Funkerstation » prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Havi

PITTSBURGH -- Fan cheered when Mark Melancon came on to start the bottom of the ninth inning to try to protect a one-run lead for the Washington Nationals. The cheers got louder when the Pittsburgh Pirates former closer blew his first save with his new team.Rookie Jacob Stallings pinch-hit single in the 11th lifted the Pirates over Washington 6-5 on Friday night, preventing the Nationals from clinching a postseason berth.Sean Rodriguezs two-out RBI double in the ninth tied the score 5-5. Melancon blew a save for the first time in 13 chances since he was acquired from Pittsburgh on July 30 in a trade for left-handed reliever Felipe Rivero and a minor leaguer.A brief video tribute was played on the scoreboard when Melancon entered the game.I didnt know they were going to put a montage up there, said Melancon, an All-Star in three of his four seasons with the Pirates. It was classy. It was very cool to get a standing ovation. ... I wanted to tip my cap but I didnt because I didnt want to mess up my mojo. I should have tipped my cap.Pittsburgh loaded the bases with one out in the 11tth against Yusmiero Petit (3-5) when Francisco Cervelli doubled, Andrew McCutchen was intentionally walked and Pedro Florimon walked. Rodriguez struck out and Stallings, a son of University of Pittsburgh mens basketball coach Kevin Stallings, grounded a 3-2 pitch into left field.Pittsburghs seventh win in nine games kept it on the fringe of the NL wild-card race.Washington lost for the fifth time in six games. The Nationals have magic numbers of one for a playoff berth and two for an NL East title.Despite the expanded September rosters, Stallings was the last player left on the Pirates bench.I kind of did the math in my head, Stallings said. Bases loaded, two outs was the only way I was going to come up that inning. (Bench coach Dave) Jauss came up and told me to be ready. I went down and hit on the tee before that inning. I knew I was the last guy, so I figured just in case.Wilson Ramos and Danny Espinosa homered for the Nationals. Bryce Harper had three hits and Ryan Zimmerman hit a pair of doubles.Zimmermans RBI double in the second inning opened the scoring and was the 1,500th hit of his 12-year big league career. Espinosa followed with 23rd homer for a 3-0 lead.Ramos led off a two-run sixth with his 22nd homer, a drive off Antonio Bastardo. Jayson Werth drew a bases-loaded walk later in the inning as the Nationals went back ahead 5-3.Adam Frazier had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of half.Wade LeBlanc (4-0) pitched one scoreless inning.Pirates left fielder Gregory Polanco left the game in the first inning when bruised the left side of his face when crashing into the fence while chasing a double by Harper.Both starters, Washington left-hander Gio Gonzalez and Pittsburgh rookie Jameson Taillon, allowed three runs in five innings.Its disappointing because you want to wrap up a playoff berth as fast as you can but youre not going to win every game, Gonzalez said. Youve got to come back and get them tomorrow.MINOR HONORSFirst baseman/outfielder Josh Bell is the Pirates minor league player of the year and right-hander Mitch Keller their minor league pitcher of the year. Bell hit .295 with 14 home runs in 114 games for Triple-A Indianapolis before being promoted to the major leagues. Keller went a combined 9-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 24 starts at Class A with West Virginia and Bradenton.ROTATION SWITCHRookie right-hander Tyler Glasnow will start Sunday for the Pirates rather than rookie left-hander Steven Brault. Considering the organizations top propsect, Glasnow is 0-1 with a 4.11 ERA in five games, including two starts.TRAINERS ROOMNationals: 2B Daniel Murphy did not start for a fifth game in a row after an MRI revealed a strained glute muscle. He will sit out the three-game series be reevaluated.Pirates: RHP A.J. Schugel (shoulder inflammation) was placed on the 60-day disabled list, opening a roster spot for LHP Phil Coke, who joined the team after being acquired Thursday from the New York Yankees. . LF Starling Marte (back) sat out after being removed from Thursday nights loss at Milwaukee in the third inning. He missed 15 games before pinch hitting against the Brewers on Wednesday night. . SS Jordy Mercer (right forearm tightness) missed his second straight game.UP NEXTNationals: RHP Joe Ross (7-5, 3.48 ERA) will start Saturday night, his second outing since missing 2 1/2 months with shoulder inflammation. He pitched three innings and gave up one run last Sunday against Atlanta in a no-decision.Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (12-7, 4.19) is 5-1 with a 2.93 ERA in nine starts since being acquired Aug. 1 from the New York Yankees in a trade. He took his first loss with the Pirates last Sunday, allowing five runs in three innings against Cincinnati. Vapormax Clearance . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Cheap Vapormax Online . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. http://www.vapormaxcheapaustralia.com/ . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Vapormax Australia Cheap . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Wholesale Vapormax Australia . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. To kick off my coverage of the top prospects outside the NHL heading into the 2016-17 season, I begin with a ranking of each NHL teams organizational prospect depth, sometimes referred to as its farm system or pipeline.Star power is what drives NHL teams, and thus, my farm system ranking reflects that. Elite prospects provide substantially more value than high-end prospects, who provide substantially more value than above-average prrospects and so on.dddddddddddd. That said, I dont entirely discount depth. In fact, it comes into play in several spots. Boston is not a team full of top-30 prospects, but has incredible depth. Colorado has a couple of fantastic prospects, and a thin system after them. This is reflected in the rankings. ' ' '