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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.Keibert Ruiz Dodgers Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Keibert Ruiz Jersey . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/845h-dustin-may-jersey-dodgers.html . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Walter Alston Dodgers Jersey . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Alex Verdugo Dodgers Jersey . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No.Melbourne United have continued their NBL resurgence, cruising to a 98-74 home victory over the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday.New import Casper Ware showed exactly why Melbourne rated him so highly, scoring 26 points, while Chris Goulding added 14 points as United claimed their third straight win.But it was Uniteds hustle on the defensive end that will have coach Dean Demopoulos smiling, with the Breakers smashed on the glass and outplayed in transition.Shooting guard Kirk Penney started strongly for the Breakers, draining three shots from beyond the arc to finish the first quarter with 12 points.There was nothing separating the two sides at the first break but a sluggish second quarter from the Breakers handed Melbourne a 10-point halftime lead.Coach Paul Henare had criticised his sides soft defence and poor decision-making earlier in the week but the Breakers appeared not to have heeded the message, racking up 10 first-half turnovers compared to Melbournes three.Things went from bad to worse for the visitors, who managed just 13 points in the third quarter as Melbournes lead blew out.The Breakers frustration boiled over in the final term, with forward Mika Vukona pinged for an unsportsmanlike foul after grrabbing Melbournes Owen Odigie in a headlock.dddddddddddd.After a lacklustre start to the season which culminated in former MVP Cedric Jacksons axing, Melbourne look a completely different team with replacement import Ware running the point.While not a classic playmaker like Jackson, Wares aggression on the offensive end has proven to be exactly what United needed.The former Philadelphia 76ers guard showed his full array of tricks against the Breakers, driving towards the basket at a blistering pace while also draining five shots from beyond the arc.Melbourne (six wins, seven losses) have won all three of their games since bringing Ware into the side.Breakers star Corey Webster, who was arrested on a minor assault charge earlier in the week, top-scored for his side but was hot and cold in his return from a one-game suspension.Webster scored 10 points on 5-5 shooting in the second term but only added another five points for the game.Melbourne forward Todd Blanchfield, who was sidelined for a month with a groin injury, played just nine minutes in his return game, scoring two points. 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