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MIAMI -- Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Gregory Polanco had five hits Friday night, and the last one was the biggest -- and the longest. Carlton Fisk Jersey For Sale . Playing in his fourth major league game, Polanco broke a tie in the 13th inning with his first homer, helping Pittsburgh to an 8-6 victory over the Miami Marlins after the Pirates had a ninth-inning meltdown. Polanco went 5 for 7, scored three times and made a run-saving catch in right field. "That could have been a coming-out party for him," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Very exciting to watch. I hope we get to watch for a long time." Clint Barmes singled off Mike Dunn (5-4) to start the 13th and advanced on a sacrifice. Polanco homered on a hanging 2-2 slider and smacked his hands as he circled the bases, mindful his mother was in the stands watching him for the first time since he played winter league in his native Dominican Republic. "For sure this is my best game ever -- the first time shes here watching me play," Polanco said. "I was excited and a little emotional. Shes so proud of me, and I know shes feeling excited right now." Jeanmar Gomez (1-2) pitched four scoreless innings after the Pirates blew a 6-2 lead in the ninth when three relievers combined to issue six walks. The Pirates Jeff Locke pitched a career-high eight innings, and the bullpens wildness cost him his first victory since Sept. 12. Miami trailed 6-5 and had runners at first and third with two out in the ninth when Hurdle ordered NL home run and RBI leader Giancarlo Stanton intentionally walked. The strategy backfired when Casey McGehee fell behind 0-2, and then walked against Mark Melancon to tie the game. Melancon struck out Marcell Ozuna to send the game to the 10th. "You rip off the rearview mirror and keep playing," Hurdle said. The Marlins stranded three in the ninth and two in the 12th. "The game was there for the taking at the end," McGehee said. "It was unfortunate we couldnt quite finish it off." Pittsburghs Sterling Marte homered and tied a career high with four hits. Ike Davis added a two-run double, and the top four hitters in the Pirates order went 13 for 27. The Pirates have won seven consecutive series openers, and on Saturday they have a chance to reach .500 for the first time since mid-April. Miamis Nathan Eovaldi pitched as though he was more worried about his wifes delivery than his own, which was understandable. Their first child is due, which left Eovaldis status in doubt until game time, and he allowed 10 hits and six runs in 4 2-3 innings. Stanton hit his 18th home run. Rafael Furcal, making his season debut after being sidelined by injuries since 2012, turned two double plays at second base but went 0 for 6. Locke, making his second start since right-hander Gerrit Cole went on the disabled list, allowed two runs, seven hits and no walks. The left-hander said he was encouraged by his performance. "Its huge," he said. "Anytime you give this team a chance to win, it makes you feel good. Thats what Ive always tried to do through the struggles and the successes. It builds a lot of confidence moving forward." Locke made the NL All-Star team last year but pitched poorly the second half of the season and has spent most of this season in Triple-A. NOTES: Marlins LF Christian Yelich left the game in the second inning with a strained lower back. His status is day to day. ... 2B Michael Martinez made his first start with the Pirates and went 0 for 3. ... Pirates OF Josh Harrison (ankle) was held out of the lineup. ... Former Pirate Garrett Jones pinch-hit in the ninth for Miami and struck out. ... The Pirates Russell Martin was safe at second when the Marlins botched a rundown in the fourth, but the call was reversed following a replay review and he was ruled out. ... Martin made his 1,000th career start at catcher, which ranks fifth among active players. ... RHP Stolmy Pimentel and RHP Vance Worley are candidates to start Sunday for the Pirates in place of LHP Francisco Liriano (left oblique strain). ... LHP Randy Wolf (1-2, 4.15 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday for Miami against RHP Charlie Morton (3-7, 3.14 ERA). Carlton Fisk Jersey . There is also the Genoa derby on Sunday, while second-place Roma hosts Parma looking to take advantage of any more slip-ups from Juventus. Here are five things to know about the Italian league ahead of this weekends matches: LLORENTE ON SONGThe last time Juventus hosted Inter Milan the visitors ended the Bianconeris impressive streak of 49 games unbeaten with a 3-1 victory. Frank Thomas White Sox Jersey . Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points, Tony Parker had 16 points and 10 assists, and San Antonio rolled to a 114-97 victory over the Trail Blazers on Thursday night for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After a horrendous 5-20-1 start, the Buffalo Sabres have to be happy spoiling things for others. On Saturday night, they ruined a good run by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Christian Ehrhoff and Marcus Foligno scored short-handed goals and Ryan Miller was almost flawless in goal as the Sabres ended a five-game skid with a 5-2 victory that snuffed out the Blue Jackets franchise-record winning streak at eight. "It feels good. It feels good to be a spoiler," Foligno said. "The odds were against us, they were on a roll and have been playing pretty well. Their power plays been good -- and we got two goals off of it, which is great." Matt Ellis, Steve Ott and Cody Hodgson also scored for the Sabres, who snapped an 0-3-2 stretch. "Its pretty cool. Theyre one of the hottest teams in the NHL this month," said Hodgson, who also had an assist. "It feels nice to win, it doesnt matter who its against. But its a little extra sweeter (against a good team)." It was a stunning reversal of fortune for both teams. Ehrhoff added two assists, tying a career high with three points as the Sabres won by three goals and scored five times in regulation for the first times all season. "It is disappointing," said Derek MacKenzie, who had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who blew a chance to take over second place in their division. "You win eight, you want to keep winning." Miller, who was stellar in the first period when the Blue Jackets peppered him with shots, made 38 saves and stood particularly tall on Columbus four fruitless power plays. He benefited from two fluky goals that benched his Columbus counterpart -- reigning Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky. "A couple of those goals, they didnt see. Im not too sure how they got in," Buffalo coach Ted Nolan said. "But the whole game was Ryan Miller. I thought he was sensational again." Bobrovsky, who came in 9-0-0 with a 1.80 goals-against average and .940 save perceentage in his past nine starts, had a forgettable game. Gordon Beckham Jersey. The Sabres got on the board first at the 2:21 mark of the opening period when Ellis backhanded the puck -- perhaps just trying to keep it in play off the back boards -- and it eluded a surprised Bobrovsky. After MacKenzie tied it, Columbus went on a power play. But a miscommunication in the defensive zone resulted in the puck bouncing to near the end of the left blue line, where Ehrhoff wandered up and unloaded a hard slap shot. Bobrovsky appeared to see it all the way but missed it with his glove, the puck nestling inside the far top corner. "I was about at the red line," Ehrhoff said after collecting his 300th career point. "They had some problems communicating with their goalie and he made the pass up and I jumped on it and tried to get it on net as hard as I could. It changed directions a few times." The puck seldom left Columbus offensive zone for more than 3 minutes at the outset of the second period. After Buffalos Mike Weber went off for elbowing, another bit of shoddy stickwork resulted in Foligno carrying the puck down the right wing, scissoring to the middle and wristing a shot that Bobrovsky caught but then allowed to trickle into the net. It was the sixth of the season for Foligno -- the younger brother of the Blue Jackets Nick Foligno. Bobrovsky was replaced by Curtis McElhinney, but Miller never let the Blue Jackets back in it -- thoroughly deflating a crowd of 16,272. "I thought we competed hard, but we were sloppy at times," Columbus coach Todd Richards said. "Our power play is minus-2. We were a second slow in our decisions and our playmaking." Notes: Columbus recalled D Cody Goloubef from AHL Springfield to replace David Savard (undisclosed illness) -- but Goloubef had travel difficulties and didnt make it to the game. The Blue Jackets were forced to go with five defencemen. ... Sabres LW Ville Leino sustained an upper-body injury and did not come out for the third period. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys' ' ' |
