Dein erstes Forum » usive company having overcome a 3-1

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates remain in contention for a playoff spot, but not without continued uncertainty regarding their rotation.Right-hander Gerrit Cole (5-6, 2.99 ERA) will try to get back to .500, far below what the Pirates expected from him, on Wednesday when Pittsburgh closes out a two-game series with the Seattle Mariners.After a day off, the Pirates scheduled starter for Friday at Milwaukee is TBD -- a fellow who has gotten quite a bit of face time on the Pittsburgh schedule of upcoming starters.The Pirates are dealing with a shoulder injury to promising young starter Tyler Glasnow and less-than-stellar results from Cole and Francisco Liriano, the latter two expected to anchor the rotation. The team is being cautious with another rookie, Jameson Taillon, although it looks as if he might be sticking in the rotation.Jonathan Niese, Juan Nicasio and now Jeff Locke have pitched their way into the bullpen, although Locke -- who made his first relief appearance Tuesday, allowing a hit but no runs in two innings -- for now is expected to miss just one start.Liriano looked to be breaking out of a funk when he struck out 13 batters Thursday in a 5-3 win over the Brewers. On Tuesday, though, he reverted to early-season form, struggling with his control and allowing seven runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings in a 7-4 loss to Seattle.So it is Coles turn to try to give the Pirates another in a series of what have seemed to be turnaround performances, although many of the previous ones have not stuck.On Saturday, Cole took the loss as Pittsburgh fell 4-0 to the Philadelphia Phillies, but he was encouraged about his outing, his second since coming off of the disabled list. He missed a month due to a right triceps strain.It was a good step in the right direction, he said after giving up one run on six hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked one.I thought there were a lot of pitches that were thrown really well that they couldnt pick up. Its good to see stuff like that. Hopefully, we can build on it.Coles opponent Wednesday will be James Paxton (3-4, 4.18 ERA). The Seattle left-hander will start against Pittsburgh for the first time in his career.Paxton ended a run of three starts without a win Saturday when he pitched seven innings in a 2-1 victory at Toronto. He allowed the lone Blue Jays run on three hits. His nine strikeouts were one shy of his season best.I know he and (pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr.) have been working on a couple of things, and it certainly was evident with his ability to spin it, manager Scott Servais said of Paxton. That was the best curveball hes had all year.It was an adjustment Paxton took to happily.I was creeping down a little bit and getting too sidearm, getting on the side of the ball, he said. It wasnt allowing me to get on top of the curveball. Bringing my arm up a little bit more has allowed me to get on top of that curveball.The relief crew behind Paxton on Wednesday might include the newest member of the Seattle pitching staff.After Tuesdays game, the Mariners announced they acquired reliever Drew Storen and cash considerations from Toronto for pitcher Joaquin Benoit. Storen, 28, is 1/3 with a 6.21 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 38 relief appearances with the Blue Jays, who designated him for assignment Sunday.In his first six major league seasons, all with Washington, he was 21-13 with 95 saves and a 3.02 ERA.Obviously, this has not been Drews best season, but he is closely linked to a run of great success pitching in the back end of very good bullpens, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. Hopefully, this serves as a change of scenery and over the next two months we can get him back on track.Brandon Nimmo Jersey . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Devin Mesoraco Jersey .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. http://www.metsbaseballauthentic.com/todd-frazier-mets-jersey/ . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Jacob deGrom Mets Jersey . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Pete Alonso Mets Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training.CLEVELAND -- It all began with a baseball bromance. With the Chicago Cubs trailing Cleveland 3-games-to-1 in the World Series, manager Joe Maddon handed the ball to veteran lefty Jon Lester with a plea to save the season. And where Jon Lester goes, his good friend and personal catcher, David Ross, is sure to follow.The comeback continued with a road win at Progressive Field, followed by another, and finally a celebration in the visiting clubhouse early Thursday morning. With an 8-7, 10-inning victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7, the Cubs brought a halt to 108 years of parade-free baseball on Chicagos North Side. They also scripted a neat twist ending to a season that could have easily spiraled in the opposite direction.Think back to Saturday night, and things were looking