Dein erstes Forum » Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer and

MIAMI -- Boosted by a torrid stretch at the plate, the Pittsburgh Pirates have returned to .500 again. Judging by the hitting and pitching they got on Saturday, they could have a winning record soon. Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer and Jody Mercer also went deep, leading the Pirates to an 8-6 victory over the Miami Marlins. Josh Harrison and Chris Stewart had three hits apiece, and the Pirates finished with 18 overall in their sixth consecutive game in double digits. Touted rookie Gregory Polanco had two hits and two RBIs. "When you put people on base, you can do a lot," McCutchen said. "Getting on the board first definitely helps us. Weve got a lot of guys swinging the bat, basically from one to nine." The Pirates (34-34) have won four straight and five of six to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 8-8 following a victory over Milwaukee on April 17. "You believe in the talent and you believe in the guys on the team," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "You just dig in and you go. These guys have been resilient in challenging times." Pittsburgh right-hander Charlie Morton (4-7) pitched seven effective innings for his third consecutive win. He allowed two runs and five hits to improve to 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA in his last five starts. "Its nothing special, nothing different," Morton said. "I just go out there and do my job." Marcell Ozuna and Jeff Baker each hit a two-run homer for Miami in the ninth. Jason Grilli then replaced Stolmy Pimentel and allowed a single to Rafael Furcal before retiring Chris Johnson for his 10th save in 13 opportunities. In the series opener Friday, the Pirates a squandered a 6-2 lead in the ninth and needed 13 innings for an 8-6 win. "Its nice to get a win though," Mercer said. "Thats all that matters. As long as were on top in the end with the third out, well take it." Mercer hit a leadoff home in the second and McCutchen connected in the fourth, making it 5-0 with a drive to left for his 11th of the season. McCutchen extended his hitting streak to 10 games. He is hitting .439 (18 for 41) in June. "Im just getting pitches to hit and Im hitting them," he said. Marlins starter Randy Wolf (1-3) allowed five runs and nine hits in four innings. "It was embarrassingly bad," Wolf said. "Its frustrating to physically feel fine but not have command of your pitches. The only thing you can do is get better, but, right now, its frustrating." McCutchen also made a sliding catch to rob Furcal of a base hit in the fifth. Furcal is 1 for 11 since rejoining the Marlins on Friday from hamstring and groin injuries that sidelined him for the teams first 65 games. Ozuna had a run-scoring triple in Miamis two-run fourth, but Pittsburgh added three more in the fifth. Mercer doubled home a run against Kevin Slowey and Morton helped himself with a run-scoring sacrifice squeeze. Polanco added a run-scoring single for an 8-2 lead. "Give our offence credit for coming back there at the end," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "It continues to show the character of our guys - they dont quit." NOTES: Harrison missed the last two games because of left ankle discomfort. ... Pittsburgh called up veteran RHP Vance Worley from Triple-A Indianapolis so he can start on Sunday against Miami. Worley, 26, will be making his debut with the Pirates, who acquired him on March 25 from the Twins for cash considerations. He has a career record of 19-18 with a 4.05 ERA while pitching parts of three seasons with the Phillies and last year with the Twins. ... RHP Henderson Alvarez is Miamis scheduled starter for Sundays series finale ... Marlins LF Christian Yelich got the day off after he left Fridays game in the first inning with a lower-back injury. The Marlins are hoping he can return in a day or two. Cheap Air Max Trainers .Brazil midfielder Ricardo Goulart scored the winner in the 50th minute to give the defending champion a four-point advantage in the standings over second-place Sao Paulo, which beat rival Palmeiras 2-0. Nike Air Max Clearance Sale . - Ronda Rousey realizes shes finishing up one of the biggest years for any fighter in the young history of mixed martial arts at UFC 168, and the UFCs bantamweight champion intends to go out on top. http://www.cheapairmaxforsale.us/. -- EJ Manuel followed the worst game of his career with the best. Nike Air Max Cheap Wholesale . - PGA Tour rookie Tony Finau shot a 9-under 63 at Del Monte and had a two-stroke lead over Billy Andrade and Lee Janzen of the Champions Tour after Thursdays opening round of the Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational. Cheap Wholesale Air Max Shoes . - While he appreciates suggestions from Packers fans of remedies for his sore left calf, Aaron Rodgers is not necessarily going to listen to the advice.ORLANDO, Fla. - As further proof the NFL never is far from the headlines, owners could make plenty of news this week at their spring meetings. They will consider 13 playing rules proposals and seven bylaws. They will discuss expanding the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams, although a vote on such a move is uncertain. Some changes would seem to be slam dunks: extending the height of the goal posts 5 feet to help determine if kicks are good; eliminating overtime in preseason games; placing fixed TV cameras on the goal lines, end lines and sidelines to help with replay reviews. Others seem almost sidebars to the real action, such as from where to enforce defensive penalties when they occur behind the line of scrimmage, or extending pass interference calls to within a yard of the line. Perhaps the juiciest suggestions came from the Patriots. They want to move the line of scrimmage to the 25 for extra points, and to allow coaches to challenge any calls except on scoring plays, which are automatically reviewed. Passing those proposals would make for a major change in how NFL games are played. "We discussed a lot of different scenarios that have been raised," Rams coach Jeff Fisher, co-chairman of the influential competition committee, said of longer extra-point kicks. "I will point out ... last year we had five tries missed (out of 1,267). I think four were blocked, one was missed. Its still a competitive play. "We are going to propose ... to the membership during one of the preseason weeks that we move the extra point back to the 20-yard line and see how that goes. Its on our radar." New Englands idea on coaches challenges in some ways echoes college football, in which every play can be reviewed. Falcons President Rich McKay, the other co-chairman of the competition committee, said reviews or challenges on defensive pass interference calls have been considered before. "Weve always shied away, as a committee, from penalties and the review of penalties for thee most basic reason," McKay said.dddddddddddd "We didnt want to put the referee in the position of using his subjective judgment on a play in place of the on-field official. We always thought the intent of replay, when it was put back in in 1998, was to deal with plays where there was an objective standard." Washington has proposed making personal foul penalties reviewable. How replay reviews are conducted overall will be discussed after the committee has proposed allowing the referee to consult with members of the NFL officiating department. The process wont change, but the command centre in New York headed by director of officiating Dean Blandino will already be reviewing the play when the referee gets to the replay monitor. "At the end of the day, whats going to happen is were going to make sure that every single review is correct and we feel like this will speed up the instant replay process and timing," Fisher said. The Redskins want kickoffs moved to the 40 yard-line for "safety and historic consistency," although doing so might totally eliminate returns. But some coaches hint it could lead to more pooch kicks, which wouldnt make the kickoff any safer. Another suggestion is to eliminate stopping the clock on a sack. That no longer is done in the final two minutes of each half, and if passed it will be totally eliminated. The Redskins also proposed raising the number of active players on game day from 46 to 49 for games on any day but Sunday or Monday — not including opening weekend. Washington seeks an increase in the practice squad limit from eight to 10 players; allowing trades after the Super Bowl until when the league year begins in March; eliminating the first preseason roster cut to 75 and having just one cut to 53 at the end of the preseason; and allowing more than one player to return from injured reserve during the season after six weeks on the list. ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '