winning record against every AL West rival this season exc | Forum

PITTSBURGH - A day after falling out of first place, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a trade they feel will bolster their offence. Kevin Durant Team USA Jersey . And it was welcome news to manager Clint Hurdle and his players. The Pirates acquired outfielder Marlon Byrd and catcher John Buck from the New York Mets on Tuesday, hoping the veterans can help the franchise to its first playoff berth in 21 years. The Pirates began the day a half-game behind St. Louis in the National League Central after the Cardinals took sole possession of first place Monday night with an 8-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates were idle. The Pirates sent the Mets minor league infielder Dilson Herrera and a player to be named later in exchange for Byrd, Buck and cash considerations. Pittsburgh had claimed Byrd off waivers and were able to work out the four-player deal with New York. "Its pretty neat to see us make a move like this," Pirates second baseman Neil Walker said. "We didnt expect something to happen this late. You usually figure it is something that would happen at the (July 31 non-waiver) trade deadline. "But these are established guys who can help us get to where we want to go." Byrd, 35, is hitting .285 with 21 home runs and 71 RBIs this season, including .345 with seven homers against left-handers, and will give Pittsburgh needed depth in the outfield while leadoff hitter Starling Marte recovers from a sprained right hand. Buck, 33, is batting .215 with 15 home runs and 60 RBIs. Since the beginning of the 2010 season, Bucks 63 home runs as a catcher rank third in the majors. He will back up Russell Martin. Both players are expected to join the Pirates for Wednesday nights game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Neither Byrd, a 12-year veteran, or Buck, in his 10th season, have played in the post-season. "Marlon Byrd is an impactful bat with significant numbers against left-handed pitching and John Buck is a strong receiver who works well with a pitching staff," Hurdle said. "Those were areas we were looking to improve upon and strengthen and the trade also adds a couple of layers of experience to our club." Mets manager Terry Collins was sad to see Byrd and Buck go, calling them "two very good professionals." "I cant tell you how much value they brought to this team," Collins said. Pittsburgh is searching for offence to take some of the pressure off a pitching staff that has carried the team for long stretches during the first five months of the season. The Pirates lead the majors with a 3.21 ERA, though there have been signs of wear and tear this month. Pittsburgh is 11-12 in August and has seen a 4-game lead over St. Louis two weeks ago turn into a virtual tie. Byrd has been red hot since the All-Star break, hitting .311 with 11 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 20 RBIs in his last 38 games. His presence should help an offence that is batting just .244 on the year, including an abysmal .223 with runners in scoring position, the second-lowest average in baseball. Ironically, it was Marlon Byrd T-shirt night on Tuesday in New York as the Mets hosted the Philadelphia Phillies. The 19-year-old Herrera is hitting .265 with 11 home runs and 56 RBIs for Class A West Virginia. He played in the All-Star Futures Game last month at Citi Field. The Mets assigned Herrera to their Class A Savannah farm club and he will participate in the South Atlantic League playoffs. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said he did not regret waiting until late August to trade Byrd rather than at the non-waiver deadline. "At the end of July, it was a 29-team market. Now, it was a one-team market," Alderson said. "We felt we got a better package now than in July." Regardless of when the deal was done, Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington was happy with it. "The cost wasnt cheap because we gave up a good prospect and the second player is also going to be a good piece," Huntington said. "But our goal is to push this club forward and play deep into October, just not get there."Both teams made a series of roster moves in tandem with the trade. The Mets selected the contract of outfielder Matt den Dekker from Triple-A Las Vegas and also recalled catcher Anthony Recker and left-hander Robert Carson from Las Vegas. Ace pitcher Matt Harvey on the 15-day disabled list with a tear in his right elbow. The Pirates cleared spots on the 40-man roster by designating infielder/outfielder Russ Canzler for assignment and recalling right-hander Kyle McPherson from Triple-A Indianapolis and placing him on the 60-day disabled list. McPherson underwent ligament reconstruction surgery on his right elbow July 10. Pittsburgh will make corresponding 25-man roster moves Wednesday. Charles Barkley Team USA Jersey . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . Kelly Oubre Jr. Wizards Jersey . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. http:///...ron-Williams-Jersey/ . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005.OAKLAND, Calif. -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. The Athletics will have to wait at least one more day before celebrating a playoff berth. A year after capturing the AL West with a dramatic win on the final day of the regular season, Oakland lowered its magic number to one for clinching a second straight division title, beating the Minnesota Twins 9-1 Saturday behind the pitching of Jarrod Parker and hitting of Alberto Callaspo. "Its something where we know weve got to take care of what we do, and if we win its going to take care of itself," said Parker, who allowed one run and four hits over six innings. "Right now we got to do what we do. We know its right there. If we handle what we do and we win games, its going to happen." The As were prepared just in case it happened Saturday. After Oaklands win, most of the team stayed in the clubhouse to watch the ending of the second-place Texas Rangers game against Kansas City. About 100 fans lingered in the stadium as well, viewing the game on Coliseums two big scoreboards. When the Rangers recorded the final out to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, the celebration was put on hold. Oakland can still clinch at home by beating Minnesota in the series finale on Sunday. "Its the best thing that can happen for any team, not just for us, to qualify in your home city," said As slugger Yoenis Cespedes, who hit his 26th home run of the season in the eighth inning. Callaspo also homered and matched his career high with four hits for Oakland. The As have won 12 of 15 and are 16 of their last 21, opening a season-high 7 1/2-game lead over second-place Texas entering Saturday. "Were swinging the bats well and adding on and hitting home runs and doing a lot of things that we continue to do," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. Jimmy Butler Team USA Jersey. "The timing for that seems to be pretty good." Parker (12-7), who may start the As post-season opener, gave up one run and four hits in six innings, allowed only two runners past first and didnt walk a batter for the fifth time this season. He gave up eight runs against the Los Angeles Angels on Sept. 16. Callaspo matched his career highs with four hits and had three RBIs. Kurt Suzuki also homered for the As, and Jed Lowrie had three hits. The game started after a two-hour rain delay. The visiting dugout was flooded and sewage backed up in the As coaches bathroom, the third such incident at the Coliseum this season. The infield was covered by a silver tarp before the game and workers repeatedly had to sweep big puddles of water away. Josmil Pinto homered for Minnesota, 1-5 on its trip. Twins starter Pedro Hernandez (3-2) gave up six runs and eight hits in two innings. "Any mistake you make right now they jump on you," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Its like piranhas with blood in the water. They add on and just keep swinging. Every time we made a mistake they just kill you. They are really getting after it." Callaspos two-out single in the first drove in Lowrie, and the As opened a 6-0 lead with a five-run second. Chris Young had a sacrifice fly, Cespedes a two-run single and Callaspo a two-run homer. Suzuki added a two-run homer in the sixth off Liam Hendricks and Cespedes hit 26th homer in the eighth. NOTES: Minnesota is 4-13 in its last 17 games. ... Oakland CF Coco Crisp was in the original starting lineup, then was scratched due to the lingering rains. ... The Twins have a winning record against every AL West rival this season except vs. Oakland. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys' ' '