HOUSTON (AP) — like things haven’t been going their way http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-joc-pederson-jersey , a lucky break on Friday night helped them to a much-needed win.Pinch-hitter Jon Jay’s tiebreaking triple in the eighth inning sent them past the Houston Astros 4-2, tightening a pair of playoff races.The AL West-leading Astros had their edge cut by Oakland to 2 ½ games. Arizona moved within three games of St. Louis and Los Angeles for the second NL wild-card spot.It was 2-all when Nick Ahmed doubled off Hector Rondon (2-4) with one out in the Arizona eighth. Jay hit a two-out, tiebreaking drive into the right field corner and later scored when a flyball by A.J. Pollock dropped in shallow center field for a single.The triple by Jay came on a ball he said hit twice off his bat and that he thought was probably going to be foul.“It kind of hooked back and that’s when I realized what had happened and I just ran,” Jay said. “It fell through and … that was a big break for us right there. We needed it.”Manager Torey Lovullo was impressed with the way his team persevered.“I know that we’ve been dealing with some frustrating circumstances,” he said. “For us to come out against the world champs and play the way we did, I was really proud of these guys.”Arizona starter Robbie Ray yielded two hits and two runs with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Brad Ziegler (2-6) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Yoshihisa Hirano allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth for his second save.David Peralta had three hits and drove in two runs and Paul Goldschmidt doubled twice for Arizona.Astros starter Dallas Keuchel allowed five hits and two runs in six innings.Ray retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced with Houston’s only baserunner in that span coming when he walked Carlos Correa with one out in the fourth.“It was frustrating,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We didn’t do a ton between the first inning and the sixth inning, offensively. Ray settled in and flashed his good stuff. We did get a couple of opportunities but just couldn’t break through with the big hit.”The Diamondbacks scored twice in the first when Eduardo Escobar walked, Goldschmidt hit a ground-rule double and Peralta followed with a single.Houston came back with two in the bottom half. George Springer led off with a single, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman walked to load the bases and Yuli Gurriel hit an RBI single. A double-play grounder by Correa tied it.TRAINER’S ROOMDiamondbacks: RHP Clay Buchholz, scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday with tightness in his right elbow, has a flexor strain in his right forearm and Lovullo said after the game that he won’t pitch again this season. He added that he’d have more information about his condition in the coming days. … LHP T.J. McFarland has inflammation of a bone spur around his elbow, but Lovullo said he doesn’t think that it will keep him out long.TRIPLES ON TRIPLESJay’s triple was his fifth with the Diamondbacks this season and seventh overall. It also gave Arizona 46 triples this season which leads the majors.SIPP KEEPS STRANDINGHouston left-hander Tony Sipp struck out David Peralta with two runners in scoring position in the seventh inning on Friday night. He’s now stranded 31 of 35 runners he’s inherited this season Clayton Kershaw Jersey , which is the third-highest percentage in the majors.UP NEXTHouston’s Charlie Morton (14-3, 3.15 ERA) opposes Arizona’s Zack Godley (14-9, 4.67) when the series continues Saturday night. Morton has won two straight and tied his career high for wins. Godley has dropped two in a row and allowed seven hits and five runs in four innings of a loss to the Rockies in his last start. LAS VEGAS (AP) — Harold Baines is aware many fans are questioning whether his credentials are Hall of Fame worthy. He’s not sweating.“Well, they can’t take it away from me now, even if they don’t think I should be there,” he told The Associated Press.A day after being elected to Cooperstown by a Hall-picked panel of 16, the six-time All-Star was at the winter meetings Monday for a news conference with newly chosen Lee Smith.“I wasn’t out there beating my chest and campaigning for this,” Baines said. “I’m very honored and humbled.”Shortly after being chosen, Baines said he certainly wasn’t anticipating this honor.“Very shocked,” he admitted.So were many others around the baseball world.In fact, in the hours after his selection was announced at the Mandalay Bay resort, a lot of conversations at the gathering started the exact same way: “Harold Baines?”No one doubted Baines was a top player — 1,628 RBIs http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-turner-jersey , 384 home runs and 2,866 hits.“I had a great career. I’m very proud of it,” he said.But a couple other numbers stood out, too.Baines never drew more than 6.1 percent in five elections by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, far from the 75 percent required. In the key WAR stat compiled by baseballreference.com, Baines’ lifetime total was tied for 545th.Yes, 545th.Behind the likes of Placido Polanco, Jim Sundberg and Rafael Furcal in wins above replacement, not to mention Gil Hodges, Dick Allen, Don Mattingly, John Olerud and dozens more.The vote by the Today’s Game Era Committee was sure to spark renewed cries of cronyism at Cooperstown. Especially because the 16-member panel appointed by the Hall board included longtime Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf.“I’m glad he was on that committee this year to help to get into the Hall of Fame,” Baines said.Baines spent nearly all of his first 10 seasons with the White Sox and currently serves as a team ambassador in their community relations department.“So happy for Harold. He’s a great player and a great human being Sandy Koufax Jersey ,” Reinsdorf praised in a statement. “I am so honored that I was a member of the committee. He deserved to be in long ago. I am just so excited.”He added Monday: “The numbers are there.”Tony La Russa, Baines’ first big league manager, also was on the panel that elected him.In the past, Phil Rizzuto and Bill Mazeroski were among the players who benefited from friendly faces on Veterans Committees to reach the Hall. That panel has been revamped over the years, and the Today’s Game Era group was created as part of changes in 2014.“The era committees were established as a sort of a court of appeals for an opportunity in the event that over time it was felt that maybe somebody slipped through the cracks,” Hall President Jeff Idelson said. “And in the case of someone who received 6 percent of the vote in the BBWAA election, the reason that may have happened could be for many, many reasons.”It took 12 votes for election by the panel — Smith was unanimous, Baines got 12 and former outfielder and manager Lou Piniella fell just short with 11.George Steinbrenner, Orel Hershiser, Albert Belle, Joe Carter, Will Clark http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-yasiel-puig-jersey , Davey Johnson and Charlie Manuel all received fewer than five votes.Baines, now 59, had a smooth, consistent, left-handed stroke. But he never finished higher than ninth in an MVP vote, and never was among the top five AL hitters in the yearly batting race. His single-season high was 29 home runs at a time when lots of players hit more.As this vote approached, his name drew little-to-no buzz in debates over who might be selected.“I wasn’t expecting this day to come,” the career .289 hitter said.Mattingly said he was happy for Baines, calling him a great hitter.The Miami manager was a six-time All-Star, won nine Gold Gloves at first base for the Yankees and hit .307 lifetime. Mattingly was the 1985 AL MVP and four times finished in the top seven of the MVP voting.Mattingly had 2,153 hits, 222 home runs and 1,099 RBIs in 14 seasons in a career limited by back trouble.“I just didn’t play long enough. Wasn’t able to stay healthy long enough to really put that pile of numbers together Hyun-Jin Ryu Jersey ,” he said Monday at the winter meetings. “So there was a period of time that I could hit with anybody and do things on the field at my position and with the bat that nobody was doing.”“When I think of myself, when you see Harold, played 22 years or something like that and you end up with a pile of numbers that grow and grow,” he said.Baines became a designated hitter after knee trouble ended his days in the outfield, and DHs have struggled to gain backing from Hall voters.Baines joined Frank Thomas as the only players in the Hall who spent more than half his games as a DH.“Everything I hear or read is DH is really not part of the game, I guess. But I disagree. But maybe this will the open up the doors for some more DHs,” Baines said.Both closers and DHs could see the numbers increase again very shortly.Mariano Rivera is eligible for the first time and big-hitting DH Edgar Martinez will be back on the ballot when results of the next BBWAA election are announced Jan. 22.Induction ceremonies are scheduled for July 21 at Cooperstown, New York.Between now and then, there’s certain to be more discussion about who else should be in the Hall. Drug-tainted Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are on the upcoming BBWAA ballot, influential players’ union head Marvin Miller has been denied seven times by various committees, and steroids user Mark McGwire wasn’t among Sunday’s candidates.