Final Score: Tampa Bay 14, Houston 10

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Evan Longoria hit a pair of homers and drove in five runs, as the Tampa Bay Rays outlasted the Houston Astros, 14-10, to sweep a three-game series.

Longoria went 4-for-6 with three runs scored in a game that featured 18 extra-base hits, 84 official at-bats and 11 pitchers.

B.J. Upton hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Rays, who went 5-1 on a six-game road trip. Upton homered in every game of the series.

J.P. Howell (1-1) got the win despite giving up a solo homer in one inning of work.

Carlos Lee knocked in three runs for the Astros, who have dropped a season- high six in a row and 14 of 16 at home. Jeff Keppinger and Matt Downs homered in defeat.

Wilton Lopez (1-4) allowed four runs on four hits over 2 1/3 innings to suffer the loss.

It didn't take long for the runs to start piling up. Upton continued his impressive showing in the series with a three-run homer to left-center field in the first inning.

Houston got one run back in the home first on Lee's RBI triple to right-center field.

The Astros added two more runs in the second to tie the game. Clint Barmes hit an RBI double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-3.

Upton's RBI groundout in the third gave the Rays a 4-3 edge, but Lee's two-run double in the bottom of the frame put Houston in front.

The back-and-forth battle continued in the fourth, as Ben Zobrist hit an RBI double to make it a 5-5 contest.

But the Astros tacked on two more runs in the home fourth to take the lead back. Michael Bourn hit an RBI single, stole second, moved to third on catcher Kelly Shoppach's throwing error and scored on a Keppinger sacrifice fly.

Following a scoreless fifth, the Rays put two runs on the board in the sixth. Lopez gave up a single to Johnny Damon, who advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a balk. Longoria stepped to the plate with one out and smacked Lopez's offering over the wall in left to make it 7-7.

Keppinger's solo homer to left off Howell in the seventh gave the Astros an 8-7 edge.

Of course there was more runs to be had, as the Rays scored four times in the eighth. Damon and Zobrist singled off Lopez to put men on first and second with one out. Mark Melancon took over on the mound and got Longoria to go down swinging. Upton walked to load the bases for pinch-hitter Matt Joyce, who hit a two-run double to the right-field corner. Casey Kotchman followed with a two-run single to right to give Tampa Bay an 11-8 lead.

Downs kept Houston in the game with a two-run homer off Joel Peralta in the home eighth.

Longoria put the game out of reach in the ninth. Wade Davis, who pitched seven strong innings for the Rays on Saturday, led off with a pinch-hit single. Davis moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on Damon's base hit. But Davis was thrown out at home when Zobrist hit a grounder to second. Two men were still on base for Longoria, who cleared the wall in left to make it a 14-10 contest.

Game Notes

Rays starter Jeff Niemann gave up five runs on seven hits over three innings. Houston starter J.A. Happ allowed five runs on nine hits over five full frames...The Rays are 8-1 over their last nine games...Houston fell to 3-6 in interleague play this season, while the Rays improved to 9-3...Longoria's homer in the sixth was reviewed. It was the seventh career multi-homer game for Longoria.

NFL.com's Bucky Brooks recently wrote a piece detailing 2010 rookies who need to step up in their sophomore season. Clearly the 2010 rookie who the Texans are most counting on in the (hopefully) upcoming season is cornerback Kareem Jackson, who has had quite the unusual second offseason to pair with his quite terrible first on-field season.

Brooks broke down Jackson's situation thusly:

Part of the Texans' woeful pass defense could be attributed to Jackson's youth and inexperience. He was routinely overmatched by savvy veteran receivers and didn't hold up in isolated situations. With Wade Phillips instituting a zone-based system that relies on corners playing with discipline in coverage, Jackson must show the maturity and awareness to respond with a big year in Houston.

I'll start by saying I really hope Jackson's on-field maturity is better than his off-field maturity.

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(Sports Network) - The Rays have put together a nice run of late thanks to their rotation. Houston native Jeff Niemann hopes to get in on the success this afternoon when Tampa Bay aims to sweep a series against the Astros.

The Rays are 7-1 over their last eight games, due in part to some incredible starting pitching. In those eight contests, their starters have pitched to a 1.41 ERA (9 earned runs, 57 1/3 innings). Rays pitchers have gone 11 straight games without allowing 10-plus hits. That's three contests off the club record, set during the 2008 season.

On Friday night James Shields pitched his sixth complete game of the year. Last night it was Wade Davis who held the Astros in check through seven innings in a 7-2 triumph. That gave Tampa Bay its ninth victory in its last 12 road games.

B.J. Upton, Casey Kotchman and Evan Longoria each drove in two runs last night. Davis (7-5), making the 50th start of his career, gave up one run on five hits over seven innings for the Rays, who have won three in a row and seven of eight overall. Davis also struck out three and walked one en route to winning his third straight start.

"I think I stayed under control better than I have all year throughout the whole game," Davis said.

Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee had an RBI apiece for the Astros, who lost 5-1 in the opener of this series on Friday. The Astros have dropped a season-high five in a row and 13 of 15 at home.

Bud Norris (4-6) allowed three runs on six hits over five full frames to suffer the loss. He also struck out five and walked three.

"He kept working to find his stuff, and his command kind of got him in trouble there with those walks," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "He kept battling through it. It was -- what? -- 95 pitches though five innings, and he wanted to go back out there, but it was a situation [in which] we were down and trying to get some baserunners as well."

Niemann came off the disabled list on Monday and started that night at Milwaukee in the first game of this road trip. He earned an 8-4 win over Chris Narveson, but left after six innings with a 5-0 lead. Prior to that, Niemann was out six weeks with a lower back strain.

This will be Niemann's second career start against the Astros. He won here last year on May 22, 4-2 over Wandy Rodriguez. He's made six career starts in NL parks and the Rays have won all of those games.

