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PITTSBURGH -- The Houston Astros got a glimpse of their future while veteran Doug Fister helped keep them in the pennant race in the present.Fister pitched seven scoreless innings, Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run homer and the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 on Monday night.Hernandez connected off fellow rookie Jameson Taillon (3-3) in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie after A.J. Reeds leadoff walk. It was the third home run for Hernandez, who was called up from Triple-A Fresno on Aug. 12 to make his major league debut.Im just trying to be patient at the home plate, Hernandez said. Im trying to make adjustments during games to make sure I swing at pitches I can hit. Im just trying to do the best I can to see the ball well and do some damage.Alex Bregman, another Astros rookie, hit his fourth homer in the ninth inning off Neftali Feliz.Bregmans at-bats, even when he doesnt get hits, are high quality, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. I really like the way he swings the bat. That was real power to center field on the home run.Houston won its fourth straight game and Pittsburgh lost its fourth in a row. Both teams are competing for wild-card spots.Fister (12-8) struck out six, walked one and retired 11 of the first 12 batters. He had allowed nine runs and 11 hits over nine innings in his previous two starts.I was just kind of mixing things up, Fister said. (Catcher) Jason Castro had a good game plan and it came down to executing it. We had a couple of tricky fly balls and our guys out there wound up running them down. With our outfielders, theyre very athletic and theyll run down most pitchers mistakes.Ken Giles got his fourth save despite allowing David Freeses RBI single in the ninth. Freese was thrown out at second base when he tried to advance on an overthrow to end the game.You cant be out there at second base, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. Youre two runs down. That probably was some emotional baserunning. The only way it works is if youre safe.Taillon (3-3) made his seventh consecutive quality start since being activated from the disabled list July 19. He pitched eight innings, allowing two runs and four hits with a career-high eight strikeouts.Gregory Polanco had a pair of doubles and scored Pittsburghs lone run.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: INF/OF Yulieksi Gurriel grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth a day after leaving his major league debut with right hamstring tightness. Gurriel signed a $47.5 million, five-year contract in July after defecting from Cuba. He is expected to start Tuesday night. ... 3B Luis Valbuena (strained right hamstring) will be examined by doctors Wednesday to determine whether he needs season-ending surgery. ... OF Preston Tucker (strained right shoulder) is likely to begin a rehab assignment this weekend.Pirates: RHP Tyler Glasnow (right shoulder soreness) pitched three scoreless innings and threw 57 pitches Monday night in his second rehab start with Double-A Altoona, allowing two hits while striking out six and walking three against Harrisburg in the Eastern League.PIRATES NEWSFreese signed a two-year, $11 million contract prior the game that takes him through the 2018 season. Freese will make $6.25 million in 2017 and $4.25 million in 2018. Theres a $6 million club option for 2019 or a $500,000 buyout.Rookie 1B Josh Bell, who was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, made his second straight start. Hurdle said the 24-year-old switch-hitter will see the majority of playing time in place of slumping 1B John Jaso.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Joe Musgrove (1-1, 4.18 ERA) will make his fourth career start Tuesday night since being called up Aug. 1 from Triple-A Fresno.Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (9-6, 4.83) is 2-1 with a 4.41 ERA in three starts since being acquired Aug. 1 from the New York Yankees in a trade.Clearance Nike Air Vapormax . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Nike Air Vapormax Online . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. https://www.fakevapormaxwholesale.com/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap Nike Air Vapormax . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Cyber Monday Nike Air Vapormax . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos.Two teams that didnt live up to preseason hype square off Wednesday, when Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury visit the Indiana Fever for a win-or-go-home, first-round playoff battle at Bankers Life Fieldhouse that could mark the final game of veteran star Tamika Catchings.One of the WNBAs all-time greats, Catchings has announced that she will retire when the Fevers season ends, which could be Wednesday.The first two rounds of this seasons playoffs are single-elimination, so there is no tomorrow for Wednesdays loser. The winner advances to the second round and will face either the New York Liberty or the Chicago Sky on the road.The Fever, after reaching last years WNBA Finals, were expected to be among the top-tier of contenders again this season. But Indiana (17-17) struggled with inconsistency, especially on the offensive end and didnt secure home court in the first round of the playoffs until an 83-60 win over the Dallas Wings in their regular season finale.Indiana is 11th in the league in scoring, averaging 80.5 points per gaame, and last in the league in rebounding.ddddddddddddThe Mercury (16-18) also experienced a disappointing regular season. With Taurasi returning from a one-year hiatus to join with Brittney Griner and Penny Taylor, Phoenix was expected to be a top-tier contender. Instead, the Mercury barely got into the playoffs, winning three of their last four to secure the eighth seed.Their struggles, for the most part, havent come on the offensive end of the court. Taurasi leads five Mercury players averaging in double figures at 17.8 points per game. She scored 19 points in Phoenixs 79-65 win at Indiana on Aug. 31, the teams most recent meeting.Indiana won two of three overall against Phoenix this season, but will have their hands full with Griner, who has emerged as the leagues premier shot-blocker. Her 107 blocks led the WNBA this season and were 28 more than second-place Elizabeth Williams of the Atlanta Dream. ' ' '