HOUSTON -- Houston manager A.J. Hinch politely answered question after question Monday about what went wrong this season before he was finally asked how he was dealing with his team missing the postseason a year after reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2005.Im not handling it very well at all, the Astros second-year manager said. I hate losing ... I dont like being here and having this meeting when I know a game is being played tomorrow. But Im proud of the fact that 84 wins isnt good enough.The Astros took a step back this season after a surprising trip to the ALDS in 2015, forced to play catch up after going 7-17 in April. They remained in the wild-card hunt until the last weekend of the season, but injuries to key members of the rotation and several role players became too much to overcome.Houston has one of baseballs best middle infields with second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa, but its seeking upgrades at first base and in the outfield.I think were well positioned for next year, general manager Jeff Luhnow said. There are very few organizations of the 30 that have quite as exciting a young core to build around. Thats our job this offseason, is to put in some complementary pieces to add to the guys that we have that were excited about.The Astros went 84-78 a year after finishing 86-76, giving them consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2005-06. Of course, after years or rebuilding, over .500 isnt the target anymore.Our goal next year is to win the division and do some serious damage in the playoffs, Luhnow said. Theres nothing short of that thats going to satisfy us.Some things to know as the Astros wrap the 2016 season.AWESOME ALTUVE: Altuve had another MVP-caliber season in 2016. He won the AL batting title for the second time in three seasons by hitting .338 and got his third straight 200-hit season with an AL-leading 216. He hit 42 doubles and stole 30 bases, and his five triples, 24 homers and 96 RBI were all career highs.The 26-year-old Altuve is the first second baseman to win multiple batting titles since Rod Carew won five from 1969-75.I just wonder how he can get any better, Luhnow said. Hes really done an unbelievable job of setting goals for himself and improving his game in every way that he possibly could. Hes one of the best players in the American League, the best players in the game and were just happy to have him here.KEUCHEL STRUGGLES: Ace Dallas Keuchel had a tough season a year after winning the AL Cy Young Award. The left-hander went 9-12 with a 4.55 ERA after finishing 2015 a career-best 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA. He looked sharper in August but was shut down after a start on Aug. 27 because of shoulder inflammation and didnt pitch again. Luhnow said he isnt worried about Keuchel and expects him to bounce back next season.CORREAS GROWTH: The top overall pick in the 2012 draft had a solid sophomore campaign after winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2015. He hit .274 with 20 homers and 96 RBI despite playing the last weeks of the season with a shoulder injury.Correa turned 22 in September, and the Astros are pleased with his development this season.Correa, though, is disappointed he failed to do more in 2016.Carlos Correa will probably never live up to his own expectations, Hinch said. Im not sure youre ever going to live up to the hype, but when the dust settles and we look back at this season, well look back at it as a growth season for him, as a productive season and a step in the right direction.RASMUS DONE IN HOUSTON? OF Colby Rasmus was Houstons highest-paid player this season, making $15.8 million, but batted just .206 in 107 games while dealing with various injuries. Rasmus is eligible for free agency, and although Luhnow wouldnt say definitively, he suggested Houston was unlikely to retain the 30-year-old.He still has value to major league teams and Im sure hell have an opportunity to sign somewhere, Luhnow said. But Im not sure how, or if, he fits into our plans at this point. Kevin King Super Bowl Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. Marcedes Lewis Super Bowl Jersey . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.packersonlineteamstore.com/josh-jackson-youth-jersey.html . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Aaron Rodgers Super Bowl Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Darnell Savage Jr. Super Bowl Jersey . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Jaroslav Kulhavy trained so hard for the Olympics that he didnt have time to finish work on a new house.It took a broken left hand to finally slow him down on the mountain bike, though its not the kind of break he needed as he works to get back atop the medal stand in Rio. There is little time to rest with some of cyclings best-known names looking to unseat the Czech champion.In March, Kulhavy had surgery on the hand he broke during a race in Cyprus. After a five-week recovery, he was back on the World Cup circuit in May.The main thing is that I didn*t fall anywhere, because the terrain was very slippery, Kulhavy said on his website after finishing fifth at La Bresse. I have the points and my performance looks good. I was riding in a good feeling especially at the end.Some notes and other things to watch in mountain bike during the Rio Games:FAMILIAR FOESThere are two familiar names atop the world rankings: Nino Schurter of Switzerland and Julien Absalon of France. Schurter won silver in 2012 and bronze in 2008. Absalon, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, had his hopes dashed for another first-place finish in London by a flat tire.SAGAN WHAT?World road race champion Peter Sagan will try to win gold at Rio on a mountain bike. The Slovak Cycling Association said Sagan agreed to give up his road spot for the mountain biking berth. Sagan tested the difficult road course in Rio in January and decided it was too hilly for him to contend. Hes a former junior world champion in mountain biking.TOP WOMENAnnika Langvad of Denmark was the top-ranked female rider internationally going into the world championships in late June, with three World Cup series wins over the last year. Langvad was followed closely by Switzerlands Jolanda Neff, the World Cup winner in 2014 and 2015.dddddddddddd Julie Bresset from France, who won gold in 2012, is an alternate this year.LEA IN THE LEADThe top U.S. contender is Lea Davison , ranked 20th in the world. She finished 11th in London and since the last Olympics, Davison had surgery to repair torn cartilage in her right hip in January 2014, about four years after needing a similar procedure on her left hip.She felt good this spring, though ran into some bad luck after gashing her elbow during a World Cup race in May, stunting momentum for a top finish. Davison finished the race still bleeding, in 18th place. Davison, though, has five top-10 finishes in World Cup races in the last year.The womens mountain bike World Cup circuit is ridiculously competitive and deep right now, Davison said.The other womens spot on Team USA went to Chloe Woodruff, ranked 28th in the world. She won nationals in 2015.This is a dream come true, Woodruff said on Facebook after learning on June 23 that she made her first Olympics.FORWARD LOOKINGThe lone mens spot on the U.S. team is going to 23-year-old Howard Grotts. He was chosen over Stephen Ettinger, who is four years older but higher ranked in the world. With the United States a longshot to medal, Rio will serve as a learning experience for Grotts.ON THE COURSEThe 3-plus mile-long, man-made Rio course has received good reviews from riders. Marc Gullickson, director of the USA Cycling Mountain Bike program, said the course was well-manicured, with challenging, though not extremely dangerous, features. The course, riders have said, makes for a television-friendly event. Heat could be an issue, though, with no trees to provide shade. ' ' '