y then and raced to a 24-ball fifty. Although the lower order threatened to fall aw | Forum

PITTSBURGH -- John Lackey fielded phone calls from plenty of interested teams in the offseason. Wholesale Air Max China . Yet the veteran pitcher opted for the Chicago Cubs.Sure, the money was good. The opportunity was even better.I had some pretty good offers from other people and I chose this one for a reason, Lackey said. Its all here.Looks like it.Lackey worked through five innings, Chris Coghlan hit a three-run triple and the Cubs held off the staggering Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 on Tuesday night. Coghlans second-inning drive off the wall in right-center against Ryan Vogelsong (3-7) gave the NL Central champions all the offense they would need to win for the seventh time in their last eight games. Chicago improved to 101-56, the clubs highest victory total since it won 104 games in 1910.Pittsburgh was eliminated from postseason contention when San Francisco won later Tuesday, ending a run of three-straight playoff appearances.Dexter Fowler added an RBI double for the Cubs. Lackey (11-8) worked around five hits and three walks to win his last regular season start. The 37-year-old finished his 14th season 11-8 with a 3.35 ERA and has looked fresh since a stint on the disabled list to rest his right shoulder. Lackey is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA since coming off the DL earlier this month.The rest was good for him, manager Joe Maddon said. Hes going into the postseason well rested. Just got to keep these guys sharp.Lackeys next start will be in the playoffs, a time of year the two-time World Series champion knows well. Hes 8-5 with a 3.11 ERA in the postseason and doesnt think Maddon will need to do anything too extravagant to keep him engaged during the lengthy downtime.I dont know about (simulation) games, Lackey said. I can throw a bullpen and be just fine. I dont need to see somebody up there. I know how to throw the ball over the plate.Felix Pena recorded the final two outs for his first career save after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run single off Justin Grimm to get the Pirates within two. Pena struck out Sean Rodriguez with the bases loaded to end it.Overall we did play pretty well, Maddon said. We got everybody involved, which is good. Theres a lot to be happy with.Vogelsong allowed four runs in five innings and fell to 0-3 with a 9.55 ERA in September. The 39-year-old managed to get out of a two-on situation in the first but couldnt in the second. A hit batter and two walks loaded the bases for Coghlan. The outfielder narrowly missed his first career grand slam when the ball landed just below the top of the fence. He sped to third for his second triple since rejoining Chicago in a trade with Oakland in June.Just an unacceptable start, Vogelsong said. No excuses. Just unacceptable.Lackey made sure it stood, though not without some shaky moments. He needed a double play to thwart a potentially big inning in the second and his defense bailed him out when Jordy Mercers line drive with the bases loaded in the fourth went straight to second baseman Munenori Kawasaki, who flipped to second to double off Rodriguez.The Pirates went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position -- both hits coming in the ninth -- and left 11 men on base.STREAK ENDSPittsburgh reliever Juan Nicasio gave up two runs in the ninth and failed to record a strikeout for the first time in 34 appearances, ending his club-record streak.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: OF Jorge Soler remained in Chicago while dealing with tightness in his side but could rejoin the team in Cincinnati on Friday. Maddon said an MRI on Soler came back negative, but with the division already clinched theres no rush to get Soler back on the field. Side bothers him, nothing horrible, nothing to be highly concerned about, Maddon said. I dont know what we think right now, except that it wasnt bad.Pirates: LF Starling Marte remained out of the starting lineup with back stiffness and grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the fifth. The All-Star has just three plate appearances -- all as a pinch hitter -- since Sept. 5. My brothers are out there battling and I wish I could get out there with them, Marte said.UP NEXT:Cubs: Jake Arrieta (18-7, 2.85 ERA) makes his final start of the regular season. The 2015 Cy Young Award winner is 9-1 with a 1.46 ERA in 12 career starts against the Pirates.Pirates: Rookie Jameson Taillon (4-4, 3.49) faces the Cubs for the second time this season. Chicago touched him for four runs in four innings of a 10-5 loss on June 19. Wholesale Air Max . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. Wholesale Air Max Sale Online . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. http://www.wholesaleairmaxforsale.com/ . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. England 295 (Knight 53, Winfield 51, Sciver 51) beat Sri Lanka 173 (Perera 35, Hazell 3-38) by 122 runsScorecard England secured their qualification for next years Womens World Cup with a comprehensive 122-run victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo. Lauren Winfield, Heather Knight and Nat Sciver all scored half-centuries as England amassed 295 before Sri Lanka were dismissed well short of their target in the 49th over.It was Englands second win in four days but, unlike the first ODI, this match formed part of the ICC Womens Championship. England, currently second in the table behind Australia, picked up another two points to move eight clear of fifth-placed South Africa and guarantee a top-four spot.The next Womens World Cup will take place in England next summer, starting on June 26 and featuring eight teams.Its a brilliant feeling to have secured automatic qualification for the ICC Womens World Cup, Knight, Englands captain, said. We have the best fans in the world, so to get the opportunity to play in a World Cup on home soil is really exciting, and something that we are all already looking forward to.Playing in that first round of the ICC Womens Championship back in 2014 against India feels like a long time ago now. We have grown and developed so much as a squad since then, especially in the last 10 months or so, and we are learning all the time. Wholesale Air Max Shoes . How we played against Pakistan this summer, followed-up by the hard fought victory in the Caribbean, is testament to the work that the players are putting in.England had too much firepower in the second of their four-match series. A 53-run opening stand was followed by Winfield and Knight adding 70; Knight struck three sixes and England were 156 for 3 when she fell in the 31st over.Sciver had already found her stride by then and raced to a 24-ball fifty. Although the lower order threatened to fall away, Georgia Elwiss made 46 and Danielle Hazell 29 to get England within sight of 300 before they were dismissed from the final ball of the innings, Inoka Ranaweera and Ama Kanchana taking three wickets apiece.Sri Lanka also managed a fifty opening stand but they soon slipped behind the required rate. Spinners Hazell and Laura Marsh accounted for the top five and Chamari Polgampola was run out after helping add 49 for the fifth wicket. Opener Hasini Perera top-scored with 35 from 90 balls before being seventh out and Knight shuffled her attack to close out victory. Cheap Nike Chiefs Jerseys Chargers Jerseys China Wholesale Raiders Jerseys China Cowboys Jerseys China Cheap Giants Jerseys Hoodies Cheap Eagles Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike Redskins Jerseys Lions Jerseys China Green Bay Packers Jerseys For Sale Wholesale Vikings Jerseys China Panthers Jerseys China Saints Jerseys China Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys China Cheap Nike Rams Jerseys 49ers Jerseys China Wholesale Seahawks Jerseys China Cheap Nike Bears Jerseys Bills Jerseys China Cheap Nike Ravens Jerseys Cheap Falcons Jerseys Hoodies ' ' '