Cincinnati spent at least one week ranked.Regardless of how well t

BALTIMORE -- The Houston Astros still have their sights set on a postseason berth and can take another step toward that goal if they take the series against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday at Camden Yards.After dropping the first game Thursday, Houston bounced back with a pair of convincing victories. While the Astros trail the first-place Texas Rangers by 9 1/2 games, they are within striking distance of a wild card berth 4 1/2 games behind Baltimore.The offense has been the key for both teams throughout the series with balls flying out of Camden Yards. The Orioles have hit 13 homers in the three games, while Houston has gone deep nine times.The only silver lining with their power is we kept it to solo homers by most part, or a couple of two-run homers, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said about the Orioles. Theres do doubt that these guys live and die by the home run, more so than any team in baseball. Keeping them in the ballpark is key.Left-hander Dallas Keuchel (7-12, 4.76 ERA) starts for the Astros on Sunday. Keuchel is having an uneven season and has lost three of his past four starts. In his previous outing against the St. Louis Cardinals, he allowed six runs on six hits in five innings in the 8-5 loss.Baltimore counters with Yovani Gallardo (4-4, 5.18). He has struggled to go deep into games this season, competing seven innings only once in 16 starts. On Tuesday, Gallardo gave up three runs on four hits and five walks in five innings against the Boston Red Sox. He didnt get a decision in the 5-3 loss.Gallardo was hit in the right elbow on a liner by Dustin Pedroia and there were some initial concerns over whether he would be able to make the next start. But Gallardo said he suffered just a bruise and shrugged off the injury.Its all right, he said. He got me pretty good, but Ill be all right.The Orioles will likely be without four-time All-Star catcher Matt Wieters, who was placed on paternity leave Saturday. He has the option of being away for a maximum of three days.In a corresponding move, catcher Francisco Pena was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. In nine games with Baltimore earlier this season, Pena went 7-for-33.Baltimore manager Buck Showalter is hopeful his team can put the past two losses behind them and salvage a split in the four-game series.Nobody clicks on all phases every night, Showalter said. One day you hoping your offense is enough to cover some deficiency starting, then its something to cover deficiencies in the bullpen maybe you dont catch the ball well that night. ... I can come up with three or four things they didnt do well. but they did something to overcome them. its pretty tough to cover that many runs the last two nights. Its pretty obvious we need to pitch better. Dave Winfield Jersey . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Clayton Richard Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/ . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Ken Giles Jersey . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Roberto Alomar Blue Jays Jersey . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. The first weekend of the college football season is loaded. Here are five things to know as you prepare to immerse yourself in football.BEST GAMENo. 1 Alabama vs. No. 20 USC? No. 10 Notre Dame at Texas? No. 18 Georgia vs. No. 22 North Carolina. No. 5 LSU vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. And thats just to name a few. Lots of interesting matchups from which to choose, but the best looks as if it will be the last.No. 11 Mississippi faces No. 4 Florida State in Orlando, Florida, on Monday night. The Rebels are in a bit of a reload season after losing three first-round draft picks that were the heart of a team coming off two straight New Years Six bowl appearances. There is still plenty for the Ole Miss fans to be excited about, starting with Chad Kelly, one of the best quarterbacks in the country, throwing to a bunch of speedy receivers.Florida State seems set everywhere but quarterback. Redshirt Deondre Francois takes over a team with national title hopes. Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in the country and safety Derwin James is a versatile playmaker on defense.Add in some SEC-ACC bragging rights and you have the game of the week.HEISMAN WATCHNo player could do more for his Heisman Trophy hopes in Week 1 than Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. The 15th-ranked Cougars open against No. 3 Oklahoma at NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans. If Ward, who passed for 2,828 yards, ran for 1,108 yards and accounted for 38 touchdowns last season, has a big game and leads the Cougars to an upset, he can vault himself into the heart of a crowded field of Heisman contenders that includes three of the top four vote-getters from last season.If Ward and the Cougars play a clunker, you can probably scratch him off the list of possible winners.NUMBERS TO KNOW-Longest current season-opener winning streaks:Florida -- 26. The Gators play UMass at the Swamp.USC -- 17. The Trojans face Alabama in Arlington, Texas.Ohio State -- 16. The Buckeyes host Bowling Green.-Nebraska coach Mike Riley and Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall each enter the season with 99 victories. The Cornhuskers open the season at home against Fresno State. Mendenhalls first game as Cavalierrs coach is home against FCS power Richmond.dddddddddddd(SLIGHTLY) OFF THE RADARBYU opens against Arizona at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, marking the return of Cougars QB Taysom Hill for a sixth season of eligibility.Hill lost most of each of the last two seasons to injuries. He also did a Mormon mission at the start of his career. So now at 26, a quarterback who was in the same recruiting class in 2009 as Matt Barkley, gets one more chance to lead the Cougars. When healthy Hill drew comparisons to Tim Tebow. He won a tight competition with Tanner Mangum to win the starting job.The Arizona game is the first in a string of high-level opponents for the independent BYU. Also on the schedule: Utah, UCLA, West Virginia, Toledo, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Boise State and Cincinnati. All of those teams played in bowl games last season. All but Cincinnati spent at least one week ranked.Regardless of how well the Cougars do, a full season from Hill will be a victory.COACH IN NEED OF A WINIts never too early to start the hot seat watch.Texas A&Ms Kevin Sumlin and Auburns Gus Malzahn enter the season with pressure to change the trajectory of their programs. Both start with huge home openers. The Aggies take on No. 16 UCLA and Auburn host No. 2 Clemson and Deshaun Watson.Big challenges and great opportunities to show things are headed in the right direction. Also, a chance to start 0-1 in front of the home crowd.For Auburn, a solid showing against a team that pushed Alabama in the championship game could make a loss in the opener palatable to Malzahns critics. Thats not necessarily the case for Sumlin. UCLA has the ranking and the star quarterback in Josh Rosen, but the Aggies are favored at home by a couple points. It is a winnable game. The Aggies are 1-6 at Kyle Field against ranked teams under Sumlin. Fall to 1-7, with an always tough slate of SEC West games still ahead, and things almost immediately get uncomfortable in College Station, Texas.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '