Die Macht » I sensed it early and should have stopped and let some ou

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Bud Norris never started a game against Los Angeles prior to this season. After three outings this year, the Angels have seen more than enough of the Houston Astros right-hander. Norris dominated the Angels high-priced lineup again with six innings of four-hit ball and Chris Carter hit a two-run homer in the seventh against Jerome Williams, leading the Astros to a 2-0 victory on Saturday night. "Theyre a great ballclub over there. You know whos in that lineup, and you know youve got to make good pitches," Norris said. "So the only way to play it is to just take the challenge." Norris (5-4) struck out six, walked three and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth to end a three-start winless stretch that includes a six-inning scoreless outing against Kansas City that resulted in a no-decision. "Every time he pitches against us hes got his A stuff," Angels centre fielder Mike Trout said. "He was hitting his spots early and locating, and his secondary pitches were good. It was one of those nights. We see him good. I mean, we hit a couple of balls hard and had our opportunities, but it just didnt go our way tonight." Norris became the first starting pitcher to beat the Angels three times before the All-Star break since 2001, when Oaklands Tim Hudson, Seattles Freddy Garcia and Texas Darren Oliver all did it. On April 12 at the "Big A," Norris allowed three hits over seven innings in a 5-0 victory. On May 8, he gave up a run and nine hits through eight innings en route to a 3-1 decision at Houston. "Im sure theyre going to figure out some things about me soon" he said. "But Ive got to stick to my strengths and keep doing what Im doing because its been working so far." Rookie Jose Cisnero pitched two innings and Jose Veras got three outs for his 10th save in 13 attempts, helping extend Houstons winning streak to a season-high four games. Its their longest since a four-game stretch May last year. "This group has come together," Norris said. "Day in and day out, these guys are picking each other up -- from the bullpen to the bench players -- and the coaching staff has pushed that out of us. Everybody is picking up their end of the bargain, and its been pretty good to see." Williams (4-2) held Houston to just three hits over seven innings and struck out six, after going 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA in his previous four starts. Carlos Pena, the only Houston player to have batted against Williams in a regular-season game prior to Saturday, led off the Astros second with a double and was stranded at third when Matt Dominguez flied out. The Astros didnt get another hit until the seventh, when J.D. Martinez singled with one out and Carter drove a first-pitch homer into the upper tier of the left field bullpen with two out for his 11th homer. "I played with him a few years ago in Triple-A, so I know he pretty much throws anything and everything," Carter said. "My first two at-bats he threw cutters and two-seamers and kept me off-balance. The next time I came up with the approach that anything that was up in the zone I was going to swing at." Trout doubled in the first, but was stranded as Albert Pujols took a called third strike and Mark Trumbo also struck out. Trout doubled again with one out in the sixth, and was picked off by Norris with a 1-0 count on Pujols. The Angels then loaded the bases with walks to Pujols and Trumbo and an infield hit by Josh Hamilton. But Norris struck out Howie Kendrick, who is batting .227 lifetime in those situations and is 1 for 7 this season. "Weve seen enough of him," manager Mike Scioscia said of Norris. "It seems every time we see him he still is able to use that breaking ball when he needs it, and tonight his velocity was good. We just didnt hit too many balls hard off him. We had a couple infield hits, but he got tough with guys in scoring position." Trout had a chance to get the Angels back in the game in the seventh, but grounded out to third with two men on after Erick Aybar kept the inning alive with a bunt single. He came up again in the ninth with runners at the corners and grounded into a force play to end it. Trout has only three RBIs in 45 at-bats over his last 11 games since May 21, when he drove in five runs against Seattle and became the youngest player in AL history to hit for the cycle. NOTES: Norris is the first pitcher to get three victories against the Angels in their first 56 games of a season since May 1968, when Minnesota reliever Ron Perranoski was the pitcher of record three times in a four-day span. ... Five of Houstons 19 victories have come against the Angels. ... Angels OF Peter Bourjos, sidelined since April 30 because of a left hamstring strain, is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Monday with Class-A Inland Empire before switching to Triple-A Salt Lake. ... Norris has made 177 starts in professional ball without pitching a complete game, including 109 in the big leagues. Kenny Golladay Youth Jersey . