t to Snyder at Missouri.RON-RON RETURNSWith his top two point guards out, Walton came up with an unorthodox starting

HOUSTON -- J.J. Hardy isnt sure why he always starts slow in April before his hitting picks up in May and June. He said he thinks it could have something to do with growing up in Arizona and not being accustomed to the cold Baltimore spring. Hardy got a season-high four hits and Adam Jones added an RBI double, leading Miguel Gonzalez and the Orioles to a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday. Hardy hit just .202 in April, but has raised his average to .266 since then thanks in part to a recent five-game hitting streak where he has gone 11 for 19 with three homers, two doubles and five RBIs. "Im feeling a little bit better," he said. "You look at todays game, I hit three groundballs that happened to get hits. Its not something that you make a huge deal out of, but Ill take them." Manager Buck Showalter loves what Hardy brings to his team and raved about the way he goes about his work. "His style is his substance," Showalter said. "Hes just so steady, a steady human being. J.J, he likes to win. Hes at a stage in his career where he has individual accomplishments, hes established himself as a quality shortstop. He doesnt tolerate things that arent conducive to winning, especially from himself." Gonzalez (3-2) yielded five hits and a run in six innings, and matched his season-best with seven strikeouts. He slowed down the Astros a day after they hit six home runs in an 11-7 win. The Orioles won their third straight series by taking two of three from Houston. Brandon Barnes led off for Houston with a single, Jason Castro hit a one-out double and J.D. Martinez had a sacrifice fly that made it 1-0 in the first. That was the only inning the Astros got more than one hit. Gonzalez was glad he was able to get back on track after giving up a run in the opening frame. "It was a relief," he said. "You get there and you get your confidence back and just make good pitches after that." Barnes said Gonzalez made it difficult for them to get anything going. "He mixed things up real well today," he said. "He threw his pitches well in and out, up and down. He really had his fastball going today." It was a good beginning to the month for Gonzalez, who had a tough May, going 0-1 in four starts in the month. Baltimore scored just seven runs combined while he was pitching in those starts. "Its part of baseball," he said. "Sometimes youre going to have good luck and sometimes youre going to have bad luck. I had a good feeling with the baseball and changing speeds, so that helped me out a little bit." Gonzalez has a bruised left forearm after being hit by a single hit by J.D. Martinez in the sixth inning, but he said hell be OK. Darren ODay took over for Gonzalez and struck out two in 1 2-3 scoreless innings. Brian Matusz got the last out of the eighth before closer Jim Johnson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 20th save. Chris Davis singled to start the Baltimore fourth and scored on a double by Jones to tie it. Jones advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Hardy for a 2-1 lead. A wild pitch by Bud Norris gave the Orioles another run in the inning. Norris (5-5) allowed nine hits while striking out seven in seven innings. Marwin Gonzalez hit a leadoff single in the Houston eighth and Barnes hit a deep fly. Jose Cisnero threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts for Houston. NOTES: Baltimores Jason Hammel opposes Tampa Bays Chris Archer when the Orioles open a three-game series with the Rays on Friday. ... Houston will send Jordan Lyles to the mound against James Shields when the Astros begin a three-game series at Kansas City. ... The Orioles placed reliever Steve Johnson on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain and recalled OF Xavier Avery from Triple-A Norfolk. ... Baltimore OF Nick Markakis is expected to rejoin the team on Friday after missing two games to attend his grandmothers funeral. ... Houston 2B Jose Altuve got a day off on Thursday while dealing with a sore groin. Manager Bo Porter said he expects him to return to the lineup on Friday. Trent Dilfer Jersey . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Chris Moore Jersey . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. http://www.customravensjersey.com/custom-jihad-ward-jersey-large-1373d.html . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Orlando Brown Jr. Jersey .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Lardarius Webb Jersey . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers began the game without four injured regulars, and lost a fifth in the second half. The Utah Jazz were merely without their coach and second-leading scorer.In a game defined by who was missing, Gordon Hayward and the Jazz continued to assert themselves in the Western Conference.Hayward scored 23 points and Utah overcame the absence of ill coach Quin Snyder for its sixth victory in seven games, 107-101 over the depleted Lakers on Monday night.Rodney Hood scored 16 points and hit two difficult shots in the waning minutes to keep the Jazz on track to win their only road game in a nine-game stretch. They made up for the absence of George Hill with scoring balance: seven players managed at least nine points.Veteran assistant Igor Kokoskov ran the Jazz for Snyder, who fell ill earlier in the day and decided he couldnt coach shortly before game time. Utahs bus also got stuck in traffic and arrived late at Staples Center.Its difficult, but to be a pro, you have to be there and be prepared for your team, Kokoskov said of his last-minute NBA head coaching debut. The team needs you, and you have to step up. Thats what we ask from our guys, and thats what you do as a coach.Players on both benches stepped into important roles.Lou Williams had 38 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who rallied in the fourth quarter and nearly stole a victory despite finishing their eighth loss in 11 games without a large chunk of their roster.Tarik Black sprained his right ankle in the third quarter and joined DAngelo Russell, Nick Young, Jose Calderon and Larry Nance Jr. on the sidelines as Los Angeles lost its third straight while playing its ninth game in 14 days. Injuries and a brutal schedule have conspired to slow down the Lakers encouraging start under first-year coach Luke Walton, but Williams led another thrilling rally.Its been tough, because were kind of short-handed right now, said Jordan Clarkson, who scored 17 points. It just shows we aint backing down from anybody, and we aint letting up. This time will pass and well get back to winning games.Wiilliams scored nine points early in the fourth quarter, and Julius Randles layup trimmed Utahs lead to 98-95.dddddddddddd But Hood nailed two tough shots during Utahs ensuing 9-2 run to ice it.Quin is our leader, so it definitely was a different situation for us, Hayward said after his eighth consecutive 20-point game. I thought Coach Igor and the rest of the staff did a great job.LOUUUUUTwo nights after scoring 40 points in Memphis, Williams put together the first back-to-back 30-point games of his 12-year NBA career. He also became the first Lakers player to score at least 38 points in successive games since Kobe Bryant in March 2013.When we need him, he has stepped up on the court, Walton said. That gives other people a lot of confidence.KOKOSKOVS TURNKokoskov got his first game in charge of an NBA team after a long career as an assistant with six franchises and as a head coach in Europe. The 44-year-old Serbian first arrived stateside in 1999 as an assistant to Snyder at Missouri.RON-RON RETURNSWith his top two point guards out, Walton came up with an unorthodox starting lineup due to injuries. Seldom-used veteran Metta World Peace joined a group with no players under 6-foot-7 as a counter to the Jazzs big lineup. World Peace became the 11th player to start a game for the Lakers this season. The 37-year-old veteran hadnt started since March 18, and he had appeared in just four of the Lakers previous 14 games.TIP-INSJazz: Kokoskov is the head coach of Slovenias national team in his spare time. He also spent seven years as Georgias head coach. ... Hill missed his third straight game with a sprained left big toe.Lakers: Calderon will be out at least two more weeks with a strained right hamstring. ... Russell will be re-evaluated Tuesday to determine how much longer he will be sidelined by a sore knee. He had a platelet-rich plasma injection in the joint two weeks ago.UP NEXTJazz: Host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.Lakers: At the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. ' ' '