reminded that Terry Francona is the best manager in this sport r

SEATTLE -- The Houston Astros still have time to atone for their September collapse last season, and they took a big step in the right direction Friday night. The 6-0 win over Seattle and ace pitcher Felix Hernandez moved the Astros (77-71) one game closer to the Mariners, Tigers and Yankees in the American League wild-card standings.The barely-breathing Astros can take push themselves further into the crowded group of contenders with a victory Saturday, which would not only win the series but would also put Houston in a tie with Seattle among the teams chasing Baltimore and Toronto for the two wild-card spots.The Astros will turn to Mike Fiers (10-7) in the second game of the three-game series with the Mariners on Saturday night. Fiers is coming off his shortest outing of the season, having allowed seven runs in just 2 1/3 innings of a 9-5 loss to the Cubs last Sunday.Big games like this, Fiers said after that performance, I need to lock it in and play better than I did.Hell get another shot Saturday night, although Fiers has a pretty tough act to follow. Friday starter Collin McHugh shut out the Mariners for seven innings, allowing just two hits, as Houston kept its chances of a second consecutive wild-card berth alive. McHugh has now beaten Seattle in all four of his starts against the Mariners this season.We just match up pretty well with them -- me, specifically, McHugh said after dropping his season ERA against Seattle to 1.36 this season. Whether its pitch mix or this venue, Ive been able to have some success against them.Seattles Hernandez had quite the opposite kind of night. Having never pitched in a postseason game, Hernandez was in the rare position of taking the mound for a meaningful September game at Safeco Field and fell flat.He certainly was not on top of his game tonight, manager Scott Servais said after Fridays loss, which snapped an eight-game losing streak and dropped Seattle to three games behind co-wild-card leaders Toronto and Baltimore with just 15 games remaining.The Mariners (78-69) are hoping for better results from Saturday starter James Paxton, a 27-year-old left-hander who can be dominant but can also be frustratingly inconsistent. Paxton turned in his best outing of the season on Aug. 7, when he looked to be on his way to a complete-game win over the Angels before taking a line drive off his left elbow one out into the ninth. He returned to the mound three weeks later but hasnt been nearly as dominant; hes still looking for his first win of September.Neither team can afford a loss as the remaining games dwindle and the distance separating them from the Blue Jays and Orioles looks harder and harder to overcome. Houston did the early damage but might need a sweep just to stay in realistic contention, while Seattle cant afford to lose again Saturday.Weve still got a lot of baseball left to play, Servais said. Were still in a very competitive spot. But (Fridays performance) is not what you wanted to see.For the Astros, the momentum of a Friday win could set the tone for this series and beyond.When youre going into a little bit of a playoff push like this, having the experience of last year, and knowing what it takes, I think that can be a little bit of an advantage for us, Houstons McHugh said. Yeezy Boost 700 Cheap . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Yeezy Boost China Wholesale . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. http://www.ultraboostclearance.com/yeezy-boost-shoes-wholesale/350-v2.html . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Yeezy Boost 350 Clearance . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Ultra Boost Mens Sale . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. What are Neil Patrick Harris and Tina Fey doing this week? Its awards season in Major League Baseball. So its about time these awards shows threw in an opening monologue and possibly a special duet performance by Adele and John Legend. Dont you think?But in baseball, they dont do it that way. In baseball, the only glitz is in the shine of the trophies. So whos about to win -- and who should win -- the major awards for 2016? Lets take a look:National League MVP (Thursday)Finalists: Kris Bryant, Cubs; Daniel Murphy, Nationals; Corey Seager, DodgersWho should?win: BryantDid you know there has never been an MVP who started games at four different positions? So obviously, in a related development, there also has never been an MVP who started at four positions and led the league in wins above replacement. But Bryant started at third, first, left and right, even played center and short in an emergency. And he nearly led the league in homers. And he led the NL in runs scored. So as good as Murphy and Seager were, this one was easy. Kris Bryant is about to become the Cubs first MVP since Slammin Sammy Sosa in 1998.Who will?win: BryantThe only active players who have won a Rookie of the Year award and MVP trophy