PITTSBURGH -- Pinch-runner Josh Harrison stood on second base in the bottom of the eighth inning and pointed to Pittsburgh Pirates third base coach Nick Leyva. [url=https://www.cheapmlbjerseysjustwholesale.com/]MLB Jerseys[/url] . "I told him to get that arm ready, because Im coming," Harri

PITTSBURGH -- Pinch-runner Josh Harrison stood on second base in the bottom of the eighth inning and pointed to Pittsburgh Pirates third base coach Nick Leyva. MLB Jerseys . "I told him to get that arm ready, because Im coming," Harrison said. Moments later, Harrison was streaking across home plate to give the Pirates the lead. Minutes after that, the Jolly Roger thats been a fixture on the Pittsburgh skyline all summer climbed up the flagpole again. Harrison scored on Pedro Alvarezs tiebreaking single Sunday, sending the Pirates to a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals that staked Pittsburgh to a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five NL division series. Russell Martin followed with a sharp RBI single against reliever Kevin Siegrist, who took over after Carlos Martinez (0-1) faltered. The go-ahead single was the latest big hit by Alvarez. He homered in the first two games against St. Louis and is 4 for 10 with four RBIs in the series. Alvarez also kept the Pirates famous flag flying high in October. "Raise the Jolly Roger!" is the rallying cry for this wild-card team, now one victory from its first post-season series win since Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and the "We Are Family" gang won it all in 1979. "Were continuing to surprise a lot of people, I believe. Were continuing to show people that were not done, that were not just happy to be in the post-season," star centre fielder Andrew McCutchen said. "Were fighting to win a World Series." Heady territory for a franchise that had endured a record 20 consecutive years of losing coming into this season. Six months later, the Pirates are on the cusp of knocking out baseball royalty. Mark Melancon (1-0) picked up the win despite allowing Carlos Beltrans tying home run in the top of the eighth. Jason Grilli worked the ninth for a save. Charlie Morton is set to start for Pittsburgh in Game 4 on Monday against rookie Michael Wacha. Beltran finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs. His 16th playoff home run moved him past Babe Ruth for eighth place in post-season history. "Its a must-win tomorrow for us," Beltran said. "Hopefully we can come here tomorrow, take care of business, win and go play the last game at home." Beltrans shot temporarily silenced a rocking crowd at PNC Park. It also set the stage for another dramatic win by the Pirates. McCutchen led off the eighth with his second hit, a double to left. But the NL MVP candidate unwisely tried to advance on Justin Morneaus grounder to shortstop and was an easy out at third. Harrison ran for Morneau and moved up when Marlon Byrd walked. St. Louis manager Mike Matheny turned to a lefty in Siegrist to face the left-handed Alvarez. The Pittsburgh slugger tied for the NL lead with 36 homers during the regular season, but hit just .180 against lefties. "I just knew it was going to be a tough matchup," Alvarez said. "Ive seen him a couple of times before. I havent had much success. Hes a pitcher with good stuff -- great stuff. He threw me a couple of fastballs out over the plate." One too many, as it turned out, and Alvarez singled between first and second. Martin then fouled off a squeeze bunt before lining a hit to left that gave Grilli more than enough cushion. The game was a rare nail-biter between two clubs that spent the summer shadowing each other in the race for the NL Central title. Coming into Sunday, only five of the previous 21 matchups between the two were decided by two runs or less. After blowouts by each club in St. Louis, there wasnt much room to breathe in front of a frenzied, black-clad crowd looking for a repeat of Pittsburghs giddy 6-2 romp over Cincinnati in the wild-card game last Tuesday. Martins sacrifice fly off reliever Seth Maness in the sixth gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead and turned the game over to Pittsburghs "Shark Tank" bullpen, one of the keys to the franchises first winning season and playoff berth in a generation. Tony Watson worked around a one-out single in the seventh before giving way to Melancon. The Cardinals must win two straight to advance to the NL championship series for the third straight year. "Weve been in this situation," Beltran said. "Last year, I think we were in this situation a lot. So I think were fine, man. We want to come here tomorrow, we want to win and hopefully take this series home." Pirates starter Francisco Liriano dominated the Cardinals during the regular season, going 3-0 with an 0.75 ERA in three starts against the NLs highest-scoring team. He was electric against the Reds last Tuesday, shaking off a sinus infection and baffling them with a series of changeups and sliders that ended Cincinnatis season and manager Dusty Bakers tenure. Liriano narrowly escaped damage in the third Sunday when Matt Holliday lined to right with the bases loaded. The left-hander wasnt quite as fortunate in the fifth. Jon Jay led off with a single and Pete Kozma followed with a walk. After pitcher Joe Kelly struck out trying to bunt, a double steal set up Beltrans two-run single. At 2-all, the Cardinals had matched their entire output against Liriano in their previous 28 innings. Liriano was matched nearly pitch for pitch by the unflappable Kelly. The 25-year-old right-hander has been rock-steady all season, even as he moved from middle reliever to starter in July. Kelly welcomed the hostile environment, calling the sea of black-clad fans that awaited him one of the things a kid dreams about. The reality proved a little more unnerving, at least when Byrd hit a two-run single in the first. The well-travelled outfielder -- who played in 1,250 regular-season games before reaching the playoffs for the first time -- has been a welcome jolt both in the lineup and in the clubhouse for the Pirates. "Just having a heck of a time," Byrd said. NOTES: Grilli worked around a leadoff single in the ninth. ... McCutchen is batting .538 (7 for 13) and has an on-base percentage of .684 in the playoffs. His five walks rank first in the league this post-season. ... Beltrans home run was the first by the Cardinals in 10 games at PNC Park this year. Authentic MLB Jerseys . Cabrera is hitting .218 with three homers and 16 RBI in 80 games this season. The Padres recalled second baseman Brooks Conrad from Triple-A El Paso to replace Cabrera on the roster. Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys .C. - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick headlines this years electees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. https://www.cheapmlbjerseysjustwholesale.com/soccer-jerseys-2020.html . First-half goals by Will Bruin and Oscar Boniek Garcia sucked the life out of the Impact as the Houston Dynamo bounced them from Major League Soccers post-season with a 3-0 victory on Thursday.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte Hornets rookie guard P.J. Hairston is scheduled to appear in Durham County Court next month on misdemeanour charges of assault and battery following an altercation at a pickup basketball game on Sunday. Paul Sherwin, the public information officer for the Durham County Sheriffs Office, said Hairston, 21, was issued a summons on Monday but will not be arrested. Hairston practiced with the Hornets on Monday, but did not talk to the media. He issued a statement through the team apologizing to the organization and its fans for "creating a distraction." "As this is now a legal matter, I cannot comment on the situation any further," Hairston said. "I am truly sorry for any embarrassment that I have caused." The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Hairstons court date is Aug. 8. "If two people get into a fight in North Carolina and there is no serious injury and is not witnessed by an officer, our hands are tied," Sherwin said. "We dont charge people in (unwitnessed) fistfights. They have to file a report with the magistrate office." Kentrell Barkley, a 6-5, 190-pound 17-year-old senior at North Durham High School, said in court documents Hairston "punched him twice in the head" during a heated basketball game at the Durham YMCA. Barkleys guardian Rich Phillips told The Associated Press that Barkley has a knot on his forehead from one punch. He said Barkley was also punched in the neck. Phillips said he has not hired an attorney and the incident isnt about money. "This is about doing the right thing and Kentrell feeling like he was violated," Phillips said. Hairston "did this kid wrong. Kentrell is 17 years old and what happened just isnt right." Phillips son, Vince, said he was at the Durham YMCA shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday when the game began to get heated. He said Hairston became annoyed after his teamm had lost several games in a row to Barkleys team. Nike Baseball Jerseys. Vince Phillips said Hairston dribbled down the court with his left hand and punched Barkley with his other in the head before driving to the basket. "Thats when KB came up to him and said, Whatd you do that for?" Phillips said. "Then P.J. cocks his arm back and hits KB in the neck." The two were quickly separated before Barkley could retaliate, according to Phillips. He said Hairston left the gymnasium before police arrived. Barkley, a regular at the Durham YMCA, agreed with his friends account of the story. "It took me by surprise," Barkley said. "It wasnt like me and P.J. had any beef with each other." Vince Phillips account of the incident differs from that of Hairstons agent Juan Morrow, who said late Sunday night there was a shoving match between the two players and Barkley "took a swing at P.J. and P.J. swung back." Earlier Monday Hairston said on Twitter, "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see." The Hornets released a statement late Sunday night saying they were aware of the situation and looking into the matter. Forrest Perry, the executive director of the Durham YMCA, declined to comment on the altercation "In an effort to respect the privacy of the parties involved." Hairston was North Carolinas leading scorer as a sophomore in 2013 but did not play last year. He missed the first 10 games while the school worked to resolve eligibility questions for receiving improper benefits. The school decided in December it would not seek reinstatement from the NCAA for Hairston, thus ending his college career. Hairston, the 26th overall pick in last months NBA draft, played last season for the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League. ___ AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard in Durham, North Carolina, contributed to this report. ' ' '