told him he was not welcome on the sidelines. That prompted Fisher and Rams COO Kevin Demoff to go on the defensive, stating that they did not

HOUSTON -- J.J. Hardy isnt sure why he always starts slow in April before his hitting picks up in May and June. He said he thinks it could have something to do with growing up in Arizona and not being accustomed to the cold Baltimore spring. Hardy got a season-high four hits and Adam Jones added an RBI double, leading Miguel Gonzalez and the Orioles to a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday. Hardy hit just .202 in April, but has raised his average to .266 since then thanks in part to a recent five-game hitting streak where he has gone 11 for 19 with three homers, two doubles and five RBIs. "Im feeling a little bit better," he said. "You look at todays game, I hit three groundballs that happened to get hits. Its not something that you make a huge deal out of, but Ill take them." Manager Buck Showalter loves what Hardy brings to his team and raved about the way he goes about his work. "His style is his substance," Showalter said. "Hes just so steady, a steady human being. J.J, he likes to win. Hes at a stage in his career where he has individual accomplishments, hes established himself as a quality shortstop. He doesnt tolerate things that arent conducive to winning, especially from himself." Gonzalez (3-2) yielded five hits and a run in six innings, and matched his season-best with seven strikeouts. He slowed down the Astros a day after they hit six home runs in an 11-7 win. The Orioles won their third straight series by taking two of three from Houston. Brandon Barnes led off for Houston with a single, Jason Castro hit a one-out double and J.D. Martinez had a sacrifice fly that made it 1-0 in the first. That was the only inning the Astros got more than one hit. Gonzalez was glad he was able to get back on track after giving up a run in the opening frame. "It was a relief," he said. "You get there and you get your confidence back and just make good pitches after that." Barnes said Gonzalez made it difficult for them to get anything going. "He mixed things up real well today," he said. "He threw his pitches well in and out, up and down. He really had his fastball going today." It was a good beginning to the month for Gonzalez, who had a tough May, going 0-1 in four starts in the month. Baltimore scored just seven runs combined while he was pitching in those starts. "Its part of baseball," he said. "Sometimes youre going to have good luck and sometimes youre going to have bad luck. I had a good feeling with the baseball and changing speeds, so that helped me out a little bit." Gonzalez has a bruised left forearm after being hit by a single hit by J.D. Martinez in the sixth inning, but he said hell be OK. Darren ODay took over for Gonzalez and struck out two in 1 2-3 scoreless innings. Brian Matusz got the last out of the eighth before closer Jim Johnson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 20th save. Chris Davis singled to start the Baltimore fourth and scored on a double by Jones to tie it. Jones advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Hardy for a 2-1 lead. A wild pitch by Bud Norris gave the Orioles another run in the inning. Norris (5-5) allowed nine hits while striking out seven in seven innings. Marwin Gonzalez hit a leadoff single in the Houston eighth and Barnes hit a deep fly. Jose Cisnero threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts for Houston. NOTES: Baltimores Jason Hammel opposes Tampa Bays Chris Archer when the Orioles open a three-game series with the Rays on Friday. ... Houston will send Jordan Lyles to the mound against James Shields when the Astros begin a three-game series at Kansas City. ... The Orioles placed reliever Steve Johnson on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain and recalled OF Xavier Avery from Triple-A Norfolk. ... Baltimore OF Nick Markakis is expected to rejoin the team on Friday after missing two games to attend his grandmothers funeral. ... 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The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Until Monday, Jeff Fisher thought he was good with Eric Dickerson.The Rams?coach admitted he called Dickerson on Nov. 17 to let him know he could not be expecting favors from the team -- such as sideline passes -- if he was going to continue to be critical of the organization. But Fisher described the conversation as really positive, a stark contrast from the detailed portrayal Dickerson relayed to several media outlets, including ESPN, on Monday.?Dickerson, who remains a die-hard Rams fan, vowed never to come to a game as long as Fisher is the coach.Asked about those comments after Tuesdays practice, Fisher basically summed up his point of contention with Dickerson as follows: Hes totally entitled to his opinion, and he has every right to be critical. As I told him in the conversation, you cant have it both ways. You cant be critical, and then come back and ask for this and ask for that. Thats just common sense. And we got it resolved. Again, based on that last conversation I had with him and the text, it was resolved.But it wasnt.Dickerson surprised the organization by saying on his Monday radio show on AM 570 in Los Angeles that someone from upper management told him he was not welcome on the sidelines. That prompted Fisher and Rams COO Kevin Demoff to go on the defensive, stating that they did not know where Dickerson got that impression and saying emphatically that they would welcome him with open arms.That prompted Dickerson to reveal that it was Fisher who called him, a response to the former running backs request for sideline passes at the Rams groundbreaking ceremony in Inglewood, California. The Hall of Famer said he doesnt feel welcomed by the Rams and questioned the sincerity of the conciliatory comments made by Demoff and Fisher.You say things because you got caught, Dickerson said in a phone conversation Monday with ESPN. Because you got caught with your pants down.Fisher believed the two were on good terms based on the text message Dickerson sent him after they had hung up 12 days ago. It read, according to Fisher: Thanks for the conversation. Best of luck. Have a good night. Go Rams.So, I dont know what took place between then and now, Fisher said. But Im on to New England now. Were moving forward. Hes welcome. Hes always been welcome. Its documented. I want him to be around; I want him to be part of this, like we have with everybody else. I honestly dont know where it came from, but were moving on.Dickerson, 56, played for the Rams from 1983 to 1987 and rushed for 7,245 yards in 65 games. He felt wronged when the RRams traded him to the Indianapolis Colts midway through the 1987 season, but he remained a fan of the organization upon retirement.dddddddddddd Dickerson hosted the rookies at his house in the offseason, was part of the broadcast team during the preseason and attended the groundbreaking ceremony along with a handful of other luminaries.But he hasnt minced words about the Rams, who are now 4-7 and coming off a 49-21 dismantling at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. Dickerson has harshly criticized the offensive line, talked openly about how boring the offense can be, thrown shots at Fishers coaching acumen and even questioned the credentials of quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke, who he doesnt believe has earned the right to coach a No. 1 overall pick in Jared Goff.Eventually, theyll hash it out, Rams defensive end William Hayes believes.It hasnt been a great season to cover, Rams punter Johnny Hekker admitted. There hasnt been a ton of positive things to really just gab about. I understand that hes entitled to an opinion. As an organization, they can choose to treat those situations however they want to do it. But as a player, we have bigger things to focus on than those disputes. Were a 4-7 team. We have to get better.Dickersons comments were one of the top stories throughout the day, but Fisher caught only some of the noise.He was too busy preparing for a road game against the 9-2 Patriots.Fisher said the controversy is not a distraction to his team.Theyre focused, theyre ready, and they understand the challenge, he said. Its not a distraction. This is the most Ive talked about it all day long. Ive been working all day.It doesnt affect us, Rams safety T.J. McDonald added. All the outside noise, from this locker room, were not hearing what anybody else is saying. We know what we have to work on, and thats what were focused on.Fisher said he opened everything to Eric during that fateful conversation because I wanted him to know that we would provide anything for him that he needed. According to Dickerson, though, Fisher told him he cannot be on the sidelines because his criticism of the team made players uncomfortable, and then when Dickerson defended his right to speak out, Fisher backtracked and told him he wants him around.Man, I stepped to him hard, Dickerson said. Im no kid. Im a grown-ass man.Fisher offered nothing but praise on Tuesday.Hes a Hall of Famer, Fisher said. I have great respect for his career and his jacket. ' ' '