Bayern Trupp » Tannehill and the Dolphins need to improve in

HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros have agreed to a one-year contract with left-hander reliever Tony Sipp. Sipp will earn $500,000 this season if he remains in the majors and $100,000 in the minors. There is $200,000 in performance bonuses in the major league deal. He will earn an additional $25,000 each for appearing in 35, 40, 45 and 50 games and $50,000 each for 55 and 60 games. The 30-year-old Sipp was pitching for San Diegos Triple-A affiliate before requesting his release on Thursday. Sipp has a 4.30 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 11 games in Triple-A this season. He was 3-2 with a 4.78 ERA in 56 appearances in the majors last season with Arizona. Houston optioned right-hander Paul Clemens to Triple-A Oklahoma City and transferred right-hander Jesse Crain to the 60-day disabled list. Paul George Shoes Replica Paypal .com) - The Los Angeles Kings peppered Ryan Miller with shot after shot. Cheap Air Max 95 China . -- Arizona pitcher Bronson Arroyo is expected to miss a week to 10 days because of a back injury. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/. He will be practicing with the Norfolk Admirals (AHL) on a conditioning assignment. - @AnaheimDucks Corey Perry has a knee sprain and will miss the next three to four weeks. Nike Vapormax Plus China .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. Cheap Air Max 97 Wholesale . -- Jacksonville Jaguars rookie receiver Marqise Lee has agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth more than $5 million.DAVIE, Fla. - Judging by the stat that matters most to Ryan Tannehill, hes doing only so-so.The Miami Dolphins quarterback is always quick to say wins are his priority, and his team is 6-5 heading into Monday nights game at the New York Jets. Tannehill has a 21-22 record in three NFL seasons, and the Dolphins will need a late-season surge to avoid a sixth consecutive year out of the playoffs.But the past two months have been the best stretch of Tannehills brief career, and he has been especially good lately, completing over 70 per cent of his passes in four consecutive games. No previous Dolphins quarterback ever had such a streak, not even Pro Football Hall of Famers Dan Marino or Bob Griese.He has been playing better, coach Joe Philbin said Wednesday. Certainly he has been throwing the ball accurately and doing a good job running the offence.In the past two games, Tannehill has posted back-to-back passer ratings above 100, a first for him. Those performances pushed his rating for the season to 93.4, which ranks ninth among quarterbacks with eight or more starts.Tannehill ranks eighth in the league with a completion percentage of 66.1, and his touchdown-interception ratio of 20 to six is tied for ninth-best, which puts him ahead of Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick, among others. The athletic Tannehill also has 276 yards rushing, 45 shy of the franchise record for a quarterback.Thats better than so-so.I feel more comfortable the more games we play, Tannehill said. I feel like Im improving, and I just want to keep improving. There is still a lot of room for growth, and I just want to take those strides.For starters, Tannehill and the Dolphins need to improve in close games. He said it feels as though the Dolphins are better than 6-5, but theyre 0-3 in games decided by four points or less.Youve got to be able to win those tough games, he said. If we make one more play on offence or defence, were going to win thhose games.ddddddddddddBut its hard to find too much fault with an offence on pace for the Dolphins highest-scoring season since 1986.Tannehills accuracy on long passes remains problematic, so the Dolphins have stopped throwing deep much. He ranks only 29th in the NFL in yards per attempt, but has become adept at spreading the ball around and keeping defences off balance with short throws.He has also clicked with rookie Jarvis Landry, whose 49 catches lead the Dolphins.Each week you have seen Ryan progress, Landry said. He is still on a constant rise, and were excited about what the future holds.Along with deep passes, consistency was another issue during Tannehills first two-plus seasons, which makes his recent performances encouraging. He has had a passer rating above 100 in five of the past eight games, squelching early-season speculation that his status as a starter might be in jeopardy.His recent play has validated his selection in the first round in 2012.I want to be here for a long time, Tannehill said. Obviously I understand that in order to do that, you have to play well. At the end of the day I just want to win and take us into the playoffs.The Dolphins will likely to need to win at least four of their final five games to have a shot at the post-season. That makes a victory Monday against the lowly Jets mandatory.But Tannehill remembers all too well how the Jets kept the Dolphins out of the playoffs a year ago with an upset victory in Miami in the season finale. Tannehill threw three interceptions and the Dolphins lost 20-7.Its not a good memory, he said. We didnt play well, and the Jets always find a way to play us well.Tannehill has indeed struggled in his four games against the Jets. Monday night offers a prime-time chance for him to show them how much he has improved.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine ' ' '