smith stops short of putting her in the elite category. For now.She still has a lot to prove to get to not just one of them but several of them, Smith said. Ive been that blessed to have ridden that many good fillies. Ive ridden some fillies that in their time, they were just unbeatable as far as fillies are concerned. I mean, no one was going to beat Sky Beauty in her time. No one was going to beat Inside Information in her time. No one was going to beat Jersey Girl when she was good - people forget about her. No one was going to beat Azeri, and no one was definitely going to beat Zenyatta. They were just all that good in their time.Smith himself brought up how difficult a decision it would be if, in their prime, that group met in a race.Just because Ive been on them doesnt mean Im going to pick the right one, Smith said. You get a little sentimental about this or that, and the next thing you know, youve taken off the wrong horse. I mean, how many times have we done that? Over and over again.Smith doesnt have a difficult time diiscussing what makes Songbird so good. New England Patriots Pro Shop. Shes extremely intelligent -- shes really, really a smart filly, Smith said. Man, you show her one time, and shes got it, and she just gets better at it, and thats been from Day 1. Every work was better, every race was better, the way she handled it, and shes just extremely talented. So well balanced, her mechanics, theres no wasted action. What she does thats the norm for her is very difficult, it seems like, for other fillies, which is mechanics, which is the way she does things. She just gets over the ground so effortless.Songbird, a daughter of Medaglia dOro trained by Jerry Hollendorfer for Rick Porters Fox Hill Farm, won her first seven races on the lead. In her most recent start, the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita on June 18, she stalked the filly Bellamentary, ridden by Martin Garcia, for a few furlongs before taking control.Last time, they thought, Well, were going to get in front of her; well show her, Smith said. That was the best thing that ever happened. I was telling Martin, Go ahead, I dont want to be here. I wanted to be farther back.Smith said he wouldnt mind seeing Songbird rate again Sunday, but its hard to imagine any of her four rivals being able to outrun her early.Id love for someone to get in front of her, Smith said. Theyre just going to have to run a little quicker than 45 [seconds] to do it.Songbird arrived at Saratoga on Wednesday night following a flight from Southern California that made stops in Denver and Lexington, Ky. The flight was delayed from Ontario Airport near Los Angeles because another horse acted up and needed to be unloaded. Songbird arrived at Saratoga just before 8 p.m. Eastern.On Thursday, Songbird was on the track at 5:40 a.m. for a 1-1/8-mile jog.Shes feeling good, said Christina Jelm, who was overseeing Songbird here before Hollendorfer arrived Thursday afternoon. Usually when we ship, well jog the next day, but you want to make sure they eat their food and their temperatures good, so its just better to say, Lets make our final decision in the morning. Everything went perfect. She ate up, she was happy, with her head out [of the stall] in the morning, so Jerry said, Go to the track.Smith, who was the leading rider at Saratoga from 1991-93, said hes looking forward to Songbird performing before an East Coast crowd.I cant wait, he said. Just to show her to different people. I think racing certainly deserves it; true fans certainly deserve it. Its cool. ' ' ' 
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