Funkerstation » stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game inj

SAN FRANCISCO -- Mark Melancon sat patiently as his name circulated in rumors leading up to the trade deadline.Ive been through it before, so I realize that until it happens its not a big deal, Melancon said. I just waited until I got the phone call.The call finally came on Saturday, and he was no longer the closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Instead, the All-Star was joining the NL East-leading Washington Nationals.By Sunday, Melancon had joined his new team for a game in San Francisco.A lot of different emotions going on just because Ive been with the Pirates for a while, said Melancon, who was in his fourth year with Pittsburgh. Its a little sad to leave those guys, but at the same time Im really excited to be here on a first-place club.Washington sent reliever Felipe Rivero and pitching prospect Taylor Hearn to the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire Melancon, who supplants the struggling Jonathan Papelbon as Washingtons closer.Melancon exchanged text messages with Papelbon on Saturday while he was between flights.Papelbon is 2-4 with a 4.41 ERA and has allowed eight runs and seven hits in his past three outings.Hes been awesome about it, Melancon said. Its a tough situation, so I understand . Like he said, `were here to win a championship, whatever it takes.The deal reunites Melancon with his Team USA teammate Max Scherzer. He also works out with Anthony Rendon in the offseason.The 31-year-old right-hander goes from the fringe of the wild-card race to a team thats building a nice lead in its division.It gives you a nice little boost, I know that, Melancon said. For me it was really exciting. Whirlwind of a day yesterday, but Im here and everythings great.Melancon has converted 30 of 33 saves with a 1.51 ERA this season. He joins his fifth organization in eight years.He is making $9.65 million and is eligible for free agency after the World Series; as part of the swap, the Pirates will pay Washington $500,000 on Sept. 1.Melancon broke into the majors in 2009 with the Yankees, where he was considered a possible successor to Mariano Rivera. He also pitched for Houston, Boston and the Yankees.He credits the famed Yankees closer with helping him develop the cut fastball that he considers his best pitch.I got to watch that a lot from (Rivera), Melancon said. Just sit behind the plate, sit behind him pitching. Not only did I notice how important the cutter and the movement, when to throw it in and back door and all that stuff but just his location and how important that was. With him only having one pitch it meant a lot that he hit his spots, so I picked up a lot on those subtleties. Cheap Hockey Jerseys . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Cyber Monday Hockey Jerseys . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. https://www.fakehockeyjerseys.com/ . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Hockey Jerseys China . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Hockey Jerseys Black Friday . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Make room, David Ortiz. Theres a mini "Big Papi" swinging a big bat for Nashville, Tenn., at the Little League World Series. With the bases loaded and fans chanting "Big Papi! Big Papi!" Trae McLemore hit a 1-1 pitch over the fence in centre to cap Nashvilles 10-2 victory over Corpus Christi, Texas, in an elimination game Saturday. McLemore, who was nicknamed in honour of Ortiz by his parents, finished with two hits and drove in six runs. And he had his mother, Brenda Gonzalez, in tears as he rounded the bases in the top of the sixth. "When I hit that grand slam, it was just energy running through my body," said the 5-foot-11, 209-pound player. "Its been one of my dreams to come and play in this tournament. Another one was to hit a home run. After that, I looked at my mom, and she was crying." Pausing, before breaking into a smile, McLemore added: "And I was like, Oh, thats awesome." Ben Pickman struck out 10 and allowed three hits over five innings for Nashville (1-1), which stayed in contention in the double-elimination tournament. The Southeast champion opened with a 3-2 loss to Westport, Conn., on Thursday. The one scare for Nashville came in the sixth inning when infielder Knox Preston fell awkwardly and hit his head while stumbling awkwardly into first base on a ground out. Preston was examined on the field, and required assistance to get to his dugout. Nashville manager Randy Ramirez said Preston was being tested for a possible concussion. It was two-and-done for Corpus Christi (0-2), which failed to get its offence on track. The Southwest champion will conclude the tournament playing Perth, Australia (0-2), in a consolation game Monday. Perth was eliminated following a 4-0 loss to San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, earlier in the day. The one bright moment for Corpus Christi was how Jared Cruz responded after giving up the home run to McLemore. Cruz hit a one-out solo homer to centre in the bottom of the sixth to round out the scoring. And it came off McLemore, who relievved Pickman.dddddddddddd "It just shows that these guys didnt give up," manager Randy Ramirez said. "That was a good way to show it, more so for Cruz, because he came back and hit if further." The game began as a pitching duel. Both Pickman and Corpus Christi starter Jesus Ortiz did not give up a through three innings. That changed when Pickman fouled off three consecutive pitches before hitting a single down the first base line. Christopher McElvain followed with a double to right, and McLemore drove both home with a one-out single up the middle to key a three-run inning. Nashville manager Chris Mercado credited Pickmans single for getting his offence going. Once we started hitting the ball, I feel like the other guys feel it, and feel more positive," Mercado said. "I was trying to get them fired up, get them going. And when they did, it was fun." Nashville scored three more in the fifth, and McLemores home run in the sixth rounded out the scoring. He hit the 46th grand slam in series history, and first since Yoshiki Suzuki hit one on Aug. 18, 2011, for Hamamatsu City, Japan. It was the first grand slam by an American player since Andy Rios hit one in 2009 for Chula Vista, Calif. "I call him Pops. Hes just the big daddy," Pickman said. "Everybody loves him. Hes out front, encouraging, loud. He helps fire up the team." PUERTO RICO 4, AUSTRALIA 0 Pitcher Tommylee Sierra shut out Australia for 5 2-3 innings in keeping San Lorenzo in contention in the international bracket of the tournament. Sierra fell one out short of a complete game because he reached the Little League limit of 88 pitches per game when he recorded his 10thstrikeout of the game in the top of the sixth inning. Leonardo Lizardi got the final out for Puerto Rico, which scored three times in the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie. Australia, which was making its first LLWS appearance, was eliminated from title contention. Maverick Hamilton pitched a five-inning complete game for Australia and gave up seven hits. ' ' '