Pirate Galaxy » ort shielded their eyes instead of pulling out bin

CHICAGO -- The San Francisco Giants likely need a better performance from right-hander Johnny Cueto than they got in his last outing if theyre going to split a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.Cueto, a two-time All-Star, allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings on Tuesday in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in his shortest outing of the season for theGiants. He is 14-5 with a 2.98 ERA this year and 9-8 with a 3.34 ERA in 23 career starts against Chicago.I think the pitches caught up with him, Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters after that game. His command was a little off, he started missing his spots. It just got away from him.The Cubs (87-48), who lead the National League Central and own the best record in the majors, won the first two games of the series, 5-4 on Thursday and 2-1 on Friday. The Giants held off the Cubs 3-2 on Saturday behind Madison Bumgarners 10-strikeout performance.The victory in a playoff-like atmosphere in front of 41,250 fans boosted the Giants spirits. Theyre just 16-29 since the All-Star break.Its a tough group, Bochy said. Despite what happens, I really like the way theyre coming out and staying focused. Theyve had their backs to the wall and been through difficult times. But theyre going to keep fighting. Sure, weve had some issues in the second half, but its all about going out there every day with the same effort.The Giants (73-62) lead the National League wild-card standings but have won just five of their last 13.It was one we definitely wanted and needed, Giants catcher Buster Posey said about Saturdays win. It was good to score some runs off (Jake) Arrieta and then for our bullpen to hold the lead the last three innings.On Sunday, Cubs right-hander John Lackey (9-7, 3.41 ERA) is expected to make his first start since he went on the disabled list Aug. 15 with a right shoulder strain. He allowed an unearned run in 6 2/3 innings on Aug. 14 against the St. Louis Cardinals before he exited with the injury in his last start. He is 6-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 13 home starts.Lackey is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in two regular-season career games against the Giants.Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right fielder Jason Heyward were out of the starting lineup Saturday against left-hander Bumgarner but are expected back Sunday against Cueto.Veteran reliever Joe Nathan could soon make his first appearance for the Giants, who drafted him in 1995 and purchased his contract fromDouble-A Richmond on Saturday. The Giants signed the 41-year-old as a free agent on Aug. 16 after the Cubs released him on Aug. 8. Nathan previously pitched for the Giants from 1999 to 2003 before he and left-hander Francisco Liriano were traded to the Minnesota Twins for catcher A.J. Pierzynski and cash in 2003.It made everything a lot more comfortable, a lot easier to come back here, a little less to have to kind of prove myself, Nathan said of returning to the Giants.Nathan went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three games with the Cubs.At that time, we just couldnt fit everybody in, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. He had one really good game up in Milwaukee where we got a couple guys on and he struck out the side. His pitches got up to the low 90s (mph) with some really good break.China Jerseys Authentic . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. China Jerseys Outlet . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. http://www.chinajerseyspaypal.com/ . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. China Jerseys Paypal . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. China Jerseys For Sale . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Russia will walk into the Rio Summer Games opening ceremonies Friday, a tad depleted but still nearly 300 strong, in its accustomed place: late in alphabetical order and high in geopolitical influence.Russian whistleblowers Yuliya and Vitaly Stepanov will watch from their temporary home in the United States.That split-screen visual has felt preordained for months now. It is the embodiment of the near-complete undermining of an 18-year effort to harmonize performance-enhancing drug regulations across borders and continents.The evidence of state-sponsored doping across all Russian sport gathered in two separate World Anti-Doping Agency investigations over the last nine months is compelling and detailed. While time constraints kept the latest chapter from being exhaustive, it should have been enough to sideline the delegation.The entire Russian team in Rio represents an exception to the rules hammered out since WADA was born. Or rather, a rewriting of the rules that has taken place in a matter of weeks. The solution to the eligibility question was jammed through an ad hoc quasi-legal pipeline created for one purpose: to make sure as many Russian athletes as possible received the benefit of the doubt, a benefit many thought should be forfeited.International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach spoke of justice and individual rights at a packed media briefing Thursday. He says he has a clean conscience. For me, the guiding principle was, after this decision, you have to be able to look into the eyes of all the athletes, he said. During my visits to the Olympic Village, I have been looking into the eyes of many athletes.If thats the case, its hard to imagine he didnt see a lot of disappointment staring back.So much information, so little time to process it. Such a shame. We must protect the innocent. That has been the drumbeat from IOC officials up to and including Bach.The absurdly conflicted entities responsible for safeguarding clean sport shielded their eyes instead of pulling out binoculars, starting in 2010 when Russian Anti-Doping Agency employee Vitaly Stepanov began corresponding with WADA. Because WADA -- twice -- didnt act until its hand was forced by investigative journalists. Because it was in the IOC leaderships interest to make that timeframe as compressed as possible, to avoid a major doping scandal on the eve of the Rio Games.They almost succeeded.The normally genteel world of Olympic governance has seen an extraordinary bloodletting over the past few days. The IOC has turned on WADA, correctly accusing the agency it created of foot-dragging, while conveniently neglecting the fact that their interests are deeply intertwined.WADAs former chief investigator, former U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency special agent Jack Robertson, eviscerated WADA for a lack of interest in pursuing the truth, and similarly castigate