MERIDA, Venezuela -- Nicolas Otamendi saved Argentina from a huge embarrassment in World Cup qualifying, scoring in the 83rd minute Tuesday to salvage a 2-2 draw at last-place Venezuela.Venezuela almost snatched the victory in the 89th when Mikel Villanueva hit the post to the right of beaten Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero.Argentina played without Barcelona star Lionel Messi, who had a groin injury. Messi scored Argentinas only goal last week in the 1-0 win over Uruguay.Venezuela is the perennial doormat in South American football. It had only one point from its first seven matches in qualifying, and its the only team in the South American confederation to never have reached the World Cup finals.Argentina lost the World Cup final two years ago against Germany, and has been the losing finalist in the last two Copa America tournaments -- the South American championship.Juan Anor gave Venezuela a 1-0 lead in the 34th. Working on the right side, he fired a left-foot shot high into the far corner from 20 meters (yards). Josef Martinez made it 2-0 in the 52nd. Lucas Pratto scored for Argentina in the 57th in a match played in on-and-off rain.Argentina improved to 15 points in eight matches, and Venezuela has 2.---URUGUAY 4, PARAGUAY 0Uruguay took over leadership in South American qualifying, improving to 16 points with the convincinv win.Edinson Cavani scored in the 18th and 54th to lead the romp over Paraguay. Cristian Rodriguez added another in the 42nd and Luis Suarez scored on a penalty in first-half stoppage time.Paraguay stayed on 12 points.---CHILE 0, BOLIVIA 0Chile is winless in its last two matches. Chile has won the last two Copa America tournaments, beating Argentina each time on penalties in the final. Chile improved to 11 points and Bolivia moved up to 7.---BRAZIL 2, COLOMBIA 1Neymar scored the winner in the 74th minute, firing a perfect left-foot shot into the far corner behind Colombia keeper David Ospina.Miranda gave Brazil a 1-0 lead on a quick header in the 2nd. But Colombia equalized with an own-goal by Marquinhos in the 36th in a match played in the Amazon city of Manaus. Marquinhos leaped high and headed the ball in, jumping in the middle of a pack of Colombia players.Brazil improved to 15 points with its second straight win under new coach Tite. Colombia stayed on 13.---PERU 2, ECUADOR 1Midfielder Renato Tapia scored in the 78th minute to give Peru its first victory of the qualifying campaign.Christian Cueva put Peru ahead from the penalty spot in the 19th minute before Gabriel Achilier equalized in the 31st.Ecuadors Michael Arroyo was sent off in second-half stoppage time.Ecuador is fifth in the standings -- which would yield a playoff for a berth in Russia 2018 -- but does have a game in hand on the top four teams. Pee Wee Reese Dodgers Jersey . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. Andre Ethier Dodgers Jersey . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/805h-ramon-martinez-jersey-dodgers.html . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Kevin Brown Dodgers Jersey . JOHNS, N. Jackie Robinson Dodgers Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. SAN FRANCISCO -- Oh, Buster Posey knew all about how long he had gone without a home run.Yeah, Ive had a few reminders over the last week or two, Posey said with a chuckle.All that talk about the star catchers second-half power drought was answered with one mighty swing in a September game that mattered, and his two-run shot helped the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 Friday night in a matchup of playoff contenders.Posey drove in four runs and the Giants stayed four games back of the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, who won at Arizona. San Francisco maintained its one-game lead over the New York Mets for the leagues top wild card, moving three games up on the Cardinals in the wild-card standings.Left-hander Matt Moore (4-4) allowed two runs over five innings, struck out four and walked three while facing the Cardinals for the first time in his career. He won for the fourth time over five starts in his ninth outing since joining San Francisco in a trade with Tampa Bay.Posey was all smiles in the dugout after his fourth-inning drive, his first home run in 185 at-bats and exactly two months -- he last connected on July 16 at San Diego.It was a good feeling, he said.Posey also had a two-run single and followed up his four-hit game Thursday night with three more.It was great to just see him start smiling and laughing after he touched home plate, Brandon Belt said. Its kind of out of the ordinary with him. Hes pretty stone-faced most of the time. When you know what hes capable of doing and when hes had a stretch like hes had, its good to see.Belt hit a two-run double to highlight San Franciscos six-run third. Posey singled in a pair of runs that inning, when all the runs were unearned off rookie right-hander Luke Weaver (1-3).For the second straight day, Giants manager Bruce Bochy gave his team a late report time to the ballpark and the players went without batting practice. This time, it came on the heels of Thursdays 6-2 victory behind Johnny Cuetos five-hitter.A couple days off the field will serve them well, said Bochy, who is sticking with the same routine for Saturday nights game.It proved the right call again. After a demoralizing three-game sweep by San Diego earlier this week, San Francisco suddenly looks like a playoff team again. The Giants have had World Series-winning seasons in every even year this decade: 2010, `12 and `14.Weavers night was done after 2 2/3 innnings and he is winless in four starts since beating Oakland on Aug.dddddddddddd 26. He allowed five hits, struck out four and walked two.Yadier Molina drove in both runs for the Cardinals, including a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.We just have to play better, thats all there is to it, manager Mike Matheny said. The standings are the standings and we know what they are. You cant run from them, hide from them. The standings say were right there, so just keep playing the game. Thats all it is. Same as always.Denard Span hit eighth for the Giants again after his strong performance, with a two-run single among his two hits in that spot a night earlier.NINTH-INNING DELAYA fan ran on the field in the top of the ninth and a member of security who slid approaching the man had to be helped off the field with an injury.TRAINERS ROOMCardinals: OF Matt Holliday will face live pitching Saturday with the hope he still might return from a broken right thumb as St. Louis makes a playoff push. The slugger hasnt played since Aug. 11, when he was hit by a pitch in an 11-inning loss to the Cubs. He had surgery to insert a screw for the fracture. Id love to play but I cant do it at jeopardizing putting my finger in a bad situation, Holliday said. Its clearly not 100 percent. Its still fractured but theres a screw in there. Its more stable than it would be if I had not had the surgery. ... SS Aledmys Diaz returned to the lineup after being held out Thursday. He came off the disabled list Sunday after he had been sidelined since July 31 with a broken right thumb, and the medical staff and Matheny are being cautious to determine if Diaz can handle playing every day.Giants: The team activated OF Gregor Blanco from the 15-day disabled list after he missed 22 games with a right shoulder impingement. ... Bochy has been looking to rest Posey and will aim to give him a break in Sunday afternoons series finale following a night game Saturday.UP NEXTCardinals: RHP Mike Leake (9-10, 4.60 ERA), who spent the second half of last season with San Francisco, looks for his second win in seven starts since July 29.Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija (11-10, 4.07) seeks his first victory in four starts since Aug. 26. He is 4-4 with a 4.61 ERA in 20 career outings vs. St. Louis, losing to the Cardinals on June 4. ' ' '