HOUSTON - One of the Houston Astros top priorities this off-season was to improve their infield, and the return of shortstop Je

HOUSTON - One of the Houston Astros top priorities this off-season was to improve their infield, and the return of shortstop Jed Lowrie does just that. Jean Ratelle Jersey .Lowrie played for the Astros in 2012 before he was traded to Oakland and spent two seasons with the Athletics. He rejoined the Astros on Monday when he agreed to a $23 million, three-year contract.We wanted to improve our infield particularly the output of our infield offensively, general manager Jeff Luhnow said on Tuesday when Lowrie was re-introduced in Houston.Jonathan Villar started 78 games at shortstop for Houston last season and hit just .209 with 18 errors. Marwin Gonzalez also saw time at the position, starting 64 games and batting .277.Lowrie said he felt he had some unfinished business with the Astros. He added he was excited to be part of a team thats been boosted by talented prospects who have reached the majors.Theres this influx of young talent that is coming through and theres a willingness to add those veteran guys as well, Lowrie said.The switch-hitter batted .249 with six homers and 50 RBIs last season. His best season came in 2013 when he played a career-high 154 games and hit .290 with 75 RBIs — both career bests.The 30-year-old had a big season for Houston in 2012 and finished with a career-high 16 homers in 97 games. He had a .980 fielding percentage that season to lead all shortstops in the National League. Hes a career .261 hitter with 56 homers and 284 RBIs in seven seasons.The Astros targeted Lowrie and aggressively pursued him, helping him move past the fact that Luhnow had traded him two years earlier.It was one of the contributing factors to making the decision, Lowrie said of Houstons bid to sign him. Being wanted and knowing where you stand with the organization is a good feeling.The Astros hope that Lowrie can help mentor some of the young players that fill the roster. Lowrie said his leadership skills were shaped by the four seasons he spent with the Boston Red Sox to start his major league career. That taught him that its more important to lead by example than to tell players what they should and shouldnt do.I learned a lot from those guys watching them and how they prepared for the game, he said. Thats one of the best ways for guys to learn. Ive never thought that it was appropriate to impose your will on a younger player.Luhnow saw Lowries leadership skills the first time he was with the team. He said in exit interviews at the end of the 2012 he asked each player to name which players they saw as good leaders.Almost everybody said Jed was a leader, Luhnow said. I know he has the leadership capability inside of him.New manager A.J. Hinch, who went to Stanford — as did Lowrie — was enthused to add another player from his alma mater. Catcher Jason Castro and 2013 top overall pick Mark Appel also graduated from the college.But I would have wanted Jed no matter what school he came from, Hinch said with a smile.Hinch said it was way too soon to envision where hell bat Lowrie, but likes that he can fit in a lot of different areas.To me theres a lot of comfort in knowing Jeds here, Hinch said. His preparedness stands out to me representing what were about moving forward.Houston designated infielder Gregorio Petit for assignment to make room for Lowrie on the roster. Karson Kuhlman Jersey .C. -- LeBron James called comments on an audio recording of a man identified as Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling "appalling" and said hes not sure if he would suit up for the remainder of the NBA playoffs if he played for the Clippers. Adam Oates Jersey . Various media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press, indicate a deal is close, while USA Today cited an unidentified person directly involved with the negotiations as saying the pact is for two years. https://www.cheapbruins.com/ . Or, for that matter, the aged.PORTLAND, OREGON – Four second-half goals propelled Vancouver Whitecaps FC to a dominant 5-1 win over Portmore United in the first match of the Rose City Invitational Sunday at Providence Park. Defender Jordan Harvey bagged a second-half brace, while Nicolas Mezquida, Darren Mattocks, and Russell Teibert each scored their first goals of the preseason in a match that saw Whitecaps FC outshoot the 10-men Jamaican outfit by a 21-9 margin. Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson fielded a squad composed almost entirely of MLS players on Sunday, including the teams four most experienced defenders in Andy OBrien, Jay DeMerit, Harvey, and recently acquired right back Steven Beitashour. The only non-MLS player in the starting lineup was Residency goalkeeper Marco Carducci, who at 17 years old is the youngest player at camp. After a fairly uneventful start to the match, the action picked up around the 15-minute mark when Portmore goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett was shown a straight red for handling the ball outside the box. The 6-foot-4 keeper was forced to come off his line after Sebastian Fernandez found an unmarked Mezquida with a great ball over the top down the middle of the park. On the ensuing free kick, a six-man Portmore wall blocked Fernandezs low strike from the edge of the box to keep the score level. The Caps had another great chance just a few minutes later, when Mattocks broke into the area only to see his attempt stymied by substitute Portmore keeper Gariece McPherson. Despite going down to 10-men early, Portmore opened the scoring in the 26th minute on what was their only real chance of the match. Against the run of play, Leaughn Williams broke in down the right flank and found a streaking Ricardo Morris inside the area. The midfielder then curled it first time just bbeyond the outstretched arms of Carducci to give Portmore a 1-0 lead. Gerry Cheevers Jersey. . From that point forward, the Caps took over. They controlled possession, looked dangerous in the final third, and didnt give their Jamaican opponents another sniff at goal. Two players instrumental in Whitecaps FCs dominance were Teibert, who again looked confident in a holding position, and Beitashour, who was active on the right flank. Eventually, a deflected Beitashour cross led to Vancouvers first goal in the 31st minute. The ball landed at Mezquidas feet just outside the six-yard box and the Uruguayan smashed it on a half-volley into the top left corner of the goal. Vancouver picked up where they left off in the second half, as Harvey banged in the eventual winner in the 49th minute after Erik Hurtado found him unmarked at the far post. The early second-half marker seemed to take the wind out of Portmores sails, as fatigue began to take its toll. After a handful of earlier chances, Mattocks finally found the back of the net in the 65th minute, finishing from in tight to give Whitecaps FC a 3-1 lead. Teibert set up the play with a header from midfield, just minutes after he moved up to the right wing to replace Hurtado. Then, after Harvey scored his second goal of the match with a cross that sailed into the top right corner of the goal, Mattocks returned the favour in the 87th minute. The Portmore native slipped an inviting pass into box before Teibert coolly finished to cap off a dominant 5-1 performance at Providence Park. Also of note, Kekuta Manneh and Kenny Miller made their first appearances of the preseason as second-half substitutes on Sunday. Both players made an immediate impact, as Manneh set up Harveys second goal and nearly had one of his own in the 76th minute. ' ' '