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PITTSBURGH -- Say what you will about the Pittsburgh Pirates questionable moves at the trade deadline or the poor numbers former National League Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen has had most of the season.Right now, things are looking up.Going into what could be a wild-card showdown against the Miami Marlins starting Friday at PNC Park, the Pirates are en fuego.Pittsburgh (62-56), which was off Thursday, just completed a 5-1 West Coast road trip -- including a three-game sweep in San Francisco. Since June 24, the Pirates 28-17 record is the best in baseball.They stand one game behind St. Louis for the second wild-card spot, and 1 1/2 games ahead of Miami (62-59) in that chase after the Marlins dropped a 5-4 decision at Cincinnati on Thursday night.Weve been a confident group all year. Road trips like this really bring a team together, Pittsburgh closer Tony Watson told MLB.com. Were playing great baseball right now. Playing well down the stretch has been key the last few years. ... This year is no different.McCutchens two-run homer Thursday, his 17th of the season, was huge in a 6-5 win over the Giants. Although he is batting .248 overall, McCutchens average in August is .317.Ive turned something, McCutchen told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. I dont know if its turning a page or a corner or something. Things are going well for us. Going well for me, too.Ive been getting pitches to hit, hitting them, having good at-bats, seeing the ball. They try to hit a location. Miss a location, Im able to make them pay.An unexpected bump in the Pirates good play recently is right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-8, 3.17 ERA), who is scheduled to start Friday. The presumed ace of the staff entering the season has dealt with some inconsistency and injuries.In his past two starts, Cole is 0-2, has failed to get through the sixth inning and has given up a combined nine runs on 15 hits. However, he could be aided by being at home, where he has a 2.94 ERA over his past nine starts.The Marlins are not as comfortable at PNC Park, where they are 16-31.On Friday, Miami will start right-hander Tom Koehler (9-8, 3.86 ERA), who is 0-4 with a 5.73 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.However, Koehler has been arguably the Marlins best starter of late. In his past five starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA.Its not like he doesnt have good stuff, Miami manager Don Mattingly told reporters earlier this month. His stuff is good.Hes got a good breaking ball that most guys dont really hit. He can change speeds and hes a little erratic. He can be effectively wild. You dont quite know what youre going to get with Tom. To me, thats part of his success.Success that hasnt been matched team-wide lately. Miami has lost three straight games, three series in a row and four of its past five series.The Pirates, meanwhile, have won four consecutive series and could put some distance between themselves and the Marlins in the wild-card scenario this weekend.Obviously, this is the time of year teams make or break themselves, Pittsburghs Matt Joyce told MLB.com. Its nice to see some guys turn the corner and keep fighting and keep pushing, because its very easy to just say, Were not in the race, and just kind of roll over. Its exciting, man. Its exciting to be a part of, and were having a lot of fun. Larry Stewart Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. Greg Ballard Jersey . 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. https://www.cheapwizardsonline.com/1569k-chris-chiozza-jersey-wizards.html . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Michael Jordan Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Jarvis Hayes Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services.The Detroit Red Wings announced on Thursday that they will retire Nicklas Lidstroms No. 5 jersey in a ceremony on March 6. The banner will be raised to the roof of Joe Louis Arena before a game against the Colorado Avalanche. Lidstrom retired following the 2011-12 campaign after 20 seasons, all with the Red Wings. "For a long time, there was no doubt in ownerships and managements mind that Nicklas Lidstrom would play his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings and that his sweater would fittingly go up into the rafters along with the other all-time greatest Red Wing players – Abel, Delvecchio, Howe, Lindsay, Sawchuk and Yzerman," said Red Wings vice president Jim Devellano in a statement. A member of the exclusive "Triplee-Gold" club, Lidstrom won both an Olympic gold medal (2006) and an IIHF World Championship (1991) with Sweden in addition to the four Stanley Cups he won with the Red Wings.dddddddddddd. Lidstrom won seven Norris Trophies in ten seasons starting in 2001. He played in 12 NHL All-Star Games and was named to the leagues First All-Star Team 10 times. Taking over the Red Wings captaincy when long-time teammate Steve Yzerman retired in 2006, he would lead the team to back-to-back Cup Finals appearances in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first European player to captain a Cup champion in 2008. Originally selected in the third round (53rd overall) by the Red Wings in 1989, Lidstrom racked up 264 goals and 878 assists in 1,564 career NHL games. ' ' '