Meister der Farbe » pace. However, that approach was absolutely

HOUSTON -- Kris Bryant gave the Houston Astros an up-close look at what could have been.Bryant hit a two-run homer, Jon Lester threw seven scoreless innings and Hector Rondon and Aroldis Chapman completed the shutout to give the Chicago Cubs a 2-0 win over the Astros on Friday night.It was Bryants first career game against the team that passed on him with the first pick in the 2013 draft to take starter Mark Appel, who was traded to Philadelphia this offseason before ever playing in the majors. Before the game Chicago manager Joe Maddon had a simple answer when he was asked about Houstons decision not to draft Bryant.Thank you, Maddon said with a smile.Bryant seemed to have grown weary of all the rehashing of that draft in the last few days, but seemed amused when he was asked if he likes hitting in Houston.Yeah, (batting practice) was fun for sure, he said. Just dont hit it to center.Bryant, taken second in that draft, avoided Houstons deep center field and smacked his 37th homer off Joe Musgrove (2-4) to the short porch in left field to put the Cubs up 2-0 in the fifth inning.Lester (16-4) allowed seven hits and struck out seven for his seventh straight win. He hasnt lost since July 3, hasnt allowed a run in three of those starts and gave up just one run in four others in that span.Rondon took over for the eighth and struck out two before Aroldis Chapman struck out one in a perfect ninth for his 13th save.The victory improved the Cubs to an MLB-best 90-50 a year after they won 97 games to give them consecutive 90-win seasons for the first time since doing it in three straight years from 1928-1930.The Astros had trouble stringing hits together against Lester, and didnt have more than one in an inning until the seventh when Yulieski Gurriel singled with one out and Marwin Gonzalez got another single with two outs. But Lester struck out Colby Rasmus looking to end the threat.Felt like that was the real big turning point in the game, Lester said. I felt like if we give up a hit there the momentum goes back on their side and it seems like theyre kind of built on that.Musgrove allowed three hits and two runs with five strikeouts in six innings for his fourth loss in five starts.Manager A.J. Hinch was disappointed that Musgrove walked Dexter Fowler with two outs to set up Bryants homer.Im happy with his effort, and obviously, hell go home thinking about the walk to Fowler before Bryants big home run because that really was the only thing they got off of him, Hinch said.Fowler snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a leadoff triple. But Musgrove didnt allow another hit until Bryants homer with two outs in the fifth.Alex Bregman singled for Houston with no outs in the fourth inning and stole second base. But he was thrown out trying to swipe third, too, and the Astros lost a scoring opportunity.THAT HAD TO HURTPlay was stopped for a couple of minutes in the bottom of the sixth inning when home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor got hit on hit on his right shoulder with a foul ball from Teoscar Hernandez. Bucknor was shaken up after taking the hit and was checked on by a member of Houstons training staff. But the trainer soon left and he rubbed on his shoulder a couple of times before remaining in the game.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: SS Carlos Correa missed his third straight game on Friday with inflammation in his left shoulder. Correa said that he was feeling better on Friday and manager Hinch said they hoped to get him back sometime this weekend. ... Ace Dallas Keuchel, who is also out with inflammation in his left shoulder, wont throw until after Sunday. Keuchel was shut down on Monday because of the problem and said on Friday that he is feeling better, but is still struggling with the injury. Theres really no timetable set for return, he said. But I firmly believe were still going to be in the playoff hunt so hopefully I can help the guys out here in the next week or so.UP NEXTCubs: John Lackey (9-7, 3.36) is scheduled to make his second start since coming off the disabled list. He is 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA in his last five starts.Astros: Collin McHugh (9-10, 4.96) has won two straight decisions and the Astros have won the last four games that he started.Vans Sk8 Hi Reissue . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Vans Old Skool Clearance . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/vans-old-skool-sale.html . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Vans Old Skool White . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Vans Sk8-Hi Shoes For Sale . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history.SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y. -- Promotions and track giveaways are nice, but if Thoroughbred racing really wants to create new fans, all it has to do -- ALL it has to do -- is offer a quick backstory to those who didnt already know it on the two main protagonists in Saturdays Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. Cue up the race replay above, and press play.Really. You can search far and wide for better advertisements for Thoroughbred racing, and you can glom on to any celebrity of your choosing; none will work as well as this race, which was the best and purest display of what is great in this great game.The San Diego was racing at its best for a combination of reasons. Certainly, the quality of the two main players had tons do with it. California Chrome was our Horse of the Year in 2014, and if he isnt the best horse in the world off his powerful victory in the Dubai World Cup last March, he is among them. And Dortmund has always made a compelling case that he could be much, much more than an immensely promising colt if he could just get a little bit of health on his side.There is no question that a big reason why the San Diego was so tremendous is that California Chrome and Dortmund went at each other right from the start, engaging in a virtual match race right down to the wire. In fact, the half-length margin California Chrome had on Dortmund at the finish suggests there isnt a great deal between these two fine performers. Dortmund was coming off a longer layoff than California Chrome, but both were coming off layoffs, and California Chrome had the Dubai journey to overcome, too.Bottom line: This race left us drooling for more.Speaking of wanting more, California Chrome and Dortmund are scheduled to meet again in Del Mars Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Aug. 20, and already the handicapper in me is contemplating how these two will react after their efforts Saturday. The San Diego was (obviously) a very strongly run race; it had to be demanding to at least some extent on both horses, and there is only a four-week turnaround to the Pacific Classic.I dont like the term bounce. I much prefer form regression. But no matter what you call it, I really dislike how it has become used as almost a blanket excuse for a poor performance. In any case, my sense is top horses such as California Chrome and Dortmund are less susceptible to form regression than lesser horses; its one of the many things that make them top horses. So while Im not banking on either taking a major step back form-wise next time, my instincts tell me that California Chrome is a little better equipped than Dortmund to take a step forward next month.We will see. The fun will be in the finding out.Quick notes* Trainer Chad Brown won the first two turf stakes of the Saratoga meet -- shocking, I know -- but with no slight intended to his overachieving Ancient Secret, winner of Fridays Grade 2 Lake George for 3-year-old fillies, Dacitas just-up decision in Saturdays Grade 1 Diana was certainly the most important of these two scores.Dacita has been strangely underappreciated. Perhaps this is because she went into a bit of a slump after she nailed none other than chammpion Tepin in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa Stakes here at Saratoga last summer in her U.dddddddddddd S. debut, or maybe it is because she was a fortunate winner of the Grade 2 New York Stakes in June at the expense of runner-up Sea Calisi, who was brutally unlucky to lose after a bad trip.And truth be told, Dacita might not win too many additional fans after the Diana. Even though she made a successful charge from last, she did so into an early pace that was much too fast, and very favorable to her deep closing style, and she only prevailed in a blanket finish.But that would be a shame, because Dacita is really good when she is on her game. She is, after all, the last horse to have beaten Tepin, who has won seven straight races since, on two continents.As for Miss Temple City, she finished an okay fourth in the Diana, her first start since a very creditable fourth in a Group 2 stakes at Royal Ascot, a trip she earned off a strong win over a good group of males in the Grade 1 Makers 46 Mile.Miss Temple City did encounter a bit of traffic late on the far turn and in upper stretch, but she secured a clear path with ample time left in the race, and was, in the end, outkicked. And that fuels my suspicion that Miss Temple City is really at her best as a miler, and is, in fact, quite a good one. The bad news for her is that is the same sphere Tepin operates in.* I wish I could be bullish on the winners of the two 2-year-old stakes on the first two cards at Saratoga, but both races left me a little flat.Bitumen proved best as the favorite in Saturdays Grade 3 Sanford, but did so against only four opponents, and after getting a great setup with three of those four opponents engaging in a pace battle. The thing is, the Sanford pace really wasnt all that hot - 22.61 and 45.79 - and I was troubled with the way Bitumen was still unable to keep up early despite urging from Javier Castellano. I mean, what will he do when hes faced with a pace set or disputed by higher quality opponents? Still, Bitumen is now 2 for 2, and he still has plenty of license to improve.As for Sweet Loretta, winner of Fridays Grade 3 Schuylerville, she also employed a wide sweep from off the pace. However, that approach was absolutely the way to go on an opening-day Saratoga main track that carried a profound dead rail bias. Sweet Loretta will have to face tougher company than what she ran away from in the Schuylerville when she moves on, and she will do so presumably without the track so heavily tilted in her favor. Lets see how she does then.* I was a big fan last year of Sentiero Italia. I thought she would make the jump from being a successful 3-year-old filly graded-stakes performer on turf to being an effective older female graded-stakes grass horse, which is a leap bigger than many realize. Im still a fan. But I do think Sentiero Italias allowance win at Saratoga Friday in her 2016 bow was more workmanlike than eye-catching, and while she has a right to, she must take a real step forward next time to contend with better. ' ' '