grim for the Cubs in their quest to break the franchises title drought. Corey Kluber was cutting a swath through the Chicago lineup, John Lackey was grousing about the strike zone, and the Indians seized control of the series with a 7-2 victory in Game 4. Every move by Indians manager Terry Francona seemed to go smoothly, and even when there was room for debate, Kluber, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen were so dominant it didnt matter.But the Cubs sensed they werent finished, and the people who watched them all season thought the same. For all the talk about the Cubs dominating the competition with 103 regular-season victories, they endured enough character builders to know what they were capable of when truly challenged.A prime case in point: The National League Championship Series, when they fell behind the Dodgers 2-1 before outscoring Los Angeles 23-6 over the final three games.We never quit, Lester said. Thats been kind of our motto the whole year. I know people kind of laugh at us. We won 103 games and the guys in here act like we grinded out the season. But we really did. We had stretches where we didnt play all that well and guys didnt pitch well, or hit well, or play good defense. But we kept the mindset of Well show up today and play and see what happens. Thats a testament to the guys in here.Lester pitched six effective innings in Game 5, and Ross drove in the eventual winning run with a sacrifice fly before receiving a shoutout from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder during the seventh-inning stretch. And Maddon, perhaps inspired by Franconas unorthodox use of Miller, stretched out closer Aroldis Chapman for eight outs and 42 pitches as the Cubs squeezed out a 3-2 win to send it back to Cleveland.In hindsight, the trip back to Cleveland for Games 6 and 7 might have been therapeutic for the Cubs. They had a chance to take a deep breath and reassess, away from the intense scrutiny that has followed them since the start of spring training. They had also developed a comfort level with Progressive Field after splitting the first two games of the series.We had already seen everything we needed to see, outfielder Jason Heyyward said.ddddddddddddWe saw Kluber in the first game. Kluber is going to be Kluber. If he has it going, he has it going. If he doesnt, you have to try to maximize the situation, because his worst day is a lot of other peoples best day.Kluber notwithstanding, Maddon and the Cubs were perfectly content with the Games 6 and 7 pitching matchups. While Chicagos Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks were both going on full rest, their Cleveland counterparts, Josh Tomlin and Kluber, were being pushed to the limit on three days rest.The Cubs also accrued some tangible benefits from playing under American League rules. Kyle Schwarber, who was available strictly as a pinch hitter during the National League leg of the series, was back in the lineup at designated hitter and hit .438 (7-for-16) in the four games at Progressive Field.With so many Cubs fans in the stands, it sure didnt seem like a hostile environment. Indeed, the pivotal moment in Chicagos 9-3 victory in Game 6 came when an Addison Russell fly ball dropped between Cleveland outfielders Tyler Naquin and Lonnie Chisenhall for a gift double. Not long afterward, Russell gave Cubs fans even more reason to cheer with a grand slam off Dan Otero.There was a lot of blue in the stands -- Cubbie blue -- and they were waiting to erupt every time something went our way, Heyward said.In Game 7, Chicagos lineup kept grinding out at-bats and the bullpen somehow survived. Chapman had almost nothing left in the tank for his 35 pitches, Carl Edwards Jr. and Mike Montgomery combined to close it out in the 10th inning, and Lester threw three innings in his first relief appearance since the 2007 season in Boston. This is whats commonly known as contributing to the cause.I dont think anybody is super-comfortable with something theyve never done, Lester said. Ive done it three times in my career, and that was a hell of a long time ago, when I still had stuff and it didnt matter. At this time of year, you do what youve got to do. Joe asked me to do it, and Im not going to turn him down.The Cubs are in exclusive company having overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a World Series. They joined the 1903 Boston Pilgrims, 1925 and 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1958 New York Yankees, 1968 Detroit Tigers and 1985 Kansas City Royals as one of seven teams to achieve the feat.While the Cubs first title since 1908 is special enough without any extra bells and whistles, the veterans and young players on the roster can all take a smidge more gratification in having made history the hard way. That said, it might be a while before they grasp the true degree of difficulty of their achievement.Some of the guys in here are so young, I really dont think they understand what they just accomplished, Lester said. I dont think theyll understand it until they get a little bit older. ' ' '