Sonstiges » (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vas

HOUSTON -- Right-hander Charlie Morton agreed to a contract with Houston on Wednesday, giving the Astros two of the best groundball pitchers in the majors.Morton accepted a $14 million, two-year deal that includes annual salaries of $7 million and performance bonuses of $625,000 apiece for 12, 20, 25 and 30 starts each season.Morton, who ranks second in the majors among active pitchers in career groundball to fly ball ratio (2.48), joins a staff that features last years American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, a lefty who leads the league in that category (2.84).I think thats where the match comes, his ability to get the ball on the ground and our ability to position our fielders and get the outs on the ground, manager A.J. Hinch said. Were getting pretty good at that. So it seems like a perfect fit for us.Morton made just four starts last season for the Phillies before a torn left hamstring which required surgery ended his year. It was the fourth surgery Morton has had in recent years including Tommy John surgery in 2012. But he said Wednesday that hes healthy now and has thrown six bullpen sessions since recovering from his hamstring injury, including three where he threw more than 50 pitches.The 33-year-old Morton has spent his entire nine-year career in the National League where he played for the Braves, Pirates and Phillies.He doesnt think the transition to the AL will be that difficult.It doesnt really matter who youre facing, it doesnt really matter how lineups are structured, Morton said. If you make quality pitches and take care of ... one hitter at a time, at the end of the day youll look back and have done it right.Morton is 46-71 with a 4.54 ERA in his career. His best season came in 2011 when he pitched a career-high 171.2 innings in 29 starts and won a career-best 10 games.The Astros are trying to add depth to a rotation that was hit hard by injuries late last season, hurting its chase for a wild-card playoff spot.We saw last season with our rotation that depth matters and we had six starters for the whole year until we passed the trade deadline and then all of the sudden two of our starters go on the shelf and we were a little short-handed, general manager Jeff Luhnow said. We know it takes eight or nine starters to get through the year. We really love the quality of what Charlie brings in terms of his pitches and the effectiveness of that pitches and what hes been able to do.---AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. New York Mets Pro Shop .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Stitched Mets Jerseys . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/ . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Mets Jerseys China . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Cheap Mets Jerseys . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. DAVIS, Calif. -- UC Davis officially introduced former Boise State and Colorado coach Dan Hawkins as its new football coach.Hawkins said Tuesday that going back to his alma mater was the right fit. Hawkins played for the Aggies in 1981-82 and later served as an assistant coach under Jim Sochor from 1983-85.Hawkins had his most success as a coach at Boise State. He took over the proggram in 2001 and led the Broncos to a 53-11 record in five seasons before moving on to Colorado.dddddddddddd He had a 19-39 record in five seasons with the Buffaloes before being fired in 2010.Hawkins had been serving as an analyst at ESPN in recent years. ' ' '