WASHINGTON -- Before last weeks start in New York, Stephen Strasburg noticed his curveball wasnt working the way he wanted it to. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . He made an adjustment and dazzled the Mets, limiting them to two hits in six innings. Five days later, Strasburg relied on it again. Against the Houston Astros, the 23-year-old looked unhittable for five innings, struggled in the sixth and watched his team score four runs after he was lifted for a pinch-hitter as the Washington Nationals beat the Astros 6-3 on Monday. Strasburg allowed just three singles in the first five, but the Astros got to him in the sixth for two runs and three hits. Strasburg (2-0) walked one and struck out five. He hasnt allowed a home run in 50 1-3 innings -- since Aug. 15, 2010. His ERA rose from 0.69 to 1.42. "I thought I could get another inning out of him -- until that rough inning," manager Davey Johnson said. Steve Lombardozzi had three singles and a two-run double in the sixth off Kyle Weiland (0-2) that gave Washington a 4-2 lead. Ryan Zimmerman followed with a two-run single. Strasburg used the curveball regularly at San Diego State, and on Monday, he had his best since his Aug. 2010 Tommy John surgery. "I made an adjustment in New York with it. In the pen, it wasnt working warming up," Strasburg said. "I just wanted to go out there and trust it -- and it worked pretty well." Last week, Johnson allowed him to throw a career-high 108 pitches. He wanted Strasburg to throw fewer. Through five innings, he threw 61, but in the laborious sixth, Strasburg had to throw 32. "In his previous start, I took him longer than I wanted to. It probably took a little bit out of him," Johnson said. Strasburg wasnt surprised to be pinch-hit for, but didnt come out willingly. "He knows I want to go out there and stay out there as long as I possibly can. You want to go 7,8,9 innings. I got into a couple of jams that put the pitch count up." Weiland started for the seventh time in his major league career and is winless in five decisions. "You try to focus on your own game. Obviously, you know thats in the back of your mind. Hes going to go out there and give his best, and its probably going to be a low scoring game," Weiland said. After Strasburg left, Sean Burnett got two outs in the seventh, Ryan Mattheus allowed an earned run in the eighth, Tom Gorzelanny finished the eighth, and Henry Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his second save. In the third, Ian Desmond doubled to left with one out. Lombardozzi bunted, but Weiland threw the ball away, and Desmond scored on the error. Wilson Ramos hit his first home run with two outs in the fourth. In the sixth, Jordan Schafer and Jed Lowrie led off with singles. On the ninth pitch of his at-bat, J.D. Martinez walked to load the bases. Carlos Lee flied out to centre fielder Rick Ankiel, but Schafer elected not to attempt scoring. Ankiels threw home was perfect. After Strasburg struck out Travis Buck, Chris Johnson hit a two-run single to tie the score. In the bottom of the sixth, Ankiel singled with one out, and with two outs, Roger Bernadina, batting for Strasburg walked. Desmond walked to load the bases, and Lombardozzi, who was starting because Johnson wanted to rest Danny Espinosa, slapped a double to left, and Zimmerman followed with the two-run double. Weiland pitched 5 2-3 innings, allowing six runs and 10 hits. The Astros scored their final run in the eighth on a single to Travis Buck and a triple by Johnson -- his third hit of the game. They batted 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position. "With every pitcher I think, as you go and as you get at-bats off of him, your comfort level goes up a little bit. But hes got really good stuff. He throws hard and hes got three really good pitches," Chris Johnson said. NOTES: Strasburg singled in the fourth inning. Hes now 2 for 31 as a major league hitter. ... Nationals RHP Chien-Ming Wang will throw a simulated game in Viera, Fla., on Wednesday, and if that goes well, hell pitch in a minor league game. Wang has been on the disabled list with a left hamstring injury. ... TV evangelist Joel Osteen threw out the first pitch. Hell be conducting a service at Nationals Park on Apr. 28. ... The Astros have scored at least three runs in every game. ... Houston LHP Wandy Rodriguez (0-1, 2.38 ERA) is scheduled to throw against Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez (0-0, 3.38 ERA) on Tuesday night. Wholesale Sports Caps China . The Raptors announced on Wednesday that they would debut alternate jerseys with a green camo background on March 21 when Toronto hosts the Chicago Bulls. Wholesale Jerseys . The 30-year-old reliever missed part of spring training with a strained groin. He was placed on waivers after Toronto scored six runs in two innings off him during a game last week. http://www.stitchednflshop.com/ .C. -- The Odlum Brown VanOpen was in full swing at Hollyburn Country Club on Wednesday, but all eyes were on an exhibition match. Wholesale NBA Jerseys China . The unmarked Torres tapped the ball into the net from Ashley Coles cross from what appeared to be an offside position in the 81st minute to make it 3-2. "It was clearly offside which was really disappointing," said Reading manager Brian McDermott, who protested to the referees assistant. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping . -- David Lee knows Golden State is doing things few expected.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Mannings whirlwind free-agency tour kicked off in grand fashion, complete with a chartered plane coming to pick him up and a helicopter hovering overhead as he met with the Denver Broncos. And this was only Day 1 of his adventure. Manning spent Friday in Tim Tebows neighbourhood, chatting with the Broncos for nearly six hours. Speculation was that Arizona was next up, and television crews were staking out the Cardinals headquarters in Tempe on Saturday. But there was no sight of the superstar. Not that the facility was quiet. The Manning frenzy coincided with Kurt Warners "Ultimate Football Experience," a fundraiser for his foundation. Manning is the NFLs marquee free agent after being released by the Indianapolis Colts two days ago. The Broncos rolled out the red carpet for visit by the four-time MVP. Brought in from Miami on a plane sent down to swoop him up, Manning spent the day with Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who also serves as Denvers vice-president of football operations. Manning was escorted around the building, with coach John Fox and general manager Brian Xanders along as well. When his marathon day was over, Manning hopped into the same silver SUV he arrived in and was whisked away without talking to reporters. His next stop? There are more than a half-dozen other suitors, with Arizona and Miami among those expressing interest. But spending the first day in Denver certainly made for some interesting conversation. After all, this is a city still engulfed in Tebowmania, especially after the unorthodox quarterback led the Broncos to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. But having Manning in for a visit raised anew the question that has hovered over the team: Is Tebow a long-term solution or just a feel-good story for a season? As news spread of Mannings arrival -- with reporters and TV helicopters covering every inch of the Broncos facility -- a handful of curious fans started making their way over. "Lets do it, Peyton," one of them yelled through a gate upon spotting Manning walking out of the weight room. He glanced over and gave a quick wave. Across the parking lot, one fan with an Elway jersey, another with a Tebow jersey and a few more with Mannings iconic Colts No. 18 showed up. "Peyton Manning is a terrific leader. He has amazing aim and seems to have a sixth sense of whats going to happen on the field. Hes phenomenal to watch," saaid Graham Millar, a lifelong Colts fan who lives in Aurora, Colo. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys China. "You feel like youre watching a psychic. But its preparation. He knows exactly what to expect from every single player on that field." According to The Denver Post, the Broncos sent a plane to pick up Manning in South Florida, where he has a condo. He had travelled there after an emotional news conference in Indianapolis on Wednesday, when he said goodbye to the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 1998 and he led to the 2007 Super Bowl championship. The plane then stopped in Stillwater, Okla., where Elway, Fox and Xanders were watching Oklahoma States pro day. The Broncos management met up with Manning, and everyone flew back to Denver. ESPNews carried live coverage of the flight arriving at an airport in Denver, then also followed Mannings car ride to Broncos headquarters. And while Manning met with Elway & Co., inside the building, a blue helicopter hovered overhead. This was only the beginning. Arizona, Miami, Kansas City, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington are among the other possible destinations, as Manning becomes one of the most coveted free agents in league history, even though he turns 36 later this month and is coming off a series of neck operations. He missed all of last season, and the Colts decided to cut ties rather than pay a $28 million bonus that was due this week. Its not often that teams get a chance to sign a quarterback who has thrown for more than 50,000 yards and nearly 400 touchdowns, been picked for 11 Pro Bowls, and been a Super Bowl MVP. Mannings importance to the Colts success was never more apparent than last season, when their record plummeted to 2-14 without him. Because he was released and went on the waiver wire Wednesday, Manning is allowed to negotiate and sign with any club immediately; he does not need to wait until the free-agent period that begins Tuesday. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt confirmed in an interview with NBC Sports Network that his team is pursuing Manning. "I dont know how important money will be to him, but Im sure it will be part of the equation," Hunt said. "Hes going to be looking for an environment that hes comfortable in." He declined to say whether the Chiefs already have offered Manning a contract. "I dont think it would be appropriate for me to talk about discussions at this point," Hunt said, "but he is somebody that well want to talk to." ' ' '

