PITTSBURGH -- Jeff Locke never lost his poise and gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a chance to get a win. Chris Mullin Jersey . Locke overcame a shaky start to pitch seven innings and Josh Harrison had three hits to extend his hot streak as the Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 7-3 on Wednesday night. Locke (3-3) gave up three runs in the first two innings, and then shut out the Marlins over his last five. The left-hander gave up six hits, no walks, and struck out seven, beating Miami for the first time in five starts. "Its easy to let things snowball, its easy to let things carry on," Locke said. "I settled down. I started to get more in control. I kept pounding the strike zone because good things happen when you do that." Christian Yelich hit a two-run homer that drew Miami within 4-3 in the second. The Marlins never scored again and Locke retired the last 13 batters he faced. "He was just persistent," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said of Locke. "It started with his confidence. He could find the (arm) slot and stay with it, (catcher) Russell (Martin) kept him in a good place to battle through the first two innings then he ran the table. Its as well as hes pitched all year." Harrison hit a double and scored twice. He is 20 for 44 during a 10-game hitting streak, with six doubles, one triple and five home runs. Ike Davis had a two-run double in a four-run first for Pittsburgh against Tom Koehler (7-9). Gaby Sanchezs two-run double capped a three-run seventh that pushed the lead to 7-3. Jeff Baker singled in a run in the first for the Marlins. Koehler was charged with four runs in six innings while allowing five hits and four walks and striking out four. It was the second time in his last nine starts that Koehler allowed more than three runs. "I made some good pitches early in the inning that they hit but then I started falling behind in the count and had to come in with my fastball," Koehler said. "Theyre a very good fastball-hitting team. You dont want to put them in fastball-hitting counts the way I did." Russell Martin hit an RBI single in the seventh to give the Pirates a 5-3 cushion before Sanchez broke the game open with his double. TRAINERS ROOM Marlins: Right-hander Jarred Cosart was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday night because of a strained left oblique muscle. Cosart felt discomfort in his side while playing catch Wednesday and the Marlins decided to have him skip a start. He is tentatively scheduled to pitch next Tuesday against St. Louis. The Marlins got Cosart last week in a trade with Houston. He made his Miami debut the next day and took the loss against Cincinnati, giving up four runs in 5 1-3 innings Friday. He was 9-7 with a 4.41 ERA with the Astros. . Reliever Kevin Gregg is expected to have surgery to remove bone chips from right elbow and miss the remainder of the season. . Right-hander Henderson Alvarez played catch before the game, the first time he had thrown since going on the disabled list July 30 with right shoulder inflammation. He is expected to be activated Aug. 15, the first day he is eligible. Pirates: Center fielder Andrew McCutchen missed his second straight game because of a fracture and cartilage damage in his lower left rib cage but remains hopeful of avoiding the disabled list. . Second baseman Neil Walker sat out for the third time in four games because of lower back tightness but is expected to return to the lineup Thursday. . Right-hander Gerrit Cole, will make a third rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis with the date to be determined after he has a bullpen session Thursday. Cole has been on the DL since July 5 with a strained right lat. ON DECK Marlins: Rookie left-hander Brian Flynn (0-0, 6.00) will fill in for Cosart and start in the finale of the three-game series. Flynn was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday when right-hander Jacob Turner was designated for assignment. Flynn pitched once for the Marlins this season, allowing two runs in three innings June 27 against Oakland. Pirates: Right-hander Edinson Volquez (8-7, 3.91) is 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA in six career starts against the Marlins and looks to snap his three-start winless streak, which comes on the heels of a four-start winning streak. Wilt Chamberlain Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson said he feels like hes playing the best basketball of his 10-year NBA career. Draymond Green Jersey .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday.PORTLAND, Ore. -- LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the Trail Blazers lineup, happy to know that things didnt go awry without him. Portlands All-Star forward had 16 points and the Blazers won their fifth straight game with a 102-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Aldridge was averaging 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds before a left groin injury caused him to miss five games. "Im not going to call guys out but I thought that they just played great," Aldridge said about the team in his absence. "I thought everybody did more, whether it was rebounding or whatever. Everybody just played better." The win moved the Blazers (41-18) a season-high 23-games over .500. After failing to make the playoffs last season, Portland sits in third place in the Western Conference. Robin Lopez led the Blazers in scoring for the first time this season with 18 points, while Nicolas Batum had a career-high 16 rebounds. "That was a solid win for us," said Blazers coach Terry Stotts. "We did a lot of good things. I felt like we were in control for the most part." Kenneth Faried, Randy Foye and Evan Fournier scored 16 points apiece, but Denver (25-33) lost its fifth straight. Faried, who also had 10 rebounds, took a hard fall with less than two minutes left and appeared to injure his right knee, but finished out the game. Portland won all four meetings this season