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As two of the best players at their position in their generation Rashan Gary Jersey , and Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers have formed a relationship built on deep respect.They have nothing but praise for each other’s games and will exchange texts after one of them does something special. With all that they have accomplished that can happen often.“Just checking if he has a great game or I see something on tape where he’s in his bag and doing something crazy like some of the Hail Mary’s that he’s thrown,” Sherman said. “I text him like, ‘Man, that’s crazy. I don’t know what you were thinking right there.’ He’s a good dude.”Sherman hopes Rodgers doesn’t pull off any of those crazy plays he’s known for on Monday night when the 49ers (1-4) visit the Packers (2-2-1) in the seventh meeting between the two megastars, including one in the postseason.The two split the previous six meetings when Sherman was in Seattle, although the Seahawks won the most important in the NFC title game in January 2015. But any success Rodgers had didn’t come because he found some weakness in Sherman’s game. Instead, he approached it like most quarterbacks do, throwing as few passes to his right as possible, knowing Sherman will shut down that side of the field.Rodgers has completed only nine passes for 90 yards against Sherman in those six games, according to SportRadar, targeting him just 13 times and throwing one interception. Almost half of that production came in the first meeting in 2012 when Rodgers went 4-for-5 for 44 yards. He has avoided him almost completely since then as Sherman has allowed just five catches for 46 yards in the past five games.“When he’s on the field Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey , you have to be smart throwing the ball his way,” Rodgers said. “That’s just the type of player he is. I mean, he’s a super-intelligent guy, he’s got incredible football instincts and he can still impact the game in a number of different ways.”Sherman is still striking fear in quarterbacks at age 30 despite coming off major surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon and nursing a calf injury that sidelined him for one game this season.Sherman has been targeted just 10 times on 145 pass plays this season, the second-lowest rate in the NFL. Opposing quarterbacks have completed just two of those passes for 28 yards as Sherman has been a rare bright spot for a struggling San Francisco team.“People aren’t targeting him. That always tells you a lot there about Richard,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “Especially where he is in his career, he diagnosis routes extremely well. I’ve always felt he was so strong at the breaking points of routes and really does a great job of playing toward his length. He’s an excellent player, always has been. I think he looks good.”Rodgers has also been slowed by an injury at age 34, as he hurt his knee in the first half of the opener against Chicago before returning to lead a memorable comeback.He has shown more mobility each week and is coming off a 442-yard, three TD performance in a loss at Detroit last week. Rodgers has 10 touchdown passes and just one interception all season and has the highest passer rating (103.5) of any quarterback with at least 1,000 attempts.“He’s still the best or is tied for the best on the planet Elgton Jenkins Jersey ,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He always has been. He’s the man. I know he’s not 100 percent, everyone knows that, but he seems to be a little bit better each week. He’s still the best. Good player.”One aspect that makes Rodgers even tougher to defend than other top quarterbacks such as Tom Brady or Peyton Manning during his heyday is the ability to scramble. Rodgers is an elite athlete and can extend plays with his feet and then expose defenses downfield with his laser-like arm when the cornerbacks can’t stick with the receivers for that extra time.Sherman knows that’s one of the hardest things to prepare for against Rodgers and the Packers.“You’re going to have to run, you’re going to have to cover for a long period of time,” he said. “You’ll have to be ready for the backyard football. He’s a great passer, he can throw the ball anywhere. He can be on his back foot and throw the ball 75 yards.” Dallas Keuchel had a different catcher before throwing his first pitch for the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. Everything worked out just fine with Tim Federowicz behind the plate with the former AL Cy Young Award winner throwing some of his best breaking pitches all season.
Keuchel struck out seven and allowed only two runs over seven scoreless innings, winning for only the second time in his last nine starts, as the Astros beat the Texas Rangers 5-3.
”Some of the shape it was taking early was really good. (Shin-Soo) Choo leading off the game, anytime you get him to swing and miss at a breaking pitch, it’s acting pretty good, and then (Nomar) Mazara struck out looking with a slider away Jace Sternberger Jersey ,” Keuchel said. ”Both of those balls had good action and I knew fr om the then on if I could establish the fastball in to the lefties, it would be a good day.”
Josh Reddick and Tony Kemp homered for the Astros, who are 11-4 this season against their instate division rival, with seven consecutive road wins in the series. Houston is a majors-best 31-14 on the road this season.
Keuchel (5- struck out the first four batters he faced, and six of the first seven.
After catcher Brian McCann went on the disabled list and had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier Tuesday, manager A.J. Hinch said Max Stassi would do the bulk of the catching. But Stassi got hit by a pitch batting in the first, and left the game with a bruised right (throwing) wrist before even taking the field on defense.
”I think we avoided a fracture, very good for us,” manager A.J. Hinch said. ”Got him pretty good in the wrist. Got a welt there, couldn’t flex his hand, hand so mobility.”
X-rays were negative and Stassi is considered day to day.
Keuchel had only thrown a few bullpens with Federowicz in spring training Dexter Williams Jersey , and a live BP session, before the catcher was called back from Triple-A Fresno earlier Tuesday.
”The way he handled the game not expecting to play, that was really impressive,” Keuchel said.
Choo later walked twice and had two singles to extend his career-best on-base streak to 43 games, the longest in the majors since Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman’s 46-gamer two years ago. Choo is three games shy of Julio Franco’s team record of 46 in a row set 25 years ago.
The Astros used three relievers to get through the eighth. Texas already had a run in before Hector Rondon took over against pinch-hitter Joey Gallo, who worked a 12-pitch at-bat into a two-out walk to load the bases before Robinson Chirinos struck out. Rondon then worked the ninth for his sixth save in eight chances.
Houston went ahead to stay in the first when Yuli Gurriel and Reddick had RBI doubles off Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-2), who still managed to get through six innings. He struck out four, walked two and hit two batters.
”To get through six in that situation was huge for us,” manager Jeff Banister said. ”Early on it didn’t look that it was going to be the case, a situation wh ere really didn’t have a whole lot of sink on the fastball. … For us to still have an opportunity there through those innings, it was big-time by him.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: SS Carlos Correa Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , out since June 26 with lower back soreness, has been working out daily in Houston. Hinch said it was uncertain if Correa will be ready to play Friday when eligible to come off the DL. He hadn’t gone through any baseball activities yet.
Rangers: RHP Tony Barnette left the game after a 2-1 pitch to Marwin Gonzalez in the eighth. The Rangers said he had a right shoulder strain and would be evaluated further Wednesday. … 1B Ronald Guzman had two hits and scored twice after being activated from the seven-day concussion DL.
SHORT HOPS
The Astros have homered in 23 consecutive road games, a club record and four from matching the MLB record set by Oakland earlier this season. … Before Bibens-Dirkx plunked Stassi in the first inning, Rangers pitchers had gone 22 games without hitting a batter – the longest span for the team since 1998.
DOUBLE DOUBLED UP
Astros leadoff hitter George Springer was in a 3-for-46 slide before a single in the sixth. But he was also doubled off twice on hard lineouts.
UP NEXT
Gerrit Cole (9-2) will pitch on regular rest for the Astros after they made a slight tweak in their rotation. Lance McCullers Jr., who was scheduled to start, was instead pushed back to Friday. Rangers lefty Mike Minor (6-4) took a perfect game into the seventh inning of his last start, a win last Wednesday over the San Diego Padres.
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