Regeln » also donated $50,000 each Wednesday to Second Ha

HOUSTON — There were moments during the recently completed road trip when Evan Gattis‘ teammates appeared to relish his run-production exploits more than he did Shareef Miller Jersey , scenes emblematic of the prevailing fondness for the Houston Astros‘ bearded designated hitter.

Gattis is among the many catalysts for the Astros, who take a 12-game winning streak into Tuesday’s game with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Astros tied the club record set in 1999 and matched in 2004 when Alex Bregman delivered the game-winning single in the ninth inning in a 5-4 victory.

Before Bregman’s hit, Gattis was named American League Player of the Week, earning the honor for the first time in his six-season career.

Gattis hit .417 (10-for-24) with four homers and 15 RBIs for the week, the latter total representing seven more than any other player in the league.

Gattis has been a house aflame this month, leading the majors with 23 RBIs. That total leaves him six shy of the club record of 29 set by Jimmy Wynn in 1967 and matched by Jose Cruz in 1984.

On May 19, Gattis was mired in an extended season-opening slump and was batting .209. He recorded three multi-hit games over his next five starts and has wielded a hot bat ever since.

“I’m thrilled for Gatty because to know him is to know how much he carries the burden of being the DH most nights,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “And he’s very emotional about it. He wants to contribute; he wants to do well. Had a rough start to the season and going through a few swing changes and a lot of work behinds the scenes and then he busts out and literally carries us for the better part of the road trip.

“For him to be rewarded with that recognition nationally is awesome. For the reaction inside with his teammates and coaches, everybody feels pretty good about him.”

Right-hander Justin Verlander (9-2, 1.61 ERA) will start for the Astros (49-25) on Tuesday. He leads the AL in ERA, WHIP (0.76), opponent batting average (.160) and OPS (.493) while ranking second in innings (100 1/3) and fourth in strikeouts (120).

He is 8-3 with a 3.29 ERA over 16 career starts against the Rays, failing to record a decision when he allowed two runs on six hits and five walks with six strikeouts over seven innings in a 5-3 win on June 15 Germaine Pratt Jersey , 2017, with Detroit.

Left-hander Blake Snell (8-4, 2.58 ERA) gets the nod for the Rays (33-39). He is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA over three career starts against Houston, failing to log more than five innings in any of those outings. Snell has made two starts at Minute Maid Park, going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA.

Snell has yielded two or fewer runs in 12 of 15 starts this season, tied with Verlander and Yankees right-hander Luis Severino for the most such starts in the AL. That total includes eight starts surrendering one run or fewer, the second-best mark in the AL behind Verlander (nine).

The Rays’ pitcher usage remains a topic of conversation throughout the majors, with the collapse by Romo only fueling those with dissenting opinions on the strategy of employing multiple bullpen days per week. Six pitchers preceded Romo on Monday, with right-hander Matt Andriese producing the longest outing of 2 2/3 innings in Tampa Bay’s 10th loss in its last 11 road games.

“This is a tough one, no doubt,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We sold out to win a ballgame. We got aggressive with the moves; they got aggressive on their side with the pinch hitting. It all basically worked in our favor until the last inning. Leadoff walk, a couple tough pitches, a couple odd things took place and then Bregman comes up and gets a big hit.”

NASHVILLE http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-finley-jersey , Tenn. (AP) — Marquise Brown knows too well the challenge of stretching $20 over a month to feed himself, with help from discounted meals at work and food from his junior college coach. Josh Jacobs had days when he ate only if he stole something.Brown put on about 10 pounds his first week at Oklahoma, and Jacobs gained about 30 at Alabama, helping turn him into a Southeastern Conference running back.It’s why the two likely first-round NFL draft picks happily helped volunteers fill 8,000 backpacks for hungry children Wednesday morning as part of a league initiative, Huddle Against Hunger. Both Brown and Jacobs know too well what the cans of soup, the cookies and chips mean to someone with an empty belly.“Especially being from my background and doing this type of lifestyle that I had and not knowing if I was going to eat certain days, it’s definitely dope just to be able to give back,” Jacobs said.Brown could have used one of those backpacks himself within just the past three years.“I had no food, I had nothing,” Brown said. “So just doing this I know the impact it has on someone’s life.”Growing up as the middle of five children with only his father around in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jacobs slept at times in cars and motels.“There’s been a lot of days I had to steal to eat Renell Wren Jersey ,” Jacobs said. “So I mean just to be able to give back on that, especially with food, it’s huge. Something … a lot of people that we don’t really appreciate that much. But it’s definitely huge to be able to give back.”Brown was barely 140 pounds when he arrived at College of the Canyons in California needing to work on both his grades and add some weight. Junior college had to be paid for, and the native of Hollywood, Florida, also needed a place to live while trying to attract the attention of a Division I program.“So I had to get a job at Six Flags,” Brown said. “That was really to cover my rent. I had rent, and I had school to pay for. So that left me with about $20 for food. I mean, you can’t really do much with $20.”Brown stretched that $20 going to Family Dollar and stocking up on ramen noodles, cereal and frozen food. He ate at Six Flags when working to take advantage of discounted meals for employees. His junior college coach also helped.“My head coach, he brought cereal in for me, different type of foods just so I could have a meal,” said Brown http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-michael-jordan-jersey , who brought that coach to Nashville to enjoy the draft that begins Thursday night.Brown earned his way to Oklahoma, where he didn’t have to worry about food in 2017 and 2018. Now he’s listed at 166 pounds and still light enough that some question whether the 5-foot-9 receiver can survive a 16-game NFL season. His answer? Just wait.“Going to the NFL getting more time, getting more development with nutrition and in the weight room, I feel like I’m going to put my body in the best shape,” Brown said.The backpacks will be delivered Friday morning as the NFL kicked off its community programs celebrating its 100th season. The Tennessee Titans, who helped lure this year’s draft to Nashville, also donated $50,000 each Wednesday to Second Harvest and the Bridge Ministry.Hearing how many children deal with hunger was surreal for Jacobs. That only reinforced his desire to help feed people once he’s in the NFL.First, he’s hoping to celebrate Thursday night with his family for the next step of his journey.“It’s definitely dope to experience all this together,” Jacobs said. “Everything that we experienced growing up and to be able to be on this stage … where I can take care of them for the rest of my life and change the culture of my family, change the narrative, it’s definitely huge for me.”