against Denver, its first sweep of the series since the 1999 season, when the Blazers won all three games against the Nuggets. Damian Lillards driving layup gave Portland a 100-87 lead with 4:09 left in the game and the Nuggets never really challenged. Lillard finished with 17 points. The Blazers had a bit of a rest after a 124-80 rout of Brooklyn on Wednesday night. The Nets played in Denver the next night, routing the Nuggets 112-89. "The effort was there and it was something to build off of because everybody -- the whole city of Denver -- after that loss to Brooklyn had a sour taste in our mouth," Foye said. "We just wanted to get back out there and try to give the fanss something to cheer about. Tim Hardaway Jersey. " The Nuggets have won just one of their last 11 games. Aldridge was greeted with a roar from the crowd at the Moda Center when he was announced as a starter. "It felt good," Aldridge said. "My timing was a little off but it felt good to be back out there playing with the guys." Second-year centre Meyers Leonard also returned after a five-game absence because of a sprained right ankle. But the Blazers did not have forwards Thomas Robinson, who has a left knee injury, and Joel Freeland, with a right knee sprain. The Nuggets were hurting, too. Top scorer Ty Lawson missed his ninth straight game with a left rib fracture. But guard Aaron Brooks, acquired before the trade deadline from Houston, played despite a sore ankle, and Wilson Chandler returned after missing a game because of a right knee sprain. Denver closed within 52-47 late in the half after a pair of free throws from Faried, but Lopezs dunk and Lillards layup helped push Portlands lead to 56-48 at the break. Lopez led all players with 12 points. Lillard, Batum and Leonard had consecutive dunks to give the Blazers an early 22-12 lead. The Blazers stretched the lead to 73-60 in the third quarter on Batums finger-roll layup. Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said he liked the effort after the loss to Brooklyn, but pointed to missed free throws. Denver was 23 of 35 from the line. "You lose the game by six points and you miss 12 free throws, that can be the difference in the game," Shaw said. "I thought the team played a lot better and responded after the embarrassing game we had the other night at home against Brooklyn. So we got better tonight and Im happy with our effort." Notes: Brooks played at the University of Oregon and got warm applause during pregame game introductions. .... Batum becomes the fourth Trail Blazer this season with 16 or more rebounds in a game, joining Aldridge, Lopez and Robinson. ... It was the first time this season that no player for the Blazers or their opponent had a player with at least 20 points. Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Bruins Jerseys Cheap Sabres JerseysCheap Flames Jerseys Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Florida Panthers Jerseys Cheap Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys ' ' '
PITTSBURGH -- Jeff Locke never lost his poise and gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a chance to get a win. Chris Mullin Jersey . Locke overcame a shaky start to pitch seven innings and Josh Harrison had three hits to extend his hot streak as the Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 7-3 on Wednesday night. Locke (3-3) gave up three runs in the first two innings, and then shut out the Marlins over his last five. The left-hander gave up six hits, no walks, and struck out seven, beating Miami for the first time in five starts. "Its easy to let things snowball, its easy to let things carry on," Locke said. "I settled down. I started to get more in control. I kept pounding the strike zone because good things happen when you do that." Christian Yelich hit a two-run homer that drew Miami within 4-3 in the second. The Marlins never scored again and Locke retired the last 13 batters he faced. "He was just persistent," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said of Locke. "It started with his confidence. He could find the (arm) slot and stay with it, (catcher) Russell (Martin) kept him in a good place to battle through the first two innings then he ran the table. Its as well as hes pitched all year." Harrison hit a double and scored twice. He is 20 for 44 during a 10-game hitting streak, with six doubles, one triple and five home runs. Ike Davis had a two-run double in a four-run first for Pittsburgh against Tom Koehler (7-9). Gaby Sanchezs two-run double capped a three-run seventh that pushed the lead to 7-3. Jeff Baker singled in a run in the first for the Marlins. Koehler was charged with four runs in six innings while allowing five hits and four walks and striking out four. It was the second time in his last nine starts that Koehler allowed more than three runs. "I made some good pitches early in the inning that they hit but then I started falling behind in the count and had to come in with my fastball," Koehler said. "Theyre a very good fastball-hitting team. You dont want to put them in fastball-hitting counts the way I did." Russell Martin hit an RBI single in the seventh to give the Pirates a 5-3 cushion before Sanchez broke the game open with his double. TRAINERS ROOM Marlins: Right-hander Jarred Cosart was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday night because of a strained left oblique muscle. Cosart felt discomfort in his side while playing catch Wednesday and the Marlins decided to have him skip a start. He is tentatively scheduled to pitch next Tuesday against St. Louis. The Marlins got Cosart last week in a trade with Houston. He made his Miami debut the next day and took the loss against Cincinnati, giving up four runs in 5 1-3 innings Friday. He was 9-7 with a 4.41 ERA with the Astros. . Reliever Kevin Gregg is expected to have surgery to remove bone chips from right elbow and miss the remainder of the season. . Right-hander Henderson Alvarez played catch before the game, the first time he had thrown since going on the disabled list July 30 with right shoulder inflammation. He is expected to be activated Aug. 15, the first day he is eligible. Pirates: Center fielder Andrew McCutchen missed his second straight game because of a fracture and cartilage damage in his lower left rib cage but remains hopeful of avoiding the disabled list. . Second baseman Neil Walker sat out for the third time in four games because of lower back tightness but is expected to return to the lineup Thursday. . Right-hander Gerrit Cole, will make a third rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis with the date to be determined after he has a bullpen session Thursday. Cole has been on the DL since July 5 with a strained right lat. ON DECK Marlins: Rookie left-hander Brian Flynn (0-0, 6.00) will fill in for Cosart and start in the finale of the three-game series. Flynn was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday when right-hander Jacob Turner was designated for assignment. Flynn pitched once for the Marlins this season, allowing two runs in three innings June 27 against Oakland. Pirates: Right-hander Edinson Volquez (8-7, 3.91) is 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA in six career starts against the Marlins and looks to snap his three-start winless streak, which comes on the heels of a four-start winning streak. Wilt Chamberlain Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson said he feels like hes playing the best basketball of his 10-year NBA career. Draymond Green Jersey .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday.PORTLAND, Ore. -- LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the Trail Blazers lineup, happy to know that things didnt go awry without him. Portlands All-Star forward had 16 points and the Blazers won their fifth straight game with a 102-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Aldridge was averaging 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds before a left groin injury caused him to miss five games. "Im not going to call guys out but I thought that they just played great," Aldridge said about the team in his absence. "I thought everybody did more, whether it was rebounding or whatever. Everybody just played better." The win moved the Blazers (41-18) a season-high 23-games over .500. After failing to make the playoffs last season, Portland sits in third place in the Western Conference. Robin Lopez led the Blazers in scoring for the first time this season with 18 points, while Nicolas Batum had a career-high 16 rebounds. "That was a solid win for us," said Blazers coach Terry Stotts. "We did a lot of good things. I felt like we were in control for the most part." Kenneth Faried, Randy Foye and Evan Fournier scored 16 points apiece, but Denver (25-33) lost its fifth straight. Faried, who also had 10 rebounds, took a hard fall with less than two minutes left and appeared to injure his right knee, but finished out the game. Portland won all four meetings this season against Denver, its first sweep of the series since the 1999 season, when the Blazers won all three games against the Nuggets. Damian Lillards driving layup gave Portland a 100-87 lead with 4:09 left in the game and the Nuggets never really challenged. Lillard finished with 17 points. The Blazers had a bit of a rest after a 124-80 rout of Brooklyn on Wednesday night. The Nets played in Denver the next night, routing the Nuggets 112-89. "The effort was there and it was something to build off of because everybody -- the whole city of Denver -- after that loss to Brooklyn had a sour taste in our mouth," Foye said. "We just wanted to get back out there and try to give the fanss something to cheer about. Tim Hardaway Jersey. " The Nuggets have won just one of their last 11 games. Aldridge was greeted with a roar from the crowd at the Moda Center when he was announced as a starter. "It felt good," Aldridge said. "My timing was a little off but it felt good to be back out there playing with the guys." Second-year centre Meyers Leonard also returned after a five-game absence because of a sprained right ankle. But the Blazers did not have forwards Thomas Robinson, who has a left knee injury, and Joel Freeland, with a right knee sprain. The Nuggets were hurting, too. Top scorer Ty Lawson missed his ninth straight game with a left rib fracture. But guard Aaron Brooks, acquired before the trade deadline from Houston, played despite a sore ankle, and Wilson Chandler returned after missing a game because of a right knee sprain. Denver closed within 52-47 late in the half after a pair of free throws from Faried, but Lopezs dunk and Lillards layup helped push Portlands lead to 56-48 at the break. Lopez led all players with 12 points. Lillard, Batum and Leonard had consecutive dunks to give the Blazers an early 22-12 lead. The Blazers stretched the lead to 73-60 in the third quarter on Batums finger-roll layup. Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said he liked the effort after the loss to Brooklyn, but pointed to missed free throws. Denver was 23 of 35 from the line. "You lose the game by six points and you miss 12 free throws, that can be the difference in the game," Shaw said. "I thought the team played a lot better and responded after the embarrassing game we had the other night at home against Brooklyn. So we got better tonight and Im happy with our effort." Notes: Brooks played at the University of Oregon and got warm applause during pregame game introductions. .... Batum becomes the fourth Trail Blazer this season with 16 or more rebounds in a game, joining Aldridge, Lopez and Robinson. ... It was the first time this season that no player for the Blazers or their opponent had a player with at least 20 points. Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Bruins Jerseys Cheap Sabres JerseysCheap Flames Jerseys Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Florida Panthers Jerseys Cheap Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys ' ' '
