Scooter Tuning Pics » Altuve was given the night off, snapping the longest

Coach Bruce Arians is the first to admit his Arizona Cardinals did not play well during the first quarter of the season, digging an early hole during a 1/3 start in September.However, after consecutive victories by a combined score of 61-24, the defending NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals (3-3) have a chance to close to within a half-game of the division lead when the Seattle Seahawks (4-1) visit University of Phoenix Stadium for Sunday nights prime-time tilt at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.Weve been playing better. Each season is a new year, Arians said. We did not play well in September, surprising to me, but we did play very well the last two weeks, and hopefully we can continue that.Granted, beating up on the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets, who are a combined 2-10, is a different animal than facing Seattle. The Seahawks are coming off a hard-fought win over the Atlanta Falcons, their first victory over a team with a winning record this season. It is fair to say this is a strong litmus test for teams that have combined to win 10 of the past 12 NFC West titles.The Cardinals have won four of the past five meetings, but the Seahawks have a three-game winning streak at University of Phoenix Stadium, including a 36-6 victory in Week 17 last season after Arizona already clinched the division and a first-round bye in the playoffs.12s show up, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said of the teams fan base. I was asked that by their press, too, theyre aware of it as well. I guess our people like to get out of the Northwest and get down there, get to Arizona. I dont know. We have had great crowds down there, and theyve been really good to us.On the field, the Cardinals boast a dynamic weapon in running back David Johnson, who enters Sunday with 568 rushing yards (third in the NFL) and eight touchdowns on the ground to go with 20 catches for 265 yards through the air. Seattle counters with the leagues third-ranked run defense and the top unit in yards allowed per game (283.6).Arizona is still looking to get its passing game untracked, with Arians acknowledging too many potential big plays failed to be executed through six weeks. The Seahawks are fifth in fewest passing yards allowed, but they did get beat for a pair of late big plays to fall behind against Atlanta last week. One miscommunication resulted in Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman yelling at defensive coordinator Kris Richard and inactive strong safety Kam Chancellor on the sideline.I mean its another week, its another opponent, everything starts over, said Sherman. Were frustrated, if theyre going to score, its going to be a very difficult score. Its going to be something that was just a dog fight. We hate to give up easy ones.Sherman may not shadow a receiver with the Cardinals sporting several playmakers. Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer, with some of his receivers matched up against Seahawks cornerbacks DeShawn Shead and Jeremy Lane, will have a prime opportunity to regain his form. He enters with seven touchdowns against five interceptions and an 84.1 passer rating.Its been not as easy as in the past. Weve missed some, theyre there, we just havent hit them, Arians said of the Cardinals passing game. Well get our opportunities, and we just have to keep throwing at them.Arians knows his team will be equally challenged on the other side of the ball. Arizona sports the leagues No. 5 defense entering Sunday, but last year, it did not successfully handle the Seahawks transformation to a more wide-open attack based on the throwing of quarterback Russell Wilson.Wilson completed 19 of 28 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns in Week 17 last season, and he enters Sunday with a streak of 158 consecutive passes without an interception. In fact, he has thrown only two in 12 games dating back to Week 10 of last season.He compiled those figures despite playing on right ankle and left knee sprains that clearly limited his mobility. Arizona has 19 sacks on the season and is facing a reworked Seattle offensive line that continues to experience growing pains, but Arians said the 5-foot-11 Wilson has developed into far more than a scrambling quarterback who hurts defenses on the run and on busted plays.Years ago everybody said, Make him stay in the pocket, Arians said. Now you rush him and hope you can contain him because hes lighting everybody up from the pocket.More to the point, Wilson is steadily getting closer to full health.Were just continuing to count on him to get out there and do his thing, Carroll said. He feels better again, hes markedly improved than he has been the last couple weeks. Lets see how that goes.Were going to keep running the stuff and count on him to read the things out and do all that he knows how to do. Were not restricting him at all.Arizona travels for a rematch against struggling defending NFC champion Carolina next week before hitting its bye week, while Seattle travels to New Orleans before returning home for a Monday night tilt against resurgent Buffalo and a trip to New England before playing host to Philadelphia. So the outcome of Sundays game could have a significant impact on what will be at stake when the Cardinals pay a visit to Seattle on Christmas Eve in Week 16.While Carroll harped on the importance of his 12s, Arians had a bit of a different take on why the home-field advantage might not be as significant as many assume. In his view, the crowd noise impacts his defense just as much in trying to contain Wilson & Co.I think one of the big things is the home-team defense is really hard to communicate, Arians said. I think its one of the reasons we play so well (in Seattle, where Arizona has won two of the past three years), that the defense has a tough time communicating because the crowd noise and the fans are into it. Weve had some lack of communication at times. Nike Vapormax Deutschland . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. Nike Vapormax Günstig Kaufen . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. http://www.vapormaxschuhe.de/vapormax-plus-deutschland.html . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. Vapormax Herren Günstig . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Vapormax Weiß Fake . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. MINNEAPOLIS -- Tyler Duffey pitched six effective innings and Minnesota took advantage of two misplays by center fielder Carlos Gomez in a three-run fifth that sent the Twins past the Houston Astros 3-1 on Monday night.Gomez, the former Twins outfielder, let Jorge Polancos single skip by him for a two-base error that allowed one run to score. Then he lost a fly ball off Juan Centenos bat, turning it into an RBI triple.Danny Santana followed with a run-scoring single, and Minnesota won for the seventh time in nine games.Duffey (7-8) permitted one run on four hits and struck out eight. Three relievers combined for three hitless innings, and Brandon Kintzler finished for his 10th save in 11 chances.Collin McHugh (7-9) gave up three runs and 10 hits in seven innings, losing his third straight start.Eddie Rosario had three hits for Minnesota, which has come around after a dreadful first half of the season.The Twins entered the year with postseason hopes after a surprising 2015 season but then finished the first half as the worst team in the American League. But since July 2, Minnesota has gone 21-12 and is playing the role of spoiler well.Since July 2, Minnesota leads the majors in runs, hits, doubles and triples.Polanco, called up from the minors when the Twins traded All-Star infielder Eduardo Nunez to San Francisco, has played a big part. Polanco has hit .378 with six RBI in nine games since being recalled.Meanwhile, Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said Rosario will get a look in center field after the team sent BByron Buxton to Triple-A on Sunday.dddddddddddd Rosario has hit .461 with four RBI in six games as the starting center fielder.Houstons playoff push has stalled as the offense has struggled. The Astros have lost 10 of their past 13 games and scored more than three runs just three times during that span.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: 2B Jose Altuve was given the night off, snapping the longest active streak in the majors at 202 consecutive games played. . Right-handed reliever Luke Gregerson (left oblique strain) was scheduled to throw off a mound, and manager A.J. Hinch said Gregerson is progressing nicely. Hinch expects Gregerson to throw a few more times before being activated from the DL and said a rehab assignment likely wont be needed. . INF Luis Valbuena (right hamstring) is back in Houston and Hinch said Valbuena has done some increased running.Twins: Trevor Plouffe returned to the lineup after missing 32 games with a broken rib. Plouffe started at third base and went 1 for 4.UP NEXTHector Santiago (10-5, 4.37 ERA) makes his first home start for the Twins on Tuesday night. The left-hander was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline and gave up four runs on five hits in five innings in his Minnesota debut at Cleveland. Houston counters with RHP Mike Fiers (7-5, 4.34), who tied a season high with seven strikeouts but took the loss against Toronto in his last appearance. ' ' '