the Astros seek a series split entering the All-Star Game break. S

Former England captain Ollie Phillips has predicted that rugby Sevens will provide a cracking spectacle at the Rio Olympics. The Great Britain squads for mens and womens competitions are set to be announced in London on Tuesday.And Phillips, who skippered England during a glittering Sevens career that also saw him named 2009 world Sevens player of the year, is relishing a six-day tournament which starts at Deodoro on August 6.Its brilliant that rugby is part of the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet, and that both our men and women get a chance to be a part of that, he told Press Association Sport. To win a gold medal, for most sportspeople, is the biggest accolade you can have.I think the Olympics will get a cracking spectacle. There is nothing, really, that exists within the Olympics whereby the action comes very thick and fast, and there is always something going on. Sevens is short, sharp, with loads of points and a carnival atmosphere.GBs men and women have built for Rio by taking part in a series of preparation tournaments -- the men triumphed on successive weekends in Exeter and Gdynia, Poland earlier this month -- with final 12-player groups now ready for unveiling.The men have been drawn alongside New Zealand, Kenya and Japan in Rio, with the women facing Canada, Brazil and Japan during pool stages that will see the top two teams from each of three groups -- plus two best third-placed sides - securing quarterfinal places.Phillips ex-England Sevens colleague Simon Amor is head coach of the mens squad, and while injuries have ruled out two initial training squad members -- Wasps scrum-half Joe Simpson and Welshman Luke Morgan -- it is expected that Amor will be able to parade a powerful final contingent.What I like about Simons [training squad] selection is that most of the players have been playing Sevens all year for England, Scotland or Wales, so their fitness levels will be right up there, Phillips added. In Sevens, there is an expectation for players to be supremely fit.A lot of it in Sevens is just about the core skills that lots of people take for granted -- your handling, passing, tackling and how accurate you are at the breakdown.Sevens puts a huge magnifying glass over the core components of anyones game. There is no hiding. If you miss a tackle in 15-a-side, sometimes that can be recovered. In Sevens, more often than not, it cant be.Fifteen-a-side world stars like Bryan Habana and Quade Cooper failed in their attempts to secure respective Rio selection for South Africa and Australia, and while New Zealands Sonny Bill Williams made the final cut, Phillips has underlined how big the switch to rugbys abbreviated version can be.If you look at someone like Sonny Bill Williams, he came into the Sevens environment and it took him a good three tournaments to get used to the game in terms of what he was doing, how to play and what decisions to make, Phillips said. Players have almost become specialist Sevens players. There is a lot more focus on some players doing nothing but being out and out Sevens now, and that has seen the game grow.It is a challenge going from 15s into Sevens. You cover a lot more yardage, there is a lot more running. It is more about agility and speed. Also, the recognition of space. In 15s, there is less space and it is crowded with players, and on a Sevens field, it is all about appreciation of space, knowing when to take the gap between you and the defence or when to hold on and push out wide.The HSBC World Sevens Series has grown from six tournaments to 10, and the actual game of Sevens is really exploding. I think the Olympics will contribute massively to that. Jets Jerseys China . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. 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Oakland had dropped five consecutive games in Houston entering the series, and the Astros had played exceptionally at home for more than a month.This is a team thats playing as well as any team in baseball the last couple of weeks, Athletics manager Bob Melvin said of the Astros. We knew coming in for four was going to be tough. It would be certainly nice to go out and win another game tomorrow. This is a tough place to win a series, especially a four-game series.Athletics left-hander Sean Manaea (3-5, 5.85 ERA) will attempt to clinch the series in his second career appearance against the Astros (47-41). Manaea made his major league debut against Houston on April 29, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts over five innings while not factoring into the decision of a 7-4 victory.Manaea is 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA in two starts since being activated from the 15-day disabled list (left pronator strain) on June 29. He is 0-3 with an 11.66 ERA on the road with opponents batting .354 against him. Manaea has surrendered six home runs in 14 2/3 innings on the road and was the losing pitcher in his last start, an 11-4 setback at Minnesota.ddddddddddddLeft-hander Dallas Keuchel (6-9, 5.02 ERA) will help the Astros seek a series split entering the All-Star Game break. Sunday will mark his first appearance against the Athletics this season but the 13th of his career.Keuchel is 2/3 with a 2.92 ERA in 12 games (10 starts). His three-game winning streak is his longest of his up-and-down season and the longest since he closed last season on a three-game run.The Astros had won or split five consecutive home series but now stand to lose two on this homestand. Astros manager A.J. Hinch has leaned heavily on his frontline players -- Jose Altuve, George Springer and Carlos Correa -- and planned to give Springer the day off Saturday. Springer didnt start but pinch-ran in the ninth inning of a 3-2 loss.As well as they have played in recovering from a 7-17 first month, the Astros appear to be dragging to the finish line of the unofficial first half.I didnt want to play Springer at all, Hinch said. I really did want a physical break for George all day. There wasnt an at-bat to have for George. We can win games without any one of our guys. Dont get me wrong, I love playing George Springer, but I think there are nine guys that are pretty damn good players that could have done enough to win. ' ' '