DieBruderschaft.com

PITTSBURGH -- Pirates manager Clint Hurdle substituted freely and often as Pittsburghs game against the Chicago Cubs wore on Monday night.That had everything to do with the score -- Chicago built a 12-run lead en route to a 12-2 blowout win -- but the Pirates could soon find themselves wanting to rotate in a lot of players for a different reason.Pittsburghs tragic number for being eliminated from the National League wild-card race was reduced to two, meaning the Pirates could be out of a shot for the playoffs as early as Tuesday night when the teams play the second of a four-game series at PNC Park.At that point, like a lot of other teams, Pittsburgh could be reduced to looking at several players who might help them in the future -- a future that will come next year, not in October. Once eliminated, the Pirates only real carrot could be finishing with a winning record.This year is what it is, Hurdle said.While the Pirates (77-79) have lost four of five, the Cubs (100-56) have not hit a lull despite clinching the top record in the major leagues. Chicago won for the sixth time in seven games.Theres a lot of self-motivators out there, a lot of accountable people, Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. Theres a lot of stuff going on right now. Beyond the team goals, we all like to see our guys get a chance to win some personal awards. So its easy.In addition, the Cubs are staying fresh by using a lot of players.Were rotating the stock, Maddon said. Guys are coming in that are fresh. Guys that dont get a chance to play that often, they want to play and show what theyve got.Chicago is so loose in these final days of the regular season that Maddon had no qualms about approaching starter Kyle Hendricks during the fourth inning Monday -- while he was still the active pitcher -- simply to ask Hendricks about the nickname for Dartmouth, where Hendricks attended.Hendricks told him it was the Big Green, settling a question that had been floating around the dugout during the game.I had no idea why he was asking me, Hendricks said with a laugh after he pitched six scoreless innings in the series-opening win.For the second game of this series, Chicago is expected to go with right-hander John Lackey (10-8, 3.39 ERA), who will be making his 29th start. Lackey is 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA in his past eight outings.He is 1-2 with a 3.69 ERA in six career starts against Pittsburgh.The Pirates will counter with right-hander Ryan Vogelsong (3-6, 4.85 ERA). After coming back from facial surgery that was necessitated when he was hit by a pitch, he went 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA in his first five starts. However, since then, Vogelsong is 0-3 with a 9.14 ERA in four starts.Against the Cubs, he is 5-8 with a 5.82 ERA in 21 career appearances, including 13 starts. Fred Schaus Jersey . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Tim Frazier Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. https://www.cheappistonsonline.com/766y-john-salley-jersey-pistons.html . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. M. L. Carr Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Custom Detroit Pistons Jerseys .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. Ireland 237 for 4 (Joyce 105*, Kevin OBrien 75, Hassan 2-21) beat Afghanistan 236 (Shahzad 81, Kevin OBrien 3-28, McCarthy 3-57) by six wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details Ed Joyces fourth ODI century and Kevin OBriens all-round brilliance combined to give Ireland a six-wicket win over Afghanistan in the third ODI in Belfast.Irelands bowlers, led by OBriens 3 for 28 in 9.1 overs, put up a strong performance after they lost the toss and dismissed Afghanistan for 236. OBrien then made another crucial contribution, scoring 75, and his fourth-wicket partnership of 144 with Joyce helped the hosts cruise to the target in 47.3 overs and level the five-match series 1-1. Joyce remained unbeaten on 105.The chase wasnt smooth until the Joyce-OBrien partnership: Ireland were reduced to 29 for 3 in the ninth over after Hamid Hassan struck twice. Ireland captain William Porterfield edged to first slip for 1 in the second over, before Sean Terry was trapped lbw for 3 by one that came back in. Asghar Stanikzai introduced spin in the ninth over and the move immediately paid off as Stuart Poynter picked out backward square leg off Mohammad Nabis second delivery.Joyce and OBrien then steered Ireland to safety by batting together for 28.5 overs. OBrien struck seven fours in his 85-ball knock before falling in the 38th over, with Ireland requiring 64 off 77 balls.The breakthrough hardly provided respite for Afghanistan..dddddddddddd. Paul Stirling chipped in with an unbeaten 39 off 37 balls to dominate an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 64 with Joyce, who reached his century off the first ball of the 48th over and hit the winning runs two balls later.Ireland could have been pushed harder if Afghanistans batsmen had built on Mohammad Shahzads platform. He held firm with 81, his third consecutive half-century, even as wickets tumbled around him.Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah and Samiullah Shenwari fell without doing much to leave Afghanistan on 63 for 3 in the 17th over. Shahzad, who had marched to 36, resurrected the innings through a 76-run fourth-wicket stand with Stanikzai. The duo kept Irelands bowlers at bay for 15 overs, before pace bowler Peter Chase removed both batsmen in the space of three deliveries. Stanikzai chased a wide one and got an edge towards third man where Joyce completed a running catch, before Shahzad found first slip in his attempt to guide a short delivery.Afghanistan once again lost quick wickets. That they passed 200 was down to Nabi and his 52-run eighth-wicket stand with Rashid Khan, who scored 24 at No. 9. Nabi was the ninth man dismissed, for a 41-ball 40, and Afghanistan were bowled out in 49.1 overs. OBrien and Barry McCarthy finished with three wickets each. ' ' '