Pirate Galaxy » if the selection committee ranked Houston

WASHINGTON -- It will be a contrast in starting pitchers when the Los Angeles Dodgers begin a three-game series against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.Veteran lefty Scott Kazmir (7-3, 4.52) is scheduled to make the start for the Dodgers while hard-throwing Reynaldo Lopez, who appeared in the Futures Game in San Diego, is slated to make his big league debut for the Nationals.Lopez, 22, will take the spot in the rotation of Joe Ross, who has been on the disabled list since July 3 with right shoulder inflammation. The Nationals bypassed Lucas Giolito, who made his big league debut June 28 against the New York Mets, in order to give Lopez a shot.Reynaldos physical, mental and emotional development has been very impressive this year and we are excited about the strides hes made in all areas, according to Mark Scialabba, the director of player development for the Nationals.Lopez began the season at Double-A Harrisburg before he was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, where he has made two starts. He is 4-5 with a 3.19 ERA in 16 minor league starts this year.The improved feel and action on both his changeup and curveball have added more swings and misses to an already impressive arsenal, Scialabba said.Washington manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that lefty reliever Sammy Solis will go on the disabled list with right knee soreness to clear a roster spot for Lopez.He added that the Nationals decided to go with Lopez over Giolito, who is slated to pitch Tuesday for Syracuse, so Giolito can work on his breaking ball and command in the minors.He will face a Dodgers team that is 52-42 and is 5 1/2 games back of the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West.Washington (56-37) was six games ahead of the New York Mets and Miami Marlins in the National League East going into play Monday. The Nationals were off Monday while the Mets and Marlins had games against the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively.The last time the two faced off in late June, the Dodgers swept the Nationals in a three game series in Los Angeles. Kazmir, who has been in the majors since 2004, spent a great deal of time in the American League, thus he has limited exposure to the Nationals.Kazmir holds a 1-0 record and an ERA of 4.14 over three career starts against Washington in his career.Washington left fielder Jayson Werth is hitting .714 with one home run in seven at-bats against Kazmir.Bryce Harper also has a home run against the lefty in three at-bats, and Danny Espinosa has a homer in five at-bats against Kazmir.The Nationals hope that infielder Daniel Murphy returns to the lineup Tuesday. He has not started the last three games due to a hamstring injury. He did hit a pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth Sunday to tie the game at 1-1 while the Nationals lost 2-1 in 18 innings to the Pittsburgh Pirates.Washington also hopes Anthony Rendon, who had the flu and missed the game Sunday, can start at third base against the Dodgers.The Dodgers hope to get back outfielder Joc Pederson, who has been on the disabled list with a right shoulder separation.And of course star lefty Clayton Kershaw is still on the disabled list for the Dodgers.Clayton doesnt pitch every day, manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com after the Dodgers lost Sunday to Arizona. Even without Clayton, were good enough to win baseball games. Were 11-6 since hes been gone. With or without Clayton, we have to continue to get better. J. T. OSullivan Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Mike Haynes Jersey . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. http://www.custompatriotsjersey.com/custom-nick-buoniconti-jersey-large-301f.html . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. Ricky Watters Jersey . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Rodney Harrison Jersey After a wild Saturday filled with big upsets, the ripple effect in the College Football Playoff continued Thursday night, when No. 5 Louisville was thoroughly outplayed by Houston in a 36-10 loss, sending reverberations throughout the selection committees entire Top 25.The ACC took a direct hit, as No. 4 Clemson now stands as its lone CFP contender, but that was just the start.It impacted the Big Ten, which solidified its position as the conference with the best chance to get two teams into the top four.It impacted the Big 12, which takes another breath of hope each time there is an upset in the top 10.It impacted the Pac-12, where one-loss Washington no longer has to worry about passing the eye test against a Louisville team that was ranked ahead of the Huskies before suffering its second loss of the season.It impacted the Group of 5, as Houston should now be ranked after beating two top-10 teams (Oklahoma and Louisville) but is still unlikely to win its division, let alone the American Conference.Thats whats so fascinating about this playoff system. Rarely is a loss by a contender confined to the box score of those two teams. The immediate and most obvious repercussion from Thursday night, of course, is that Louisvilles playoff hopes are likely over. The Cardinals didnt look anywhere near a top-four team, and couldnt overcome their fourth slow start of the season. Louisville was fortunate to beat Duke, Virginia and Wake Forest in spite of pedestrian performances, but in this case, Houston was simply the better team.So all eyes turn to Clemson, where the pressure to win out is immense -- not just on the road against an improved Wake Forest team, but also against rival South Carolina.If Clemson wins at Wake Forest on Saturday, the Tigers will clinch the ACCs Atlantic Division. If they dont, Louisville will win the division and play in the ACC title game -- against a Coastal Division opponent that probably will be unranked.In that scenario, the committee could possibly be comparing the résumés of two-loss conference champions from three leagues: the Big Ten (Penn State or Wisconsin), the ACC (Louisville) and the Big 12 (Oklahoma). The best-case scenario for the ACC would be for Clemson to beat Wake Forest and South Carolina, then win the conference title, leaving no doubt its a top-four conference champion.One thing we know for sure: Clemson and Louisville arent getting in now.The Big Ten is the only conference with any legitimate hope of two playoff teams, but thats assuming that Ohio State wins out but doesnt win its division. Fans have to remember that winning a conference title is one of the tiebreakerrs the committee uses to rank teams with comparable résumés.dddddddddddd If it comes down to Ohio State or Penn State, and the Nittany Lions win the Big Ten title, the Buckeyes would have two strikes against them in the committees protocol.Assuming Alabama, Clemson and the Big Ten champion are all in the final top four, the Buckeyes would then be compared with the Pac-12 champ and Big 12 champ, and theyd probably need some help to unseat one of them (unless Wisconsin wins the Big Ten and the committee values Ohio States head-to-head win above the Badgers league title, which would be an entirely different debate).The one thing Ohio State doesnt have to worry about?Louisville.The same can be said for the Pac-12, whose top contender, No. 6 Washington, dropped behind Louisville in the latest ranking after the Huskies lost to USC. Washingtons strength of schedule has been called into question by the committee, and its loss to USC opened the door to debate whether a one-loss Louisville team could trump a one-loss Pac-12 champion with the worst nonconference schedule in the country.Not anymore.Now Washington should be the committees top bubble team at No. 5, barring any upsets in Week 12.That means the Big 12 still needs all the help it can get for No. 9 Oklahoma or No. 14 West Virginia to finish in the top four, but Houstons win had a direct impact on Oklahomas résumé because the Sooners lost to Houston in the season opener. It would help the Sooners résumé if the selection committee ranked Houston because then their only two losses of the season would be to CFP Top 25 teams (Houston and Ohio State).Houston should be ranked this week after beating two of the committees top 10 teams (No. 9 OU and No. 5 Louisville), but it needs Navy to lose its final two regular-season conference games -- at East Carolina and at SMU -- just to win its division. Its an unlikely scenario, as ESPNs Football Power Index gives the Midshipmen at least a 60 percent chance to win each game. Plus, Houston would have to overcome Boise State and undefeated Western Michigan, teams that could both still win their respective leagues.Remember, its the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion that earns a New Years Six bowl bid, not just the highest-ranked team.Houston is a different team when its healthy, especially on defense. Louisville had three turnovers and 15 penalties on a night when it had the committees attention.We blew it, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said.And everyone else in the Top 25 noticed. ' ' '