Gäste Forum » 5 1/3 innings against Oakland and struck out seven.

New season. New roles. New goals.Those factors dont always bode well. Players who performed well last season dont always repeat their success the following season. The reverse is also true: Some players go from being small-time contributors one season to headliners the next.A players season is largely defined by whether he reaches his potential and how he does it. And it doesnt always have to do with positioning for a professional career.Heres a look at what players have the most to gain and the most to lose on each of the top 25 teams.Willy Adames Rays Jersey .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Mike Zunino Rays Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/1526i-ji-man-choi-jersey-rays.html . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Blake Snell Rays Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Kevin Kiermaier Rays Jersey . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose.ARLINGTON, Texas -- It has taken two starts for Texas left-hander Derek Holland to show hes back to pitching like the Texas Rangers hoped he would when the season started.Holland (6-6), who missed two months of the season with left shoulder inflammation, wants to continue that trend Saturday when he starts a pivotal game against Houston. Unlike the Rangers, who have been set with their rotation, the Astros didnt announce their starter for Saturday until Friday afternoon.Houstons decision to push left-hander Dallas Keuchel back out of the series because of fatigue means rookie right-hander Joe Musgrove (2-2) will get the start opposite Holland.The Astros would love for Musgrove to have a Holland-like impact as Friday nights 10-8 loss to the Rangers dropped Houston 9 1/2 games behind Texas. In his two stars since returning from the disabled list, Holland has been consistently good. In each start, he has pitched six innings and allowed one run.About the only person not making too much about his recent starts is Holland.Im just going to stay focused on who I am, Holland said. Im not going to let two starts dictate anything. Its definitely great to see, and Ive been working my butt off for this, but at the same time I want to continue to focus on whats ahead.Whats ahead could be another start in which Holland throws his fastball in the low 90s, which is down from where he was a couple of years ago. But Holland is learning to pitch with what he has, which is something he picked up from Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.Maddux was a special assistaant with the Rangers last year and won more than 300 games without overpowering hitters.ddddddddddddThats one thing he (Maddux) used to talk about, said Holland, who is 4-2 with a 4.31 ERA in 11 career starts vs. the Astros. Its not necessarily how hard you throw, but how you locate. Everything is working outstanding. Nothing is taking the same path, including my off-speed. We throw the same exact curveball the next pitch and it does not go the same route the other one did.Musgrove is capable of matching Holland. His first big-league start came against the Rangers and he dazzled, allowing one run in seven innings and striking out six. Hes coming off another solid outing in his last start, as he picked up his second win on Monday. He didnt allow a run in 5 1/3 innings against Oakland and struck out seven.With Houston clinging to faint American League West hopes against first-place Texas and the rotation in flux because of Keuchel, that puts a lot of pressure on Musgrove to perform.Manager A.J. Hinch has confidence that his young rotation is up to the challenge and knows they cant rely on Keuchel to carry the load.Ive got four other guys we have to prepare to pitch and having this anxiousness or this curiosity everyday as to whether Keuchel was going to get back into the rotation doesnt do these guys any favors, Hinch said. They need to be ready to pitch and map out their bullpen schedules and their routines. ' ' '