Countering on the hill for Houston will be J.A. Happ, who is 0-5 over his last seven starts. The lefty hasn't won since May 14 against the Mets, and he's coming off a horrid road outing against the Rangers on Monday when he allowed eight hits and five earned runs over 2 2/3 innings. This will be his first career appearance against Tampa Bay.

Rays pitchers are 0-for-19 at the plate this season. The most at-bats without a hit in one interleague season by an AL pitching staff is an 0-for-25 by the 2008 Red Sox pitchers.

The Rays, winners in eight of their last nine interleague games, won two of three over the Astros in Houston last season.

After the Rockets were not able to pull in their coveted big man at the NBA Draft on Thursday, the wheels in Daryl Morey's head are spinning like mad trying to get this team a player in the middle that can make a difference. That player may end up being... Andris Biedrins?

Latest NBA scuttlebutt has the Rockets possibly sending center/forward tweener Jordan Hill and um, effort/desire tweener Hasheem Thabeet to Golden State for Biedrins. 

In seven seasons with the Warriors, Biedrins has averaged 7.7 points, 8 rebounds, and just over a block per game while playing in around 24 minutes per contest. He's very obviously not "the" guy the Rockets covet, but they would have you believe that he's better than what the team has now. Yeah, that's a stretch. Clearly the plan to get a star-level player wouldn't change with the acquisition of Biedrins.

Thabeet appears to be a lost cause unless he flips a switch that suddenly gives him the mental makeup of  a guy who cares about his NBA career. His involvement in any deal is only about making the money work, so he's basically a non-factor. Hill has shown flashes of effectiveness and makes for a nice complimentary player. The deal pretty much boils down to Hill vs. Biedrins. Player to player I can't say I think one is tremendously better than the other. Presumably, Biedrins would be a full-time center in Houston, whereas there has been some power forward play sprinkled in with his center work in Golden State.

With the addition of forwards Marcus Morris and Donatas Motiejunas in the draft on Thursday, it makes sense that the Rockets are looking to move one or more of their plethora of frontcourt players. 

Post-draft, Morey still has an immense amount of work to do to get this team into the playoffs, but getting to the playoffs clearly is not the goal. Oh, and there's still that little matter of what to do about Yao Ming.

On Thursday, the Houston Rockets sent Brad Miller plus their 23rd and 38th picks in the draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Donatas Motiejunas and Jonny Flynn. On Friday when Flynn was examined by Houston team doctors, the deal hit a bit of a snag.

Flynn, 22,  was the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft, but he had hip surgery after a torn labrum last July that limited his availability in 2010. It was not made clear whether or not Minnesota was up front with Houston about the current status of Flynn's hip, but to push the deal through, the Timberwolves had to cough up a second round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. 

Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey said there are no issues and that Flynn is fine. So fine, apparently that the Rockets had to be given another draft pick before they would clear him on his physical.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the injury won't keep Flynn off the court , but raises long-term health concerns with the Rockets.

Several reports surfaced that Flynn was on the trading block as soon as the Rockets acquired him. This will likely make moving Flynn much more difficult. On the flipside, Flynn has hardly had a chance to blossom as an NBA player and if there's roster room (and if there's a season) in the fall, it would be interesting to see if Flynn could reach his full potential in a Rockets uniform.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 7, Houston 2

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - B.J. Upton, Casey Kotchman and Evan Longoria each drove in two runs, as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Houston Astros, 7-2, in the middle portion of a three-game interleague series.

Wade Davis (7-5), making the 50th start of his career, gave up one run on five hits over seven innings for the Rays, who have won three in a row and seven of eight overall. Davis also struck out three and walked one en route to winning his third straight start.

Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee had an RBI apiece for the Astros, who lost 5-1 in the opener of this series on Friday.

Bud Norris (4-6) allowed three runs on six hits over five full frames to suffer the loss. He also struck out five and walked three.

The Rays scored one run in each of the first three innings to take an early lead. In the first inning, Ben Zobrist worked a one-out walk and came around to score on Longoria's double down the left-field line.

Reid Brignac hit a one-out single during the Rays' next at-bat. Brignac moved up to second on Davis' sacrifice bunt and scored on Johnny Damon's base hit to right. Brignac slid under the tag at home plate to make it a 2-0 game.

Longoria started the third with a walk and Kotchman followed with a single to put men on first and second. Two batters later, Upton hit an RBI single to left for a 3-0 edge.

Houston finally got to Davis in the fourth. Pence worked a two-out walk and crossed the plate on Lee's double to right-center field to make it 3-1.

Upton's solo homer to left off Fernando Abad in the sixth made it a 4-1 contest.

The Astros had a chance to get some runs back in the home sixth, but they left the bases loaded.

Houston scored a run in the eighth to make it a two-run game. Joel Peralta gave up a one-out single to Jeff Keppinger, who scored on Pence's double off the wall in left. Kyle Farnsworth took over on the mound and Lee smacked the ball to the warning track in left field. Sam Fuld dropped the ball to allow Lee to reach base. Matt Downs grounded into a double play to keep it a 4-2 contest.

The Rays tacked on three runs in the ninth to pull away. Fuld doubled Zobrist walked to begin the frame. Longoria followed with an RBI double to left. Sergio Escalona took over on the mound for Enerio Del Rosario and gave up a two-run single to Kotchman.

Farnsworth pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to record his 16th save of the season.

Game Notes

Astros catcher J.R. Towles left Friday night's game in the top of the third inning due to a cut on his chin caused by a foul tip. The cut required 11 stitches. Towles did not start Saturday's contest but came in a pinch-hitter in the seventh...The Rays (43-34) are nine games over .500 for the first time this season...Houston fell to 3-5 in interleague play this season, while the Rays improved to 8-3...The Astros purchased the contract of catcher Brian Esposito from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned pitcher Fernando Rodriguez to the same club...Houston went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven...Del Rosario gave up three runs on three hits.

