this summer will release his book on the NFL’s first 100 years: “NFL Century: The Rise of America’s Greatest Sports League.” The league begins its 100th regular season in September.“Joe has been an enormous asset to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for more

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros enjoyed their share of luck and made some of their own during their 12-game winning streak http://www.bearsfootballauthentics.com/riley-ridley-jersey-authentic , but on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays, they tasted regression.

Well, at least right fielder George Springer did. Already mired in a miserable slump dating back one month, Springer had a potential game-tying, three-run home run snagged by Toronto right fielder Randal Grichuk with no outs in the ninth inning of the Astros’ 6-3 loss. Grichuk shifted from center field to right in the ninth to make way for standout defender Kevin Pillar.

Instead of pulling the Astros even at 6-all, Springer finished 0-for-5 with a strikeout and three runners stranded. He entered the series with a .196/.322/.353 slash line since May 26, the first game after he improved his OPS to .894 with a robust .305/.367/.527 line through 50 games.

“It sucks,” Springer said. “There’s not really anything else to say about it. It’s tough. It is what it is. They win.”

Despite opening Monday tied with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for the best record in the majors Shareef Miller Jersey , the Astros (52-28) have been a bit unlucky in close, low-scoring games. While their pitching staff has performed splendidly in the first half of the season, the Astros are just 8-14 in one-run games and dropped to 7-19 when scoring three or fewer runs. Houston has run roughshod over opponents on the road, but the loss to Toronto dropped the Astros to a modest 23-17 at home.

“Baseball can be pretty cruel,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “That’s a tough one. Right off the bat, I thought George got one. It carried and carried and carried and looked like he (Grichuk) had to go pretty deep into the stands to get it. George delivered a great swing. Cruel sport.”

Right-hander Charlie Morton (9-1, 2.74 ERA) will start on Tuesday for the Astros. Morton is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA over two career starts against the Blue Jays, with both coming last season. He has scuffled in June http://www.eaglesfootballauthentics.com/zach-brown-jersey-authentic , going 2-1 with a 4.29 ERA while issuing 15 walks and posting six hit batsmen over 21 innings.

Toronto (37-41) will counter with left-hander Ryan Borucki, who will make his major league debut. The Blue Jays’ top pitching prospect, Borucki made the climb from Class A Dunedin to Triple-A Buffalo over the past two seasons. He was 6-5 with a 3.27 ERA over 13 starts with the Bison, recording 58 strikeouts in 77 innings. Borucki was scratched from his start on Sunday.

Selected by Toronto in the 15th round of the 2012 draft, Borucki missed the 2013 season following Tommy John surgery. He slowly reclaimed his strength, logging 135 2/3 innings in 2016 and a career-high 150 1/3 innings last season. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons coyly refused to confirm published reports that Borucki would make his debut, but the secret is out.

“We’ll have the young kid going (Tuesday) so hopefully he gives us some innings,” Gibbons said in response to concerns over his fatigued bullpen. “Nice way to debut.”

When pressed that he accidentally revealed his hand http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-isaiah-johnson-jersey , Gibbons quipped, “You don’t know what young kid. Could be one of three or four of them.”

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Joe Horrigan, perhaps the most knowledgeable historian in the sport, is retiring as executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on June 1.Horrigan has spent 42 years at the hall, and this summer will release his book on the NFL’s first 100 years: “NFL Century: The Rise of America’s Greatest Sports League.” The league begins its 100th regular season in September.“Joe has been an enormous asset to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for more than four decades as the foremost historian for the game,” Hall of Fame President David Baker said Tuesday. “Everyone associated with the Hall of Fame has deep respect for all Joe has accomplished.“Joe’s climb through the company began as the curator and ultimately led to his role as executive director. All along the journey, he has been intimately involved in major expansions and renovations Devin Bush Jersey , led communications, and oversaw the selection process. He always committed himself to the Hall of Fame and always made what was best for the hall his top priority.”Even after June 1, Horrigan will continue to host the “Hall of Fame Radio Show” on SiriusXM and will be involved in special projects such as the Black College Hall of Fame Football Classic.