ST. LOUIS -- The fact that former Cardinals backup catcher Eric Fryer delivered a two-run double to help hand St. Louis another home loss Tuesday night was irrelevant to manager Mike Matheny.Every loss stings, Matheny said. It doesnt matter who does it to us. They all hurt.The Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 win dropped the Cardinals to 18-25 in Busch Stadium and was St. Louis ninth consecutive defeat at home to a team with a winning record, dating back to June 14.If St. Louis plans to hold onto second place in the National League Central, let alone make up any ground in the division or wild-card race, a win in the third game of its four-game series with the Pirates might be a good idea.Nine games behind the Chicago Cubs in the division, the Cardinals (43-40) are just a half-game ahead of hard-charging Pittsburgh (43-41) for second. The Pirates bring a six-game winning streak into Wednesday nights matchup, tying a season high set from April 24-30.Pittsburghs bullpen has keyed the stretch of excellence. Since June 24, the relievers have allowed just one run over 40 1/3 innings, and they tossed five scoreless innings Tuesday night after inheriting a 2-2 tie.They are on a roll, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said his relievers. Theyre in good form, and were going to keep giving them the ball.Given the form of left-handed starter Jeff Locke, the Pirates bullpen might see action sooner rather than later. Although Locke (8-5, 5.13 ERA) is coming off a 7-3 win Friday night in Oakland, he has been pummeled on the road more often than not, going 3-4 with a 7.16 ERA in nine starts away from PNC Park.Locke has also struggled in his career against St. Louis, going 2-4 with a 4.04 ERA in nine starts and averaging only 5.4 innings per outing. He faced the Cardinals on May 7, allowing three runs over six innings in a no-decision.Locke will be opposed by left-hander Jaime Garcia, who cruised through a 7-1 win Friday night over the Milwaukee Brewers, giving up four hits and a run in eight innings and just 98 pitches.Garcia (6-6, 3.84 ERA) is 2-1 in six career games against Pittsburgh with an 0.57 ERA. This will be his first start against the Pirates since he bagged a 4-1 win last September with seven shutout innings, fanning nine.The Cardinals felt they were turning a corner of sorts at home with a weekend sweep of Milwaukee, but they have run into old familiar problems against the Pirates. They have managed only four runs in the series first two games, unable to consistently capitalize on scoring chances.St. Louis is averaging 4.4 runs per game at home, more than a run and a half less than it scores on the road, where the team is 25-15. While Matheny and some players might be tired of answering questions about that trend, the best way to make those queries stop is to start winning games.We cant wait for tomorrow to arrive and kind of erase this one, Cardinals backup catcher Brayan Pena said. We can go back to what we do, and thats playing the game we love. Mexico Alfredo Talavera World Cup Jersey . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Mexico Soccer World Cup Jerseys China .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. http://www.cheapworldcupmexicojerseys.com/mexico-raul-jimenez-world-cup-jersey/ . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Mexico Jonathan dos Santos World Cup Jersey . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Mexico Marco Fabian World Cup Jersey . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Thursday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:- SAN DIEGO -- All eyes will be on Colin Kaepernick. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback intends to sit again during the anthem, an action that has stirred a nationwide debate about politics, protest and football. Game starts 10 p.m.- 49ers-Chargers game is one of 15 NFL exhibitions on Thursday nights schedule.- NEW YORK -- Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 champion playing as a wild card, faces Steve Johnson in the second round of the U.S. Open. Also, Venus Williams vs. Julia Goerges during day session; Serena Williams vs. Vania King at night.- CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant and the major league-leading Chicago Cubs open a four-game series against the Giants. Ex-Cub Jeff Samardzija pitches for San Francisco, which is 1 1/2 games out of first in the NL West. Game starts 8:05 p.m.- College football games of note Thursday night: No. 9 Tennessee vs. Appalachian State (7:30 p.m.); No. 19 Louisville vs. Charlotte (7 p.m.); Minnesota vs. Oregon State (8 p.m.); South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt (8 p.m.).- DARLINGTON, S.C. -- If Jeff Gordon hopes to give the No. 88 team a chance at a championship, there may be no better place than Darlington Raceway. The four-time series champpion has won seven times at the track.dddddddddddd- ZURICH -- Franz Beckenbauer is a criminal suspect in a World Cup fraud case. The soccers greats home in Austria is raided by Swiss prosecutors investigating links to FIFA.- JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The U.S. plays St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier Friday, and American forward Bobby Wood hopes his dazzling debut with club team Hamburg last week bodes well.- Brazil has a new coach for its World Cup qualifier at Ecuador (5 p.m.). Qualifier tuneups in Europe highlighted by Belgium-Spain, France-Italy, Netherlands-Greece.- NORTON, Mass. -- The TPC Boston begins Friday and is the second stop on the FedEx Cup road to a $10 million bonus. Plenty of players now have two cups -- FedEx and Ryder -- on their minds.- CAMBRIDGE, Ontario -- Ariya Jutanugarn opens play in the LPGA Manulife Classic, using a driver for the first time in tournament play since May. Shes trying to win three straight events for the second time this season.- LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Yarelys Barrios of Cuba is stripped of the silver medal in the womens discus from the 2008 Beijing Olympics after a reanalysis of her doping samples. China NFL Hoodies Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Jerseys NFL China Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys ' ' '