Der Fremde » I for one hope Henry can stay healthy

PITTSBURGH -- Those who primarily follow the National League -- say, for instance, Pittsburgh Pirates fans -- might not have heard much about right-hander Joe Musgrove.Musgrove (1-1, 4.18 ERA) began the season with Double-A Corpus Christi and has had arguably a meteoric start to his career with Houston. He will be on the mound Tuesday when the Astros play the second of three games at PNC Park.At 6 feet 5, 265 pounds, Musgrove, 23, can look imposing, and he has pitched accordingly -- thanks to his performance and a couple of opportunities.He was recalled from Triple-A Fresno Aug. 1 because Doug Fister was going on paternity leave. He came on in relief Aug. 2, pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings against Toronto and setting a major league record for strikeouts by a reliever making his major league debut with eight.The starter that day, Lance McCullers, then went on the DL, so the Astros kept Musgrove around and gave him his first start, Aug. 7 against Texas, then another and another. The statistic that jumps out: He has 23 strikeouts and three walks in 23 2/3 innings.In his first start, which turned out to be a 5-3, 11-inning Astros loss to the Rangers, Musgrove retired the first 10 batters he faced before giving up three hits in the fifth. Then he settled back down and retired seven of the last eight batters he faced as he pitched through the seventh.He tired at the end but still gutted through his performance, Astros manager A.J. Hinch told the Houston Chronicle. Thats a big step for a young kid to come up here, get his first start and finish his outing. Its really easy to nitpick at the end when youre tired, not make a pitch, and end up having me go out and get you at 6 2/3, as opposed to seven.So there was a good growth day for him. Hes got a lot of charisma, he knows what hes doing, and hes going to attack the zone. I really like what I see from his first two outings.Musgrove has gone 1-1 since that no-decision.Tuesday, he will oppose right-hander Ivan Nova (9-6, 4.83 ERA), meaning it could be a strikeout contest.Nova is 2-0 with a 4.41 ERA in three starts since Pittsburgh acquired him from the Yankees. In his most recent start, a no-decision Wednesday in a 6-5 Pirates win in San Francisco, Nova gave up four runs on six hits over four innings, with five strikeouts and no walks.Houston and the Pirates are in similar battles to try to climb into a wild-card spot, but they are moving in different directions lately.The Astros 3-1 win Monday in the series opener was their fourth win in a row and kept them 3 1/2 games behind Baltimore, which holds the second American League wild-card spot.Since falling to 11 games under .500 on May 22 at 17-28, Houston is 48-32.Winning is contagious and playing good baseball is contagious, said Mondays winning pitcher, Doug Fister. Weve been playing pretty well the last few days, the best weve played in a while.The game Monday was Pittsburghs fourth loss in a row, leaving the Pirates two games behind Miami and four behind St. Louis, which holds the second National League wild-card spot.Manager Clint Hurdle often cites an even keel as critical, and hes emphasizing it even more now.Were very consistent in what we do, and one thing I remind them of is to think with reason, not to think with emotion; make decisions with reason, dont make decisions with emotion, Hurdle said. Many of them have been there in that situation before. Ive been in that situation before. Its not for lack of effort or attitude. Youre getting attitude, youre getting effort, the game can swing back and forth sometimes.Youve got to play through it. You hold fast. These are the times when the coaching staff and myself need to show up. Somebodys got to hold the wheel, keep them positive, keep them playing forward and keep them optimistic. I believe well do that because thats the way were built, the way were wired. Derrick Nnadi Super Bowl Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Anthony Sherman Super Bowl Jersey . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Patrick-Mahomes-II-Chiefs-Jersey/ . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Reggie Ragland Super Bowl Jersey . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Chad Henne Super Bowl Jersey . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. Hamilton Tiger-Cats QBs # Name Status Ht Wt D.O.B. College 1 Henry Burris Import 61 190 1975-06-04 Temple 13 Dan LeFevour Import 63 230 1987-03-19 Central Michigan 12 Brian Brohm Import 63 230 1985-09-25 Louisville 6 Jeremiah Masoli Import 510 221 1988-08-24 Mississippi 16 Chris Amrhein Import 63 221 Cornell Henry Burris meet Kent Austin! Can an old dog learn new tricks? Sure. Can an old dog continue to refine his game and hone his skills? Sure, and Austin and all the Tiger-Cats fans are counting on that. Burris turned back the clock last season, playing with a serious chip on his shoulder trying to prove to the entire country that he still had what it took to be an elite QB in CFL.dddddddddddd All he did was complete 65% of his passes, throwing for 5,367 yards and 43 touchdowns to only 18 interceptions. Oh yeah, he churned out his best ever QB efficiency rating of his career at 104.4 too. Austin, a stickler for mechanics, should be a great fit with the talented Burris. Austin will look to improve on Hanks career numbers, harping on fundamentals and ball security. Top priority is most likely trying to trim back on the 18 interceptions and the 11 fumbles Hank put on the ground. This should be an incredible pairing to watch all season and I for one hope Henry can stay healthy because the entire roster of QBs behind him have never thrown a pass in a CFL regular season game. The only two guys to have any idea of what this game is all about are Dan LeFevour, who was the third man last season, and Jeremiah Masoli, who was on Edmontonss practice squad last season. I can guarantee Brian Bhohm and Chris Amrhein are working overtime trying to grasp the nuances of this game and fight for quality reps, which are tough to come by in such a short training camp. ' ' '