ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Two years ago, Brandon Finnegan introduced himself to major-league baseball as a reliever during the Kansas City Royals run to the World Series. On Wednesday, Finnegan will seek to build on his recent success as a starter when his Cincinnati Reds face the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.Opposing him will be right-hander Ricky Nolasco, who has yet to win a game since the Minnesota Twins sent him to the Angels at the trading deadline.Finnegan enters the game following two stellar performances. Against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 20, the left-hander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before finishing with eight strikeouts while permitting just two walks and one hit in an 11-1 rout.Reds manager Bryan Price told MLB.com that Finnegan was as sharp as Ive seen him this year.Then on Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Finnegan amassed a career-high 12 strikeouts in six innings while conceding just two runs, two walks and three hits for his fifth quality start in six appearances. In three of those starts, the left-hander pitched shutout baseball.Friday nights performance provided a distinct contrast from Finnegans last start against Arizona on July 24, when he allowed six runs on seven hits in five innings of a 9-8 loss.Last time I faced these guys, I didnt have a change-up, he told the Cincinnati Enquirer. They were definitely gearing for a fastball matchup. Thats why they were missing the change-up so much.But since that loss, Finnegan won three of four decisions.Finnegan made seven relief appearances in the playoffs for Kansas City after being recalled from Double-A Northwest Arkansas in September 2014. He became first player in major-league history to pitch in a World Series and a College World Series in the same year, when he played for TCU. The Reds acquired Finnegan in a four-player trade for right-hander Johnny Cueto five days before last years trading deadline.This kid has got all the guts in the world, and he throws strikes, Art Stewart, the Royals long-time scouting director, told the New York Times in 2014.Nolasco, on the other hand, lost his last four starts, five successive decisions overall and eight of his past nine since June 13. The right-hander has not earned a victory since July 9. Three weeks later, the Angels acquired him from the Twins in a four-player trade for left-hander Hector Santiago.Yet in his past two starts, Nolasco showed signs of ending his funk. On Aug. 20, the right-hander did not issue a walk and retired 12 consecutive New York Yankees between the second and sixth innings of a 5-1 loss.Then on Friday night, Nolasco pitched five shutout innings before the Detroit Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to rally for a 4-2 win. J.D. Martinez had a run-scoring double and Justin Upton hit a two-run home run.I was able to make pitches and get out of those few innings before, Nolasco told the Orange County Register. But it the sixth it was two hanging sliders that were the difference in the game. It came down to two pitches, and they didnt miss them. Aaron Ramsey Jersey . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Aaron Ramsey Wales Jersey . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/gareth-bale-wales-UEFA-EURO-jersey/ .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Custom Wales Soccer Jerseys . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Joe Ledley Jersey . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. HOUSTON -- Jose Quintana been pitching well over his last nine starts but had gone 0-7 in large part because the White Sox had managed just nine total runs in that span.So when his team tacked on a pair of runs in the eighth inning to pad a 1-run lead Quintana was more than a little excited.(It was a) good reaction because ... sometimes I wait for runs, Quintana said. I (do) my job and I wait for support and today the lineup made a good effort.Quintana pitched seven solid innings to get his first win in almost two months, and Jose Abreu had two hits and an RBI to lead the White Sox over the Houston Astros 4-1 on Sunday.Quintana (6-8) allowed a season-low two hits and one run while fanning four for his first win since May 8. His losing streak was the longest in the majors.Even as difficult as it can be for him to get run support he never wavers as far as his own confidence in what he can do, manager Robin Ventura said. Hes one of the better pitchers in the league. If he can get some run support his record obviously is a lot different. Just mentally hes as tough as anybody weve got.George Springer hit a leadoff homer and drew a walk with no outs in the third. Quintana sailed through the rest of his day, retiring his last 15 batters before he was replaced by Nate Jones to start the eighth inning. Jones pitched a perfect eighth to make it 18 in a row before David Robertson allowed a single and walk before striking out rookie A.J. Reed for his 23rd save.The White Sox trailed by 1 when Tim Anderson doubled with one out in the third inning and scored on a groundout by Adam Eaton to tie it up. Abreu followed with his single that put the White Sox on top 2-1.Brett Lawrie and Dioner Navarro added RBI singles in the eighth inning to push the lead to 4-1.Houston starter Collin McHugh (5-6) allowed five hits and two runs while walking four with nine strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings to remain winless since May 30.Things got testy late in this one after Chris Devenski plunked Abreu in the left shoulder with two outs in the seventh inning. Abreu rremained at the plate and stared at Devenski until an umpire escorted him to first base.ddddddddddddWith two outs in the bottom of the inning Quintana threw behind Evan Gattis twice to earn a warning from home plate umpire Ryan Blakney. Houston manager A.J. Hinch immediately dashed out of the dugout after the second one and got in Blakneys face repeatedly yelling: he threw behind him, and pointing behind Gattis. He was soon ejected and things settled down after that.Quintana insisted that he didnt purposely throw behind Gattis.I tried to go inside and I missed the spot, he said. A couple of time today I missed in too much. Thats all.The Astros disagreed.To not eject him is a choice they made that I didnt appreciate, Hinch said of Quintana. Youre not going to take two shots at our guys and have it not be a spectacle for the entire industry to see. I respect the fact that they want to protect their players you cant do it twice.Springer gave Houston a 1-0 lead when he sent Quintanas second pitch into the bullpen in right-center field for his third career leadoff home run.The victory gave Chicago a 2-1 series win, snapping a streak of five straight series wins by the Astros.TRAINERS ROOMWhite Sox: 1B Justin Morneau, who has been out all season after elbow surgery in December, is scheduled to begin a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Charlotte on Monday. Manager Robin Ventura doesnt yet have a timetable on how long hell be there.UP NEXTWhite Sox: James Shields (3-9, 5.85) is scheduled to start when Chicago opens a series against the Yankees on Monday. Shields looks to get back on track after going 1-2 with an 11.07 ERA in his last five starts.Astros: Lance McCullers (3-2, 3.91) will start on Monday in the opener against Seattle after missing his last start with a blister on his right index finger. McCullers has been great in his short career, going 6-2 with a 2.03 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 15 starts. ' ' '