SEATTLE -- Collin McHugh didnt know he was starting Tuesday until late the night before. Brad Richards Jersey . When he took the mound, he surprised just about everyone with his performance. McHugh struck out a career-high 12 in his season debut to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-2 win against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, extending Seattles losing streak to eight games. McHugh (1-0) was told he was being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday and flew to Seattle. It wasnt until he got to the team hotel late Monday night that he found out he was going to start for the Astros on Tuesday. Before the game, Houston coach Bo Porter characterized McHugh as a "pitch to contact guy," but the Mariners made almost no contact. McHugh struck out the first three batters he faced to set the tone for his first win in 10 career starts. "That was outstanding. Thats what you call seizing the opportunity," Porter said. The right-hander didnt walk a batter, giving up three hits in 6 2-3 shutout innings. "I dont think anybody prepares to go out and strike out a bunch of people. But I knew I had pretty decent command today with two or three pitches," McHugh said. "It was really good to kind of get the proverbial gorilla off your back with a W." McHughs stuff caught the Mariners off guard as well, as they only reached second once against him. "He was a little different than the scouting report we got. He was 94 (miles an hour) with a pretty good cut slider," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He threw exceptionally well tonight." The Astros offence gave McHugh plenty to work with, as Jason Castro and Chris Carter each hit homers to give Houston a 3-0 lead after two innings. Seattle starter Erasmo Ramirez (1-3) struck out eight over six innings and only allowed three hits, but they included the two costly homers. Three at-bats into the game, Castro just cleared the left field wall for a two-run homer, his fourth. Carter followed in the second inning with a shot to left that landed in the second deck for his first homer of the year. Seattles Dustin Ackley tried to counter with a deep ball to left in the bottom of the second, but Matt Dominguez made a leaping catch at the wall to end the inning. Dominguez added a homer of his own in the top of the seventh to give Houston a 4-0 lead. The Astros have now won two in a row after a seven-game losing streak, and their offence -- which entered Tuesdays game with a major league-worst .196 batting average -- is finally showing some signs of life. "Once the whole offence is flowing like it is the last couple games, you kind of get in a little groove with it," Dominguez said. "Its been nice being able to score some runs." McHughs 12th strikeout came against Robinson Cano to leadoff the bottom of the seventh, but Porter brought on reliever Raul Valdes with two outs in the inning. McHugh had thrown 89 pitches, well above his high of 73 pitches in his minor league outings this year. Valdes walked Kyle Seager and then gave up a two-run home run to Justin Smoak, Seattles only offence of the game. McHughs call up came after Scott Feldman was placed on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. Feldman will miss at least one more start, possibly giving McHugh more chances to show what he can do. "He didnt do anything to hurt his chances of sticking around," Porter said. "He definitely earned his keep." NOTES: The crowd of 10,466 was the fifth-lowest in Safeco Field history. Six of the seven lowest crowds at Safeco have been matchups with the Astros, all coming since the start of last season. ... Seattle RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (finger) was scheduled to pitch in a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Tacoma, but instead threw a simulated game at Safeco Field on Tuesday afternoon due to weather concerns. McClendon said the outing went well, and Iwakuma will have a rehab outing with Tacoma on Sunday. ... Astros RHP Lucas Harrell, designated for assignment on April 16, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Brandon Saad Blackhawks Jersey . The 32-year-old native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., said on his Twitter account that his knee was bothering him. Guay underwent knee surgery over the summer, then returned for the start of the World Cup season after an intensive rehab program. Kris Versteeg Jersey . Tim Hudson delivered. Hudson gave the ailing rotation a lift and Atlanta got home runs from Brian McCann and Chipper Jones in a 5-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night.(SportsNetwork.com) - One point guard will return, while another will sit when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks. Ricky Rubio is slated to return to the Timberwolves lineup Monday after missing 42 games with a sprained ankle. The team went 6-37 in his absence. Hes seen three specialists and all of them have cleared him if things are OK come Monday, head coach Flip Saunders said on Saturday. They have OKd him to be able to play on a limited time basis. We will have to wait until Monday pretty much comes. For the Mavs, Rajon Rondo is out with a facial injury. Rondo was hurt early in the first quarter in Orlando after a collision with teammate Richard Jefferson. Jeffersons knee hit the face of Rondo, whose head then struck the floor. The Mavs defeated the Magic, 108-93, Saturday. Monta Ellis scored 25 points and handed out 13 assists to help the Mavericks defeat Orlando. After leading by as much as 27, the Mavericks edge was cut to as little as five in the fourth quarter before they pulled away again. Monta Ellis carried us again, Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle said. He was tremendous and made great defensive plays. Tyson Chandler added 20 points and nine rebounds for Dallas in its second straight win, and Dirk Nowitzki netted 11 points. Jefferson (14), Devin Harris (12) and J.J. Barea (10) rounded out the double-figure scorers for DDallas. Brent Seabrook Red Jersey. The Mavs have a two-game California trip, starting Wednesday. Rondos availability for that trek against the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings is unknown. Minnesota fell to the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday in Kevin Loves return to the Twin Cities. Love, who was booed every time he touched the ball, had 14 points and 17 rebounds in Clevelands 106-90 victory over the Timberwolves. After playing his first six NBA seasons for the Timberwolves, Love was dealt to Cleveland as part of a three-team deal in the offseason. Minnesota acquired Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, the last two No. 1 overall picks in the draft. Wiggins had himself a career night in a losing cause, scoring 33 points on 14- of-25 shooting. The 19-year-old matched the franchise record for most points by a teenager. I love the big stage and playing in the spotlight, Wiggins said. Its motivation for everybody. Thaddeus Young ended with 19 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost two straight. Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin had 14 points apiece, with Pekovic also pulling down 12 rebounds. Zach LaVine is expected to miss Mondays game with an ankle injury. Mo Williams could return against the Mavs after missing three games with a hip problem. The Mavs won both of this seasons meetings, but are just 2-4 in their last six as the host in this series. cheap nfl jerseyscheap jerseys ' ' '
