for the Scottish Champion Hurdle after providing David Mullins with a winner | Forum

PITTSBURGH -- Chad Kuhl could tell early he was off. Custom Manchester United Jerseys . The proof was out there in the open as the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie spent two innings against St. Louis on Monday watching his pitches miss the strike zone completely or get sent to the outer reaches of PNC Park.Just one of those games, Kuhl said. I know Ive had bullpens like that. Its part of being human. Youre not a robot. Just missing a lot.Same goes for his struggling team.Kuhl gave up three runs before giving way to four relievers who couldnt keep the Cardinals in check and the Pirates saw their losing streak hit seven in a 12-6 loss.A week ago Pittsburgh was well within striking distance of St. Louis for a playoff spot. Now the Pirates find themselves 4 1/2 games behind the Cardinals after dropping below .500 (67-68) for the first time since July 2. Pittsburgh has been outscored 47-22 during its longest skid in two years.Were trying to figure ourselves out and get out of this and get back to playing baseball the way we want to play, shortstop Jordy Mercer said. We just have to keep going. Every day is a new day, a new start.Even if its felt a little too much like Groundhog Day of late. St. Louis pounded out 14 hits -- eight for extra bases -- against five pitchers and wasted little time getting to Kuhl (3-3), who has been steady if not spectacular since joining the rotation full-time a month ago. He was pulled after throwing just 30 of his 58 pitches for strikes in the shortest outing of his brief career.I think you saw a young man battling fatigue out there, manager Clint Hurdle said. He didnt have a lot.Andrew McCutchen hit his 20th homer of the season for Pittsburgh and Adam Frazier added a solo shot but by then it was far too late.Guys are showing up and playing, Hurdle said. Sometimes you just dont play as well as you need to play to win a game.Adam Wainwright drove in three runs and survived five occasionally bumpy innings to pick up his first victory since mid-July.Wainwright hit an RBI-double off Kuhl in the second and added a two-run single in the fourth as the Cardinals held on to the second wild card spot in the National League. Wainwright (10-8) allowed four runs and struck out five as his ERA rose to 4.61. He hardly needed to be sharp as the Cardinals battered Pittsburghs beleaguered pitching staff.Jedd Gyorko and Matt Adams homered for St. Louis to extend the teams streak of games with at least one home run to a club-record 24.We needed that win, Wainwright said. We need every win that we can get coming down the stretch. Any part that I can play in that is a treat for me, a privilege.Wainwrights double to the wall in center field put the Cardinals in front and Stephen Piscottys two-run double later in the inning gave Wainwright an early cushion, one he flirted with giving away. Pittsburgh touched him for two runs in the bottom of the inning but Wainwright avoided major damage.Jeff Locke came on relief of Kuhl in the third and the Cardinals quickly went to work. Kolten Wongs RBI single against him made it 4-2 and Gyorko opened the fourth with a long home run down the left-field line for his 26th of the year.TRAINERS ROOMCardinals: Piscotty left in the fifth inning after being hit in the wrist with a pitch but manager Mike Matheny said X-rays were negative. ... RHP Mike Leake will be ready to return on Wednesday after being out since Aug. 22 due to a bout with shingles.Pirates: C Francisco Cervelli was taken out of the game after the fourth inning with discomfort in his left thumb. ... C Elias Diaz is being evaluated for cellulitis in his left leg and will be re-evaluated on Thursday.UP NEXTCardinals: Rookie Luke Weaver makes his fourth major league start on Tuesday. Weaver is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA and gave up three runs over six innings in his last start against Milwaukee.Pirates: Veteran Ryan Vogelsong (3-4, 3.56 ERA) will make his ninth start of the season and seventh since returning from the DL on Aug. 4 after missing more than two months while recovering from facial fractures sustained when he was hit by a pitch on May 23. Joel Castro Pereira Jersey . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. Sergio Romero Jersey .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. http:///...ester-united-jersey/ . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain.Time to reflect on a wonderful Aintree. Lets start with Cue Card and Thistlecrack. What performances. How highly do you regard the pair and Colin Tizzards achievements with them this year? Colin Tizzard has every right to feel cock-a-hoop after his exploits with his two stable stars. Cue Card is 10 years old now and its fair to say this was/is his season. I dont think its harsh to suggest that they are unlikely to enjoy the same sort of success next term as he rises 11, but to get him back to his best this campaign has shown tremendous skill and patience.You feel gutted for the team knowing what we do now after Aintree and I have to admit to being one of the sceptics regarding his likely finishing position had he stood up in the Gold Cup. It seems though that he would have given Don Cossack a real run for his money and maybe just beaten him. Cue Card was brilliant at Aintree and this was no stroll in the park - he was beating serious competition in Don Poli and Djakadam and they were put in their places convincingly. We now have the mouthwatering prospect of a potential rematch at Punchestown with the possibility of Vautour being thrown into the mix. Its exciting to think that the race of the season may still be to come.Whereas Cue Card beat serious horsepower, the same cant be said for Thistlecrack who landed the odds in the Liverpool Stayers Hurdle in effortless fashion against an inferior bunch, even if Shaneshill and Different Gravey are no slouches.Horses of the calibre of Thistlecrack dont pop up often and neither do they necessarily capture your heart - Cue Card perhaps being a good example, Denman another. This horse is a beast though and I think we (racing fans and professionals alike) already adore him. Rival trainers would love to find a box for him, jockeys would walk over hot coals to get an opportunity to see how many gears he actually has and Im sure every owner in Britain and Ireland wishes they had heard the gavel fall after their final bid of 43,000 Euros at the Tattersalls Ireland Sales back in 2011 when he was a raw three-year-old.Thistlecrack is eight now and as Ive said in a previous blog, I would dearly love to see him sent chasing now with the Gold Cup his ultimate aim. There is an argument for staying over hurdles