n Mitchell was plucked in the first round but his loss wont be felt as much nationals Alexander Krausnick, a centre,

PITTSBURGH -- Neil Walker wasnt expecting to have a big offensive game Friday night, especially with Michael Wacha pitching for the St. Milwaukee Bucks Shirts . Louis Cardinals. The last time Wacha started at PNC Park was in the Game 4 of last years National League Division Series and he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in beating the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yet the hot-hitting Walker had three hits, including a go-ahead three-run home run in the seventh inning, and drove in four runs to help the Pirates beat the Cardinals 6-4. "Wacha is so good, as we found out last year," said Walker, who has reached base in 22 of his last 40 plate appearances. "He throws hard and youve got to shorten up your swing and put the ball in play. Thats the best way to approach him because youre usually not going to do too much against him." While Walkers first two hits were against Wacha, his seventh homer came off Carlos Martinez (0-2) and rallied the Pirates from a 4-3 deficit for their third straight victory. Jordy Mercer and pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez led off the inning with singles and were bunted up a base by Jose Tabata before Walker hit a drive into the right-field stands. "Martinez is as tough as Wacha, but he hung a slider and I was able to put a good swing on it," Walker said. "I was surprised. The guy has such great stuff that youre not thinking that youre going to hit a home run in that situation. It was huge." Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said it didnt appear that Martinez got the home run pitch "where he wanted it." Mercer had three of the Pirates 12 hits, while Ike Davis, who hit a two-run double in the first inning to open the scoring, and Tabata had two hits apiece. Pittsburgh beat St. Louis for the 10th time in 13 games at home. Mercers performance was a welcome development for the Pirates and their shortstop, who is hitting just .187. "Ive been putting in a lot of time in the batting cage, trying to figure things out and its nice to have some results because I feel confident now when I step in the batters box," Mercer said. "Confidence is such a big part of hitting." St. Louis had gone ahead earlier in the seventh on Jhonny Peraltas solo home run, his eighth. Allen Craigs three-run home run, his fourth, accounted for the Cardinals other runs. Peralta and Craig had two hits apiece in the Cardinals second loss in five games. Justin Wilson (1-0) struck out the only batter he faced, Matt Adams, to end the top of the seventh. Mark Melancon, filling as the closer for injured Jason Grilli, pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save. Both starting pitchers worked five innings and had uneven performances. Pittsburghs Francisco Liriano allowed three runs, five hits and four walks while striking out five, while Wacha gave up three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Liriano has gone a career-long 11 regular-season starts without a win since beating the Texas Rangers last Sept. 10. Wacha is winless in his last five starts. NOTES: The game was delayed 25 minutes in the top of the fourth inning because of rain. . Pirates OF Travis Sniders appeal of his two-game suspension for his actions in an April 20 brawl were upheld and he began serving his penalty Friday night. . The Cardinals recalled OF Joey Butler from Triple-A Memphis and optioned OF Randal Grichuk to the same club. . Pittsburgh recalled INF Brent Morel from Triple-A Indianapolis. They had optioned RHP Phil Irwin to Indianapolis on Thursday. . Grilli threw from the top of the mound Friday for the first time since April 21 when the closer went on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. . Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn (4-1, 3.51) will start Saturday night against RHP Edinson Volquez (1-3, 4.19). Greg Monroe Jersey . 1 goaltender tonight when they conclude a four-game road trip versus the Winnipeg Jets. Dave Cowens Jersey . -- The defending Canadian womens curling champions squandered an opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the standings Tuesday at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/ . - Aroldis Chapman, with two black eyes, has returned to the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse four days after being hit in the face by a line drive.Out of the disaster that was last season for the Edmonton Eskimos, the team accomplished perhaps the most important task of a rebuilding squad. A 4-14 record (last in the West Division) with a seventh ranked offence in terms of points scored and sixth-ranked defence wasnt pretty. Nor was the contract extension given to Kavis Reed early in the year. But few expected the Eskimos to truly compete in the tough West Division and figured 2013, the first of the Ed Hervey era, would be a rebuilding year. The main goal Eskimos fans hoped would be accomplished was, the team found what looks to be their quarterback of the future in Mike Reilly. Edmonton procured Reilly after a three-year apprenticeship in BC under one of the best QBs in the game Travis Lulay. In his first year as a full-time starter Reilly impressed with 4,207 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to 18 interceptions while missing some game action due to a late-season concussion. Buoyed somewhat by injuries around the league, Reilly was second in the league in passing and when you add his impressive 709 yards on the ground, was only 300 yards behind league-leader Henry Burris for most combined yards. The 29-year-old also proved to have the heart of a champion, a quality surely revered by the City of Champions. Reillys gutsy play made him a quick fan favourite but there is a disadvantage to his full speed, caution to the wind playing style as well. Buck Pierce was loved and respected two provinces over for his gutsy efforts the past several years. He also spent a sizable amount of time on the injured list before the Winnipeg Blue Bombers decided it best to move on from the courageous quarterback. Reilly would do well to find a nice balance between winning at all costs and career longevity, something the Eskimos are likely preaching to him as well. With the QB position solidified, the Eskimos attacked another major deficiency in landing a promising head coach in the off-season. Chris Jones learned the CFL craft with the Montreal Alouettes, picking up a Grey Cup ring in the process, before expanding his role with the Calgary Stampeders and earning another championshiip. Milwaukee Bucks Store. He was a hot commodity when he jumped ship to the Toronto Argonauts, helping the team win the historic 100th Grey Cup, the third of his career. Jones is a proven winner and a coach that will demand results; he brings a much different style to the table than that of his predecessor, Reeds. Albeit big ones, Jones and Reilly are just two pieces of the puzzle. And the Eskimos need to get better filling the many holes they still have on the roster. The objective now may be to speed up the process. Eskimo fans will have to learn a lot more patience if the team is only checking off one item per year on the “to-do” list. That said, the Lions, Calgary Stampeders, and Saskatchewan Roughriders all figure to field contenders once again in 2014. Edmonton should be afforded at least one more year of rebuilding. With Reilly in tow at quarterback and Jones looking promising at head coach, the Eskimos can focus on building a more complete roster top to bottom. Notes Expansion Draft The Eskimos lost a trio of promising young players in the expansion draft to Ottawa. International receiver Carlton Mitchell was plucked in the first round but his loss wont be felt as much nationals Alexander Krausnick, a centre, and Justin Capiciotti, a defensive lineman. Free Agency Edmonton remains in rebuilding mode and added a couple nice pieces to their roster during free agency. The biggest chip was cornerback Patrick Watkins, who followed his defensive coordinator Chris Jones out west. Edmonton also nabbed some offensive linemen in Justin Sorensen and Andrew Jones, and national receiver Akeem Foster. CFL Draft The Eskimos had the fewest picks in the draft with just five and were one of three teams to not take a single offensive lineman. Instead, they targeted the skill positions in grabbing WR Devon Bailey from St. Francis Xavier in the first round and RB Aaron Milton from Toronto in the second round. The teams final three picks included DB Raye Hartmann from St. Francis Xavier in the fourth round, K/P Zackary Medeiros from Montreal in the sixth round, and DL Michael Dadzie from Regina in the seventh round. ' ' '