(Sports Network) - Bud Norris is itching for offensive support, even just one run at this point as the Astros have been shut out 1-0 in each of the right- hander's last two starts. Norris will be on the hill tonight when Houston hosts the Tampa Bay Rays in the middle portion of this three-game interleague series.

Norris tossed six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and one walk, but did not receive a decision against the Dodgers on Sunday. He also lost at home to Pittsburgh on June 14, and in his last three outings has given up a total of two earned runs over 21 innings.

The Rays mark the only American League team he has faced in his career. Norris' lone interleague start came on May 23, 2010 when he allowed four earned runs in five innings with 10 strikeouts. He didn't get a decision.

Wade Davis makes the 50th start of his career tonight for the Rays. The righty has won his last two starts, beating Baltimore on the road and most recently limiting the Marlins to a run over six innings on June 17. His current win streak comes on the heels after going a month (and four starts) without a victory.

Davis has struggled with the bottom of the order, as opposing 7-8-9 hitters are batting .343. Meanwhile, hitters 1 through 6 are batting just .251. He's also struggled with the long ball of late, giving up 12 homers in his last eight starts. That followed a stretch of yielding just one round-tripper over his first six starts.

Coming off his first career interleague victory, Davis has never faced the Astros.

Last night, James Shields tossed his major league-leading sixth complete game to give Tampa Bay a 5-1 victory.

Shields (8-4) allowed one run on three hits and a walk while fanning nine in his third straight complete game victory. He also surpassed Joe Kennedy for the club record for complete games in a season. Kennedy threw five in 2002.

"I definitely didn't think it was going to be this many. I thought I was trying to get three or four or something like that," said Shields. "It's unbelievable. This is not how I expected to start but this is exactly how I wanted to start."

Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton hit back-to-back homers as the Rays won for the sixth time in seven games.

Wandy Rodriguez (5-4), who had won his last three starts, allowed five runs on six hits and two walks through six innings. It was his first loss in exactly two months.

Chris Johnson knocked in the lone run for the Astros, losers in four of their last five.

The Astros could be without catcher J.R. Towles. He took a foul ball that bounced off his mask and onto his chin and knocked him out of the game. He had to leave because his chin was bleeding profusely and was replaced by Carlos Corporan behind the dish. Towles received 11 stitches and is listed as day-to- day.

The Rays, winners in seven of their last eight interleague games, won two of three over the Astros in Houston last season.

Once Jim Crane is officially the new owner of the Houston Astros, "Disappointment Watch 2011" will begin. I'm sure Crane will keep Ed Wade around through the end of the season - and maybe he should. While Ed isn't exactly my pick for Baseball Personnel Genius of the Universe, we would probably do better with his expertise through the trade deadline than without. Or something.

There are some troubling things out there about Crane, but I don't expect it to have much of an impact on his approval. War-profiteering is appalling, but - how can I put this without getting a smack from SBN HQ... uh... there are "other people" in "other professions" who engage in it at a disgusting level and nobody seems to care, so why should it matter for a MLB owner? I say that of course in the most cynical and sarcastic way possible, because war-profiteering is foul and disgusting. 

Oh, right - hope. It starts with Bud Norris, Jordan Lyles, and 

So, Norris and Lyles. Jordan has yet to win a game as an Astro, and he may not win one all season even if he breaks the consecutive innings record. 

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Trade speculation surrounding former rookie phenom turned ousted Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton is nothing new, but today may or may not mark the first time a possible suitor has been linked to him via the ever-present NFL Rumor Mill. 

CBS Sports' Len Pasquarelli passes on information that Slaton may have a potential landing spot in St. Louis with Steven Jackson and the Rams:

Rumors have linked him to St. Louis, where the Rams could use a reliable back capable of getting 6-8 touches per game, to reduce the workload for Steven Jackson, but the talk has been unsubstantiated.

Len's use of the word "rumors" already implies that the talk has been unsubstantiated, but I think that's his way of saying "**I** think Steve Slaton would be a good fit in St. Louis and while I've heard nothing to intimate these plans are in the works, it sounds better if I say "rumors link" him to the Rams."

Even after his disastrous second and third seasons in Houston, which were plagued with injuries and a ridiculously maddening fumble problem - I stil, still think he can be a solid NFL contributor. That said, it probably needs to happen elsewhere. He could use a change of scenery I'm sure, and the Texans are pretty stacked in a backfield that features Arian Foster, Derrick Ward, and Ben Tate. 

Still, with Gary Kubiak's offensive smarts and Slaton's pass-catching ability, I'd love to see him get worked into the offensive scheme somehow, but it would be silly to burn a roster spot for that possibility on a guy who still runs timid, may still have a fumbling problem, and was sadly one of the most God-awful kick return men I've ever seen.

We already know Slaton is on the outs, but it will be interesting to see how he does in a complimentary back role, possibly behind a powerful grinder like Jackson in St. Louis.

Blah blah blah lockout. Blah blah blah losing games. Blah blah blah football football blah. 

ESPN's Paul Kuharsky informs us that our resident philosopher, Pterodactyl Linguist, and dominant rusher Arian Foster is up to win some... sigh... ESPYs. Silly as ESPYs and awards in general are, it's good for Foster to get some more-than-deserved recognition in his quest to stop being so criminally underpaid (I know, he's only done it for one year... I don't disagree, but there's no way this guy is going to disappear next year). Foster is slated to make $480,000 in 2011, by the way. I assume Rick Smith is going to hook this guy up, unless he is busy doing around-the-clock damage control. I digress.

So Foster is eligible in three categories, as follows:

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The Texas A&M Aggies got off to a blazing start in their first game of the 2011 College World Series Sunday night, scoring four runs in the opening frame. Unfortunately, the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks wasted no time in countering with four of their own in the bottom of the first.

Jacob House got the Aggies going offensively with an RBI single in the first. Then with the bases loaded and two down, Brandon Wood laced a triple down the right field line, scoring three runs and putting the Aggies up 4-0.

