The Original Game » h two outs in the seventh before Gregory

CHICAGO -- On most days, Kris Bryants three solid plays at third base would have covered the defensive highlights for the Chicago Cubs. Cheap China Jerseys .This time, Bryant had to settle for a perfect view of Addison Russells sliding grab in the seventh inning.I had a front-row seat and that was one of the best catches Ive seen, Bryant said.Bryant hit his 36th homer and Russell drove in two runs to help the Cubs to a 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, completing a series sweep. But it was the defense by the left side of Chicagos All-Star infield that stole the show.Andrew McCutchens bases-loaded walk trimmed Chicagos lead to 5-2 with two outs in the seventh before Gregory Polanco hit a flare down the third-base line that looked like trouble for the Cubs.Russell sprinted over from shortstop and made a terrific catch near the home bullpen, drawing a huge ovation from the crowd of 38,137 at Wrigley Field and several swear words from his incredulous teammates.It was an awesome moment for us, Russell said.And a downer for the Pirates (67-64), who closed out a 4-3 trip that began with a sweep in Milwaukee. They trails the Cardinals by 2 1/2 games for the second NL wild card.The play by Russell down the line was fantastic, Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. If that ball gets in the corner you get a couple more runs.Jason Hammel pitched six innings of one-run ball as Chicago equaled the best August in franchise history with a 22-6 record, also accomplished in 1932. It was the Cubs first time with 22 wins in a month since it went 22-10 in September 1945.Heading into the final stretch of the season, the Cubs (85-47) are rapidly closing in on their first division title since 2008. They begin September with the majors best record at a season-high 38 games over .500 and a whopping 15-game lead over second-place St. Louis in the NL Central.You never even could imagine that you would have this kind of a lead at this particular point in the season, manager Joe Maddon said.Hammel (14-7) allowed three hits and struck out six in his first start since he was pulled in the third inning of a 3-2 loss at the Dodgers on Saturday, prompting the frustrated right-hander to meet with Maddon to discuss what he felt was a quick hook by the manager.Jordy Mercer had two hits and two RBI for Pittsburgh, which dropped to 3-12 against Chicago this year. Josh Harrison had two hits and drove in a run.Pitching for the third straight day, Aroldis Chapman worked a rocky ninth inning for his 32nd save in 35 chances. He threw three wild pitches and yielded Francisco Cervellis two-out RBI single before striking out Mercer with two on with his 11th pitch of the at-bat.I wasnt going down without a fight, thats for sure, Mercer said. What do you got to lose, right? He throws the hardest ball ever, so just battle and hope for the best.Bryant went 2 for 4 and reached base three times while extending his hitting streak to 13 games. The second-year slugger is tied with Colorados Nolan Arenado for the NL lead in homers and tops the majors with 111 runs scored.A brisk wind blowing in from left field was no match for Bryant, who drove an 0-1 pitch from Ryan Vogelsong (3-4) into the bleachers in left in the first. It was Bryants 10th homer in August.Bryant made a diving grab to rob Sean Rodriguez of an RBI single in the second. He went behind the bag to take a hit away from Harrison in the third and reached into the stands to retire Josh Bell on a foul popup in the fourth.He just plays well wherever you put him on defense, Maddon said. Hes just a good baseball player.WORTH NOTINGThe Pirates traded LHP Kyle Lobstein to the Baltimore Orioles for LHP Zach Phillips. The 29-year-old Phillips was 9-3 with one save and a 4.45 ERA in 49 appearances for Triple-A Norfolk this season. He will be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: RHP Joe Smith (left hamstring strain) and OF Chris Coghlan (right rib contusion) likely will be activated from the DL when major league rosters expand on Thursday.UP NEXTPirates: Following a day off, the Pirates begin a 10-game homestand with a weekend series against the Brewers. RHP Jameson Taillon (3-3, 3.39 ERA) takes on Milwaukee RHP Junior Guerra (7-3, 2.93 ERA) in the opener on Friday night.Cubs: LHP Mike Montgomery (1-1, 3.50 ERA) gets the ball when Chicago hosts San Francisco in the opener of a four-game set on Thursday night. RHP Jeff Samardzija (11-9, 4.50 ERA), who played for the Cubs for seven years, pitches for the Giants.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Jerseys From China . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Cheap NHL Jerseys .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. http://www.buycheapjerseysauthentic.com/ . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- On Monday, NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus appeared at the San Francisco 49ers second training camp practice. Afterward, he and client NaVorro Bowman, the teams star linebacker, were seen walking upstairs to the offices that rise above the practice fields.By Wednesday night, Bowman and the 49ers had agreed to a four-year contract extension, which will be added to the three years Bowman had remaining on his previous contract. Sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that the four-year extension is worth $44 million, including $20 million guaranteed.Bowmans new-look pact takes him through the 2022 season and solidifies his standing as a franchise centerpiece for coach Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke.At 28, Bowman is coming off a bounce-back 2015 season in which he overcame a devastating knee injury, which cost him the entire 2014 season, and earned his fourth first-team All-Pro honors. By his own admission, Bowman wasnt at full strength in 2015, but he managed to lead the NFL in tackles, with 154 to go with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.Entering this season, Bowman made it clear that he feels stronger and ready to prove he has plenty of good football ahead of him.Im not too worried about the knee, Bowman said. The knee feels great, but Im still staying on it so that anything that comes up that would hold me back wont come up.Im just excited to have another year to go out and improve on the year that I had last yyear, just to prove the doubters wrong and get back to the level that I was at and get the respect that I deserve. Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys. Given the three years left on Bowmans contract, this deal is a rarity, but the 49ers have been adamant about wanting to spend some of their nearly $50 million in cap space to retain some of their key pieces. Bowman obviously fits that description.In 2012, the 49ers signed Bowman to a contract extension that was set to take him through the 2018 season. He had three years and $23.55 million remaining on that deal.Although the 49ers are only three practices into this years camp, defensive coordinator Jim ONeil said he can already see a little extra bounce in Bowmans step. That Bowman serves as one of the primary leaders on a young team only makes his continued presence more valuable.I thought last year, towards the end of the year, he was kind of back to what he was pre-injury, ONeil said. But NaVorros been great. I think hes really started to step into that leadership role, and theres a lot of guys in the NFL who are lead-by-example guys. I think NaVorro has kind of taken that next step, and hes a follow-me-or-else guy, which are the kind of leaders you need to have to have a great unit in this league.With a new deal in place, the 49ers could have their leader around for seven more seasons. NFL Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Hoodies Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Discount Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2019 Camo China NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Discount Jerseys ' ' '