MINNEAPOLIS -- For the first time this season, the Minnesota Twins do not have the worst record in the American League.Fueled by a 21-13 stretch since July 1, including a 3-1 win in the opener of a four-game series against the Houston Astros on Monday, the Twins passed the Tampa Bay Rays and moved out of the A.L. cellar.Minnesota, which has won seven of its last nine overall, will try and keep that momentum going on Tuesday when it continues its series with the Astros.August 8th, we passed somebody. How long has it been? Twins manager Paul Molitor joked on Monday. Its been a long time.Despite a lost season, Molitor said players try and accentuate the positives like on Monday, when they moved up in the standings.I would think that these guys are aware of those things, Molitor said. Were enjoying what were doing right now, guys are having fun, a lot of joking going around which is good as long as the focus is where it needs to be.On the flip side, the Astros will try and get back on track before their fading postseason hopes are gone for good.Houston has lost six of its last seven games and nine of 11 overall, dropping to third place in the American League West.We didnt play well enough to win (on Monday) and its been troublesome for a couple of weeks now, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. You gotta play better to win.The Astros mustered just four hits in Mondays loss and Carlos Gomez made a pair of defensive miscues in the fifth inning that accounted for two of Minnesotas three runs.Gomez also went 0-for-3 at the plate, including a double play, dropping his average to .210 on the season.Ill take a look at it and see how it goes, Hinch said when asked if he can continue to play Gomez. struggling through a tough season. You keep trying to hang in there with guys, you want to encourage them more than anything. Clearly its been a rough patch for him for a while.Hinch will send right-hander Mike Fiers to the mound to try and get the club going. Fiers struggled to open the season but has been better of late, posting a 3.56 ERA in 11 starts since June 1. He has had a quality start each of his last three times out, including a six-inning, two-run outing against Toronto on Thursday.Fiers allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk in a no-decision against the Twins on May 4 at Minute Maid Park.Houston will see a familiar face on Tuesday when the Twins send Hector Santiago to the mound to make his home debut. Santiago, acquired from the Angels on Aug. 1 in exchange for Ricky Nolasco and a prospect, allowed four runs on five hits and a pair of walks in five innings in Cleveland in his first game with the Twins on Thursday.The left-hander allowed one run on three hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings against the Astros when he played for the Angels on June 21 and has a 3.69 ERA in 10 career starts against Houston. Replica Jerseys China .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Best Site Buy China Jerseys .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. https://www.cheapjerseysreview.com/ .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Where To Buy Cheap Jerseys . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. LEWISTON, N.Y. -- Maryland coach Brenda Frese and her sixth-ranked Terrapins found a nice way to cap their weekend getaway to upstate New York.Freshman point guard Destiny Slocum had career highs with 25 points and seven assists as Maryland cruised to a 96-64 victory over Niagara on Sunday. The Terrapins scored on seven of their first eight possessions and forced five turnovers in opening the game on a 16-2 run. They led 58-32 at halftime.It was really important that the five of us who started came out and set the tone, Slocum said. That was our mindset, that we needed to start strong.Frese had accompanied All-American honorable mention Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to the Pan-American Games in Toronto last summer and took the opportunity to visit Niagara Falls. She wondered, Why havent we ever taken our team up here? That led to Maryland scheduling its first game at Niagara, and the team visited the namesake falls on Saturday.It was sensational, Frese said.So were the Terrapins. Brionna Jones and Walker-Kimbrough each chipped in 16 points for Maryland, which failed to score 100 points for the first time this season. Still, the Terrapins were efficient on offense, shooting 53.7 percent while making a season-high 11 3-pointers on 26 attempts (42.3 percent). They assisted on 26 of 36 field goals. It was their second straight game with 26 assists.Not completely satisfied, but I thought we were very unselfish, Frese said. We let the game come to us.Maryland held Niagara to 37.3 percent shooting and forced 18 turnovers that turned into 24 points.Niagaras 64 points were the most allowed by a Maryland opponent this season. Victoria Rampado led the Purple Eagles (1-3) with 24 points and five rebounds.Their point guard is one of the best freshmen Ive seen in 20 years of basketball, Niagara coach Jada Pierce said of Slocum.ddddddddddddBIG PICTUREAfter winning their first three home games by an average of 55 points, the Terrapins rolled to another blowout win in their road opener. Maryland went 17-2 in road/neutral games last season.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Terrapins havent done anything to merit dropping out of the top 10 for the first time since Jan. 12, 2015. They could move up a spot after No. 2 Baylor lost at No. 3 Connecticut, but voters may not penalize the Bears for losing on the road to the four-time defending NCAA champion. Maryland has not played a ranked team yet.FRESH TALENTMore than half of Marylands points (49) came from its top-rated recruiting class. Slocum did the most damage, but fellow McDonalds All-Americans Kaila Charles (nine points), Sarah Myers (five), Stephanie Jones (four), Jenna Staiti (four) and Blair Watson (two) all contributed in their first college road game. Charles had seven of Marylands first 11 points.MILESTONEBrionna Jones passed Belinda Pearman and moved into 25th on the Terrapins all-time scoring list with 1,286 career points. Jones made 7 of 9 shots, bringing her career field goal percentage up to 63.2 percent. The Big Ten record is 60.8 percent set by Purdues Camille Cooper from 1997-2001.UP NEXTMaryland continues its four-game road trip at the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas, playing its first ranked opponent, No. 18 Arizona State, on Friday, and Washington State on Saturday. A showdown with No. 5 Louisville looms on Dec. 1.Niagara visits Cleveland State on Wednesday. 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