After South Carolina's four-run first inning rally, neither team managed a run until USC's Scott Wingo belted a shot off the right field fence in the bottom of the ninth for a long game-winning single, scoring Robert Beary from third base.

To remain alive, the Aggies must now win an elimination game against California, who lost to Virginia on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1PM Tuesday, with coverage on ESPN.

That collective "whew" you heard from Houston was the Astros' brass breathing a collective sigh of relief. What could have been a disaster for Hunter Pence and Houston (by putting them on track to lose 110 games instead of 100?) has turned out to only be an elbow sprain. He is status is currently described as day to day.

Pence has of course been one of the few bright spots of another otherwise abysmal Houston Astros season. After injuring his left elbow on Friday night sliding into first base, Pence was scratched from Saturday night's game in Los Angeles and instead flew back to Houston for an MRI.

Pence had the procedure done today, and while an elbow sprain is surely a painful injury, it is not expected to keep him on the shelf for any real length of time.

The Astros' team physician delivered more good news:

Dr. Tom Mehlhoff, the Astros' team physician, said Pence has no tears or ligament damage and has an improved range of motion since Saturday.

The short-term worst-case scenario is that he'll miss some or all of the series against the Texas Rangers, which is to begin Monday in Arlington.

Final Score: Los Angeles 1, Houston 0

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Dioner Navarro collected two of the Dodgers' three hits, including a solo home run in the eighth inning that lifted Los Angeles to a 1-0 win over the Houston Astros.

James Loney had the only other hit for the Dodgers, who snapped a five-game losing streak.

Matt Guerrier (3-3) worked a scoreless eighth to earn the win for Los Angeles.

Chris Johnson smoked two doubles and Jeff Keppinger added the other hit for Houston, which has lost 12 of its past 16 games.

Wilton Lopez (1-3) yielded Navarro's home run to absorb the loss for Houston.

Javy Guerra pitched a perfect ninth to notch his second save of the season.

The Dodgers scored the only run of the game on a mammoth blast to center by Navarro, his second home run of the season.

Houston put runners on first and second in the second inning via a double by Johnson and a walk to Clint Barmes. Both runners advanced after a wild pitch, but the Astros weren't able to capitalize as Carlos Corporan fanned to end the inning.

Johnson led off the seventh with a line-drive double but was stranded there as Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda bore down to retire the next three Astros hitters and keep the game scoreless.

Kuroda went seven scoreless innings, giving up three hits while striking out six and walking two. Houston starter Bud Norris pitched six strong innings, yielding only one hit while fanning five and walking one.

Facing Sergio Escalona in the seventh, Andre Ethier worked a lead-off walk and Loney stroked a single to give the Dodgers runners on first and second with one out. Los Angeles was unable to break the deadlock, as Lopez induced an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play from Casey Blake.

Game Notes

Prior to Sunday's game, the Dodgers placed catcher Rob Barajas on the 15-day DL and recalled A.J. Ellis from Triple-A Albuquerque...Astros center fielder Michael Bourn was ejected in the fifth by home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson after arguing a called third strike...The Astros fell to 14-21 on the road this season...The win snaps a six-game home losing streak for Los Angeles.

Gary Kubiak recently sat down with Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle for an extended discussion of... battle. Justice hit on many of the essential 2011 offseason questions: Wade Phillips, Mario's "position change," Brian Cushing's backslide, Kareem Jackson's awful rookie year, etc. 

As he's apt to do, Kubiak repackaged most answers to match retorts he's given John McClain, or anyone else (note to interviewers; I know Kubiak isn't exactly a great interview, but maybe you could frame the questions in such a way that he doesn't just regurgitate? Yes, it's very possible. It just takes, you know, effort).

On Wade Phillips and the decision to move Mario to OLB:

"One of our biggest battles, you know, like the Mario conversation that's been going on for three months. Just watching him come to the conclusion as we entered the draft, `Hey this is what he's going to do for us. Now let's go get this in the draft. He just said, `This is what I need for us to be good."'

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Houston Astros (27-45) at Los Angeles Dodgers (31-41), 4:10 p.m.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Houston - Bud Norris (4-5, 3.48) Los Angeles - Hiroki Kuroda (5-8, 3.31)

(Sports Network) - The struggling Los Angeles Dodgers hope Hiroki Kuroda can break himself and the ballclub out of a funk when he takes the ball today in the finale of a three-game series versus the Houston Astros at Chavez Ravine.

Kuroda is 0-5 with a 4.40 earned run average in his last five starts and previously took the mound in Monday's 6-4 loss versus Cincinnati. He allowed four runs -- two earned -- and seven hits in 6 1/3 frames, falling to 5-8 in 14 starts with a 3.31 ERA.

The Japanese right-hander is 2-4 in seven home starts and hopes to stay unbeaten in his career against the Astros. Kuroda is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA in five starts in this matchup.

Los Angeles witnessed youngster Rubby De La Rosa suffer through his first loss, as he allowed five runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings of last night's 7-0 defeat to the Astros. Ramon Troncoso gave up the other two runs.

"Rubby was pretty good tonight, he looks like he could be special, this is just a step along the way," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of his starter. "In the fifth, everything steamrolled on us. We have to turn the page, we can't feel sorry for ourselves."

Dee Gordon, Andre Ethier and Marcus Thames each had two hits for the Dodgers, who are 0-5 so far on a season-long 12-game, 14-day homestand. The Dodgers have lost six in a row at home for the first time since Aug. 2-14, 2007 and fell to 2-8 in their last 10 games overall. The last time LA suffered seven straight losses at Dodger Stadium was during the 1993 season.

The Dodgers are 10 games below the .500 mark and will also host the Tigers and Angels on this residency. Catcher Rod Barajas left the game in the fifth inning with a right ankle sprain and could land on the disabled list soon.

Houston won for the fourth time in 15 tries last night and has outscored the Dodgers, 14-3, over the first two games of this series. Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez threw six shutout innings and struck out six batters for the win.

