Die Chilluminati » Roenis Elias and James Paxton. By

SEATTLE -- When Brad Miller was hitting a season-low .151 three months into the season, he might not have expected even to be with the Seattle Mariners in the final month of the season. But Miller made perhaps his most significant contribution to the clubs post-season aspirations Monday night, hitting a tiebreaking, two-run triple and driving in three runs in a 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros. "Ive said all year, and a lot of people thought I was crazy, but I believe hes an offensive player in this league," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Hes struggled quite a bit early but I think its starting to pay off a little bit now." The Mariners moved one game behind Oakland, which lost to the White Sox, 5-4 in 12 innings, for the first AL wild card and are one game ahead of Detroit for the second playoff spot. With one out in the eighth, Mike Zunino worked a walk off Michael Foltynewicz (0-1). James Jones pinch ran for him and stole second. Tony Sipp entered and walked Michael Saunders. Jones then stole third without a throw. He has 25 steals in 26 attempts. "I was just trying to be aggressive," Miller said. "I was just looking for something I could drive. I was able to lay off two sliders and let Jonesy get to third. I just wanted get the head out and drive it." With the infield and outfield drawn in, Miller hit a liner that skipped past right-fielder Jake Marisnick, rolling to the wall. Both runners scored and Miller reached third standing up. Austin Jackson followed with a single to centre. "He made the right play," Astros interim manager Tom Lawless said of Marisnick. "That ball was hit pretty good. Just got out there and back-spinned up and took off on him." Danny Farquhar (3-1) worked the eighth for the victory. Fernando Rodney, despite putting two on in the ninth and throwing 30 pitches, picked up his AL-leading 44th save in his 47th opportunity. Danny Farquhar (3-1) worked the eighth for the victory. Fernando Rodney put two on in the ninth but earned his AL-leading 44th save in his 47th opportunity. Despite struggling with his control, Felix Hernandez tossed five-hit ball for six innings. He matched his season high with four walks and threw two wild pitches. Houston put runners in scoring position three times against Hernandez but they were hitless in five attempts to drive the runner in -- striking out four times. "Felix battled all night," McClendon said. "He had some strikeouts and had some walks. It looked like he was a little out of rhythm. In the end, he got six innings in, no runs. Shows how great he is." Astros starter Brad Peacock entered with a 5.01 ERA, but he allowed just four hits, walked two and struck out six in five innings. Miller delivered a two-out RBI single in the sixth off Jorge De Leon. The Astros tied it in the seventh -- even after having a home run taken back by a replay review. TRAINERS ROOM Mariners: Saunders was activated from the DL and started in right field. He has been out since July 11 with a left oblique strain and a viral infection. ... OF Dustin Ackley missed his second straight game with an ailing left ankle. "Its one of those things that might take a couple days and Ill be ready to go," he said. He will have an MRI to rule out anything serious. UP NEXT Mariners LHP Roenis Elias (10-12) matches up against Houstons Collin McHugh. ROTATION PREPARATION McClendon has set his rotation through the end of the season. Hes going with Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, Chris Young, Roenis Elias and James Paxton. By design, Hernandez will be in line to pitch the seasons final game. Or, if clinched beforehand, he could switch to start a wild-card game. SPOILER ALERT The Astros can play playoff spoilers down the stretch. They face Seattle (five games), the Los Angeles Angles (three) and Cleveland (four) over the next 13 days. Interim manager Tom Lawless would like to give his September callups more playing time but wont. "While were playing these teams in the playoff hunt, its not fair to everyone else. Were going to try to win the game, bottom line," he said. Devin Hester Jersey . Two-time Olympic bronze medallists Savchenko and Szolkowy received 79.02 points to finish ahead of world bronze medallists Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada, who had 77.01 points. William Perry Jersey . -- Chicago manager Darold Butler has a message for the Windy City. http://www.officialchicagobearspro.com/Richard-dent-bears-jersey/ . It was a day that saw England slump off a World Cup field once again battered and bruised. This time there was no red card to wonder about, no goalkeeping error or individual mistake. They were thoroughly beaten by something they have nothing of – genuine world class ability. Walter Payton Jersey .Leicester won 25-21 in a heated European Rugby Champions Cup group match on Sunday.Toulon said on its website on Wednesday that it decided to open an investigation after Leicester complained about the behaviour of prop Martin Castrogiovanni and fullback Delon Armitage. Gale Sayers Jersey . Which is to say, the top of this years draft class is not as dynamic or exciting as the 2013 class of Nate MacKinnon, Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones and its not as strikingly promising as the highly-anticipated 2015 slate of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The New York Rangers have momentum, a unified locker room and Henrik Lundqvist. The Pittsburgh Penguins have two of the worlds best players and a coach who could be needing a win to keep his job. No pressure or anything, just a Game 7 that could alter the long-term future of one of the NHLs most stable franchises and boost the immediate prospects of an emotionally charged group rallying around one of the games most respected veterans. Looking overmatched and overwhelmed while falling behind 3-1 to the Penguins four games into the Eastern Conference semifinals, its the Rangers who head to Game 7 on Tuesday night looking like the team ready to move on. Martin St. Louis, just days removed from the death of his mother, scored the first of New Yorks three goals in Game 6 to provide the jolt that carried the Rangers all the way back from the brink. The way St. Louis figures it, he is simply repaying the guys in a dressing room hes still learning after arriving in New York after a trade with Tampa Bay in February. "I think when something like that happens to one person to see the support you get from everybody else, it really makes it real," he said. "Theres not phoniness about the family feeling you want to create." Its a feeling that ebbs and flows in Pittsburgh. Dominant and disruptive to start the series, the Penguins have spent the last six periods giving New York every reason to believe it can rally from a 3-1 deficit for the first time in franchise history. Centre Sidney Crosby has just one goal in 12 games. The power play — which tied with Washington for the leagues best in the regular season — has converted just one of its past 19 chances. And now coach Dan Bylsma finds himself 60 minutes away from either taking the Penguins back to the conference finals for the third time in six years or possibly looking for work. Not that Bylsma is ready to talk about the big picture yet. The task at hand is worrisome enough. "These are the ones you dream about playing," Bylsma said. "This is one were going to remember." The memories havent been kind to the Penguins in deciding games on home ice. Pittsburgh is just 2-6 at home in Game 7s in franchise history, including losses to Montreal in 2010 annd Tampa Bay three years ago.dddddddddddd. The Penguins played the entire series against the Lightning without Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, who sat out with injuries. Both have been healthy this time around, skating alongside each other in the hopes theyll provide offence. Only Malkin, who has six goals in 13 games, has delivered. Though Crosby ended a 13-game playoff goal drought in Game 3, he spent as much time in Game 6 jawing with the Rangers and getting water squirted on him by Lundqvist as he did trying to become the magnetic force that can sometimes change the course of a game with his will. Crosby insists he is healthy even while averaging just .75 points per game during the post-season, well below his career playoff average of 1.28. The leagues leading scorer received a pep talk from Penguins co-owner and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux in the aftermath of Game 6. Having a quick chat is nothing new for Crosby and his mentor. "He definitely has a pretty good understanding of dealing with the pressure," Crosby said. So does Lundqvist. The goaltender thrives when the pressure is its highest. He was New Yorks best player early in the series, the main reason 3-2, 2-0 and 3-0 losses didnt look worse. When it looked as if the Rangers were out of it after falling behind 3-1, he responded by stopping 67 of the next 69 shots he faced and is 9-2 with a 1.35 goals-against average with the Rangers facing elimination. The three-time All-Star is 4-1 in Game 7s. "He takes his game up to another level," New York coach Alain Vigneault said. "But this Game 7 against this team, its going to have to be a team level. Its going to have to be everybody taking their game to another level." The same can be said in the Penguins dressing room, which could have a very different look. If the team built to become a dynasty after winning it all in 2009 falls short of the Stanley Cup finals for the fifth straight season. The Penguins won that title in Game 7 on the road against Detroit, the defending champions. To take the next step back they have to find that magic at home. "We worked hard all year to get home ice in the playoffs," Crosby said. "To get to this point weve got to look at this like an opportunity and make the most of it." Blackhawks Jerseys Store Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Penguins Jerseys Store Capitals Jerseys For Sale Blues Jerseys Store Cheap Kings Jerseys Adidas Lightning Jerseys Stars Jerseys For Sale Cheap Predators Jerseys Ducks Store Sharks Jerseys For Sale Cheap Sabres Jerseys Rangers Jerseys For Sale ' ' '