in back-to-back seasons are Ryan Howard and Dustin Pedroia. By Thursday night, theres an excellent chance well have a third name on that list.American League MVP (Thursday)Finalists: Jose Altuve, Astros; Mookie Betts, Red Sox; Mike Trout, AngelsWho should win: TroutNews bulletin: Mike Trout is as tremendous as ever. The best player in baseball just had, very possibly, the best offensive season of his career. And he still might not win this award. Which wouldnt reflect really well on the thinking powers of the electorate, right? This season, Trout led the whole sport in runs (123), walks (116), times on base (300), on-base percentage (.441), OPS+ (174) and wins above replacement (10.6). He also scored an incredible 17 percent of his teams runs -- the highest percentage by any AL player since Rickey Henderson in 1985. But Trout made a bigggg mistake. He did all that for an Angels team that wasted his multifaceted brilliance by losing 88 games. If he finishes second, thatll teach him. At any rate, he now has led the AL in WAR five years in a row. The only other position player to do that: Babe Ruth.Who will win: BettsJust two MVPs in history -- Cal Ripken Jr. in 1991 and Alex Rodriguez in 2003 -- have come from teams that lost as many games as the 2016 Angels. Are voters ready to make Trout the third? If not, I can see voters turning to the Mookie of the Year, a guy who led everyone in baseball not named Mike Trout in wins above replacement. Betts finished in the top four in the AL in runs, hits, total bases, batting average, extra-base hits and runs created -- all while playing Gold Glove right field. If Betts does win, Im predicting that someday well look back on these past five years and ask: How the heck did the best player alive take home only one MVP trophy while doing his best Babe Ruth impression?NL Cy Young (Wednesday)Finalists: Kyle Hendricks, Cubs; Jon Lester, Cubs; Max Scherzer, NationalsWho should win: ScherzerHow do you measure dominance? If youre an ERA fan, you wouldnt pick the guy who finished eighth in the league. But if you can look past ERA, who was more dominating than Scherzer? He dialed up a 20-strikeout game. He struck out more hitters (284) than any active right-hander has in any season in this millennium. He led all NL pitchers in WHIP, innings, strikeouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio, double-figure strikeout games and wins above replacement. And he became just the third pitcher in history to average at least 11 whiffs per nine innings, strike out five times as many hitters as he walked and hold opposing hitters to a batting average below .200. The others to do it: Pedro Martinez and Clayton Kershaw. So how would I measure dominance? Like that!Who will win: HendricksBut Ive noticed something: Not everyone measures dominance the way I do. So Kyle Hendricks is in a great spot. For one thing, hes a Cub, so it was hard not to notice what a great year he had. For another, he had the best ERA in baseball (2.13) by a third of a run -- and held a sizable lead in park-adjusted ERA+, too. He also won the sabermetric mano a mano with Scherzer in virtually every popular new-age category. So heres what I think this comes down to: Do Cy Young voters think strikeout rate (31.5 percent for Scherzer to just 22.8 for Hendricks) means more than a clear talent for inducing soft contact (league-best 25.1 percent soft-contact rate for Hendricks to 22.2 for Scherzer)? Id take the whiffs. But Im betting the electorate goes the other way. Just a hunch.AL Cy Young (Wednesday)Finalists:?Corey Kluber, Indians; Rick Porcello, Red Sox; Justin Verlander, TigersWho should win: VerlanderIf youre on board with my case for Scherzer as the NL Cy Young, youll love this pick, because these two guys have almost the same case. Verlander led all AL pitchers in WHIP, strikeouts, quality starts, double-figure strikeout games and wins above replacement. He finished second (by minuscule margins) in ERA, opponent average and opponent OPS. And what a finish he had, leading the league in second-half ERA (1.98), strikeouts (134 in 110 1/3 IP) and opponent average (.180). He also was the only pitcher to finish in the top three in the AL in ERA, WHIP and strikeout ratio. So if you thought youd seen the last of Justin Verlander in the Cy Young conversation ... um, never mind!Who will win: PorcelloJust when you thought Cy Young voters had ascended to a higher place, a place where they no loonger were hypnotized by win totals, along came Porcello to go 22-4 in a breakout year for one of the best teams in baseball.dddddddddddd Of course, there were other reasons to vote for him: best strikeout-to-walk ratio in baseball; second-best WHIP in the AL (just .008 behind Verlander); he beat Verlander in both Fielding Independent Pitching and ERA+; and Porcello was the most consistent starter in the league, a fellow who pitched into the sixth inning 25 starts in a row. That wouldnt be enough every year. But in a season in which seven