"I felt very good, I used everything tonight," Rodriguez said. "Winning these two games, we're feeling better as a team."

Jeff Keppinger went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in and Chris Johnson finished with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI for Houston, which will also visit Texas for three games on this road swing and have won two straight in Hollywood since a four-game slide there.

Astros outfielder Hunter Pence did not pay Saturday due to a left elbow injury suffered in Friday's 7-3 win. Pence, who sustained the injury attempting a head-first slide into first base, is expected to undergo an MRI back in Houston today and is hitting .321 this season.

Toeing the rubber for the 'Stros tonight will be Bud Norris, who had a personal two-game winning streak cut short his last time out. Norris pitched well enough for a win in Tuesday's 1-0 loss versus Pittsburgh, as he surrendered the only run of the game in seven innings of work.

Norris has allowed one run in each of his past two outings and has now lost four of his previous six decisions. The right-hander is 4-5 in 14 overall starts this season with a 3.48 ERA. Norris did not record a decision in a 4-3 win over Los Angeles on May 23 and is 1-1 in three starts in this series.

Houston took two of three meetings from the Dodgers at Minute Maid Park back in May. The Dodgers went 4-2 against Houston last season and won two of three bouts between the teams held in Los Angeles in 2010.

The last time Houston swept the Dodgers in three games at Chavez Ravine was May 9-11, 2008.

Final Score: Houston 7, Los Angeles 0

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Wandy Rodriguez worked six scoreless innings and Chris Johnson went 2-for-4 with an RBI double to send the Houston Astros to a 7-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle tilt of a three-game set at Dodger Stadium.

Rodriguez (5-3) scattered seven hits and issued one walk while fanning six to win his third straight decision.

"I felt very good, I used everything tonight," Rodriguez said. "Winning these two games, we're feeling better as a team."

Jeff Keppinger went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs for the Astros, who have won the first two in the series.

Rubby De La Rosa (3-1) worked 4 2/3 innings in defeat, charged with six hits and five runs for the Dodgers, who have lost five in a row and eight of their past 10 contests.

Andre Ethier collected two hits including a double, and Dee Gordon hit safely twice to up his average to .326.

The game remained scoreless until Houston broke it open in the fifth, striking for five runs.

Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, followed by two quick outs. Michael Bourn worked a base on balls to force in the first run, and the second came courtesy of a Jason Bourgeois infield single. The big strike came from Keppinger, who slapped a two-run single into the right-center field gap.

De La Rosa then re-loaded the bases by walking Carlos Lee, and prompted his exit. Mike MacDougal came in and fired a wild pitch to plate Houston's fifth and final run of the burst.

"Rubby was pretty good tonight, he looks like he could be special, this is just a step along the way," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of his starter. "In the fifth, everything steamrolled on us. We have to turn the page, we can't feel sorry for ourselves."

Houston added two runs in the eighth on an RBI double down the left-field line by Johnson and an RBI single by Carlos Corporan, to increase the lead to 7-0.

The Dodgers threatened in the eighth, putting two runners on with no outs against Astros reliever Wilton Lopez. Juan Uribe grounded into a double play, leaving LA with a man at third and two down, but Marcus Thames grounded weakly to second to end the inning.

Fernando Rodriguez tossed a perfect ninth to seal the win.

Los Angeles threatened in its first at-bat, putting runners on first and second with two outs after Ethier doubled and Matt Kemp was intentionally walked. Rodriguez recovered to induce a fly out from Juan Uribe.

Game Notes

The Dodgers were blanked for the seventh time this season, and fifth time at home...The teams met for the second time this season. In the previous series, the Astros took two of three from LA at Houston from May 23-25...The Astros improved to 7-9 against the NL West while the Dodgers fell to 10-16 against the Central...Dodgers' catcher Rod Barajas left the game in the fifth inning...This is the third time Houston has kept an opponent off the scoreboard...The last time the Dodgers collected 10 hits and were shutout was September 29, 1971, against the Astros.

Hunter Pence was scratched from the lineup for tonight's game in Los Angeles due to a hyper-extended left elbow, and will fly back to Houston immediately for a Sunday morning MRI. The original injury occurred Friday night in the sixth inning when Pence dove into first base. He continued the game, going 0-5 at the plate. Pence took batting practice Saturday but couldn't go through his proper swing motion.

Clearly the extent of the injury is not yet known, but Pence hasn't hit the disabled list since 2007.

Pence is having by far his best season, batting .321, slugging .497, with 51 RBIs and has hit safely in 25 of his last 27 games. He figures to be Houston's lone representative in the All-Star game, though it won't be by fan vote.

The earliest Pence could rejoin the team is Monday in Arlington when the Astros are slated to take on the Texas Rangers to kick off yet another... exciting edition of The Silver Boot Series. 

(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will try not to overlook major league baseball's worst team, the Houston Astros, when they resume a three- game series tonight at Chavez Ravine.

The Dodgers are in the midst of a season-long 12-game, 14-day homestand and fell to 0-4 on the residency following Friday's 7-3 loss to the Astros in the series opener of the only National League game on tap this weekend. Andre Ethier highlighted a four-hit attack with a two-run homer and Matt Kemp posted the other RBI, as Los Angeles fell a season-worst nine games below the .500 mark for the first time since ending the 2005 campaign with a 71-91 mark.

Ted Lilly drew the start for Don Mattingly's club and was reached for six runs -- five earned -- and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings.

"[Things] can snowball, that's for sure. I've been on a couple of those clubs where we just didn't seem to put anything together," Mattingly said on LA's website. "But it's going to be up to us to not allow that to happen, and we got to find a way to get ourselves back to .500. And we got 21 games before the break, so we have to put a run together before the break and make a little noise with that and see what happens to us."

The Dodgers have lost five in a row as the host and will also welcome the Tigers and Angels to Hollywood on this homestand. They had won four in a row at home against the Astros before last night's loss. Los Angeles third baseman Casey Blake is expected to be back in the starting lineup tonight, and has been battling neck issues recently.

Dodgers rookie pitcher Rubby De La Rosa experienced forearm cramping recently, but is expected to take the hill Saturday. De La Rosa has won two straight starts to run his record to 3-0 in five trips to the hill and was last in action Sunday in a 10-8 victory at Colorado.

De La Rosa, who has gone five innings in consecutive outings, held the Rockies to three runs with a career-high six strikeouts and three walks. The outing actually raised his earned run average from 1.80 to 3.00. The Dominican right- hander made his major league debut in a 5-4 win at Houston on May 24 in a relief role, striking out two batters in an inning of work.

The Dodgers would enjoy seeing De La Rosa throw just as well as Astros veteran righty Brett Myers did in Friday's victory. Myers went the distance for only his third win of the season (3-6) and yielded three runs -- two earned on the blast by Ethier -- and four hits with six strikeouts and one walk.

"It was a little rough early," said Myers, who retired 17 straight batters at one point. "They were aggressive, but I was able to hit my spots. I've thrown some shutouts, so this was not the best game I've ever pitched."

Clint Barmes registered a pair of doubles and two RBI, while Carlos Lee went 3-for-5 with an RBI for Houston, which snapped a three-game skid and posted just its third win in 14 tries. The Astros have the worst record in the majors at 26-45 and will visit the Texas Rangers for three games after this set.

Lee has reached base safely in 18 consecutive games, the longest run since a 23-gamer back in 2008. Brett Wallace has reached base safely in 12 of his previous 15 games.

Houston is 5-1 in Wandy Rodriguez's last six starts and looks to make it six wins in seven tries when the left-hander gets the nod tonight. Rodriguez is 3-0 with a 1.50 earned run average in his last six trips to the mound and tossed six shutout innings the previous time out in an 8-3 win versus Atlanta on June 13.

Rodriguez improved to 4-3 this season with a 3.12 ERA in 11 starts. He has made nine career appearances (8 starts) against the Dodgers, going 3-3 with a 2.68 ERA over that stretch.

Houston took two of three meetings from the Dodgers at Minute Maid Park back in May. The Dodgers went 4-2 against Houston last season and won two of three bouts between the teams held in Los Angeles in 2010.

Rick Smith is not having a good week

Following Ahman Green's interview on 1560 The Game with Sean Pendergast, where he got after Smith regarding his time in Houston, the station brought in former Texan Marcus Coleman to speak on Smith and the Texans as well.

It's important to note two things. 1 - I don't know if Coleman is or ever was an employee of 1560 The Game, but he is a frequent contributor to their programming. 2 - Coleman was not in Houston during Smith's tenure. 

That said, Coleman has discussed (and derided) Smith in the past, as he claims to have inside information (an assertion I don't doubt at all as he has friends who are both current and former Houston Texans.)

The money quote from this interview is that, according to what Coleman has heard from those in the know, Rick Smith "doesn't do a whole lot" as Texans GM. Not sure if that deals mostly with player decisions, draft, free agency, or day-to-day, but it's certainly worth noting. Also - very troubling if true, in many ways. First in that, well, what the hell is he doing there if he's not doing much of what a typical GM does? Secondly, If true, then firing him wouldn't necessarily fix the problems he's caused unless they brought in a guy who would be taking on far more decision-making than he is responsible for.

Coleman added that Smith basically acted as a "mole" in the locker room for the front office when he was employed by the Denver Broncos. That would be yet another punch to the gut in Smith's withering reputation in how he handles player relationships. A mole for "the man" in Denver, and now a guy who asks players if they're faking injuries?

When asked if he thought the Texans were a poorly-run organization, Coleman didn't hesitate in saying "yes."

I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle, as it almost always is. Plus you simply have to allow for some room in the discussion for the fact that this is secondhand information, unlike Ahman Green's firsthand account. I have no idea if Coleman has an ax to grind with the organization, or anything like that. Personally, I don't think he does. I think he's been pretty fair in on-air assessments of the team to this point, despite their often-negative nature.

Short of taking pictures of his crotch and sending them to Texans season ticket holders, I'm not sure Smith could have a worse week.

HoopsHype has the Rockets working on their backcourt with their two first-round picks in the upcoming 2011 NBA Draft. First, Houston is projected to select Texas guard Jordan Hamilton at 14:

The Rockets could use Hamilton's scoring ability and readiness to contribute. He's one of the draft's top shooters and measured very well at a legit 6-8. He failed to impress athletically, however. Hamilton has a bit of a short temper and had some minor run ins with Coach Barnes during his tenure at Texas, but nothing that concerns teams too heavily.

Despite the success of Kyle Lowry in 2010, HoopsHype then goes on to project Michigan point guard Darius Morris for the Rockets at 23:

After moving Aaron Brooks during the season, the Rockets find themselves weak at the PG position. Morris could be the only "pure" PG in the entire draft. A big point with excellent floor general abilities. He lacks great quickness but shows the ability to run a team and make those around him better. Morris is probably a little bit of a reach here, but teams really like his ability to pass and run a team.

While I have absolutely no problems with the Rockets upgrading at point guard, I think Houston would be just fine to stick with Lowry if and only if they get that "superstar" they so badly need at another position. Otherwise, I'd rather seem them address their size needs.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com recently weighed in with his thoughts on overrated/underrated NFL players.

First, Prisco's thoughts on underrated guard Wade Smith:

The Texans got him last season as a free agent to compete for a job and he ended up being one of their best players. Smith is a big reason why Arian Foster led the league in rushing.

Also a big reason for Foster's success - Arian Foster. Oh and Vonta Leach, the rest of the offensive line, etc. But yes, Prisco is right in that Smith was a very solid signing and performed at a high level for the Texans last year. He basically put Kasey Studdard out of a job, and was able to hold off Mike Brisiel, who ended up alternating with right guard Antoine Caldwell at times last year.

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23-9. I said 23-9.

