HOUSTON -- Right-hander Charlie Morton agreed to a contract with Houston on Wednesday, giving the Astros two of the best groundball pitchers in the majors.Morton accepted a $14 million, two-year deal that includes annual salaries of $7 million and performance bonuses of $625,000 apiece for 12, 20, 25 and 30 starts each season.Morton, who ranks second in the majors among active pitchers in career groundball to fly ball ratio (2.48), joins a staff that features last years American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, a lefty who leads the league in that category (2.84).I think thats where the match comes, his ability to get the ball on the ground and our ability to position our fielders and get the outs on the ground, manager A.J. Hinch said. Were getting pretty good at that. So it seems like a perfect fit for us.Morton made just four starts last season for the Phillies before a torn left hamstring which required surgery ended his year. It was the fourth surgery Morton has had in recent years including Tommy John surgery in 2012. But he said Wednesday that hes healthy now and has thrown six bullpen sessions since recovering from his hamstring injury, including three where he threw more than 50 pitches.The 33-year-old Morton has spent his entire nine-year career in the National League where he played for the Braves, Pirates and Phillies.He doesnt think the transition to the AL will be that difficult.It doesnt really matter who youre facing, it doesnt really matter how lineups are structured, Morton said. If you make quality pitches and take care of ... one hitter at a time, at the end of the day youll look back and have done it right.Morton is 46-71 with a 4.54 ERA in his career. His best season came in 2011 when he pitched a career-high 171.2 innings in 29 starts and won a career-best 10 games.The Astros are trying to add depth to a rotation that was hit hard by injuries late last season, hurting its chase for a wild-card playoff spot.We saw last season with our rotation that depth matters and we had six starters for the whole year until we passed the trade deadline and then all of the sudden two of our starters go on the shelf and we were a little short-handed, general manager Jeff Luhnow said. We know it takes eight or nine starters to get through the year. We really love the quality of what Charlie brings in terms of his pitches and the effectiveness of that pitches and what hes been able to do.---AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. Wholesale Shoes Australia . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. 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INDIANAPOLIS -- After spending two days dissecting the problems from their last loss, the Indiana Pacers found some solutions Saturday.And they didnt even need their best player, Paul George, to bail them out.Instead, Indiana made a season-high 12 3-pointers, forced 18 turnovers and pulled away from the struggling Chicago Bulls for a resounding 111-94 victory, after George was banished to the locker room for the final 13 1/2 minutes after inadvertently kicking the ball into the stands.This is what we feel we can do out on the floor, Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. Again, its going to be a process and its going to take time for us to continue to build. But this is the type of game we want to build off of.There was a reason this one looked easy.After seeing their problems exposed on tape, the embarrassed Pacers (3-3) found motivation in proving everyone wrong this time -- especially against a team playing back-to-back games for the first time this season.The Pacers took full advantage of the opportunity.C.J. Miles scored 20 points off the bench, making four 3s. Myles Turner finished with 16 points and four blocks, and George still had 13 points and seven rebounds.That was more than enough against the Bulls (3-3), who have lost three straight.Jimmy Butler and Doug McDermott each scored 16 points, while Rajon Rondo had nine points and five assists. But Rondo (four) and Butler (six) combined for nearly as many turnovers as the Pacers had as a team (12).Right out of the gate, you could see it was going to be tough, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. Weve got to find a way to bounce back and do the things to be successful.The game was only tied once, at 2-2, and Indiana soonn took control.ddddddddddddJECTEDGeorge appeared to be upset when there was a no-call on one of his shots and then he was called for a foul on the Bulls ensuing possession. He was assessed a technical foul and immediately ejected. He said he apologized to the fan the ball hit. I just meant to kick the ball against the stanchion, George said. My soccer skills arent as good as I thought. Im glad my teammates were able to pick up this win and me not be at fault for a loss.THREE FOR THE SHOWAfter Georges departure, with 1:42 left in the third, the Pacers had two 3s out of their next four baskets. Indiana, which took 26 attempts, had made 10 3-pointers three other times this season.TIP-INSBulls: Had an eight-game streak with 100 or more points snapped. ... One night after Wade made five 3-pointers, his highest single-game total since April 2009, he was 1 of 9 from the field and 0 for 2 on 3s. ... Guard R.J. Hunter returned to his hometown for the first time with Chicago.Pacers: Extended the lead to 26 in the second half, their largest lead of the season. The previous best was 16 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 1. ... The Pacers scored 62 points in a half for the second time this season and topped the 100-point mark for the fifth time in six games.UP NEXTBulls: Will try to snap their two-game losing streak against Orlando when the series resumes Monday in Chicago.Pacers: Will chase their first road win of the season Monday night at Charlotte. The Hornets have won three of the last four in the series including a sweep last season. ' ' '