2012 » final set. "After dropping the second set,

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Alex Rios stood in front of an empty bottle of champagne while he answered questions about the first cycle of his career. Hes hoping there might be a few more bottles in the near future for the Texas Rangers. Rios hit for the cycle, Derek Holland struck out nine in his second shutout of the season and the Rangers started their final push for a playoff spot with a 12-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday night. The Rangers pulled within a game of idle Cleveland for the second AL wild-card berth with six games remaining. They are two games behind wild-card leader Tampa Bay, which beat Baltimore 5-4 on Monday. If they want to celebrate a fourth straight season in the playoffs, the Rangers will have to keep it up in the final two games against the Astros and a four-game finishing series against the Los Angeles Angels -- all at home. "We have to focus on the things that we have to do to win a game at a time," said Rios, who completed the cycle in his only four at-bats and drove in four runs. "It doesnt do any good for us to look at whats happening around us." Rios finished the cycle with a triple to right-centre field in the sixth inning, pulling into third standing up without a throw and later scoring to put Texas up 11-0. He doubled in the first inning, had an infield single in the third and hit his 18th homer for a 9-0 lead in the fourth. He didnt get a chance for a fifth hit. Engel Beltre replaced him in right field in the seventh as one of the mass substitutions in a game that was out of hand early. Both teams used 14 players. "You wish that in your career that you could have done that," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "It worked out perfectly for him. He hit it in the perfect part of the field and with his speed he was able to do it." Holland (10-9) got his 10th win in his ninth try since his last victory on Aug. 4. The left-hander won at home for the first time since May 31. Houston starter Jordan Lyles (7-9) gave up seven hits and seven runs with three walks in three innings. Rios looked like he wanted to get the triple of the way in the first inning, going about 25 feet beyond the bag at second before pulling up on a two-run double. He had his fourth RBI on the triple, bringing home Elvis Andrus. The first cycle of Rios career was the seventh in Rangers history. Adrian Beltre was the last to do it, last Aug. 24 against Seattle. It was the third cycle in the majors this year -- Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels on May 21 and the Astros Brandon Barnes on July 19, both against Seattle. "Just a good night at the plate," Rios said. "But the most important thing is that we won tonight." Three of the six singles allowed by Holland didnt leave the infield. Hes a 10-game winner for the third straight season. His other shutout was a two-hitter in a 2-0 win over the New York Yankees on June 27. Lyles was gone after a four-run third that ended on a three-run double by Leonys Martin, who was thrown out trying to go to third on a ball that went to the wall near the 407-foot sign in right-centre field. "We always joke about how I dont get much run support," Holland said. "It was good to see those guys do everything they did." The Astros pushed their season strikeout total to 1,477 -- more than 100 ahead of No. 2 Minnesota on that list. Houston locked up its third straight season of at least 106 losses and needs one more to match last years franchise record. "Weve had some rough games," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "They took it to us." NOTES: Rios homer snapped a six-game streak without a long ball for Texas at Rangers Ballpark. ... Astros rookie C Max Stassi rejoined the team in the same ballpark where he was hit by a pitch in the jaw and missed a month with a concussion. Stassi hasnt played since Aug. 21 at Rangers Ballpark, where a pitch from Texas reliever Tanner Scheppers glanced off his left shoulder and hit him in the jaw the day after his major league debut. ... Beltre, Texas leader in average, homers and RBIs, went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts, although he did have a sacrifice fly. Cheap Adidas Shoes Store . Rookie Marek Mazanec made 39 saves for his first NHL victory and the Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-2 Saturday night. Cheap Adidas Shoes China . Venus Williams advanced to the ASB Classic final in Auckland on a walkover when fellow American Jamie Hampton withdrew from their semifinal Friday with a right hip injury. http://www.wholesaleshoesadidas.com/ . The struggling New Orleans Pelicans were simply overmatched. Crawford hit seven 3s on his way to 24 points, and the Clippers beat the Pelicans 123-110 on Monday night. "We understand what we do well. If we all do what we do well, well make our team stronger," Crawford said. Wholesale Adidas Shoes Free Shipping . -- Brad Gushue of St. Adidas Factory Outlet Online . Ryan Callahan trade talks caught a lot of people off guard. Details are now emerging about why the Rangers would consider such a move. Darren Dreger: He wants a lot of money. Its been widely reported that Callahan is looking for a seven-year term around $6 million per year. That is not accurate. Im told that it is more than $6.NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Sloane Stephens has gained a lot of confidence. Her game is picking up, too. The 20-year-old American, ranked 17th in the world and looking for her first WTA tournament title, moved into the quarterfinals of the New Haven Open on Wednesday night with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory over Germanys Julia Georges. After being dominated in the second set, Stephens won the next four games and cruised to the win. "I think me being able to go out and play a third set strong like that is the difference between me today and a year ago," Stephens said. "I just think that Im at a point where I go out there and Im like, Im going to win." She is one of just three seeded players to advance past the second round. The others are defending champion Petra Kvidova, who beat American qualifier Alison Riske 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3; and four-time champion Caroline Wozniacki, who turned back Italys Karin Knapp 6-1, 7-5. Top-seeded Sara Errani fell to Russias Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 6-1, becoming the fifth of the tournaments eight seeds to lose in the final WTA tuneup before next weeks U.S. Open. "The good thing is that if you lose, you have more time to prepare there, if not, you have more confidence," Errani said. "I hope the court there will be different." Stephens and Wozniacki, who has won the event four of the last five years, will meet in the marquee matchup of the quarterfinals on Thursday. But Stephens said she isnt feeling much pressure, despite knowing she will come into that match and next weeks U.S. Open with the label of the next great U.S. star. "You kind of have to go with it and accept the responsibility, or whatever you might call it," she said. "But I think, in all, its a good thing." Wozniacki, a former No. 1 player in the worlld, cruised through her first set with Knapp, then fought through some health issues to hold on for the win.dddddddddddd Wozniacki, who has been battling a cold this week, called for a trainer after experiencing some dizziness in the 90-degree temperatures while up 3-2 in the second set. The Danish star dropped the next two games before rallying. "Im definitely feeling much better," she said after the match. "I was feeling worse in the beginning of the week." Kvitova found herself in a back-and-forth match with the 23-year-old Riske, before breaking her at love in the fifth game of the final set. "After dropping the second set, it was quite tough to come back in the third. But Im glad for it, Im sure," she said. Errani didnt make it through her first match of the tournament, after receiving a bye in the first round. She had trouble with her slow, spinning serves all afternoon on what she said was a faster-than expected court. She was broken four times by Makarova. The 25-year-old Russian dominated her own service games, was broken just once and had eight aces. "Today was a good day for me and all my shots was working really good," Makarova said. "I understood a little bit more how to play against her." Makarova will play Simona Halep in the quarterfinals. Halep didnt have a WTA title before this year, but has three this summer and is 28-5 in her last 33 matches. She dropped her first set Wednesday but bounced back for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain. The 21-year-old Romanian also attributed her slow start to the 90-degree heat, which she said caused to alter her game plan in the second set. "I played more offensive, more aggressive and I just tried to finish the point very fast," she said. ' ' '