With their first trip to the College World Series since 1999 on the line in game two Sunday, the Texas A&M Aggies caught a 23-9 curb-stomping from the Florida State Seminoles.

Derrick Hadley started for the Aggies and got pummeled for six runs in one inning of work. Brandon Parrent and Joaquin Hinojosa relieved him, for a combined 4.1 innings and eight earned runs. By the time Steve Martin (who wasn't funny at ALL) entered the game, the Aggies were down 14-6. 

It was just a complete disaster for the Aggies, who collected 12 hits and nine runs of their own, but managed four errors in the field that led to three unearned runs. Of course, three runs didn't make any sort of difference in this laugher. The Aggies will have to regroup quickly if they're going to advance to Omaha. 

The decisive game three between the Aggies and Seminoles is set for 6PM Monday.

Final Score: Atlanta 4, Houston 1

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Tommy Hanson struck out a career-high 14 batters through seven innings of one-run ball to give Atlanta a 4-1 decision over Houston in the third of a four-game series.

Hanson (8-4) allowed just three hits and two walks in the Braves' sixth consecutive win.

Brett Myers (2-6) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk. He also struck out six as Houston was handed its fourth straight loss and its eighth defeat in nine games.

Atlanta jumped out to an early lead on Dan Uggla's two-run home run in the first inning.

Brian McCann added a two-run homer of his own in the sixth to extend the lead for the Braves.

Houston got on the board in their half of the sixth after Matt Downs walked with one out and scored on a Carlos Lee double down the left-field line. Lee was then stranded on second after Brett Wallace struck out and Jason Michaels grounded out to third to end the inning.

Jonny Venters pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his third save of the season.

Other than the sixth inning, the only other times Houston put men in scoring position was in the fourth and fifth innings. Each time was with one out, but Hanson was able to shut down Houston's offense and kept them hitless with runners in scoring position.

Game Notes

Hunter Pence was scratched from Sunday's lineup because of tightness in his back...Pence is riding a personal-best 22 game hit streak...Hanson is now 3-0 in his career against the Astros in five starts...Michael Bourn went 0-for-4 to end his 12 game hit streak...Bourn needs one stolen base for 200 in his career...McCann is the seventh catcher all-time to hit over 100 home runs and have over 500 RBI by the age of 27...The other catchers to manage this feat are Johnny Bench, Joe Torre, Yogi Berra, Ted Simmons, Gary Carter, and Ivan Rodriguez.

Hunter Pence will miss Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves with stiffness in his lower back. Jason Michaels will take his place in right field. Pence's backup, Jason Bourgeois will also sit due to a sprained left ankle.

Pence currently has a 22-game hitting streak, which will not be affected as long as he doesn't play Sunday. He could also come in and draw a walk and the streak would remain in tact. However, if you're resting a guy's back, what's the point of bringing him into a game to swing a baseball bat? That would be counterproductive, so naturally, it's sure to be on the table.

Hunter Pence is one of the few positive things the Astros have going for them in 2011. He's having a career year, and while I don't understand the need to "rest" baseball players who aren't injured or aren't in a terrible slump, the Astros should absolutely do everything they can to ensure Pence remains healthy. His hit streak could turn in to a ticket-seller, and the higher his trade value remains, the better.

Plus, Hunter's simply one of the best reasons to watch an Astros game. He's the closest thing they have to a current version of "Mr. Astro" right now.

It is not know if the Astros plan to sit Pence beyond Sunday's game.

If Jim Crane is actually in the market for a new general manager (and by God, he better be) put me down for Andrew Friedman, or bringing back Gerry Hunsicker, or you know, that other guy, I forget his name... Not Ed Wade I believe. 

Lusting for current Tampa Bay employees aside, if Billy Beane's name were to surface as a candidate, he would certainly be in the mix. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wonders openly if Beane is tiring of his time in Oakland. A lot would have to happen for Beane to become available. For one thing, he's signed through the 2014 season, and he even has a limited ownership stake in the team.

If Beane were willing to part with that security in favor of working for a team with better resources and a better shot at winning, it could sway him based on his highly-competitive nature. Are the Astros that team? They certainly don't appear to be right now, and the truth is - Beane's teams have contended in Oakland despite the franchise's limitations. But it must eat at Beane when he thinks of what he could for an organization that didn't have the same kinds of limitations as the Athletics do.

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(Sports Network) - Right-hander Tommy Hanson aims to keep the Atlanta Braves in red-hot mode today when they invade Minute Maid Park again for the third game of a four-game series with the Houston Astros.

The Braves won their fifth consecutive game on Saturday night in Houston, when Brian McCann belted a three-run homer during a four-run 10th inning en route to a 6-3 triumph.

Locked in a 2-1 hitter's count with runners at first and second, McCann belted a low slider from Brandon Lyon (3-3) deep into the first level behind right field to snap a 2-2 tie.

Chipper Jones followed with a double and scored on Eric Hinske's two-out RBI single off Fernando Rodriguez for a 6-2 lead.

The 10th-inning rally marked the first time either team had scored since Atlanta tied the game on Hinske's solo homer in the fourth.

Scott Linebrink (2-1) stranded runners at first and second in the ninth inning to pick up the win. Craig Kimbrel gave up a one-out run in the 10th for the final margin.

The scuffling Astros scored their other runs in the first inning on RBI doubles from Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee. They fell to 1-7 in their last eight games, and are 1-4 on their 10-game homestand.

Pence pushed his personal-best hitting streak to 22 games with a 2-for-5 showing, also doubling and scoring on Lee's two-base hit in the 10th inning.

It's the longest current streak in the majors and eight shy of Andre Ethier's season-high 30-game streak for the Dodgers.

Meanwhile, Hanson is 2-0 in his career against the Astros in four starts, including a 3-2 defeat of Houston on May 16 in Atlanta.

In that game, he allowed three hits and an earned run in seven innings while walking one and striking out 10.

