FAQ » final four points of the quarter to give the Bucks a 25-18 l

MIAMI -- Boosted by a torrid stretch at the plate, the Pittsburgh Pirates have returned to .500 again. Judging by the hitting and pitching they got on Saturday, they could have a winning record soon. Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer and Jody Mercer also went deep, leading the Pirates to an 8-6 victory over the Miami Marlins. Josh Harrison and Chris Stewart had three hits apiece, and the Pirates finished with 18 overall in their sixth consecutive game in double digits. Touted rookie Gregory Polanco had two hits and two RBIs. "When you put people on base, you can do a lot," McCutchen said. "Getting on the board first definitely helps us. Weve got a lot of guys swinging the bat, basically from one to nine." The Pirates (34-34) have won four straight and five of six to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 8-8 following a victory over Milwaukee on April 17. "You believe in the talent and you believe in the guys on the team," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "You just dig in and you go. These guys have been resilient in challenging times." Pittsburgh right-hander Charlie Morton (4-7) pitched seven effective innings for his third consecutive win. He allowed two runs and five hits to improve to 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA in his last five starts. "Its nothing special, nothing different," Morton said. "I just go out there and do my job." Marcell Ozuna and Jeff Baker each hit a two-run homer for Miami in the ninth. Jason Grilli then replaced Stolmy Pimentel and allowed a single to Rafael Furcal before retiring Chris Johnson for his 10th save in 13 opportunities. In the series opener Friday, the Pirates a squandered a 6-2 lead in the ninth and needed 13 innings for an 8-6 win. "Its nice to get a win though," Mercer said. "Thats all that matters. As long as were on top in the end with the third out, well take it." Mercer hit a leadoff home in the second and McCutchen connected in the fourth, making it 5-0 with a drive to left for his 11th of the season. McCutchen extended his hitting streak to 10 games. He is hitting .439 (18 for 41) in June. "Im just getting pitches to hit and Im hitting them," he said. Marlins starter Randy Wolf (1-3) allowed five runs and nine hits in four innings. "It was embarrassingly bad," Wolf said. "Its frustrating to physically feel fine but not have command of your pitches. The only thing you can do is get better, but, right now, its frustrating." McCutchen also made a sliding catch to rob Furcal of a base hit in the fifth. Furcal is 1 for 11 since rejoining the Marlins on Friday from hamstring and groin injuries that sidelined him for the teams first 65 games. Ozuna had a run-scoring triple in Miamis two-run fourth, but Pittsburgh added three more in the fifth. Mercer doubled home a run against Kevin Slowey and Morton helped himself with a run-scoring sacrifice squeeze. Polanco added a run-scoring single for an 8-2 lead. "Give our offence credit for coming back there at the end," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "It continues to show the character of our guys - they dont quit." NOTES: Harrison missed the last two games because of left ankle discomfort. ... Pittsburgh called up veteran RHP Vance Worley from Triple-A Indianapolis so he can start on Sunday against Miami. Worley, 26, will be making his debut with the Pirates, who acquired him on March 25 from the Twins for cash considerations. He has a career record of 19-18 with a 4.05 ERA while pitching parts of three seasons with the Phillies and last year with the Twins. ... RHP Henderson Alvarez is Miamis scheduled starter for Sundays series finale ... Marlins LF Christian Yelich got the day off after he left Fridays game in the first inning with a lower-back injury. The Marlins are hoping he can return in a day or two. Kurt Warner Youth Jersey . -- D.A. Points was disqualified Friday from the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for using a training device while waiting to play the 18th hole at Pebble Beach. Zach Allen Youth Jersey .com) - Ryan Miller made 28 saves to record his fifth shutout of the season and second in as many nights as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Friday. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/kyler-murray-cardinals-jersey-yp/ . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Pat Tillman Jersey . Sami Vatanen had a goal and an assist and Anaheim used a four-goal first period to extend their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Hakeem Butler Jersey . -- Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, shot a 2-under 69 on Tuesday to finish first in stroke-play qualifying at the Womens U.Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - LaMarcus Aldridge tallied 23 points and 15 rebounds to help the Portland Trail Blazers top the Milwaukee Bucks, 104-97, on Wednesday. Thomas Robinson matched a career-high with 15 points and pulled down 16 boards for the Trail Blazers, who enjoyed a 52-32 edge on the glass on their way to their third straight win. Damian Lillard led all scorers with 29 points and seven assists for Portland. In their first game since losing star rookie Jabari Parker to a torn ACL, the Bucks saw Giannis Antetokounmpo go down with an ankle injury just before halftime. Brandon Knight led the Bucks with 24 points, and Khris Middleton scored 17 off the bench as Milwaukees two-game winning streak was snapped. Neither team led by more than five in a back-and-forth third quarter that saw nine lead changes. After the Bucks did not hit a 3 in the first half, Milwaukee heated up from beyond the arc making 6-of-8 shots. That included Middletons 4-of-4 performance, netting him all of his 12 third quarter points. Lillards finger roll as time expired in the third cut Milwaukees lead to 70-68 after three periods. After an unusual simultaneous block and charge call led to a midcourt tip, Nicolas Batum made his first basket of the game with 7:39 remaining. His triple from the corner gave the Trail Blazers an 80-79 lead they would not relinquish. That 3-pointer started an 11-0 run that gave Portland an 88-79 lead with 4:11 remaining with the last four points being scored by Aldridge. Batums emphatic slam with three minutes left also drew a flagrant foul, and he hit the free throw to complete the three-point play. The Trail Blazers got the bball back, and the Bucks began fouling Robinson away from the ball, counting on him to miss free throws to try and get back into the game.dddddddddddd Robinson was only 4-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes, but Portland was still able to hang on. An early 8-0 run gave Milwaukee a 10-2 lead four minutes into the game. Antetokounmpo scored four points in the spurt on his way to finishing the first quarter with six points and five rebounds, and Knight scored the final four points of the quarter to give the Bucks a 25-18 lead after one. Milwaukees defense limited the Trail Blazers to 30.8 percent shooting in the opening 12 minutes. Aldridge and Lillard combined to shoot 6-of-10, and the rest of the team was 2-of-16. With 4:31 remaining in the first half, Lillard hit a 28-foot shot from beyond the arc to cut Portlands deficit to 39-34. That jump-started a 12-2 Blazers run to close the half and give them their first lead of the game. After Robinsons alley-oop slam tied the game with 34 seconds left, Milwaukee got more bad news when Antetokounmpo slipped while driving toward the basket. He had to be helped to the locker room, and not long after that, Aldridges pair of free throws put Portland up 43-41 at the half. Antetokounmpo did not return to the game. Game Notes Robinson was starting in place of the injured Robin Lopez, expected to be out for a month with a broken hand ... The Blazers improved to 12-1 against the Eastern Conference this season ... Portland is now 5-3 when trailing after three quarters ... Milwaukees bench outscored the Portland reserves 39-18 ... Points in the paint were even at 40. ' ' '