HOUSTON -- Houston rookie Brett Oberholtzer was focused this week on improving after allowing 15 hits and eight runs combined in his previous two starts. Air Max 720 Outlet . His dedication to turning things around certainly paid off on Sunday. Oberholtzer pitched a four-hitter and Jason Castro hit an RBI double in the eighth inning, lifting the Astros to a 2-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. "I worked really hard in the bullpen this week really trying to push my A-plus stuff out of me," he said. "The last couple of starts it really wasnt clicking for me, but today it was." The 24-year-old Oberholtzer struck out five and walked one. He did not allow an extra-base hit in his sixth career start and ninth appearance to lower his ERA to 2.79. He had never pitched more than seven innings entering Sundays game. He is the first Astro to throw a complete game this season. Houston manager Bo Porter couldnt have been happier with Oberholtzers work on Sunday. "Outstanding with a capital O," Porter said. "Oberholtzer was pretty good. He was on the attack from pitch No. 1 ... he decided that he was going to be aggressive and he attacked the strike zone and allowed the defence to play and made them have to swing the bat early in the count." Oberholtzer (4-1) and Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma matched zeros through seven innings. Iwakuma scattered six hits and struck out seven. It was the third time in four starts that hed pitched seven innings. Charlie Furbush (2-5) took over for Iwakuma in the eighth and Jose Altuve greeted him with a double that rolled into the corner of right field. Castro followed with a ground-rule double that bounced into the bullpen in right-centre to give Houston the lead. Castro advanced to third on a fly out before scoring on a bunt single by pinch-hitter Brandon Barnes. Barnes tried to bunt on the pitch before but it popped foul. Furbush said he couldnt remember a time when a team tried a squeeze twice in a row. "You kind of know its coming," he said. "I just didnt think it was going to happen two times in a row." Kyle Seager singled with one out in the ninth. Right fielder L.J. Hoes sprinted to make a sliding catch in foul territory on a ball hit by Kendrys Morales for out No. 2 before Franklin Gutierrez also hit a fly ball caught by Hoes to end it. Oberholtzer appreciated the work of his defence. "I went around and tried to thank a couple of them," he said. "I thanked Hoes many times. It was a tremendous effort all-around." Hoes was happy he was able to redeem himself after a tough day on offence. "I just wanted to do something to help the team win," he said. "I had a couple of opportunities early to drive in runs and I didnt do that, but I could still make a good play on defence." Trevor Crowe, who was recalled from Triple-A after Saturday nights game, added two hits as the Astros avoid a four-game sweep. Oberholtzer was perfect in the seventh and eighth innings -- with a little help from his defence. Altuve scooped up a hard-hit grounder headed for the outfield and made a leaping throw to beat Dustin Ackley to first base for the first out of the eighth inning. Oberholtzer retired the first six batters he faced before walking Justin Smoak to start the third. A two-out single by Brad Miller sent Smoak to third, but Oberholtzer struck out Nick Franklin to end the threat. The Mariners managed one-out singles in both the fourth and the sixth innings, but left both players stranded when they couldnt string together any hits. Oberholtzer pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning in between those frames. Houston threatened in the second inning. Matt Dominguez led off the bottom of the inning with a single, but was out at second on a force play on a ball hit by Brett Wallace. A single with two outs by Crowe left Wallace at third. But the Astros came away empty-handed when Hoes grounded out. Chris Carter walked with two outs in the fourth and reached third on a double by Crowe. Another groundout by Hoes ended that threat, too. Iwakuma yielded a single to Wallace with one out in the sixth inning before retiring the last five batters he faced, with two strikeouts, before being replaced by Furbush for the eighth. NOTES: The Mariners recalled former closer Tom Wilhelmsen Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday to begin what is expected to be a number of September callups. He has 24 saves this season. He got the last out of the eighth inning. ... Sunday was the 10th game of 20 in a row for the Astros. Their next day off is Sept. 12. ... Houston opens a three-game series with Minnesota on Monday when Astros right-hander Paul Clemens opposes Andrew Albers. ... Seattle ace Felix Hernandez is scheduled to pitch on Monday against Kansas Citys Danny Duffy in the opener of a four-game series. Air Max 270 Wholesale . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nike Vapormax Wholesale . The England international had both goals in TFCs season-opening 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday. http://www.cheapairmaxchinawholesale.com/air-vapormax-outlet/vapormax-off-white-sale.html .com) - Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were among the third-round winners Friday at the French Open.NEW YORK -- Kansas City players tipped their caps to Derek Jeter when the retiring New York Yankees captain walked up to the plate in the first inning. Then the Royals went back to work trying to make some history of their own. Yordano Ventura pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning, and the AL Central leaders beat the Yankees 2-0 Sunday on a pair of unearned runs for their second shutout in the three-game series. Trying for its first playoff berth since winning the 1985 World Series, Kansas City maintained a two-game lead in the AL Central over the second-place Tigers, who defeated San Francisco 6-1 on Sunday night. The Royals headed to Detroit for a three-game series that starts Monday. "Were playing great baseball," manager Ned Yost said. "Were pitching, and were playing defence and scoring runs and winning ballgames, and thats all I can ask." Kansas City scored due to errors by pitcher Shane Greene in the second inning and right fielder Carlos Beltran in the third. The Royals won 1-0 Friday night on an unearned run following third baseman Chase Headleys error and went 4-3 against the Yankees this year to take the season series for the first time since 1999. And they won on Derek Jeter Day, when many Yankees stars of the past returned for a 45-minute ceremony that also included NBA great Michael Jordan and baseball ironman Cal Ripken Jr. Video messages from athletes, celebrities and even astronauts in space were shown throughout the day. "Oh, man! That was, honestly, one of the coolest things Ive ever seen," Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas said. "Any time anyone came on that board or anyone they announced, I got chills." Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie suggested to his teammates that they tip their caps. "He was my favourite player growing up," Guthrie said. "I was there for the final game at (the original) Yankee Stadium. I was there when he recorded his 2,723rd hit that broke the hits record for the Yankees. ... And now to be here for this -- Ive seen quite a few really cool moments." Kansas City, which hasnt been in first place this late in a season since 1989, hopes to give its fans a reason to celebrate this fall. Ventura (12-9) won his third straighht start, leaving after a leadoff walk in the seventh -- his fourth of the game. Vapormax Plus Wholesale. "When I was able to throw the curve for a strike, it really helped all of the other pitches and made for quick innings," he said through a translator. "When the curveball wasnt getting over for a strike, that could have been the difference in the walks." With closer Greg Holland sidelined by a strained right triceps, Aaron Crow, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis combined for one-hit relief. Kansas City went ahead in the second when Josh Willingham reached on an infield single near the mound, advanced on Moustakas single and scored with two outs when Nori Aoki hit a slow roller that Greene (4-3) threw wildly past first base. Beltran dropped Alex Gordons easy fly leading off the third, and Gordon stole second before scoring on a single by Eric Hosmer, his first RBI since July 29. "Any way you can score runs is a good way," Moustakas said. "It doesnt matter how they get across as long as youre scoring." TRAINERS ROOM Royals: LHP Danny Duffy headed back to Kansas City for an MRI of his sore left shoulder. Yost said Holland played catch, "felt much, much better today" and will have his status re-examined Monday. Yankees: OF Brett Gardner missed his second straight game because of a lower abdominal strain. UP NEXT Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie (10-10) is slated to pitch Monday, with Justin Verlander (12-12) on the mound for the Tigers. Yankees: RHP Hiroki Kuroda (10-8) starts Tuesdays series opener against Tampa Bay RHP Chris Archer (8-8). BIRTHDAY BOY Pitching on his 29th birthday, Davis got his second save of the series -- and his big league career. After Beltran singled over first leading off the ninth, Davis struck out Brian McCann on a 3-2 pitch, retired Mark Teixeira on a soft grounder to third and fanned Stephen Drew on another full-count pitch. Davis has 94 strikeouts in 63 1-3 innings this season and has allowed one run in 53 innings dating to late April. That run scored when he hit the Los Angeles Dodgers A.J. Ellis with a bases-loaded pitch on June 25. ROAD WARRIORS Kansas City is 6-0-1 in its last seven road series. ' ' '