ARLINGTON, Texas - The Texas Rangers want struggling rookie outfielder Michael Choice to work on his game in the minor leagues while they replace yet another pitcher in their injury-riddled rotation. Erik Gudbranson Jersey . The Rangers demoted Choice to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday with his average at .177 after just six hits in the past month. "He needed to go get himself together," manager Ron Washington said. "We have a lot of faith in him. Its just that you dont need the struggles to become mental." Infielder Donnie Murphy was designated for assignment, allowing Texas to bring up right-handed reliever Roman Mendez and outfielder Jake Smolinski from Round Rock. Both could make their major league debut in the series opener against Houston. Rookie right-hander Nick Martinez was scratched from Tuesdays start because of a pulled muscle in his rib cage, apparently sustained while batting during an interleague series with the New York Mets. He will be replaced by right-hander Phil Irwin, who made his only big league appearance in a start for Pittsburgh last year. Irwin is 4-1 with a 1.74 ERA in six starts for Round Rock. Its likely that Martinez will be placed on the disabled list but only miss two starts because of the All-Star break. "He wants to start tomorrow, but just trying to be smart," general manager Jon Daniels said. "Irwins been throwing the ball well at Triple-A. Looking forward to seeing what hes got." Irwin will be the 12th starter used by Texas, one shy of Colorados major league high. The Rangers acquired Choice in an off-season trade that sent utility outfielder Craig Gentry to Oakland. He was a September call-up for the As after spending the year with Triple-A Sacramento and was good enough in spring training this year to make Texas opening day roster. "Very few guys come up and stick and contribute from Day One," Daniels said. "That was our hope. There were times we thought that might be the case." The 25-year-old Smolinski was a second-round pick by Washington in 2007 and spent his first seven professional seasons in the minor leagues. He spent most of this season with Double-A Frisco, where he had 10 home runs in 72 games, before a recent promotion. The 23-year-old Mendez missed most of 2013 after surgery for a stress fracture in his right elbow. He was 0-1 with a 4.02 ERA in Round Rock. The Rangers have 10 days to trade, release or outright Murphy to the minor leagues. He was hitting .196. Patrick Wiercioch Jersey ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other. Daniel Sedin Jersey . TSN 1290s Jordan Cieciwa, Big Marv and Toby are here to give their predictions on who will leave with the belt and who will take some of the other key bouts on the card. Johny Hendricks vs. http://www.thecanuckshockeystore.com/Canucks-Bo-Horvat-Adidas-Jersey/ . Funny, they looked like longtime friends during Pittsburghs 5-1 demolition of Dallas on Tuesday night. Quick to the puck and even quicker to the net, the Penguins top line overwhelmed the suddenly struggling Stars as Pittsburgh bounced back from a dismal weekend sweep at the hands of Philadelphia by jumping on Dallas early.Patrick Roy will no doubt get a positive reception from the Bell Centre crowd on Tuesday night ahead of the Colorado Avalanches game versus the hosting Montreal Canadiens. It will then be back to business once the puck drops as the two clubs battle for key points in their respective playoff races. Watch the game live on TSN Canadiens and listen on TSN Radio 690 starting at 7:30pm et. Roy, of course, was a third-round pick by the Canadiens franchise in the 1984 draft and spent his first 10-plus seasons with Montreal before his infamous trade to Colorado in December of 1995 after a fallout with then head coach Mario Tremblay. During his time with the Habs, Roy won a pair of Conn Smythe Trophies and Stanley Cup titles in 1986 and 1993. He also won two Cups and another Conn Smythe award with the Avalanche. Roy has since had his No. 33 jersey retired by the Canadiens and faced Montreal for the first time as a coach when the Avalanche picked up a 4-1 victory at home on Nov. 2. It was Colorados fourth straight win over the Habs and it has also won its past two in Montreal. Roy admitted after Sundays win over the Ottawa Senators that he hadnt been looking ahead to this matchup. "Now Im going to think about it, but before that I was not really focusing on this," said Roy. "Ive been talking to our players that I want a partnership with them. I want us to focus on what we have to do every night and take it one day at a time. I have to do the same thing as them. "I have a lot of respect for the Montreal organization and I have a lot of respect for the fans in Montreal. They were a big part of my career, my 10 years there (were) outstanding, and now that were going to play them Im just going to try and approach it as a hockey game." The big storyline for both clubs isnt the reunion as much as the chase for playoff positioning. Colorado is second in the Central Division with 93 points, one ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and eight back of the St. Louis Blues. Montreal, meanwhile, is tied for second in the Atlantic Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a distant 16 points behind the Boston Bruins. However, the Canadiens also are only one point ahead of the fourth-place Toronto Maple Leafs. Habs goaltender Carey Price said on Monday that the club needs to focus on the game and not the return of Roy. Igor Larionov Jersey. "(He) is obviously a special player, when it comes to this franchise. But at the end of the day its not about that. Its about our team versus theirs on the ice and right now were in desperation mode trying to pick up points," said Price, though he did admit that Roy was one of his favorite goaltenders. "He was the favorite among many in my generation. Its pretty exciting to have the opportunity to play against him, indirectly I guess." Price missed Montreals first eight games after the Winter Olympic break having suffered a lower-body injury while helping lead Canada to a second straight gold medal. He finally returned to action on Saturday in a 5-4 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators, then did not make his clubs trip to Buffalo to get extra rest. Instead, Dustin Tokarski played in his 10th NHL game and notched a 29-save shutout, the first of his career, in a 2-0 win over the Sabres. He helped Montreal to its second straight win following a three-game slide. "The main thing is the two points," Tokarski said. "It was just a little icing on the cake with the shutout." Dale Weise and Brendan Gallagher scored the goals for the Habs. Price will get the start tonight and is 0-2-1 with a 3.61 goals against average versus the Avalanche. Backup netminder Jean- Sebastien Giguere will get the start for the Avs in what may be his last game played in his home town. The Montreal-born Giguere is 8-3-1 against the Canadiens with a 2.49 GAA. Colorado has won seven of its last nine and notched a 3-1 triumph over Ottawa on Sunday. Andre Benoit, Nick Holden and John Mitchell supplied the goals and Semyon Varlamov made 38 saves. Varlamov came within six seconds of a shutout before getting beat on a one- time blast from the point by Ottawas Mika Zibanejad. "He played so well ... The guys wanted to get the shutout for (Varlamov), but they made a great play," said Roy. Forward Matt Duchene collected two assists as Colorado played a fourth game in a row without Paul Stastny due to a back issue. Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Jerseys NFL China Wholesale Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '