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HOUSTON -- Houston manager A.J. Hinch politely answered question after question Monday about what went wrong this season before he was finally asked how he was dealing with his team missing the postseason a year after reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2005.Im not handling it very well at all, the Astros second-year manager said. I hate losing ... I dont like being here and having this meeting when I know a game is being played tomorrow. But Im proud of the fact that 84 wins isnt good enough.The Astros took a step back this season after a surprising trip to the ALDS in 2015, forced to play catch up after going 7-17 in April. They remained in the wild-card hunt until the last weekend of the season, but injuries to key members of the rotation and several role players became too much to overcome.Houston has one of baseballs best middle infields with second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa, but its seeking upgrades at first base and in the outfield.I think were well positioned for next year, general manager Jeff Luhnow said. There are very few organizations of the 30 that have quite as exciting a young core to build around. Thats our job this offseason, is to put in some complementary pieces to add to the guys that we have that were excited about.The Astros went 84-78 a year after finishing 86-76, giving them consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2005-06. Of course, after years or rebuilding, over .500 isnt the target anymore.Our goal next year is to win the division and do some serious damage in the playoffs, Luhnow said. Theres nothing short of that thats going to satisfy us.Some things to know as the Astros wrap the 2016 season.AWESOME ALTUVE: Altuve had another MVP-caliber season in 2016. He won the AL batting title for the second time in three seasons by hitting .338 and got his third straight 200-hit season with an AL-leading 216. He hit 42 doubles and stole 30 bases, and his five triples, 24 homers and 96 RBI were all career highs.The 26-year-old Altuve is the first second baseman to win multiple batting titles since Rod Carew won five from 1969-75.I just wonder how he can get any better, Luhnow said. Hes really done an unbelievable job of setting goals for himself and improving his game in every way that he possibly could. Hes one of the best players in the American League, the best players in the game and were just happy to have him here.KEUCHEL STRUGGLES: Ace Dallas Keuchel had a tough season a year after winning the AL Cy Young Award. The left-hander went 9-12 with a 4.55 ERA after finishing 2015 a career-best 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA. He looked sharper in August but was shut down after a start on Aug. 27 because of shoulder inflammation and didnt pitch again. Luhnow said he isnt worried about Keuchel and expects him to bounce back next season.CORREAS GROWTH: The top overall pick in the 2012 draft had a solid sophomore campaign after winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2015. He hit .274 with 20 homers and 96 RBI despite playing the last weeks of the season with a shoulder injury.Correa turned 22 in September, and the Astros are pleased with his development this season.Correa, though, is disappointed he failed to do more in 2016.Carlos Correa will probably never live up to his own expectations, Hinch said. Im not sure youre ever going to live up to the hype, but when the dust settles and we look back at this season, well look back at it as a growth season for him, as a productive season and a step in the right direction.RASMUS DONE IN HOUSTON? OF Colby Rasmus was Houstons highest-paid player this season, making $15.8 million, but batted just .206 in 107 games while dealing with various injuries. Rasmus is eligible for free agency, and although Luhnow wouldnt say definitively, he suggested Houston was unlikely to retain the 30-year-old.He still has value to major league teams and Im sure hell have an opportunity to sign somewhere, Luhnow said. But Im not sure how, or if, he fits into our plans at this point.Cheap Air Max 90 China .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. 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Wholesale Air Max 90 China . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation.MILWAUKEE -- There are a lot of reasons the Chicago Cubs are making a laughing stock of the National League Playoff race, but their bench corps might be the teams most overlooked component.Monday, it was a pair of reserves -- Chris Coghlan and Miguel Montero -- who led the way, combining for four hits, three RBI and a pair of runs as Chicago rallied late for a 7-1 victory at Milwaukee.Were so deep, said Coghlan, who went 2-for-2 and drove in three after entering the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh. (Manager) Joe (Maddon) picks his spots, gives guys breathers and the guys on the bench can be playing every day for different teams.Coghlan was dealt to Oakland in February but returned though a June trade and is hitting .231 in 65 at-bats. Montero began the season as Chicagos starting catcher but lost that job in August after prospect Wilson Contreras was summoned from Triple-A.I give them a lot of credit, because it would be easy to turn the dimmer switch down a bit, and they have not, Maddon said. Theyve gone the other way.Chicago will try to take another step toward locking down a postseason berth Tuesday when Jason Hammel takes the mound against the Brewers at Miller Park.Hammel snapped a two-game losing streak with his last outing, giving up just a run on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts over six innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.He was really good, Maddon said. His stuff was very good.Hammel has thrived against the Brewers. In 14 career starrts, hes 10-1 against them with a 2.dddddddddddd50 ERA , and is 1-1 this season after tossing seven scoreless innings on Aug. 16 at Wrigley Field.Milwaukee, which had won four in a row before dropping the series opener, looks to get back to its winning ways behind right-hander Wily Peralta.Peralta had the worst ERA (6.68) among qualifiers when he was demoted to Triple-A Colorado Springs in June but since returning in early August, he has a 3.00 ERA over his last five starts and is starting to look much more like the pitcher Milwaukee had in mind when Peralta was named the teams opening day starter.Peralta took the no-decision his last time out but pitched well, holding the St. Louis Cardinals to just a run on three hits with 10 strikeouts over a season-best seven innings in a 2-1 loss at Miller Park.That was his best start of the year, for sure, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. The slider and the fastball were both equally good. The fastball was down and heavy, the slider was certainly swing-and-miss tonight. He pitched very, very well. Hes really strung together a bunch of good starts since hes been back. Hes pitched well since hes been back, hes pitched very well.The Cubs, though, have been a bit of a nemesis for him. Peraltas faced Chicago 11 times over his career, going 3-7 with a 4.09 ERA. He has yet to face the Cubs this season. ' ' '