TORONTO -- Toronto Blue Jays starter Mark Buehrle needed an inning to settle into his first career start against his old team. Once he found his groove, the veteran southpaw delivered a performance the Chicago White Sox knew he was capable of. Buehrle recovered from a two-run first inning Monday night to pick up his first win as a Blue Jay in Torontos 4-3 victory over Chicago at Rogers Centre. The fact it came against his former teammates and some good friends was a nice bonus. "Once we cross the lines, Im out there trying to win just like theyre trying to beat my brains in," Buehrle said. "So you just have to go out there and try to perform." Buehrle (1-0), who spent 12 of his first 13 big-league seasons in Chicago, allowed nine hits, two earned runs and two walks over 6 1-3 innings while striking out three. "Guys like him, they can pitch at this level because theyre smart and they dont have to throw 95 to get people out," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura. "Its something I know White Sox people have seen forever. It was a clinic." J.P. Arencibia and Maicer Izturis hit home runs for Toronto (6-7), which had 10 hits on the night. Arencibia went deep in the first inning off Chicago starter Gavin Floyd (0-3) and Izturis put the Blue Jays ahead to stay an inning later. Aaron Loup gave up a run in the eighth before Casey Janssen picked up his fourth save as Toronto took the opener of the four-game series. After the game, the Blue Jays announced that third baseman Brett Lawrie of Langley, B.C., would be activated from the disabled list Tuesday. He was at Class-A Dunedin on a rehab assignment after suffering a rib injury last month. The team also planned to put right-handed reliever Sergio Santos on the 15-day DL with a triceps strain. Paul Konerko and Dayan Viciedo had RBI singles for the White Sox (5-8) in the first but Toronto used its speed and power to pull even in the bottom half of the frame. Emilio Bonifacio led off with a hard chopper that deflected off Adam Dunns glove and rolled down the first-base line. He took second base on the play, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly from Melky Cabrera. Arencibia followed with his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot that bounced off the top of the wall in right-centre field. Edwin Encarnacion reached on a single and moved to third on an Adam Lind double but they were stranded when Mark DeRosa and Colby Rasmus struck out. Izturis gave Toronto the lead in the second inning with a solo blast to right field, his second homer of the year. Munenori Kawasaki tripled in the fourth inning and scored when Bonifacio hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field. Chicago threatened in the fifth by putting runners on the corners but Buehrle escaped by getting Konerko on a strikeout. Buehrle said he usually goes with the change-up when hes behind in the count but he gave credit to Arencibia for calling a curve ball against Chicagos cleanup hitter. "I dont throw very many of them," Buehrle said. "I thought it was a great combination the way we went at it. That was a big situation right there." Buehrle, who spent last season with the Miami Marlins, was coming off two poor outings to start the season. "He settled down after that first inning and did a great job," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "He really did. He took us into the seventh inning. I know he feels good on both ends for a good start that he wanted and needed, plus its against his old teammates. "So I guess you could say at this point hes got the upper hand anyway." Dunn reached with one out in the eighth when he was hit by a pitch. He moved to third base on a Viciedo double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Alexei Ramirez. Janssen retired all three batters he faced in the ninth. The game took two hours 38 minutes to play and announced attendance was 15,755. Floyd lasted four-plus innings, allowing nine hits, four earned runs and three walks. He had six strikeouts. Notes: Players from both teams wore No. 42 jerseys on Jackie Robinson Day. ... Before the game, a moment of silence was held for victims of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. ... Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista was given the night off to rest a sore back. Hes expected to return Tuesday night. ... Toronto selected the contract of right-hander Ramon Ortiz from triple-A Buffalo on Monday and outfielder Casper Wells was designated for assignment. ... Injured shortstop Jose Reyes wont need surgery on his severely sprained left ankle but is still expected to miss three months, general manager Alex Anthopoulos said before the game. Reyes visited a specialist in Charlotte, N.C., who confirmed the diagnosis. The veteran infielder wont be ready to begin rehab activity for at least a month. ... Josh Johnson (0-1) is scheduled to start Tuesday night against Chicagos Dylan Axelrod (0-1). Once the four-game series against the White Sox is complete, the Blue Jays will entertain the New York Yankees for a three-game weekend set. Cheap Jerseys . -- Commissioner Bud Selig says Major League Baseball is working "at a rather quick pace" to resolve the proposed move the Oakland Athletics to a proposed new ballpark in San Jose. NFL Jerseys From China . The next team up is the Montreal Canadiens. Get the lowdown on their off-season and the issues they face this season. http://www.cheapjerseychinastore.com/ . On Thursday, Dr. Larry Cripe, told The Associated Press that Pagano had been cleared to return and that it was up to the coach and the Colts to determine when that will happen, and how much Pagano will do. NFL Jerseys Cheap .C. - Steven Diez is the second Canuck to earn a quarter-final berth in mens singles play at the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open. Cheap Jerseys China . Tall, rangy and powerful, Jones matched Melzer shot for shot in a first set that contained no breaks of serve. He rallied from 6-4 down in the tiebreaker before closing out the second set in only 30 minutes, belying a ranking that had slumped from 187th to 373rd during 2012.TORONTO -- Friday marks Canadas first baby step towards the 2014 World Cup as Stephen Harts team takes on Caribbean minnow St. Lucia at Torontos BMO Field. Canada -- ranked 102nd in the world by FIFA -- opens qualifying play in a group with No. 184 St. Lucia, No. 122 St. Kitts and Nevis, and No. 144 Puerto Rico. Only the pool winner moves on. Should Canada advance, it faces two more qualifying stages before it can book its ticket to Brazil in 2014. The opposition is modest this time around but Hart says his team is taking nothing for granted as it enters the second stage of qualifying in North and Central America and the Caribbean. It skipped the first round. "Training the last three days has been all business," he said at a news conference Wednesday. "Great enthusiasm, great passion ... We have not spoken at all about being overwhelming favourites or anything. We are not trusting any sort of discussion like that at all." St. Lucia, a teardrop-shaped island located north of Trinidad and Tobago, has averaged a world ranking of 143 since FIFA started its ranking system in 1993. It ranks 30th out of 35 teams in CONCACAF, compared to No. 10 in Canada. The Caribbean country survived the first round of qualifying by defeating Aruba 5-4 on penalty kicks after the two-legged playoff finished tied 6-6. Little is known about the St. Lucia team, other than it will be made up of largely local players. The squad doesnt arrive in Toronto until midnight Thursday. Hart expects St. Lucia, like other smaller Caribbean countries, to be up for qualifying even if they are massive underdogs. "This is a big opportunity for then," he said. "In the opening games, theres going to be a lot of enthusiasm and this is where its going to be the most dangerous." Hart, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, has talked to some Caribbean contacts in a bid to secure some intel on St. Lucia. But he says his focus is on his team. "When you play soccer if you focus too much on the opponent, what happens is it takes away from your own game," he explained. "Weve been working very hard on the part of the game that we control, which is when we have the ball." Fridays game is the first of a journey that will last three rounds, 22 games and 25 months if Canada makes it to the final stretch in CONCACAF qualifying. Canadas next match is Tuesday in Puerto Rico. Some 35 CONCACAF countries entered the 2014 qualifying competition. Five -- Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Aruba -- have already fallen by the wayside. For Haart, this stage of qualifying is a chance for his team to gel.dddddddddddd He hopes that can happen before a sympathetic crowd at home. Canadian home games are not that common and often the stands are filled with supporters of the visiting team. Hart expects St. Lucia will have its fans despite the fact its a small country of some 161,000. "I dont care where they play, theyre coming," he said of the phenomenon of fans supporting the visitors when Canada plays at home. "Theyre passionate about their country and theyre coming. So for me, we have to get the job done. And those people who have supported us, who continue to support us, we applaud them. And if there are people out there that are waiting until something happens then were going to have to make that something happen." In a confederation dominated by Mexico and the U.S., Canada traditionally has found itself jousting with Costa Rica, Jamaica, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago for the World Cup scraps. Canadas bid to reach the 2010 World Cup lasted just six games in 2008 after defeating St. Vincent and the Grenadines 7-1 on aggregate in a two-match playoff. The Canadian men managed just two points from three home games and finished last in the penultimate qualifying stage with an 0-4-2 record. Canadas lone success in World Cup qualifying came when it reached the 1986 finals. "The players are all aware of that situation," Hart said. "Some of them werent even born when Canada was last in the World Cup." Canadas goal is to get into the fourth and final round of CONCACAF qualifying, a six-team pool that will see the top three book their tickets to Brazil in 2014 while the fourth-place team tries to join them via a playoff with a team from another confederation. "Once youre there, everything takes on a different dimension," Hart said of reaching the final six. The Canadian coach says he has a good feeling about his squad "if were healthy." But he worries about players like striker Simeon Jackson (Englands Norwich City) not playing regularly for their club. "We can say that about quite a few of the players cant we," he said. Still Hart said he was pleased by Jacksons attitude in camp. "I think hes going to be OK." NOTES@ -- Canada will be captained by veteran defender Kevin McKenna .. Hart says midfielder Atiba Hutchinson remains a concern because of lack of playing time due to a recent knee injury. ... The Canadians are lacking depth up front with injuries to Oliver Occean, Ali Gerba and Rob Friend. ' ' '

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox waited for Josh Beckett to recover from his sprained right ankle before letting him get back on the mound. Cheap NFL Jerseys . And he returned to the rotation just in time. In his first start in 11 days, Beckett pitched six solid innings to lead the Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay on Friday night, slowing the charge of the third-place Rays and extending Bostons lead in the AL wild-card race to four games. It was the second win in nine games for the Red Sox, and their first in seven tries against the Rays. "We need him to be Beckett. We dont need him to be Beckett in name only," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "Despite whats been happening, we want him to have a chance to pitch effectively. So we werent going to pitch him unless he was ready." The Rays trailed Boston by nine games on Sept. 3 and had a chance to catch them with a four-game sweep in Fenway. But trade-deadline pickup Mike Aviles broke a fourth-inning tie with his first homer since joining the Red Sox, and Boston assured itself of the wild-card lead at least through the end of the weekend. "As tough as the last 10 days have been, playing in this atmosphere -- this is why they work all winter," Francona said. "This is exciting. I was as nervous as can be." Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 30th save -- his first since Aug. 18 -- striking out Evan Longoria with a runner on second to end the game. But the best news might have been the performance of Daniel Bard, who rebounded after three straight losses to strike out three in a scoreless eighth. "I dont know what anybody else is saying, but hes Daniel Bard. I want him pitching the eighth every game I start for the rest of my career," Beckett said. "I dont know if thats going to happen, but Id like my chances." James Shields (15-11) lost for just the second time since July. Longoria homered for the second straight night, and Desmond Jennings had three hits for the Rays. Boston ace Jon Lester faces Jeff Niemann on Saturday. Beckett (13-5) left his Sept. 5 start with a sprained ankle and skipped his next turn in the rotation. He allowed three runs -- two earned -- on Friday night, giving up seven hits, an intentional walk and a hit batter while striking out seven. He fanned John Jaso with a runner on third to end the sixth -- a called strike that got Rays manager Joe Maddon ejected. "Were still in good position if we can get tomorrows and Sundays game. That still puts us in pretty good shape," Maddon said. "But it was made much more difficult tonight with the actions of the home plate umpire." In two previous starts against Tampa Bay this season, Beckett pitched 17 scoreless innings, allowing just a pair of infield singles. But he ran into trouble early on Friday when Jennings led off the game with a bunt single and took second on Becketts throwing error; two batters later, Longoria homered off the top of the Green Monster. The Red Sox tied it in the bottom half on RBI singles by Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz. The teams matched runs in the third before Aviles, who was acquired from the Kansas City Royals on July 30, sent one off the billboard behind the Monster Seats -- his first homer since joining the Red Sox. "He got a pitch he could reach and he whacked it," Francona said. "I dont care who hits them right now. It was nice seeing that ball leave the ballpark." Shields allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out four in seven innings. Longoria also saved a run in the field when he dove to his right to snare Pedroias liner and essentially landed on third base, doubling off Aviles to end the seventh. Notes: Game 3 of the four-game series is Saturday, with LHP Lester (15-7) facing RHP Niemann (10-7). It could be the only game in the series with a pitching matchup that favours Boston. Lester will be trying to atone for his last performance -- four innings pitched in a 9-1 loss to the Rays last Sunday. ... Beckett, who started his career with the Marlins, earned his 1,000th strikeout with the Red Sox when he fanned Ben Zobrist in the sixth. ... Maddon was ejected arguing a called third strike. Earlier, B.J. Upton argued a called third strike, and Maddon rushed out of the dugout to get between him and home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. ... An odd play in the top of the eighth: Johnny Damon was hit by a pitch, but the Red Sox appealed to third base umpire Bob Davidson, who said he swung at the pitch for strike three. ... The Red Sox allowed a season-high seven stolen bases, three by Damon and two by Jennings. ... The Rays struck out 15 times and went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. NFL Jerseys China . Davis was on crutches after suffering the injury during Montreals win over Saskatchewan on Saturday. In his first season with the Alouettes, Davis has 35 tackles and five sacks and leads the club with three interceptions. Cheap Jerseys . -- Matt Cassel is getting another chance to be the Chiefs starting quarterback. http://www.stitchedchina.com/ . JOHNS, N. Wholesale Jerseys China . -- Sweden, Scotland, Germany and the Czech Republic opened the Ford World Womens Curling Championship with wins Saturday. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . The match at Margaret Court Arena lasted 2 hours, 36 minutes and saw the Italian duo pull out a 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 victory over the powerful Americans, who were vying for their 14th Grand Slam doubles title together. Serena, who will play her singles quarterfinal against fellow American Sloane Stephens on Wednesday, had her serve broken to go down 4-5 in the third set, but the Williams broke right back to tie the match.TORONTO -- Add another accolade to UFC welterweight contender Rory (Ares) MacDonalds mixed martial arts career. The 23-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., who now trains out of Montreal, has earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. "It took me 9 years but today i finally received my blackbelt from my coach david lea of toshido mma," MacDonald tweeted. MacDonald (14-1) started his MMA studies undeer Lea at age 14 in Kelowna at the Toshido MMA gym. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping. He moved to Montreal after losing to Carlos (Natural Born Killer) Condit at UFC 115 in June 2010 in Vancouver. MacDonald, who now trains alongside welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at Montreals Tristar Gym, has won four fights since. The young Canadian is due to face Condit (28-6) again at UFC 158 in Montreal on March 16. ' ' '

PITTSBURGH -- Jonathan Sanchez didnt look like a guy ready to give the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen a needed night off after the St. Louis Cardinals touched him for two runs in the first inning on Tuesday. Instead, Mother Nature intervened. A massive thunderstorm hit at the end of the second inning with the Pirates leading 4-2, and the game was called after a delay of 1 hour, 24 minutes. No makeup date was immediately announced. The deluge wiped out a promising start for Pittsburghs offence but the Pirates could certainly use the break after the bullpen did yeomans work in relief of struggling starter James McDonald on Monday night. The right-hander gave up eight runs -- three earned -- in a 10-6 loss but insisted hes not injured. The struggling McDonald understands his velocity is down but doesnt believe it is injury-related. His fastball -- which can top out at 94 mph -- rarely ticked about 90 mph against the Cardinals. He isnt panicking, pointing to similar issues early in the 2012 season. "It was just one of those times you dont feel too well," McDonald said on Tuesday. "Its just one of those times where your body feels beat up." McDonald fell to 1-2 as his ERA rose to 5.27. While there may be some mechanical issues at work he believes hes also just trying to get into the rhythm of the season. The ball doesnt feel quite right leaving his hand but he thinks he can still get hitters out. "You dont have your good stuff every single time," he said. "You have to battle through it." Manager Clint Hurdle allowed McDonalds problems are "perplexing" but he doesnt plan on pulling McDonald from his next scheduled start on Saturday against Atlanta. "At this time, I dont have any information to lead me in that direction," Hurdle said. Tuesday nights cancellation could give the Pirates some flexibility. Sanchez -- who came in with a 12.96 ERA -- allowed two runs in the first inning but retired the side in order in the second. Matt Holliday had an RBI single for St. Louis. Garrett Jones, Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez all had RBI singles for Pittsburgh. None of it will count, however, and the game will be replayed in its entirety. The rainout allows Pittsburghs depleted bullpen to get a needed day of rest. The Pirates called up reliever Vin Mazzaro from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday for some help after long relievers Justin Wilson and Bryan Morris worked a combined 6 1-3 innings in relief of McDonald. Hurdle hoped Sanchez -- who made the team out of spring training as a non-roster invitee -- would be able work deep enough to get to the setup guys. It hasnt been the best start to the season for the left-hander. He was roughed up by Arizona in his previous start, allowing nine runs in 3 1-3 innings. It looked like more of the same in the first inning Tuesday. Sanchez walked Cardinals spring training star Shane Robinson on four pitches to start the game. Carlos Beltran followed with a single two pitches later and Holliday dumped Sanchezs next offering into centre, bringing home Robinson. Allen Craig lined out to shortstop Clint Barmes, but the typically solid Barmes made his second error in as many days when his attempt to double off Beltran at second ended up in right field. Beltran moved to third and then scored on Yadier Molinas grounder to first. Pittsburgh, however, had little trouble getting to St. Louis starter Jake Westbrook. The veteran righthander has allowed zero earned runs in 15 2-3 innings this season but is 1-7 with a 5.28 ERA against the Pirates during his career. Jose Tabata singled with one out, the first of five straight singles by the Pirates. A rare gaffe by the St. Louis defence helped. With runners on first and third and one out, Russell Martin hit a chopper back to the mound and Westbrook threw to second to try and start a double play. Second baseman Matt Carpenter was late covering and was charged with an error when the ball sailed into centre as Walker scored. Both pitchers settled down in the second before the rain starting falling. NOTES: Pittsburgh RHP Charlie Morton is expected to make a start at extended spring training on Thursday. Morton is recovering from Tommy John surgery. ... The series wraps up Wednesday when Pittsburgh RHP A.J. Burnett (0-2, 3.71 ERA) faces Shelby Miller (2-0, 1.46). ... Before the game, the Pirates held a moment of silence for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Wholesale Jerseys . The victory puts Juventus two points clear of AC Milan, which won 3-2 at Roma earlier. Napoli lost 2-1 at Catania. Mirko Vucinic gave Juventus the lead before Maicon levelled. Wholesale Hockey Jerseys . Goalkeeper Joe Cannon is worried some players might have already quit for the season. A frustrated Cannon questioned the commitment of some of his teammates Sunday after Vancouver lost 1-0 to the Portland Timbers to spoil the Whitecaps first game at the newly refurbished BC Place Stadium. http://www.wholesalesportsjerseysshop.com/ . Owens was released by the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, part of the league-mandated roster reductions from 90 to 75 players. Jerseys China Cheap . Hopefully a better performance compared to the Raptors showing in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . 4 Connecticuts nation-leading, 16-game win streak with a 68-63 comeback victory in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis. LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant truly realized his life had changed when he had to meet with the officials in the customary pregame captains meeting. Derek Fisher, Bryants co-captain and longtime Lakers teammate, always handled those duties before he was traded to Houston a day ago. Kobe shook off the hurt and disappointment of his close friends departure to keep Los Angeles rolling through upheaval. Bryant scored 28 points, Ramon Sessions had seven points and five assists as a reserve in his Los Angeles debut, and the Lakers beat Minnesota 97-92 Friday night for their 19th consecutive victory over the Timberwolves. Matt Barnes scored 17 points, Pau Gasol added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Andrew Bynum had 15 points and 14 rebounds in the Lakers fifth straight win overall -- and their first game since early 2007 without Fisher in their starting lineup. The 37-year-old point guard was shipped out of town along with fellow veterans Luke Walton and Jason Kapono. Fishers fellow five-time NBA champion still hasnt adjusted, even after a business-as-usual win over Minnesota. "Very difficult. Im not used to it," Bryant said. "Ive been with him pretty much my entire career ... so its very different for me. Its pretty weird." Sessions arrived from Cleveland to replace Fisher along with promoted starter Steve Blake, who went scoreless with six assists in 29 minutes. Sessions made an immediate impression with three quick layups and several sharp passes, showing off the quickness and athleticism Fisher couldnt match. Bryant took charge as usual, hitting five 3-pointers and scoring 17 points in the second half while suppressing any displeasure with the loss of Fisher, his teammate for 13 of their 16 NBA seasons. "I texted him yesterday, and we had a laugh about it, because he knows how I am," said Bryant, who had spoken to Fisher several times in the previous 24 hours. "We just talked about the good times, and what a fun time it was to go to battle together. Thats about as sentimental as Im going to get." Los Angeles never trailed for just the second time all season, nursing a small lead throughout the fourth quarter and winning at home for the 19th time in 20 games since Christmas. The Lakers 19 straight wins over the Timberwolves comprise the longest active streak for one NBA team against one opponent. The rest of the Lakers must adjust to Fishers absence as well. Gasol, the subject of innumerable trade rumours since he was nearly shipped out in a preseason three-team deal for Chris Paul, took over Fishers co-captain role. "It was a big load off my shoulders&qquot; to pass the trade deadline, Gasol said.dddddddddddd "It was exhausting to have to deal with for two, three months pretty much on a daily basis." Kevin Love had 27 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have lost four of five while dropping below .500 (22-23) in a skid that began with the Lakers 105-102 win in Minneapolis a week ago. "We know theyre great at home," said Love, who has never beaten the Lakers in his four NBA seasons since leaving UCLA. "Weve had our troubles with them for years now. We put up a decent fight, but we just didnt have enough intensity." Nikola Pekovic had 20 points and 12 rebounds while engaging in a lively clash under both baskets with Bynum, but Minnesota dropped to 1-2 on its seven-game road trip despite outrebounding the Lakers 55-47. Minnesota coach Rick Adelman didnt care about the Lakers upheaval while worrying about his own clubs slump. "We have to have more urgency as a group," Adelman said. "You cant talk about it. You have to do it. We have to go out in the last four games on this road trip and make a statement." The Lakers improved to 8-2 in a tough 17-day stretch since the All-Star break, increasing their Pacific Division lead over the Clippers to three games. Blake got no particular cheers and missed two early shots after he was announced as the Lakers first new starting point guard in 372 regular-season games, but Sessions got a quick start on winning over any Lakers fans who might not have liked the Lakers deadline moves. After getting a warm ovation when he checked in, Sessions immediately darted into the lane and scored just 13 seconds into his Lakers tenure. Along with his three driving layups, Sessions athleticism was impressive to Staples Center fans who had grown used to watching Fisher getting beaten off the dribble by younger point guards. "When youve got talent like we have in this locker room, its a lot easier," Sessions said. "Im looking forward to getting to know the guys a little bit more and learning the plays." Sessions finished the first half with six points, two assists and two rebounds in 10 minutes. NOTES: Love missed both of the Timberwolves first two meetings with the Lakers over the previous 16 days with ailments. ... The Lakers win streak against Minnesota is their longest against one opponent since beating Dallas 19 straight times from 1995-99. The club record is 24 straight wins over the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings from 1983-88. ... Fans near courtside included David Hasselhoff, directors Peter Berg and Adam McKay, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. ' ' '