etting beat through June, Hurdle said, and were not going to do backflips now. Were going to keep playing.ALL-STAR COMINGS AND GOINGSCubs OF Dexter Fowler backed out of playing in Tuesdays

PITTSBURGH -- Josh Bell gave his veteran manager goose bumps. He fired up a sellout crowd at PNC Park, too.Bells grand slam in his second major-league at bat was one of four homers by the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 12-6 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night.Bell slugged a 1-1 pitch from Adam Warren (3-2) over the seats perched above the 21-foot wall in right for his second pinch-hit in two games since being recalled from Triple-A on Friday.What a fantastic sequence, said the Pirates Clint Hurdle, who has more than 1,000 managerial wins. I got goose bumps. Ive got them probably a dozen times since Ive been a coach or a manager.Chills went down my spine. ... Seemed like the stadium was pretty excited, too.Jordy Mercer followed Bells slam with a home run to make it a five-run fifth for the Pirates, who have won nine of 10 and 12 of their last 15 to move within 6 1/2 games of Chicago in the National League Central.Andrew McCutchen and Sean Rodriguez homered earlier off suddenly struggling Cubs starter Jon Lester, the National League pitcher of the month for June. Lester has allowed 13 runs in 4 1/3 innings in July, including five in three innings Saturday.Terrible. Unacceptable. Letdown, Lester said, describing his outing. Offense gives me two runs early and then gives me runs again -- and then I give it right back. Obviously a letdown, not only for myself but for the team.Ben Zobrist had a two-run homer and Anthony Rizzo had four hits for Chicago, which has lost nine of 10 and seen its division lead dwindle to as small as its been since May.I feel like were fortunate to be (up 6 1/2 games) right now, actually, manager Joe Maddon said. I dont believe its a negative; I think its a positive.Chad Kuhl lasted only 2 1/3 innings in his third major-league start, surrendering Zobrists 13th home run among seven hits allowed. But Pittsburghs bullpen was much better as Arquimedes Caminero (1-2) struck out three in 1 2/3 innings and Jared Hughes earned his third major-league save by pitching three scoreless innings.At least one run was scored during eight of the first 11 half-innings played on a night in which the city of Pittsburgh celebrated its bicentennial. A 25-minute fireworks display set off just a few hundred yards away at the citys Point State Park provided a soundtrack of regular rumbling booms throughout the fifth inning in which Bell and Mercer thrilled the Pirates third sellout crowd of the season even more.Over the past 10 days, the Pirates have scaled more than half of the 14-game hole it had dug in the NL Central. Before Saturdays game, Maddon said that he learned from former mentor John McNamara long ago that once a division lead became fewer than seven games, it was no longer safe.We werent walking away with our heads down, feeling sorry for ourselves when we were getting beat through June, Hurdle said, and were not going to do backflips now. Were going to keep playing.ALL-STAR COMINGS AND GOINGSCubs OF Dexter Fowler backed out of playing in Tuesdays All-Star game as a precaution as he recovers from a strained right hamstring that has him on the disabled list.Pirates OF Starling Marte was announced as one of the NL roster replacements along with the Reds Jay Bruce for Fowler and the Mets Yoenis Cespedes.ROSTER MOVEThe Cubs recalled INF Munenori Kawasaki from Triple-A and Saturdayand optioned INF Jeimer Candelario to Iowa. Maddon said the move was made to give the team a more experienced bat off the bench.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: Maddon said Fowler did not experience a setback in a minor-league rehab appearance Friday. He also said he would have had no problem if Fowler had made his return from the disabled list in the All-Star game and not for the Cubs -- as long as he was well enough to play, and then we got him on Friday.Pirates: OF Gregory Polanco did not play a day after being removed from a win because of an aggravation of nagging left hamstring tightness. Manager Clint Hurdle indicated Polanco likely wont start Sunday, either. ... 2B Josh Harrison was lifted from the game in the third inning. The team termed the reason as left foot discomfort. Harrison drove in a run the inning prior when he was hit with a fastball in the foot.UP NEXTCubs: Sunday starter RHP John Lackey has gone 0-2 with a 7.56 ERA in his past three starts after going 7-3 with a 2.78 ERA in his first 14 startsPirates: LHP Jonathon Niese has lost his past two home starts, allowing 13 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings during them. Cheap AC Milan FC Jerseys .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Cheap Argentina Jerseys . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.cheapsoccerjerseysoutlet.com/ .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Cheap Arsenal FC Jerseys . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. Cheap Egypt Jerseys . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. After firing a warning shot, Australian young gun Kyle Chalmers now has history in his sights at the Rio Olympic pool.The 18-year-old upstaged world No.1 and teammate Cameron McEvoy to be second fastest in the 100m freestyle semifinals on Tuesday night.He trailed only the man who denied Australia 100m gold at London - American Nathan Adrian.Few would rule out McEvoy as a chance to become the first Australian to claim the 100m Olympic title since Michael Wenden in 1968.But few have seen anything quite like Chalmers before, either.After setting a junior world record to be fastest in the heats, Chalmers backed up hours later to shatter the mark again by clocking 47.88 seconds.The time would have won silver at the 2015 world titles in Russia.Defending champion Adrian bounced back from an ordinary heat that almost cost him a semifinal spot by topping the timesheets in 47.83.McEvoy was third fastest in 47.93.In a repeat of his heat, Chalmers was well behind at the 50m turn but again flicked the switch to win his semifinal comfortably.Thats how I swim. I swim to my strengths, and my strength is my back-end, Chalmers said.But I probably didnt expect to get through to the final, especiallyy in that time.ddddddddddddPlenty of pressure will now be on Chalmers and McEvoy to end Australias 100m drought at the Olympics.Something Eamon Sullivan and James Magnussen could not do despite entering the last two Olympics as red hot favourites respectively.But instead of dreaming of history, the mild mannered Chalmers simply wanted a good nights sleep.Asked about his chances, Chalmers said: I am probably trying to wind down, block it out of my mind completely, otherwise I will be up all night.McEvoy arrived at Rio as the red hot favourite after clocking 47.04 at Aprils Rio trials - the third fastest of all time and quickest outside a supersuit.But Chalmers blistering speed at his first Olympics has ensured the form guide will be thrown out the window in Wednesday nights final.At least McEvoy wont have to worry about the man who denied him 2015 world titles 100m gold.Chinas Ning Zetao (12th, 48.37) failed to make the final.Meanwhile,?Australias Emma McKeon won bronze in the 200m freestyle final behind Americas?Katie Ledecky and?Swedens Sarah Sjostrom cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '