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but his return to the Lions was surprising af
OAKLAND, Calif. George Connor Jersey . -- L.J. Hoes homered with one out in the top of the 12th, and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 3-2 on Tuesday night for their first win in four tries at the Coliseum this year. The Astros also earned their first three-game winning streak against the As in franchise history. Hoes connected off Fernando Abad (2-4). The baseball-leading As (61-38) missed several chances to move a season-high 25 games over .500. Pinch-hitter John Jaso hit a two-out single in the 11th and Jed Lowrie drew a walk from Jose Veras, who was replaced by Darin Downs (2-1). Jose Altuve hit a one-out single in the 10th and tried to steal second. Initially called safe, As manager Bob Melvin challenged that second baseman Nick Punto tagged him in time. The call was overturned in 1 minute, 3 seconds. That ended a franchise-record 28 straight steals by Altuve without being caught. Chad Qualls finished for his 11th save in 13 opportunities. Jed Lowrie tied the game on a sixth-inning sacrifice fly. Houstons Chris Carter hit a two-run single in the third against his former team and also had a pair of doubles. The Astros couldnt capitalize on his two-out double in the eighth off Luke Gregerson. Scott Kazmir, who had won his previous two starts and was going for victory No. 12 on the year, struck out six in seven innings. He allowed seven hits and two runs in a duel of lefty starters. Altuve led off the game with a single up the middle, but centre fielder Craig Gentry threw him out at second trying to stretch it for extra bases. Brett Oberholtzer, making his second start since being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on July 12, remained winless in four starts against the As dating to last season. He didnt strike out a batter for the first time in 13 starts this year. Astros first baseman Jesus Guzman returned after sitting out Sundays series finale against the White Sox because of back spasms When Houston last visited the Coliseum in April, Astros manager Bo Porter left the dugout in the third to yell at Lowrie moments after the No. 2 hitter flied out following two inside pitches. Lowrie said the situation dictated that he try to bunt, and it was too early in the game not to look to score even after the As scored seven runs in the first and led 8-0 after two. "I respect the game of baseball, and I will leave it at that," Porter said beforehand. "I know its completely behind me, its completely behind our team, and its not even something I would want to drum back up." Astros outfielder George Springer missed his second straight game with soreness in his right knee and quadriceps. NOTES: Gentry stole his 17th and 18th bases in the As third. ... The game drew 22,908, a strong showing for a weeknight against the Astros. ... RF Josh Reddick returned from a second stint on the disabled list because of a right knee injury but didnt start. He entered as a pinch-hitter leading off the eighth and stayed in the game. ... A foot issue is keeping Oaklands Stephen Vogt from catching right now. ... As All-Star 3B Josh Donaldson won the Heart and Hustle Award again. "Those are probably as good of words as you can come up with for him," Melvin said. "Hes dirty all the time." Brent Urban Jersey .S. military base for UFC: Fight for the Troops 3. This fight card, which takes place in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has had a number of changes, including headliner Lyoto Machida replaced by fellow Brazilian Rafael Natal. Dick Gordon Jersey . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U.Its been two years since the BC Lions hoisted the Grey Cup and Wally Buono handed the head coaching reigns to Mike Benevides. Since then the Lions have entered each season with one of the most talented rosters in the league before falling short of expectations. Two years is a short time to be sure, and its not like the Lions cant supply excuses for their shortcomings since 2011 – Travis Lulays shoulder injury last year – but in the ultra-competitive and impatient world of professional sports, the pressure is on. Bad teams feel pressure to be better; good teams feel pressure to be the best. And dont forget the added burden of a potential home field for the Grey Cup and the three-year streak of Grey Cup champs winning at home. The Lions were smart in acquiring veteran leader and “quarterback 1A” Kevin Glenn from the Ottawa Redblacks during the CFL Draft for the fifth-overall draft pick. The price was a little steep for a player few figured would actually end up with Ottawa for the upcoming season, but with Lulays shoulder still a talking point, Glenn provides quality insurance at