.The Cubs enter Saturdays middle game with the Cardinals needing just two victories to hit 100 for the season and are current

CHICAGO -- Theres something about Wrigley Field that continues to bring out the best in Chicago Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel.Hammel (15-9, 3.56 ERA) brings the second-best home ERA in baseball (1.84) into Saturdays middle game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Hes also 10-1 in 14 home starts.But whether Hammel is one of the Cubs starters in the post-season has yet to be determined.The way I look at it is theres no wrong choice, said Hammel earlier week after tossing a four-hit ffort over seven innings in the Cubs 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. We got 25 guys who are going to put up wins for us, whether its hitting, pitching, defense. ... So were going to continue to what we do, do our work and show up and play, and theyll put up the best team out there.The Cubs got some critical bullpen reinforcement on Friday with the return of right-hander Pedro Strop off the disabled list following a left meniscus tear suffered last month and subsequent arthroscopic surgery.Strop, 31, is 2-2 with 21 holds and a 2.892 ERA in 51 relief appearances with the Cubs this season.The Cubs enter Saturdays middle game with the Cardinals needing just two victories to hit 100 for the season and are currently on a pace to secure 103.Theyll wrap up the home season on Sunday as left hander Jon Lester (18-4) meets Cardinals righty Carlos Martinez (15-8, 3.16 ERA). Lester has the second-lowest ERA in the league behind teammate Kyle Hendricks (2.06).Chicago will hit the road next week for four games at Cincinnati and three at Pittsburgh before opening the NL playoffs next month.The Cardinals, on the outside looking in for one of two final wild card berths, will try to break out of a two-game losing streak as Alex Reyes (3-1, 1.03 ERA) makes his 11th appearance and fourth start of the season in Saturdays middle game of the Cubs-Cardinals series.Reyes has won his last two starts, including a Sept. 18 outing against the Giants where he allowed no runs on four hits while striking out six and walking two over seven innings in the Cardinals 3-0 victory.Its not known whether shortstop Aledmys Diaz returns to the lineup on Saturday. Hes was sidelined for the second game in the last three on Friday due to continued arm soreness. Diaz is batting .303 in 104 games with 26 doubles and 61 RBI.Mike Holliday wont return to action on Saturday either but theres hope the veteran Cardinals outfielder could play before the season wraps up.He took live batting practice on Friday and could have one more before the Cardinals decide whether to active him from the disable list or shut him down.Holliday has been on the disabled list since Aug. 12 with a right thumb fracture and has missed 38 games. Maury Wills Youth Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Clayton Kershaw Womens Jersey . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. http://www.ladodgersprostore.us/Babe-Herman-dodgers-jersey/ . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Joc Pederson Youth Jersey . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. Chris Taylor Jersey . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Red, white and blase for one quarter, the U.S. Olympic team woke up and won with ease.Shaking off a sluggish, sloppy start and maybe some Brazilian boredom, the Americans regrouped in the second quarter and romped over Venezuela 113-69 on Monday, taking another step toward a possible third straight gold medal.Kevin Durant scored 16 points and Carmelo Anthony 14 for the U.S. squad, which may have grown a touch overconfident following a 57-point blowout of China in its tournament opener.The Americans were tied after one quarter, but turned up their defensive intensity, outscored Venezuela 30-8 in the second period and improved to 82-1 under coach Mike Krzyzewski.It was similar to the meeting between the teams in Chicago on July 29, when the U.S. shot poorly and still won by 35 on their pre-Rio exhibition tour. Maybe this was a reminder that no team can be taken lightly -- and there is little margin for error -- once the Olympic flame is ignited.The Americans continue pool play on Wednesday against unbeaten Australia. The Aussies, featuring five NBA players, four of them league champions, improved to 2-0 on Monday with an impressive 95-80 win over Serbia. Australia has never won an Olympic medal in mens basketball.Anthony, the four-team Olympian and two-time gold medalist playing in his record 25th game for the United States, provided a much-needed spark in the second quarter.With the Americans leading just 28-22 and looking anything but golden, Anthony came across the lane and stripped the ball away from Venezuelan center Gregory Echenique and passed it to Kyrie Irving. Anthony then trailed Irving up the floor, accepted a feed on the wing and knocked down a 3-pointer that lifted some of the pressure -- and fog -- off Team USA.Anthonyy moved past Michael Jordan on the U.dddddddddddd.S. career scoring list and now only trails LeBron James and David Robinson.Paul George scored 20 and Jimmy Butler 17 -- most of them coming in extended garbage time -- in the first Olympic matchup between the nations.Venezuelas John Cox, a cousin of American superstar Kobe Bryant, scored 19 and Echenique 18.Although this may not be the best made-in-America team as James, Stephen Curry and others chose to skip the Rio Games, the U.S. squad that came to Brazil appears to be in a class by itself. There will likely be tougher games ahead, but they havent had one yet.Venezuela, which doesnt have an NBA player on its roster, didnt figure to be a threat but the FIBA Americas champion wasnt intimidated by the U.S. roster of household names.With their fans doing all they could to push the heavy underdogs, Venezuelas players outworked the Americans in the first quarter, which ended 18-all and the U.S. with six turnovers.It was a different story in the second, when the Americans reeled off 13 straight points in one stretch to take control.Staying on a 196-cabin luxury cruise shot anchored off Rios coast, the U.S. team has settled in following a few choppy early days in Brazil.Taking the floor in all-white warmups as Jay-Zs Public Service Announcement blared inside the Carioca Arena, the U.S. team looked both relaxed and ready.DeAndre Jordan showed off some dance moves during layup drills as Brazilian fans, many of them wearing NBA jerseys, snapped photos of the American stars.Late in the game, after George crushed a dunk to put the U.S. up by 43, Jordan boogied again on the sideline. 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