Begrüßungen » e unfortunate instances to work in their favor

SAN FRANCISCO -- The way things are going for the Pittsburgh Pirates these days, even when they dig themselves into a hole theres still hope.You start winning a few games, regardless of what the score is, if its early we know weve got a chance to make something happen, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen said.The Pirates made something happen against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.McCutchen had two hits, including a two-run homer, pinch-hitter Matt Joyce had a key two-run single, and Pittsburgh rallied from a four-run deficit to complete a three-game sweep of the Giants with a 6-5 victory.Thats us, McCutchen added. Thats what we do.The Pirates won their fourth straight game and sixth in seven. They remain a game behind St. Louis, which beat Houston 8-2, in the race for the NL wild card.I think this last week or two has really been fun for us, Joyce said. You can definitely tell guys are playing with that intensity and you can tell theyre hungry.McCutchens homer, his 17th, capped a six-run rally in the fifth inning that chased Giants starter Matt Cain (4-8).Cain had allowed one hit and had faced just one batter over the minimum with a 4-0 lead going into his disastrous fifth inning, when the Pirates scored six runs on four walks, three hits and a hit batsman.His first pitch to McCutchen was an 89 mph fastball over the middle of the plate, and the Pirates center fielder pounced.Pirates starter Ivan Nova allowed four runs and six hits in four innings. He struck out five and allowed no walks. Nova, who won his first two starts since coming over in a deadline trade with the New York Yankees, was lifted for Joyce after Cain hit David Freese to start the fifth and then walked three straight batters.Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of his decision to pinch-hit Joyce wasnt a reflection on Novas performance.How do you know youre going to have another shot with the bases loaded? Hurdle asked. You take a shot when the bases are full and see what can play out.Nova is 2-0 with a 4.41 ERA in three starts with the Pirates. He hasnt allowed a walk in 16 1/3 innings with his new team. We like his stuff, Hurdle said. It was a tough day to be a National League pitcher. In the American League hes probably still pitching.Jeff Locke (9-7) pitched a scoreless fifth.Tony Watson survived a scoreless ninth after the Giants loaded the bases with no outs for his seventh save in eight tries since taking over Pittsburghs closers role.The Giants, who on Tuesday fell out of first place in the NL West for the first time in 97 days, lost their fourth straight. They fell to 9-21, the worst record in the majors since the All-Star break. They dropped 1 1/2 games behind the Dodgers, who beat Philadelphia on Wednesday night.Were taking some blows right now but its a tough club, its a resilient club, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.They came out and did some good things today. Were creating some good chances and opportunities.The Giants failed to capitalize when it counted most.After inducing Buster Posey to ground into a run-scoring double play, Watson got Brandon Crawford to fly out to shallow center and McCutchen made a game-ending running catch.Posey was 3 for 5 with an RBI double to lead the Giants. Crawford was 2 for 5 with a double, a triple and three RBI and Angel Pagan was 3 for 4 with a double as he extended his hitting streak to 15 games.BEST WESTERNThe Pirates are 25-8 on the road against the NL West over the last two seasons and are 22-11 against the division this season. This has been key for us the last couple of years, coming out here and taking care of business, McCutchen said.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: RHP Tyler Glasnow, on the DL since July 24 with right shoulder discomfort, threw a bullpen session on Tuesday and is showing progress, Hurdle said. ... C Chris Stewart, out since July 2 with knee discomfort, had his third scheduled rehab game with Double-A Altoona rained out on Tuesday.Giants: Bochy had Posey in the lineup for a day game after a night game after the All-Star catcher missed two consecutive games with lower back tightness. I dont want him going out there if theres any risk of making it worse, he says hes fine, Bochy said. ... 1B Brandon Belt dropped to the ground after fouling a pitch off his right knee in the fifth inning but stayed in the game.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Gerrit Cole will pitch the series opener against the Marlins on Friday. Cole is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in three starts since pitching his first career complete game against Seattle on July 27.Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner will pitch the series opener with the Mets on Thursday. The All-Star threw seven shutout innings against Baltimore in his most recent outing to snap a streak of five winless starts in which he was 0-3 and the Giants were 0-5. Ricky Pierce Jersey . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Xavier McDaniel Jersey . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. https://www.cheapthunder.com/1221h-tommy-burleson-jersey-thunder.html . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Hersey Hawkins Jersey .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Jim McIlvaine Jersey .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson had the commemorative helmet and a photographer chronicling his every move. He had even planned to run a symbolic seven miles the night before his shot at a seventh championship.Hes adamant he didnt know something special was coming.Johnson was the worst of the championship contenders in a winner-take-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He needed only to beat three other drivers to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as drivers with seven titles, but he was clearly not in the same league as the other finalists Sunday night.Johnson didnt panic, keeping the same calmness hes had for 10 weeks of this historic march. So relaxed before this event, he canceled his short run and instead spent the night eating pasta.And as he chased Carl Edwards, reigning champion Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, it sure seemed like there was not shot at No. 7.Im sure the world felt like anybody but Jimmie Johnson was going to win the championship with 20 to go, and then it changed so quick, Johnson said.Johnson was practically gifted his seventh title when Edwards aggressive attempt to win the championship ended in a wreck. Johnson got the restart of his life in overtime, took the lead on the very last lap of the race, won for the first time in his career at Homestead and grabbed the final Sprint Cup trophy.Most of the race was spent talking about backflips, repeats or a Penske sweep because Johnson just wasnt as good as Edwards, Busch or Logano.Then all that conversation took a back seat to a record-setting -- albeit improbable -- championship run. The win was the 15th for Hendrick Motorsports and seventh for crew chief Chad Knaus, who now only trails Dale Inmans record eight.When I was coming to the checkered flag, I had to really look closely at it going by to make sure it was, `Like is this really happening? Johnson said.Johnsons No. 48 Chevrolet was pulled off pit road by NASCAR shortly before the race and forced to make a last-minute pass through inspection, setting Johnson up for a mind-boggling race in which he never seemed to be a legitimate contender. He had to start last because of the inspection issue and seemingly had no shot until Edwards coughed up the title.Petty welcomed Johnson to the VIP section of NASCARs most exclusive club.They set a goal to get where they are and circumstances and fate made it a reality, Petty said. Jimmie is a great champion and this is really good for our sport.He also was feted by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who represented his late father in victory lane.I told Jimmie I wish Dad was here to shake his hand, Earnhardt said. Dad would think hes such a bad-ass. Hes such a great race car driver. How he won this thing tonight, I dont think a lot of people know, he can will himself to get (his all) out of a car when it matters. Theres a lot of circumstance that played into it, but he put himself in that position.Edwards was in position to win until a caution with 10 laps remaining sset up a wild sequence that ruined his title hopes.dddddddddddd Edwards tried to block Logano on the restart, wound up wrecked, and it was Johnson who drove through the carnage to take the championship lead.Johnson withstood two more restarts and dedicated the final two attempts at the win to the late Ricky Hendrick, who was one of 10 friends and family members killed in a 2004 plane crash.My heart was full because I was thinking of some loved ones like Ricky Hendrick and his influence, he said. Something happened from above.Johnson drove the entire 10-race Chase with a tribute helmet to Earnhardt and Petty, the Hall of Fame drivers hes been chasing since he won his sixth title in 2013. Immediately after the race, he gifted the helmet to three-time champion Tony Stewart, who retired at the end of the race.Drivers have been giving Stewart special helmets the last month, but Johnson had earmarked this one for the driver forever known as Smoke.I promised him Id give him a helmet, I wanted to wait and see if I could give him this one, Johnson said. He doesnt really want it. He said if I want it back, I can have it back, but I promised Id give him a helmet.The title was there for the taking for Edwards until the fateful sequence that changed history.I was racing for my life up to that point, Edwards said. I just pushed the issue as hard as I could because I figured that was the race there. I had to push it, I couldnt go to bed tonight and think that I gave him that lane.The benefactor of Edwards error was Johnson, who darted through the wreck ahead of Busch and Logano. Knaus pumped his fists in joy, all too aware that they were suddenly in the game.Thats what makes a seven-time champion -- someone that fights and battles and digs and never gives up, said four-time champion Jeff Gordon, the teammate who discovered Johnson for Hendrick Motorsports. They keep themselves in position and allowed some of those unfortunate instances to work in their favor. You can say luck, whatever you want to say, but those guys battled. They battled hard.Logano wasnt giving up his effort, though, and headed to pit road to take on new tires for a final restart.This guy on a restart with five laps to go, Ill take him every day of the week, crew chief Todd Gordon said.Logano restarted eighth but was a bull as he pushed his way through traffic and into third place, behind Johnson, after a caution forced another restart.This time, Johnson got the start of his life and jumped into the lead. He didnt look back, only forward at his slice of NASCAR history.They were nowhere all day, and just kind of ran around, I dont know, probably, Id guess sixth, Busch said. Never really showed their hand at all and didnt really show any speed, never really led in the laps until the last one, and thats the only one that really matters.---More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org ' ' '