ANAHEIM
http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-jimmy-wynn-jersey , Calif. (AP) — The Houston Astros insist the AL West is the premier division in
baseball. They’re doing their part to show it, too.Marwin Gonzalez hit a grand
slam and Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa also homered to lead the Astros to a 9-3
win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.Dallas Keuchel (10-10) allowed
two runs and five hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking two.The
defending World Series champions have won three straight and four of their last
five games to maintain a 1 1/2-game lead over Oakland.“It’s the AL West, we’ve
got the best division in baseball I think by far,” Keuchel said. “It’s really
not an easy road any time you face big-league hitting. … You never take anything
lightly. You’re always appreciative of a quality outing.”Keuchel is steadily
improving as the season has progressed. He’s 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA in his last 13
starts.“It’s nice,” Keuchel said. “Nobody likes losing. I was 3-8 at one point.
I’ll take 10-10 for sure. Beggars can’t be choosers. It’s nice to get wins.
Everyone talks about the win being discontinued and it’s not that relevant, but
it is. It’s the first thing people look at and it’s the last thing people look
at. Nobody wants to lose. I’m competitive enough to want to win every time out.
When I don’t, it frustrates me and usually fuels me more.”Gonzalez hit his
second career grand slam. His shot to left field came off Andrew Heaney in the
fifth inning gave the Astros a 5-0 lead. Altuve hit his 10th home run and Correa
his 14th. Both were solo shots.Gonzalez is hitting .329 with seven home runs and
16 RBIs in his last 19 games.“We have been swinging the bat better as a team,”
Gonzalez said. “I think that’s contagious, too. We went through a rough time two
weeks ago when we couldn’t score runs. It’s been better lately.”Mike Trout
returned to the lineup and tripled on the first pitch in his first at-bat of his
first game back following the death of his brother-in-law, Aaron Cox. It’s
players weekend, and instead of a nickname
Francisco Liriano Jersey , Trout wore “A. Cox” on the back of his jersey.There was a moment of silence before the game for Cox, who was drafted by
the Angels and had recently retired before his death.“It was good to get back on
the field,” Trout said. “It was tough. I was fighting emotions tonight.
Obviously, coming back yesterday I was emotionally drained the last couple of
days.”Asked if this was the toughest game of his career, Trout said: “It was. My
brother came out here but the family is back home. Every so often, you can’t
help but think about it. He was a friend of mine and obviously my
brother-in-law, but we were really close.”Trout was on the disabled list with a
wrist injury when Cox, 24, died. Trout played in his first game since Aug.
1.Keuchel wore the name “David Burd” on his jersey, a tribute to the Astros’
longtime clubhouse assistant.Heaney (7-8) allowed five runs and eight hits in
six innings.Rookie Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer to left field in the seventh
inning for the second home run of his Angels career.The Angels have lost six of
their last seven games.ONE MILLION REASONSJustin Verlander was tagged with a
hefty lunch bill from the Cabana Cafe in The Beverly Hills Hotel on Friday.
Verlander posted a picture of the receipt, in which a staffer jokingly charged
him 1 million for being a “Dodger killer” in addition to his lunch selections.
Verlander and the Houston Astros beat the Dodgers in seven games to win the
World Series last year. Verlander wrote on Instagram: “#BeverlyHillsHotel really
making me pay for that World Series win” with laughing emojis.ANOTHER SLAM,
PLEASEGonzalez’s slam was the Astros’ sixth this season
http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-charlie-morton-jersey , which ties a franchise record for third-most in a season. The record is seven,
set by the 2001 and 2007 Astros teams.TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: OF George Springer
(quadriceps) was available to pinch hit Friday. … OF Jake Marisnick (groin)
began a rehab stint at Triple-A Fresno on Friday. He was 2 for 4 with solo home
run and a double.Angels: RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani (strained right elbow) is
scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Saturday. …. LHP Tyler Skaggs
(left adductor strain) and RHP Nick Tropeano (right shoulder inflammation)
played catch Friday.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Verlander (12-8, 2.65 ERA) earned his
200th win in his last start. He is 2-2 with a 5.57 ERA in August.Angels: RHP
Jaime Barria (8-7, 3.41) is 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA over his last three starts
following an 0-6 stretch before that. CLEVELAND (AP) — Andrew Miller’s
start-and-stop season has been disrupted again.The Cleveland Indians placed the
invaluable reliever on the 10-day disabled list with shoulder soreness, an
injury the AL Central leaders hope gets better in time for the
postseason.Manager Terry Francona said Miller complained about his shoulder
Tuesday and, after consulting with the team’s medical staff, received a
cortisone injection.“It was the right thing to do for him,” Francona said.
“We’ve talked about it before, even when it’s maybe not convenient you need to
do the right thing. Andrew is going to pitch for a long time and he’s carried
such a big load for us that we need to look out for him a little bit,
too.”Francona said Miller be completely shut down while the shot takes affect
and there’s no timetable on when the 32-year-old will pitch again.“We’re just
going to go off of Andrew,” Francona said Wednesday before the Indians hosted
the Minnesota Twins. “We’re going to do what’s right by him. We’ll update you as
we go. We just don’t know what that is.”This is Miller’s third trip to the DL
this season. He was previously sidelined with a hamstring issue and then
inflammation in his right knee. It’s just been that kind of year for the
two-time All-Star.“Sometimes things happen so you just do the best you can,”
Francona said. “He’s not going to quit and we’re not going to quit either.”One
of baseball’s best relievers when healthy
Andy Pettitte Jersey , Miller is 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA in just 27 games this season. He made 57 appearances in 2017, his first full season with the
Indians, who acquired him in a trade with the New York Yankees in July
2016.Francona rode Miller hard in the ’16 postseason, when he dominated hitters
while helping Cleveland get to the World Series for the first time since 1997.
Miller went 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA and struck out 30 in 19 1-3 innings.Miller is
only under contract through this season, and to protect themselves against his
injuries and the future, the Indians acquired closer Brad Hand and right-hander
Adam Cimber before the trade deadline.To take Miller’s roster spot, the Indians
recalled Tyler Olson from Triple-A Columbus. The lefty was up twice previously
this season with Cleveland, posting a 1-1 record with a 6.75 ERA in 32
outings.
