Erschienene Romane » team and be elligible for the playoffs

PITTSBURGH -- Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said he sat awake in his hotel bed Saturday night, thinking about his bullpens recent problems. He even addressed his group of relievers Sunday morning. Dustin McGowan made those worries a nonfactor, at least for a day. McGowan pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Colby Rasmus hit a grand slam and Melky Cabrera added a two-run homer as the Blue Jays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2. "We had to have that one," Gibbons said. McGowan (2-1) allowed one run, striking out five and throwing 101 pitches. It was the second consecutive quality start for McGowan, a diabetic who started wearing an insulin pump on the mound in his last start. "My blood sugar still gets erratic sometimes," he said. "But thats part of the game for me. With the adrenaline going and everything, it does what it wants to do. I cant control it sometimes." McGowan eclipsed the 100-pitch mark for the first time since June 27, 2008. "Thats two outings wearing that pump," Gibbons said. "Maybe theres something to that." It was just the fourth win in 13 games for Toronto, which prevented the Pirates from completing their first series sweep of the season. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle and first base coach Rick Sofield were ejected by plate umpire Greg Gibson at the end of the fourth inning for arguing a called third strike on Jordy Mercer. The strikeout stranded two runners and ended the inning. "I think it was pretty apparent that the low strike wasnt going to come into play," Hurdle said. "But the fact of the matter was it got to a point where I felt a pitch that hadnt been called a strike all day got called a strike in, for me, a very pivotal at-bat for us." Rasmus connected in the second inning for his fourth career slam. He also doubled and singled. The Blue Jays held on to this early lead. Toronto wasted a 5-3, ninth-inning edge in the series opener and a 5-0, fourth-inning advantage on Saturday night. Josh Harrison hit two triples for the Pirates. Edinson Volquez (1-3) gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings. He also allowed six earned runs in his last outing April 21 against St. Louis. Volquez pitched himself into a jam in the second inning before Rasmus stepped to the plate, issuing walks to Edwin Encarnacion and Juan Francisco to start the inning. Brett Lawrie reached on an infield single to load the bases with no outs. Rasmus hit a full-count curveball about 10 rows deep in the right-field seats for his seventh home run of the season, giving the Blue Jays a 4-1 lead. Rasmus said he was not necessarily looking for an offspeed pitch in that situation. "I was just trying to be out over the plate and throw my hands at anything because hes got a good changeup, good curveball and a good two-seamer, and he already tried to thumb me a couple in," he said. "I was just trying to be ready to put something in play." The slam negated an early lead the Pirates built on Neil Walkers groundout, scoring Harrison after his triple. Harrison also tripled in the eighth and scored on Andrew McCutchens sacrifice fly. Torontos Jose Bautista walked in the fifth to reach base in his 31st consecutive game, the longest active streak in the majors. But he went hitless, snapping a career-best 13-game hitting streak. Cabrera had three hits, and extended Torontos lead to 6-1 with a two-run homer off Volquez in the fifth. Rasmus scored another run in the eighth on an RBI single by pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro. NOTES: Highly regarded Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman made his big league debut, allowing one earned run and one hit while getting two outs. The Blue Jays selected the 23-year-old Stroman Triple-A Buffalo and optioned OF Anthony Gose. ... The Pirates plan to recall LHP Jeff Locke to start against San Francisco on Monday night. An All-Star last year, Locke struggled in the second half of 2013 and did not make the Pirates opening day roster. ... J.A. Happ (0-0, 4.15) is scheduled to pitch for the Blue Jays at Philadelphia on Monday night. Saucony Shoes Clearance . -- Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:39 left in regulation to help the San Jose Sharks overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Thursday night. Saucony Outlet Store .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. http://www.cheapsaucony.net/ . A receiver doesnt make the catch on a passing play and instantly motions to the ref – and everybody else – for a pass interference flag. Cheap Saucony Shoes China . The 40-year-old midfielder was put in charge on Tuesday when David Moyes reign ended after 10 months with the defending champions in seventh place in the English Premier League. Cheap Saucony .J. -- Omar Cummings helped the Houston Dynamo advance to the MLS Eastern Conference finals. NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks are preparing to buy out the contracts of veterans Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih. Neither player was available Saturday for the Knicks 107-98 loss in Atlanta. "Were going in a different direction and weve got to figure out another spot or two for our ballclub," coach Mike Woodson said before the game. World Peace wrote on his Twitter account earlier Saturday that his agent was working on a buyout and thanked fans and the city. Neither veteran has earned a place in Woodsons rotation in his first season in New York. Udrih has appeared in just 31 games, while World Peace, who had a procedure on his knee in January, has played in just 29. "I cant say anything went wrong," Woodson said. "Again, they werent in the rotations. Im not going to linger on it. I mean, were buying them out. As a coach, guys work for me, I wish them nothing but the best as they move on and were going to move on. So thats about the extent of it." Players have to be waived by March 1 if they hope to sign with another team and be elligible for the playoffs.dddddddddddd World Peace is a New York native who played at St. Johns, and had long hoped for a homecoming. It didnt turn out to be a happy one with the Knicks, as his 7 minutes of playing time Friday in a double-overtime loss at Orlando was only the sixth game hed gotten into in 2014. All-Star Carmelo Anthony said he was surprised because World Peace seemed to be in good spirits a day earlier. "He was happy, He played," Anthony said. "On the bench, in the locker room, he was a different Metta. Maybe because he had the chance to get out there and play a little bit. But I wake up this morning and hear that he wanted a buyout, it took me by surprise." Udrih hasnt played since Jan. 24. There was speculation the point guard would be traded before Thursdays trade deadline. "Its sad to see them go. But look, this is the business of basketball, man," Anthony said. "For whatever reason, I dont know whats the reason that they wanted to get bought out. But it happened and weve got to move on from there." ' ' '