is because of who he is. He hits the ball like that a lo

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Adam Scott and Steve Stricker dont have much in common except for how infrequently they play golf tournaments. Scott began to scale back on his schedule two years ago, devising a plan that would help him practice more, play less and be ready for the biggest events. Stricker, who turned 46 in February, decided this year to spend more time at home in Wisconsin. The U.S. Open is only his seventh tournament this year, and he might only play three more. "I congratulated him on his semi-retirement," Scott said. "Welcome to the club." Stricker would love to part of another club to which Scott belongs -- a major champion. Since returning to the top of his game in 2006, he has given himself a couple of reasonable chances. Stricker was the 36-hole leader at Winged Foot in 2006 until a 76-73 weekend dropped him into a tie for sixth, three shots behind. He was tied for the lead after 63 holes at Oakmont a year later, only to shoot 42 on the back nine to tie for 13th. He also played in the final group at Carnoustie in the 2007 British Open. He tied the major championship record at Atlanta Athletic Club in the 2011 PGA Championship with a 63 in the opening round, though he couldnt keep it going. At 46, and playing a limited schedule, Stricker is running out of time. And thats OK with him. "Im kind of past that," he said Tuesday. "I think that the decision that I made earlier this year about playing less has taken some of the pressure off me. Im completely fine with my career and what Ive done. And dont get me wrong -- Im still very competitive and I still really want to win. I still want to play well. But Im just enjoying it. "Im enjoying coming out here and playing and not really having any expectations at all." He is far from a forgotten figure. He has a pair of runner-up finishes this year -- to Dustin Johnson at Kapalua and to Tiger Woods at Doral -- and is No. 13 in the world. He remains No. 8 in the Presidents Cup standings, so his form is not far off. What makes him intriguing at this U.S. Open is his wedge game. Stricker is vastly improved off the tee, turning that into one of his strengths. As for his putting? Not only is he regarded one of the best in the game, hes so good with the flat stick that even Woods sought him out for advice in March -- and then beat him to win the World Golf Championship at Doral. But its the wedge play that typically allows Stricker to set up birdie putts. And there are a lot of wedges to be struck at Merion, a course that starts and finishes with holes that are long and strong, and features a stretch of short par 4s in the middle where birdies figure to be made. "I like the setup," Stricker said. "Theres a lot of short irons when you get into certain parts of the course, but there are also a lot of long clubs into some of these holes. I think that still the advantage kind of goes to some longer hitters here, just because were not getting any roll in the fairway at all. But I like that theres a lot of short irons. Theres a good mixture of long and short. You dont really get to play to your medium game too much, unless they move up some of the tees on the par 3s." One thing he can count on is being fresher than anyone else in the field. Stricker hasnt played in a month. He tied for 37th in The Players Championship, where he was coming off another monthlong break since the Masters. Thats not to suggest hes been lounging around the house all day. "Im busier now than I ever have been for some reason," Stricker said. "I dont know what it is -- I guess kids. People know that Im playing less, so theyre asking me for things and to do things. Im staying extremely busy."Bud Selig Jersey .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Brewers Jerseys 2020 .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/1999y-robin-yount-jersey-brewers.html . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Tyler Saladino Brewers Jersey . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Stitched Brewers Jerseys . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set.BALTIMORE -- Its safe to say the media covering the Baltimore Orioles was more concerned about Chris Davis home-run dry spell than the slugger himself. After Davis hit his major league-leading 38th homer to give the Orioles a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night, someone asked him how happy he was to end a 10-game, long ball drought. "Oh, Im so happy," he said, quite sarcastically. "I can go home and sleep tonight. Just eat food again. I dont have to wake up every three hours and cry." Davis came in with a .205 batting average since the All-Star break and was without a homer since July 14. The sixth-inning drive off Lucas Harrell (5-11) was his first extra-base hit in seven games and gave Baltimore its first lead. "It was big because of when it happened," Davis said. Later, Davis acknowledged he was trying too hard and swinging at too many bad pitches. "Its not like I felt terrible," he said. "Ive been way too aggressive on balls out of the zone. ... That was my goal today, just to be a little more patient. It obviously paid off." J.J. Hardy hit a two-run single in the fourth inning to start Baltimores comeback from a three-run deficit. The Orioles got only three hits in winning for the second time in seven games. Wei-Yin Chen (6-3) allowed three runs, seven hits and a walk in 7 1-3 innings for his fourth straight win. The left-hander had a season-high nine strikeouts and threw a career-high 119 pitches. "To be honest with you, Im a little tired right now," he said through an interpreter. "This was the first time I threw that many in the U.S., but I definitely felt really strong and really good." Darren ODay got two outs in the eighth and Jim Johnson worked a perfect ninth for his 36th save. Jonathan Villar stole home and Robbie Grossman had a career-high three hits for the Astros, who are 2-9 since the break. Bud Norris was scratched as Houstons starting pitcher amid rumours he would be dealt before the non-waiver trade deadline of Wednesday at 4 p.m. "You have a guy that has attracted a lot of interest from other ballclubs," manager Bo Porter said before the game. "It just made more sense to not risk injury at this juncture of the conversation." Making his first start since July 5, Harrell gave up only two hits but issued fiive walks -- three of which turned into runs.dddddddddddd. In his defence, he found out he was starting early in the afternoon. "I felt like I made a lot of really close misses, pitching in and out to guys," he said. "Its just one of those things where even when guys are on base youve got to keep attacking. I nibbled a little bit, I didnt want to give up the runs. (But) you cant be walking guys like that. Any time a guy like me walks guys, because I dont strike out a lot, its going to be a long night." Chen retired the first seven batters he faced before running into trouble in the third. Three straight singles loaded the bases for Jose Altuve, who bounced a two-run single to left. With the bases full and two outs, Chen went to the stretch with his back toward Villar, who danced halfway down the baseline before breaking for home. He made it easily for a 3-0 lead. "For me it was easy," Villar said. "Because sometimes when the pitcher doesnt look at me, thats easy for me." Chen said, "That was embarrassing and thats a lesson I need to learn. I looked down and I had no clue he was going to home." Baltimore got two runs back in the fourth. After Harrell walked the bases loaded, Hardy got the Orioles first hit, a single up the middle. After Nick Markakis drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, Davis hit an opposite-field drive to left. "I got the ball down, and he hit the ball out," Harrell said. "It was just one of those things where I made a good pitch, and tip your hat to him. He is what he is because of who he is. He hits the ball like that a lot." NOTES: The game marked the return of Astros 3B coach Dave Trembley to Baltimore. Trembley managed the Orioles from June 2007 to June 2010. ... Houston is 0-7 in Baltimore after being swept in 2005 and 2008. ... The Astros recalled RHP Chia-Jen Lo from Double A Corpus Christi and purchased the contract of RHP Josh Zeid from Triple-A Oklahoma City. RHP Hector Ambriz was optioned to OKC. Zeid made his major league debut in the eighth inning and got two outs. ... Former Oriole Erik Bedard is scheduled to take the mound for the Astros on Wednesday night. Miguel Gonzalez, whos 5-0 at home, will start for Baltimore. ... Chen is 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in his four starts since returning from the disabled list on July 10. ' ' '