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. Austin Bryant Jersey . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. http://www.lionsfanspro.com/Black-Kerryon-Johnson-Lions-Jersey.html?cat=955 .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Jarrad Davis Womens Jersey . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Matthew Stafford Jersey . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Throughout the Tour de France, Australian professional cyclist Richie Porte will be checking in. Here is his latest entry, as told to ESPN contributor Rupert Guinness:Stage 19: Albertville to Saint Gervais Mont Blanc, 146kmWith one mountain stage to go in this Tour de France on Saturday and so little time between second place and me in fifth, the best way to prepare for one of the greatest opportunities of my career is to keep it simple by focusing on finishing on a good note.Thats how I am going to take it when we line up to start the 146.5km 20th stage from Megève to Morzine that is in the Alps and will be the penultimate stage of this years Tour.Saturday will decide the Tour winner and who joins him on the podium, with Sundays final and 21st stage from Chantilly to the Champs élysées tailor made for the sprinters to race.So there is no doubt about how big a stage Saturdays race will be, and what is at stake. But you can complicate big occasions by making too much of it.So I just want to go in and race. The drama of Fridays finish to the 146km 19th stage from Albertville to Saint Gervais Mont Blanc served as another reminder of how tenuous any riders fate is in the Tour - literally from race leader Chris Froome (Sky) down, as Froome crashed as I did after the rain fell.Fortunately, my injuries were not serious, and even if I am stiff and sore for Saturdays stage, I will not let that impede how I plan to race in the last mountain stage of the Tour.Its great to know that my team are right behind me, as they showed on Friday when they pulled me back up to the group with Froome and the other main challengers after my crash.It was great to see guys like Micky Sch?r, Greg Van Avermaet and Damiano Caruso up there. It wasnt easy for them. I think a couple of teams rode to make it harder for me then.Thats how it is, but you dont forget it. Saturday may provide a moment to repay the favour. Look ... crashing like I did didnt help.And I felt it later when I tried to get away on the final climb to the finish as Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) was in the throes of finishing off a terrific solo ride too win the stage and also move up to second place overall.dddddddddddd.Froome still leads overall by 4:11 on Bardet, but now with Nairo Quintana (Movistar) in third at 4:27, Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) in fourth at 4:46 and myself in fifth at 5:17.But crashes were the curse for many on Friday, with rainy conditions making the road extremely slippery.I felt I had too much pressure in my tyres. I sensed it early and should have stopped and let some out then, but at the time the race was so fast I didnt have time. It was on the whole day. The next I know I was flying on the ground on my chest.I have never had a crash like that. I should have also changed my bike as it didnt feel right after. Still while it wasnt ideal to get gapped there in the finale and lose a bit of time, it was good to get today behind us - and without serious injury.?I was neither the only rider to crash.Even better ... the Tour is not over yet, even though there is only one mountain stage left.The Col de Joux Plane and the tricky descent from its summit to the finish could be critical. On top of that, it looks like it is going to be a wet one again, which will add to the suspense.How I race is something I will decide after speaking to our sports directors before the stage. But similarly when it comes to the descent to Morzine, lets make it clear: I am not the sort of guy who is going to risk everything racing down the Joux Plane.There are calculated risks, but I think it is better to make time up on the Joux Plane than when descending it. Its a tricky technical descent and I dont think it is worth putting everything on the line there.But Im still focused on trying to get on to the podium for Sundays finale in Paris; and I know I am not the only rider who is not just thinking of that, but actually believing they can. I believe I can.Whether I do is another question. But I will try my best to fulfill that ambition. If its not this year, whatever happens in this Tour can only help for the years to come. ' ' '