He's won his last two starts as well, defeating San Diego on June 1 and Florida on June 7 while combining to give up five hits and two runs with 10 strikeouts across 12 innings as his earned run average has dropped from 2.80 to 2.59.

The Braves are 8-5 in his 13 starts.

For Houston, righty Brett Myers meets Atlanta for the 31st time in his 287th career big-league appearance.

Both a starter and a closer during his days with Philadelphia before heading to Houston last season, Myers is 4-10 with four saves and a 4.43 earned run average in 148 1/3 inning against the Braves.

He got a no-decision on May 16, allowing eight hits and two runs in six innings. Myers' last win was June 1 at Wrigley Field, where he beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-1, while surrendering three hits and a run in six innings.

Myers has pitched six or more innings in 43 of 46 starts in two seasons.

Atlanta swept a two-game set against Houston from May 16-17 and has won 10 of the last 11 encounters between the two ballclubs.

When Buster Olney's article about talks to realign Major League Baseball hit the web, Houston Astros fans finally had something aside from terrible baseball to have an emotional reaction to. According to Olney, important names are throwing the Astros around as a team to make a jump to the American League:

Two highly ranked executives believe the Houston Astros would be a possibility, because a switch to the AL for Houston would foster a rivalry between the Astros and the Texas Rangers.

Also because the Astros haven't really made any sort of impact on baseball history (other than the Astrodome which they happily left), don't have any real rivalries, and what better time to pull the switch than when new ownership is set to take over? Houstonians who are longtime baseball fans seem to be more opposed to this proposed plan than not.

As a longtime Astros fan myself, I see it the other way. The closest thing the Astros have to a real rivalry is St. Louis, but the Cardinals themselves have bigger rivalries than Houston. It's kind of like the whole Texans/Cowboys "rivalry" where Houston fans think it's a bigger rivalry than it actually is... meanwhile, Dallas is much more concerned with their Philadelphia rivalry, or anyone else in their division.

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The Texas A&M Aggies kicked off the Super Regionals with a 6-2 win over Florida State Saturday, on the strength of a four-run seventh inning.

Pitcher Ross Stripling gave up two earned runs in seven innings on his way to the win, pushing his record to 14-2 for the Aggies, who are now just one victory away from the College World Series. Stripling worked hard in his seven innings, throwing 126 pitches, striking out eight and issuing only one walk.

Seminole pitcher Sean Gilmartin seemed to also be up to the task, as he and Stripling put zeros on the board in all frames of the second through fifth innings. The Aggies then had a four-run outburst in the seventh, which featured a two run single by Brandon Wood, an RBI double by Kenny Jackson, and an RBI single from Tyler Naquin. Then up 5-2, the Aggies added an insurance run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly.

The Aggies and Seminoles take the field again on Sunday at 3PM in game two of their three-game series. With one more win, Texas A&M would advance to their first College World Series since 1999.

Lance Berkman has taken to murdering the Astros in 2011, especially at Minute Maid Park. In six games in Houston, he's hit five home runs, has 12 RBIs, and is batting .480 in his old digs. 

Let's get this out of the way - if the Astros did pursue bringing Lance back, it would not about righting a wrong. The Astros were absolutely right to trade Berkman away when they did. He was out of shape, he admitted himself that he wasn't trying his hardest in the face of all the losing, and it seemed as if his skills had eroded as much as his interest. There should be no ill will as a result of that trade. As far as what they got for him, yes - criticize away. 

The Astros are in full rebuild mode, so bringing back 35-year old Lance Berkman would be a step back, would it not? Eh, I don't think so. You still want to win games, you still want to sell tickets, and you still want some veteran leadership (the kind that also produces results).

If the Astros think Brett Wallace is going to be around for a long time (meh), fine. Berkman has been playing right field for the Cardinals, and they could certainly work something out in Houston if all parties are interested.

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(Sports Network) - The Atlanta Braves aim to extend their win streak to five straight tonight when they visit Minute Maid Park for the second game of four against the Houston Astros.

Atlanta, which is second in the National League's East Division at two games behind Philadelphia, kept pace with the first-place Phillies on Friday when Freddie Freeman and Alex Gonzalez each had a home run and three RBI in an 11-4 victory.

Houston is last in the Central Division, 13 1/2 games behind St. Louis.

Tim Hudson (5-5) allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out four through six innings to earn the win, snapping an 0-3 streak over his past five starts.

Eric Hinske and Chipper Jones also homered for the Braves, who won for the sixth time in eight games.

Houston's Aneury Rodriguez (0-4) went four-plus innings, allowing six runs on six hits and a walk.

Michael Bourn tied his career high with four hits and was a home run short of the cycle in the Astros' sixth loss in seven games.

Braves hurler Mike Minor, the seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft, reached the majors last season and was 3-2 in nine appearances with a 5.98 earned run average across 40 2/3 innings.

He debuted this season with a 5-4 loss in Milwaukee on April 6 and has since followed it up with a no-decision at Pittsburgh on May 25 and a 5-4 loss against San Diego on May 31.

He's been touched for 22 hits and nine runs in his initial 16 innings this season, walking nine batters and striking out 11 while foes have established a .338 average against him.

Batters hit .314 against Minor in 2010.

For Houston, right-hander Jordan Lyles makes the third start of his rookie season.

Just 20 years old, Lyles was a supplemental draft pick of the Astros in 2008 and debuted at Wrigley Field when he allowed five hits and two runs while going seven innings against Chicago in a no-decision on May 31.

He dropped a 7-2 verdict on June 5 at San Diego in start No. 2, allowing five hits and four runs in four innings.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder began pitching in the minors at age 17 in 2008 and was 3-3 with a 4.23 earned run average in 15 starts with two teams.

He moved from Single-A to Triple-A between 2009 and 2010 and was 3-3 with a 3.20 ERA with Oklahoma City of the Pacific Coast League in 10 starts before getting called up to the majors.

Atlanta swept a two-game set against Houston from May 16-17 and has won nine of the last 10 encounters between the two ballclubs.