Kneipe » three in the eighth

HOUSTON -- Garrett Richards followed the worst start of his career with one of his best. He also a truly special inning, striking out the side on just nine pitches. Richards fanned nine to match his major league best, helping the Los Angeles Angels snap a season-worst four-game skid with a 4-0 win over Houston Astros on Wednesday night. Richards (5-2) bounced back from a terrible outing in his last start when he allowed five runs while getting only two outs. It was the shortest non-injury-related start of his career. "I definitely came into this game with a little chip on my shoulder," Richards said. "Last one was embarrassing. And thats not the pitcher I am." In the second, he joined Nolan Ryan as the only Angels pitchers to strike out the side on nine pitches. Ryan did it in 1972. "That was my guy growing up," Richards said. "Its cool. Its cool to be put in a group with a guy like that. I didnt even realize it until after the game." Richards gave up four hits and walked none in eight innings. Of his first 35 pitches, 32 were strikes. Joe Smith struck out one in a hitless ninth. Erick Aybar had two doubles and an RBI and David Freese doubled and drove in a run for the Angels. Jarred Cosart (4-5) allowed eight hits and three runs and tied a career-high with eight strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings. Dexter Fowler had two hits for the Astros, but no one else could get anything going against Richards. Heralded prospect Jon Singleton went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his second major league game after homering in his debut on Tuesday night. Fowlers ground-rule double led things off for the Astros, but Richards retired the next eight batters. Fowler singled with two outs in the third but Jose Altuve grounded into a force out to end the inning. Richard located his pitches well all night, but his control was impeccable early in the game. "Garrett was ready," manager Mike Scioscia said. "I dont know if it was based on the last outing which was obviously tough for him. He just showed great command with all his pitches." Houston manager Bo Porter was impressed. "(He) had electric stuff tonight from the very first pitch until he left the game in the eighth," he said. "He was throwing 95, 96 late in the game with a wipeout slider. That is what you call dominating stuff." Freese doubled with one out in the fifth and C.J. Cron put the Angels on top 1-0 with his RBI single with two outs. Aybar hit a one-out double in the sixth before Albert Pujols drew a walk. Howie Kendrick and Freese hit back to back singles with two outs to stretch the lead to 3-0. The Angels didnt get a hit until Albert Pujols singled with two outs in the fourth inning, but Cosart struck out Josh Hamilton for the third out. Hamilton played centre field on Wednesday night in his second game back from the disabled list with star Mike Trout out again with back problems. Collin Cowgill entered the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth and took over in centre field and Hamilton moved to left. Cowgill preserved the shutout by sprinting to make a catch on the track just before Tals Hill in centre field on a fly ball hit by George Springer for the last out in the eighth. Trout had an MRI on Wednesday and said it didnt reveal any damage. He has some inflammation in the middle of his back on the left side and hopes to return to the lineup on Thursday. Trout missed two games with stiffness in his upper back before starting Tuesday night in Houston. He left that game in the second inning because of his back problem. He said that he feels a lot better on Wednesday than he did when he left the game on Tuesday night. "If I dont feel it at all, Im going to play," he said. "If I feel it a little bit, I should just be smart about it." NOTES: The series wraps up on Thursday when Los Angeles LHP Tyler Skaggs opposes Brad Peacock. ... Houston SS Jonathan Villar was out of the lineup on Wednesday after being hit on the right elbow by a pitch the night before. X-rays were negative and he is day to day. Air Jordan 1 Sale . -- Canada played to expectation up until halftime. Replica Wholesale Shoes . Chris Heisey connected for his first grand slam and Devin Mesoraco homered and drove in a career high-tying four runs as Cincinnati took advantage of Tampa Bays depleted pitching staff for a 12-4 victory on Sunday. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/. Cellino was ordered by a judge to pay a 600,000 euro ($800,000) fine for evading import taxes on a yacht he purchased in the United States and brought to Italy, the ANSA news agency reported. Fake Wholesale Shoes . Vonn had another scary moment at Saturdays World Cup downhill in Val dIsere, ending up clutching her knee in pain after losing her balance and missing a gate. But she gave a reassuring answer shortly afterward, saying no new damage had been done to the surgically repaired knee, and that her plans for the Sochi Olympics were still intact. Air Max Plus Sale . The All Blacks played their best rugby of recent years when they beat South Africa 38-27 in Johannesburg two weeks ago, clinching the Rugby Championships in a match which has been hailed as one of the best ever played.WINNIPEG -- Rachel Homan didnt care how she got a spot into the Canadian curling trials semifinal, it just mattered that her rink got one. The defending Canadian champion defeated Stefanie Lawton of Saskatoon 6-5 in the final game of the seven-game round robin to finish 4-3, but Winnipegs Chelsea Carey and Ontarios Sherry Middaugh also sported the same mark. Homan got bumped to the semi, though, because her Ottawa rink fared better than Carey and Middaughs teams on rankings based on draws to the button before games throughout the week. "It wasnt important," Homan said of avoiding a tie-breaker. "Its nice to be able to get second place and go into the semi. Either way we had a chance and thats all we needed." Carey and Middaugh will play their tie-breaker Friday at 1:30 p.m. (CT), with the winner taking on Homan later that night at 6:30. Homan, 24, had no preference on which team theyd prefer taking on. "Weve played them both a million times and its going to be a good game either way and hopefully we can win it in 10 (ends)," Homan said. Winnipeg veteran skip Jennifer Jones already earned a bye into Saturday nights final (6:30 p.m. CT) and will watch her competitors battle it out. Jones, 39, defeated Edmontons Heather Nedohin 6-5 to finish her round robin at 66-1, while Nedohin ended with a 3-4 mark.dddddddddddd Homan almost had to play in a tie-breaker, but Edmontons Val Sweeting lost 9-8 in an extra end to Renee Sonnenberg of Grande Prairie, Alta., and fell to 3-4. Sonnenberg finished 1-6. Carey had a chance to grab second place outright, but she lost 7-6 to Middaugh. "If theyd told us at the start of the week wed have a tie-breaker, wed take it," Carey, 29, said. Yet she knows her rink will have to curl better to earn a chance to play in an all-Winnipeg final, with the victor representing Canada at next years Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. "We just didnt make enough shots (to win)," Carey said. "I missed a couple bad shots. We just have to make more shots. You just cant be that sloppy against these teams and expect to win." Middaugh, whos competing in her fourth trials, was leading 5-3 after six ends and stole another point in the seventh. Carey rebounded with a nose hit for three in the eighth to tie it 6-6, but Middaugh added one in the 10th for the victory. Middaugh, 47, also saw room for improvement after the win. "The first seven ends were fun and then I turned off my brain in my last shot in eight and then the collar got a little tight after that so I cant lie," Middaugh said. ' ' '