and trying to become the next Big Bucks, but the pinnacle of jump racing in my eyes is the staying chasing division and the Blue Riband itself, the Gold Cup.The easy option would be to stay over hurdles, but would it feel like an opportunity missed? Bring on Punchestown where he is also likely to appear, but most of all, bring on 2016/17. Incidentally, hes 8/1 with Sky Bet for the Gold Cup next season.Apart from Vautours fall it was another good week for Willie Mullins. How high can Douvan fly and would even the sidelined Faugheen be a match for Annie Power right now?Willie Mullins is in a strong position to win a first British trainers championship and Aintree helped edge him ahead of Paul Nicholls with just a couple of weeks to go. It has certainly added an extra frisson to the title race and Im looking forward to seeing who wins the fight.Douvan was impressive in winning the Grade 1 Maghull Novices Chase as you would expect, winning without much fuss. Yes, his presence scared off any serious competition, but to coin a phrase, he could only beat what was in front of him and he did that with aplomb. If you were to be really critical, his early jumping could have been better, but he has only had five starts over fences and is learning all the time.So, with four Grade 1 races on the bounce and with his only defeat coming on his first start in France almost two years ago, the world appears to be his oyster. The big question is, what route will Mullins take with him next season? The suggestion is he will stay further, so could we see him take the King George/Gold Cup route or will it be the Champion Chase? The two-mile division looks weaker and he would add spice to the mix, but Im sure wed all love to see him up in trip, too.Faugheen and Annie Power have never met on a racecourse and its so difficult to know if Faugheen would be capable of giving Annie Power weight. Im inclined to think that he would be the superior of the pair, but until it happens we wont know.Annie might be 12 months older than her stablemate, but she seems to be getting better with age and as she has been compared to Dawn Run by her trainer then its not a given that Faugheen would come out on top in a match.Lets hope we get the opportunity to see iit happen next term. Guillermo Varela Jersey. This is why we love National Hunt racing!Rule The World did just that in the Crabbies Grand National. What are your reflections on the race?Speaking of love, there was plenty of it for Mouse Morris after his emotional win in the Grand National. He has had to deal with insufferable personal tragedy and even for a race that usually throws up an emotional back story, this was something else. I defy anyone to have maintained a stiff upper lip in the aftermath of the worlds most famous steeplechase.Rule The World has also had to overcome his own serious injuries and the training performance cant be underestimated in light of that. Mouse is the man when it comes to readying a horse for the big occasion, as weve seen more than once of late.As for the race itself, Rule The World was given an inspired ride by a fearless teenager in David Mullins and that could well have been the horses swansong.I was out of luck with my selections, but Im blaming the downpour that turned the ground testing. The Last Samuri was tenacious in defeat for Kim Bailey and they must be proud and disappointed at the same time. Lets hope they get him there in the same sort of form next year.One of my main selections was Ucello Conti who ran with huge credit. His sixth place showed promise for next year, especially given that hes got time on his side and clouted a couple of fences. He ran out of steam on the testing ground and with more jumping experience he should go back to Aintree with a great chance in 12 months time.Can Folsom Blue give Mouse Morris a third national win this spring at Ayr on Saturday?Wouldnt that be something? Its a shame that Rogue Angel cant bid for his third National, having won the Kerry National and then the Irish version at the end of March, but his stablemate ran well to finish fourth in the latter and will doubtless attract money if he gets in.Willie Mullins is throwing everything at his bid to win the UK trainers title and he sends Measureofmydreams over to Ayr.Like Folsom Blue, the horse is owned by Michael OLearys Gigginstown House Stud and has the type of profile you love to see in a Scottish National. Hes a novice, ran well in the NH Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and is relatively unexposed.His Cheltenham form has been franked by the runner-up, Native River, who has subsequently won a Grade 1 at Aintree, and thats why hes 8/1 clear favourite at the time of writing.Paul Nicholls isnt going to give up the title without a fight and he relies on Southfield Theatre who was brought down in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. He hasnt been given a reprieve by the handicapper, but he did look like he was about to get involved at the time of his departure.Cause Of Causes could line-up for Gordon Elliott. He agonisingly missed the cut for the Grand National and was an impressive winner of the Kim Muir on his last outing. He will have to overcome a 13lb rise in the weights if hes to win this though.2014 Grand National winner Pineau De Re also missed the cut for Aintree and holds an entry on Saturday, but trainer Dr Richard Newland has Royale Knight in the field and he could be the pick of the pair.There would be some reception if Sandy Thomson could win it with Seeyouatmidnight. He was on a roll before running a moderate race in the RSA Chase behind Blaklion but he has been given time to get over that and would be a popular Scottish winner. Hes 14/1 with Sky Bet.Nicky Hendersons Vyta Du Roc has to come into calculations on his recent efforts, in the RSA Chase (5th) and prior to that beating subsequent NH Chase winner Minella Rocco at Ascot. Heathfield is one to ignore at your peril for shrewd trainer Tony Martin, tooIm afraid everything points towards a good run for ante-post favourite Measureofmydreams and hes at the top of my shortlist but if you want something at a price, take your pick from Seeyouatmidnight and Southfield Theatre who offer a bit more each-way value.Anything else catch your eye over the weekend? Well, it would be foolish to discount the Mullins Ayr raiders. In particular, his Ivan Grozny heads the market for the Scottish Champion Hurdle after providing David Mullins with a winner straight after his National triumph. Its a tough ask to come out seven days later to win again, but he eased to victory there and may not have had a hard race... Also See: Live results service Full racecards Get Sky Sports Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys' ' '