News & Neuigkeiten » Bird and Catchings will join Teresa Edwar

ST. LOUIS -- Jedd Gyorko has gotten plenty of big hits during his second-half. He got the biggest hit of his career Saturday.Gyorko connected for a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, Matt Holliday provided another boost off the bench and the St. Louis Cardinals pushed the playoff race to the final day of the regular season, beating Pittsburgh 4-3.The Cardinals began the day one game behind San Francisco for the second NL wild-card spot. The Giants later hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers.Adam Wainwright is set to start Game No. 162 for St. Louis on Sunday against the Pirates. Either the Cardinals or Giants will play at the New York Mets on Wednesday night in the wild-card game.Gyorkos solo shot came on a 100-mph fastball from Felipe Rivero (1-6). Gyorko became the first Cardinals player to hit 30 homers in a season since Carlos Beltran in 2012.These are exciting games, no doubt about that. To be in a must-win situation, its fun to be out there, Gyorko said.Gyorko has a career high in home runs, with 23 of those coming after the All-Star break.Jedds been so impressive, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. I mean 30, thats without even being in there every single day.The home run came on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. Three pitches earlier, home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez called ball three on a pitch that the Pirates thought was strike three. Rivero had actually started to walk back to the dugout thinking the inning was over.I think he had strike three and sometimes they dont get called, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. I think that was the situation that happened.The Cardinals tied it with a three-run sixth, highlighted by Hollidays RBI pinch-hit single. Holliday had a pinch-homer on Friday night after the Cardinals said they wouldnt pick up his $17 million option.Holliday taking that at-bat right there. Im sure he could have hung his hat on that at-bat last night and I think it shows a lot of selflessness that he goes right back out there today, Cardinals reliever Trevor Rosenthal said.Kevin Siegrist (6-3) pitched a scoreless eighth. Seung Hwan Oh stranded runners at second and third for his 19th save in 22 opportunities.Rosenthal anchored what became a bullpen game for the Cardinals when starter Michael Wacha was pulled after one inning. Rosenthal, who started the season as the closer, pitched three scoreless innings in relief, striking out four while throwing a career-high 52 pitches.Jung Ho Kangs three-run homer in the first off Wacha was his sixth home run against the Cardinals this season. Kangs eight career homers and 21 RBI against St. Louis are his most against any team in the majors.Pirates starter Chad Kuhl struck out five and gave up two runs in five-plus innings.We had to have extra ordinary effort from our bullpen today and that was just impressive from beginning to end and all the way through, Matheny said. Just overall a great effort from the entire team.JUST MAKING SURECardinals SS Aledmys Diaz hit a ball in the bottom of the first to the same part of the left field wall where Yadier Molinas game-winning double went on Thursday. Originally called a ground-rule double, umpire crew chief Larry Vanover called for a review, which confirmed the call.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: Starling Marte (back) was out of the lineup and isnt expected to play in the season finale on Sunday.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (3-7, 5.00 ERA) is one strikeout away from No. 900 in his career. He is 3-7 with a 6.02 ERA in 23 career appearances (12 starts) against St. Louis.Cardinals: Wainwright (13-9, 4.67 ERA) has failed to make it through six innings in four of his last five starts, but he earned the win on four of them. He is 13-7 with a 4.26 ERA in 32 career appearances against Pittsburgh.Xherdan Shaqiri Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Adam Lallana Jersey . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. http://www.footballliverpoolstore.com/Women-Divock-Origi-Liverpool-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Dominic Solanke Jersey . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Kamil Grabara Liverpool Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season.No team has been more dominant at the Olympics over the past 20 years then the U.S. womens basketball team, winning five straight gold medals.Theyll try and keep that streak going in Rio.Training time is always our biggest challenge, said three-time gold medalist Sue Bird. When you get to the medal rounds its one and done, but we have a lot of experience in those games and look to continue our recent success.The Americans have won 41 consecutive Olympic contests dating back to the bronze medal game in 1992, winning by an average of nearly 30 points a game. With nine players, including Bird, Diana Taurasi and Tamika Catchings, returning from the London Games, the U.S. is a heavy favorite to win another gold medal.Olympic newcomers Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart will add a dynamic mix to the veteran core.The only potential thorn for the U.S. is lack of training time. While most other countries get to spend months together preparing, the U.S. has about two weeks before its first game. Although a lot of that time has been spent crisscrossing the country.Im hoping that they remember some of the stuff that we did last year at the World Championship and a couple years ago at the Olympics and maybe February at that little training camp that we had, U.S. coach Geno Auriemma said. Fortunately, theyre a lot of the same players that played. So we havent changed a whole lot. But theres not much time and theres not much that you can do to get ready. You just have to trust that theyre ... They never let you down. They always seem to respond when you need them to.The U.S. is in a difficult group with Serbia, China, Canada, Spain and Senegal.Obviously were in a tough group, Auriemma added. Because anytime you have the European champions like Serbia already in the group and Canada, the Americas champion, those are two really good teams. And then you add in China and Spain.Here are a few other things to watch for in womens basketball at the Olympics:A LITTLE REVENGEThe U.S. is also out for a little bit of revengge.ddddddddddddThe last time they played in Brazil at the 2006 World Championship, they lost to Russia in the semifinals. It was their only defeat in either the Olympics or worlds since 1992.I hadnt thought about that until you brought it up, Bird said laughing. The fans down there definitely know their basketball and like rooting against us. As the deficit against Russia grew, the cheers started getting louder for them.MEDAL CONTENDERSWhile the gold medal is most likely a foregone conclusion, the other two spots on the podium are up for grabs. France was the silver medalists in 2012 and Australia has won either a silver or bronze at every Olympics since 1996. Other candidates for a medal could be Serbia, which won the European championship, and Canada.SCHEDULE CHANGEThis year there will be a change in the competition structure. With the men and women playing in different arenas until the quarterfinal rounds, teams can play on consecutive days. The U.S. doesnt begin play until Sunday, Aug. 7 against Senegal. The Americans then play the next day against Spain. There will only be three or four games per day now instead of the six there used to be. Its the first time this format is being used since the 1984 Olympic in Los Angeles.GOLDEN GIRLSIf the U.S. does win another gold, Taurasi, Bird and Catchings will join Teresa Edwards and Lisa Leslie as the only basketball players to win four gold medals.SLAM DUNKAustralia center Liz Cambage became the first woman to dunk in the Olympics in London. Will the 6-foot-8 star have an encore in Brazil? Keep an eye on Brittney Griner, the odds are the 6-8 American will add her name to the list.IMPRESSIVE STREAKSOnly two other traditional team sports have longer consecutive gold medal streaks than the U.S. womens team. The American mens basketball team won seven consecutive golds from 1936-68. The India mens field hockey team won six in a row from 1928-56. ' ' '