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Dec 5 '16, 06:11AM
PITTSBURGH -- Cole Hamels insists that leading the major leagues in losses doesnt bother him and he has been able to keep a positive attitude in the most difficult season of his eight-year career. Adidas Supercolor Pink . "Ive played a lot of baseball and Ive pitched in a lot of games, and I know Im going to play a lot more baseball and pitch in a lot more games," Hamels said. "I know that my record is just kind of blip on the radar and you have to be who you are." Hamels looked more like a former World Series MVP on Thursday as he pitched seven strong innings, Carlos Ruiz hit a tiebreaking single and the Phillies beat Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 Thursday. Hamels (3-11) gave up one earned run and five hits, striking out eight without a walk. He won for the first time since June 5. "It was being able to get back to what I know, which is establish the strike zone early then throw all my pitches," Hamels said. "Ultimately, it was staying down in the zone. Thats where Ive got hurt in the past, I get guys where I want them and not able to finish them off because Im getting too many balls up in the zone." Cole (4-1) lost for the first time in the majors after becoming the first Pirates pitcher to win his first four career starts since Nick Maddox in 1907. Cole allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings. "I thought he pitched well," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "Hes a 22-year-old young man. Hes still learning, continuing to grow. Hes fun to watch." Hamels received some rare support as the Phillies have scored just 22 runs in his 11 losses. Ben Revere had three of the Phillies 13 hits and two RBIs. Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins and Delmon Young each had two hits. "Its not so much the raw number of hits you have but what you get them," Young said. "We were playing the best team in baseball with the Pirates. Their pitching has been outstanding and their offence has been lagging but theyre winning because they hit in the clutch. Thats what we did today, and what we need to continue to do." Jonathan Papelbon worked a perfect ninth inning for his 17th save in 21 opportunities. Ruizs two-run single came off Vin Mazzaro in the middle of a four-run sixth inning in which Cole was chased. Ruiz, who sat out the first 25 games of the season after being suspended by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a banned stimulant, had driven in just four runs all year prior to Thursday. Cole was removed after Ryan Howard walked with one out and Domonic Brown followed with a single. Mazzaro, who had not allowed any of his 12 inherited runners to score this season, came on and gave up three straight singles. Youngs hit loaded the bases and Kevin Frandsens single tied it before Ruiz hit a liner to centre to score Brown and Young and put Philadelphia ahead. Revere capped the inning by driving in a run with a grounder. "The Pirates have a really good bullpen but I think it made a difference when we were able to get Cole out of the game," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "Hes a good pitcher now and hes going to be a real good pitcher. He was tough." Both teams complained about home plate umpire Chris Conroys strike zone and Cole seemed particularly upset after the walk to Howard, though he stopped short of being critical when asked about some close calls during that at-bat. "I made a couple of pitches on the black (of the plate) but those pitches can go either way depending on the judgment, Cole said. "I felt I made a couple of quality pitches." Pinch-hitter Michael Youngs sacrifice fly in the eighth extended the Phillies lead to 6-2. The Pirates scored twice in the eighth on a pinch-hit RBI single by Garrett Jones and a double-play grounder by Andrew McCutchen. McCutchens two-run double in the third opened the scoring. The Phillies cut the deficit to 2-1 on Reveres RBI single in the fifth. Starling Marte and Jose Tabata each had two hits for Pittsburgh, which has the best record in the majors, but has lost two of three since a nine-game winning streak. Marte ran his hitting streak to nine games. Philadelphia won for just the 10th time in 25 games as it avoided dropping to a season-worst six games below .500. The Phillies won a series in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2008. NOTES: Pittsburgh RHP A.J. Burnett is likely to come off the disabled list Sunday and start against the Cubs at Chicago, though Pirates manager Clint Hurdle would prefer the veteran make one minor league rehab start. Burnett, who has been out since June 9 with a strained right calf, insists he does not need to go on a rehab assignment. ... Manuel said he will rest Howard against certain left-handed starters but will not use him in a strict platoon with right-handed hitting John Mayberry Jr. ... Pirates SS Jordy Mercer got the day off after going 1 for 9 in the first two games of the series and making an error on Wednesday night that allowed a run to score. ... The Pirates open their three-game series with the Cubs on Friday with LHP Francisco Liriano (7-3, 2.23) pitching against RHP Jeff Samardzija (5-7, 3.34) ... The Phillies open a three-game home series with Atlanta on Friday night as LHP Cliff Lee (9-2, 2.59) faces RHP Tim Hudson (4-7, 4.22).http:///...ninen-valkoinen.html . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. http:///...ta-juoksukengat.html . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent.http:///...-flyknit-miehet.html . PAUL, Minn. CINCINNATI --?Chicago Cubs?All-Star left-hander Jon Lester laid down the gauntlet for his team come later this month after pitching in his regular-season finale Saturday:Some 100-plus wins are nice, but theyll mean little if October doesnt go the Cubs way.This season isnt anything unless we do what we showed up at spring training to do -- win a World Series, Lester said after failing to win his 20th game in a 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. I dont want to sound like an a--h--- or anything, but we really havent done anything yet.Its been over a century since the Cubs (102-58) have won this many regular-season games, but its been even longer since theyve won a World Series. Lester wants to make sure the team has its eyes on the prize.This is the real season now, he said. You play 162 to get to now.After Sundays finale, the Cubs will have four days off before their playoff run begins at Wrigley Field on Friday. It will mark three weeks to the day they celebrated clinching the National League Central, meaning they havent played any intense baseball in quite a while.Those four days off are manager Joe Maddons biggest concern.For me, mission accomplished these last 10 days or whatever its been, Maddon said in regards to his players staying sharp. Its not about this [now] -- its about the four days off.Lester thinks the same attitude the Cubs have displayed all seasonn will come in handy at the most important time of the year. http:///...vaaleanpunainen.html. The big thing with this team is were consistent, he said. We show up every day to play. Thats huge, especially with the young group that we have. Thats hard to do. Thats a hard thing to learn at a young age. These guys do it.Lester likely will be the division series Game 1 starter Friday, so hell have a big say in what transpires in the coming weeks, though Saturdays game could have conceivably cost him the Cy Young Award. He missed out on win No. 20 while seeing his ERA rise to 2.44.For whatever reason, just fighting myself today, Lester said after giving up five runs in five innings. Ill look at it, and if there are adjustments to be made, Ill work on it next week.It was one of the few bad starts in the second half for Lester (19-5), who held opposing hitters to an .085 batting average with runners in scoring position.This one was pretty special on a personal level, he said. It will probably go down as one of the better years of my career.But it wont be complete without a championship -- Lester made that abundantly clear.Can the Cubs break the drought? The left-hander is banking on it.Its go time, Lester said. Now we have to live up to the expectations and hype. Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
