HOUSTON -- Brad Hand knows he has to prove he belongs in Miamis rotation. His last five starts might be making the decision easier. The left-hander pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning and Jeff Mathis had a two-run double for the Marlins in their 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night. Hand struck out four and walked two in a career-high 7 1-3 innings to earn his second straight win. "Nothings done yet," Hand said. "I am still trying to go out every fifth day and solidify myself in this rotation. Nothing is going to be given to me or anything. Im going to have to prove it every fifth day." Hand (2-2) cruised through the first five innings, allowing just two baserunners, and retired seven of his first eight batters. Chris Carter reached on a walk in the first and Gregorio Petit singled with one out in the third. "We stuck with the game plan right out of the shoot," Hand said. "We were able to get ahead of the guys. I was trying to get easy, quick outs and groundball outs." Hands previous career high for innings pitched was Sunday against San Francisco when he allowed two runs in seven innings. He said he doesnt know whats changed for him other than throwing strikes. "You guys have seen it: When I walk guys, get behind in the count, thats when I get myself in trouble," he said. "The biggest thing for me is to focus and pound the strike zone and make them put the ball in play." Hand continued a string of solid starts since transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation at the beginning of July. He has yielded three runs or fewer in each of his five starts. "That was a tremendous effort by Brad tonight," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "He was pounding the strike zone and was in complete control of that game. ... It was fun watching him pitch. He and Matty (Mathis) seemed to be on the same page the whole night and flipped in some nice breaking balls and changeups and ran that fastball in and out." Donovan Solano and Giancarlo Stanton each had two hits for the Marlins, who won their fifth in sixth games. Miami was able to get to Dallas Keuchel (9-7) in the seventh. Jarrod Saltalamacchia reached on an error by centre fielder Enrique Hernandez. Adeiny Hechavarria hit an infield single with two outs before Mathis drove in both runners with a double. "I was frustrated earlier," said Mathis, who grounded into an inning-ending double play in the fifth. "I had a chance to push a run across and was not able to do it. Brad kept us in the game. I had another opportunity, and luckily, got it done." Bryan Morris got two outs in the eighth, and Steve Cishek pitched a perfect ninth for his 25th save. Keuchel, who had given up four runs or more in each of his last five starts, allowed two runs -- none earned -- and nine hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings. "I definitely need to be a little bit better," he said. "I dont think I lost it, I just think it was some bad breaks. I think Ive pitched well, just the results havent been there." The left-hander retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced but ran into trouble in the fifth and sixth, allowing the first two batters to reach in both innings. Houstons defence helped him out both times, turning double plays in each inning. "If you look at the way he pitched tonight, he deserves to fare better," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "Defensively, we did let him down. We gave them extra outs that extended the inning and allowed them the two runs they got." Houston, which has lost three straight to fall a season-high 19 games under .500, did not get a runner past second base. Carter reached second in the first, and Jason Castro doubled in the eighth to chase Hand. NOTES: Miami recalled catcher J.T. Realmuto from Double-A Jacksonville and optioned right-hander Anthony DeSclafani to Triple-A New Orleans. ... Houston selected the contract of Petit, an infielder, from Triple-A Oklahoma City. He started at shortstop. The Astros optioned right-hander Anthony Bass to Oklahoma City after Thursdays game. ... Houston also transferred right-hander Matt Albers to the 60-day disabled list. ... Miami challenged the original safe call on Jose Altuves attempted stolen base in the sixth. After review, the call was overturned and Altuve was out. Aaron Colvin Jersey . -- Andy Granatelli, the former CEO of STP motor oil company who made a mark on motorsports as a car owner, innovator and entrepreneur, has died. Nick Martin Jersey . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. http://www.cheaptexansjerseyssale.com/?tag=brandon-weeden-jersey-sale . - Frankie (The Answer) Edgar dominated B. Seantrel Henderson Jersey . The D-Backs came into being in 1998 and appear destined to finish second in the AL West after the Tsunami that is the Los Angeles Dodgers swept over them. I thought it might be interesting to see what the D-backs have done over their 16 years compared to what the Blue Jays have done over their past 16 campaigns. Keke Coutee Jersey . The biggest shock of this seasons competition was on when Watford took a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes at Etihad Stadium, only for a remarkable Aguero-led comeback by City in the final half-hour. The Argentina striker produced clinical finishes in the 60th and 79th minutes to level the score before Aleksandar Kolarov put City in front in the 87th.Terrence Ross tied the Toronto Raptors franchise record by scoring 51 points against the LA Clippers on Saturday night. Ross now shares the record wiith Vince Carter, who scored 51 points against the Phoenix Suns on February 27, 2000.dddddddddddd The Raptors lost the game 126-118. Cheap Nike NFL JerseysCheap Adidas Hockey JerseysWholesale Nike Baseball JerseysWholesale Jerseys From ChinaWholesale Jerseys ChinaWholesale NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free ShippingCheap Nike NBA Jerseys AuthenticCheap NHL Jerseys CanadaCheap Nike MLB JerseysCheap Soccer Jerseys ChinaNCAA Jerseys CheapNike NHL Jerseys ChinaWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys StoreCheap Football Jerseys StoreWholesale Soccer JerseysJerseys NCAA ChinaJerseys NFL CheapCheap Nike NBA Jerseys ' ' '