row for the first time since 2004, but the NL Central leaders still have the major leagues best record at 51-31. Phillies slugger Ryan Howard ended an 0-for-22 slump -- 12 strikeouts -- with an RBI single in a three-run sixth to open the games scoring. Howard and Michael Young each had two hits for P

PITTSBURGH -- Jonathan Pettibone pitched neatly into the sixth inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies snapped the Pittsburgh Pirates nine-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night. The surprising Pirates missed out on a chance to win 10 in a row for the first time since 2004, but the NL Central leaders still have the major leagues best record at 51-31. Phillies slugger Ryan Howard ended an 0-for-22 slump -- 12 strikeouts -- with an RBI single in a three-run sixth to open the games scoring. Howard and Michael Young each had two hits for Philadelphia, which scored all of its runs against Pirates rookie spot starter Brandon Cumpton. Pettibone (4-3) won for the first time since May 14 -- a span of nine starts -- by limiting Pittsburghs offence to Garrett Jones homer in the sixth. In 5 2-3 innings, Pettibone gave up three hits. The rookie right-hander was lifted after Jones shot, his eighth of the season. Philadelphias much-maligned bullpen repeatedly worked around trouble for 3 1-3 scoreless innings to finish off the Phillies second win over their past five games. Cumpton (0-1) got the ball because Jeff Locke was forced to warm up in the bullpen during the 14th inning Sunday. Jake Diekman got the final out of the sixth and Phillippe Aumont survived four well-hit balls to pitch a scoreless seventh. J.R. Ramirez, Antonio Bastardo and Justin De Fratus worked around two walks and a single in the eighth. Jonathan Papelbon improved to 16 for 20 in save situations with a perfect ninth. But little else during the victory came easy for the Phillies, who began the day 9 1-2 games back in the National League East. Philadelphia relievers, who entered Tuesday with the worst ERA in the NL, allowed six baserunners over the 2 1-3 innings not pitched by closer Papelbon. None scored, though. De Fratus stuck out Jordy Mercer swinging with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth. After four baserunners reached through five, Cumpton ran into trouble during the sixth inning for the second time over his three career major league starts. Domonic Brown followed Howards RBI single with a sacrifice fly and Delmon Young made it 3-0 when he doubled in Howard. Those were the first earned runs allowed by Pittsburgh pitchers over a span of 22 1-3 innings. Before the sixth inning Tuesday, the Pirates had allowed one earned run over the prior 36 frames. NOTES: The Pirates optioned INF Josh Harrison to Triple-A Indianapolis to make roster room for Cumpton. ... Pittsburgh had won 10 of its 11 previous games started by fill-in starters Cumpton, RHP Jeanmar Gomez and RHP Phil Irwin. ... Locke will start Wednesdays game, RHP Gerrit Cole starts Thursday and Gomez will return to the bullpen for the Pirates. ... Pittsburgh RHP A.J. Burnett, on the disabled list since June 13 because of a right calf strain, threw a simulated game Tuesday. ... Phillies RHP Kyle Kendrick will make his next scheduled start Saturday at home against the Atlanta Braves. Kendrick was evaluated Tuesday in Pittsburgh and cleared two days after sustaining a concussion after being hit in the head with a pitch. ... Locke allowed two hits over six shutout innings of a 2-0 win at Philadelphia on April 23. LHP John Lannan, who starts Wednesday for the Phillies, is 1-4 in his career against the Pirates. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Quandre-Diggs-Draft-Jersey/ . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Jake-Rudock-Draft-Jersey/ . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Ziggy-Ansah-Draft-Jersey/ .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Matthew-Stafford-Draft-Jersey/ . LOUIS -- St. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Matt-Prater-Draft-Jersey/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. SAN FRANCISCO -- One of the oddest series in Major League Baseball this season begins a fourth chapter Friday night when the Arizona Diamondbacks visit the San Francisco Giants.Diamondbacks left-hander Patrick Corbin (4-6) will open the three-game set against Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija (8-5).In a season when the Giants compiled the fourth-best home record in the National League (26-17), none of that success came against the Diamondbacks.Corbin missed Arizonas four-game sweep at AT&T Park in April, a series that ended with the Giants scoring a total of just three runs in the final three games.The Giants walked off the home field 7-10 on April 21, a day on which the Diamondbacks handed Johnny Cueto his only loss of the season.But San Francisco has since gone 47-23, aided in large part by seven meetings with the Diamondbacks in Arizona. The Giants have gone 6-1 in those games.Samardzija helped in the turnaround in his first outing against the Diamondbacks, May 19, at Arizona. He pitched one of his best games of the season, limiting the home team to one run over eight innings in a 3-1 Giants win.The next day, the Giants got to Corbin for nine hits in 6 1/3 innings in a 5-3 win.Following two four-game sweeps that were totally dominated by the road team -- the Diamondbacks outscored the Giants 20-10 at San Francisco; the Giants outscored the Diamondbacks 14-7 at Arizona -- the clubs played a tight, three-game series last week in Arizona.The Giants prevailed in two of three, with San Francisco winning a 6-4 game before the clubs split one-run afffairs.ddddddddddddCorbin and Samardzija went head-to-head in the middle game of the series Saturday, with neither getting a decision in a game the Diamondbacks won 6-5.Corbin allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings, Samardzija four runs in 7 1/3.The Diamondbacks won the game against the San Francisco bullpen when Welington Castillo bombed a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.The Giants won three of four since then, including two of three over the Colorado Rockies to begin their current six-game homestand.The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, have lost three of four, including two of three against the San Diego Padres in a duel of the bottom two teams in the NL West.Getting back on the road might not be a bad thing for the Diamondbacks, who have been plagued by poor home attendance of late.The guys didnt let down because it wasnt a big crowd with a lot of emotion, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said after his teams only win in the San Diego series Tuesday. They created their own emotion in the dugout. Thats baseball.The Giants hope to have center fielder Denard Span back from a neck injury for Fridays series opener.That doesnt mean time off for replacement center fielder Angel Pagan, one of the clubs hottest hitters of late.Weve got a nice (All-Star) break coming up, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said when discussing Pagan before Wednesdays win over the Rockies. With all our injuries, we need his bat in there. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '