Sonstiges » him, special teams andd defensively, Ari

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Mike Trout took slight comfort in reaching a couple statistical milestones on the final day of the Los Angeles Angels worst season of the 21st century.Hes determined to make sure next October means a whole lot more.Trout stole his 30th base and drove in his 100th run, and the Angels wrapped up just their third losing season in 13 years with an 8-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday.I knew about them for sure, and its always cool to get 30 stolen bases, Trout said. Its not where we want to be, but its good to end it on a positive note.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.The Astros (84-78) missed the postseason for the 10th time in 11 years, though they won only two fewer games than last seasons playoff team.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.Jose 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 of Altuve. The bat breaking is probably not his favorite. He loves his bats. But what a sensational season for him.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. Mike Fink .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. Chase Vaughn . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. https://www.cheapnfljerseyschina.co/al-del-greco-jersey-for-sale/ . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Roy Ruskusky .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. Deuce Lutui . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. TEMPE, Ariz. -- The?Arizona Cardinals secondary might be getting a boost a few weeks earlier than expected.Coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday that safety Tyrann Mathieu will play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, although the Honey Badger wouldnt fully commit to taking the field for the first time since suffering a shoulder subluxation in Week 8 at Carolina. But Mathieu also said Arians declaration wasnt premature.I think Im ready to go, Mathieu said. Well see how the week goes. If I continue to progress well and everythings OK, Ill be out there Sunday.In addition to regaining Mathieu, the Cardinals secondary will also be getting safety Tyvon Branch back in the next couple of weeks. With Branch practicing Wednesday, it signaled he was the player Arizona had designated to return from the injured reserve list, which ended the seasons for running back Chris Johnson and linebacker Alani Fua, both of whom previously were candidates, along with Branch, to return from the IR.According to NFL rules, Branch cant play for two weeks after his first practice, making him eligible to play in Week 14 at Miami.We just need him, special teams andd defensively, Arians said.dddddddddddd.Mathieu will be the nickel corner when he returns this week, Arians said, and Arizona will figure out Branchs role when he returns. Branch played 129 of his 166 snaps in the slot before getting hurt, and with key special-teams players injured, Branchs presence on special teams will be helpful.Well wait and see, Arians said. Hes just practicing this week, and well see whos available next week. Tyrann Mathieu will be the nickel, and well see where [Branch] fits in.With Arizona choosing to bring Branch off the injured reserve list, Johnsons season was officially over.Johnson signed a one-year deal last offseason worth $1.5 million to be?David Johnsons backup. In four games before suffering a groin injury that required surgery, Chris Johnson ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.Picking Branch over Johnson from the IR was the hardest decision, Arians said.I put it off as long as I could to make sure that we could do the right thing for the team, Arians said. ' ' '