different starters (plus Orioles closer Zach Britton) had reputable Cy Young cases, it just might be.NL Rookie of the Year (Monday)Finalists: Kenta Maeda, Dodgers; Corey Seager, Dodgers; Trea Turner, NationalsWho should win: SeagerWhen a rookie is the best player on a first-place team, not to mention the team with the highest payroll in baseball, he doesnt leave us much to argue about, no matter how much we all love to fight about these awards. Holy cow, did Corey Seager fill up the old stat sheet or what? Know how many other rookies in history have ever hit 26 homers or more, fired off at least 193 hits, whacked 40 doubles and matched or equaled Seagers slash line (.308/.365/.512)? Exactly two: Albert Pujols in 2001 and Hal Trosky in 1934. Sounds like weve got a winner to me.Who will win: SeagerMaybe if Turner had spent more than half a season in the big leagues, somebody could have mustered up some sort of case for him. But that aint happening. Which means Seager is about to join Mike Piazza and Raul Mondesi as the only unanimous Rookie of the Year winners in the history of the Dodgers.AL Rookie of the Year (Monday)Finalists: Michael Fulmer, Tigers; Tyler Naquin, Indians; Gary Sanchez, YankeesWho should win: FulmerYou think someday well be asking, Who was that guy the Tigers traded at the 2015 trade deadline to get Michael Fulmer? -- and then remember it was Yoenis Cespedes? Could be, because Fulmer was that good this year. He had a 33 1/3-inning scoreless streak, the longest by any rookie since Fernando Valenzuela 35 years ago. And he ripped off eight straight starts in which he allowed one run or none. No rookie pitcher had ever done that. And if hed pitched three more innings, hed have qualified to finish third in the whole American League in ERA. Did you know the only two Tigers pitchers in history to win a Rookie of the Year award are Verlander and Mark Fidrych? Better make that three.Who will win: SanchezOK, I dont really think Sanchez is going to win. And I dont think he should win. But you never know. He did get a little pub. And he is a Yankee. And it is seriously cool that this guy hit zero big league home runs before Aug. 10 and then hit 20 -- a feat nobody else in history has ever pulled off. So if someone invents a Rookie of the Year Starting Aug. 10 award, hes your winner. But since the season started in April, Id feel more comfortable giving the actual award to a guy who was at least in the big leagues in April (by which I mean Fulmer).NL Manager of the Year (Tuesday)Finalists: Dusty Baker, Nationals; Joe Maddon, Cubs; Dave Roberts, DodgersWho should win: RobertsIm still blown away by the managerial magic of Dave Roberts. Whats about the worst thing that could happen to a man who had never, ever managed before? Lets say you hand him a team that has to use 55 players and 15 starting pitchers just to make it through the season -- so he has no such thing as a regular lineup or even whats known elsewhere as a starting rotation. Lets say he loses his best pitcher (or actually any teams best pitcher), Clayton Kershaw, in midseason. Lets say his front office is constantly flipping his roster and filling his head with all sorts of newfangled ideas. And now he has to keep his clubhouse pointed in the right direction and try to make up an eight-game hole in the standings? It should have been a nightmare. But the manager of the Dodgers sold it in his clubhouse and nailed it on the field. Amazing.Who will win: RobertsDid you know that no Dodger has won a Manager of the Year award in almost 30 years, since Tommy Lasorda in 1988? With all due respect to Maddon and Dusty, thats about to change.AL Manager of the Year (Tuesday)Finalists: Jeff Banister, Rangers; Terry Francona, Indians; Buck Showalter, OriolesWho should win: FranconaWe didnt need to watch baseball in October to be reminded that Terry Francona is the best manager in this sport right now. But we do need to remind you that all Manager of the Year ballots had to be cast before October. And you know what? It doesnt change anything. Because who outmanaged this guy from April through September? His best hitter (Michael Brantley) played in 11 games all year. His No. 2 and No. 3 starters (Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar) missed 16 starts combined. He lost two players (Marlon Byrd and Abraham Almonte) to PED suspensions. He never started the same eight position players in the same eight positions for more than two games in a row all season. And he still found a way to beat out a team with a $195 million payroll (the Tigers) and the defending World Series champs (the Royals) in the AL Central. Terry Francona. Hes. The. Best.Who will win: FranconaBanister won this award last year. Showalter won it the year before. Francona won it the year before that. Thats what you call a stupendous field. But it still wouldnt shock me if Francona won this award unanimously. No Indians manager has ever won this award twice, by the way. Until this week. ' ' '