the most important position. BC has opted for younger projects at QB behind Lulay the past couple years but the Glenn acquisition makes sense for a team that cant get derailed for even a short period of time, should Lulay miss games – for whatever ailment – this season. Especially with Thomas DeMarcos selection in the Expansion Draft, Glenn gives the Lions peace of mind at one of their most worrisome areas for 2014. Another solid move, adding to a position of strength, was the free agent signing of Jamall Johnson. Johnson returns to BC after five seasons in Hamilton, his last a down year after being asked to play in the middle, and joins a frightening linebacking corps that already includes Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill. BCs task in once again entering the year as one of the most talented teams on paper is replacing receiver Nick Moore and a number of large bodies on the offensive line. Not to diminish Moores impact, but the Lions receiving corps still has enough burners, and more importantly, added Canadian content, that Lulay – or Glenn – shouldnt feel frustrated for lack of quality targets. The line however, may have to rely on more youngsters than would be considered ideal. The good news is their young contingent on the offensive line is talented and the unit is still anchored by perhaps the best left tackle in the game in Jovan Olafioye. While theyve fallen short of the Grey Cup the past two years, the Lions still qualified for the postseason those years, and were just a win away from a return trip in 2012; so it feels strange to suggest the team enters the season under pressure to do more. That reality is part testament to how well the Lions organization is run, but as is the case with all good teams, being good only coounts for so long; greatness sticks. George Halas Jersey. Like the Argos and Riders before them, look for the Lions to go all out in 2014. Notes Parting Ways After a long tenure with the Lions as an offensive coach and coordinator, Jacques Chapdelaine left the Lions early in the off-season, the coach and team mutually agreeing to part ways. It was certainly a big shakeup on Benevides staff, getting rid of the offensive mainstay of 10 of the past 11 years. Up and coming offensive mind Khari Jones replaced Chapdelaine as well as taking on the QB coach role. Expansion Draft The Lions search for a backup quarterback began anew after the Ottawa Redblacks selected Thomas DeMarco, who gained solid experience filling in for an injured Travis Lulay In 2013, in the first round of the Expansion Draft. BC also lost guard Matt Albright and DT Andrew Marshall to the Redblacks. Free Agency With the least amount of players to hit the free market, the Lions were one of the least active teams during the free agency period. They did lose promising receiver Nick Moore to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers however, but made a splash on the other side of the ball when they brought back linebacker Jamall Johnson, who last played for the Lions in 2008, from Hamilton. Retirements The Lions offensive line took a number of big hits this off-season with the retirements of three big pieces. Veteran centre Angus Reid was the first to announce his retirement. The 13-year veteran was a three-time West Division All-Star and one-time league All-Star. Not long after tackle Ben Archibald retired. The two-time All-Canadian spent the past three seasons in BC. Then late in the off-season Patrick Kabongo joined the two in retirement. The nine-year vet was a one-time West Division All-Star. CFL Draft The Lions traded out of the first round in order to solidify their backup quarterback situation by grabbing Kevin Glenn from the Redblacks for the fifth-overall pick. The team had two picks in the second round, grabbing OL Tchissakid Player from Northwestern State and FB Pascal Lochard from Laval. With their final five selections the Lions took LB Casey Chin from Simon Fraser in the third round, DL David Menard from Montreal in the fourth round, WR Alexander Fox from Bishops in the fifth round, DL Dylan Roper from Simon Fraser in the sixth round, and RB Guillaume Bourassa from Laval in the seventh round. Khalif Mitchell Returns One of the most enigmatic players in the league the past few seasons made his return to BC late in the off-season after a year with the Toronto Argonauts. Khalif Mitchells talent and impact at his DT position are unquestionable, but his return to the Lions was surprising after Mitchell seemingly burned a lot of bridges on his way out of BC a year ago. Lions GM Wally Buono has said all the right things about Mitchells return so far, noting the player has matured over the years. ' ' '
- Created: Jan 6 '20
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