CHICAGO -- Jason Grilli is off to a rough start for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and manager Clint Hurdle thinks he knows the best way to get the key reliever back on track. Hurdle announced Friday that Mark Melancon would close games for the Pirates in place of Grilli, who has blown four save opportunities this year after converting 33 of 35 chances last season. "Theres no safety net for a closer. There never is," Hurdle said before the opener of a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs. "So he wont have to deal with that for a while, which I think will help." Grilli allowed a tying homer to Devin Mesoraco in the ninth inning of Thursdays 4-3 victory over Cincinnati. The veteran right-hander, who made the All-Star team last year for the first time, has yielded at least one run in three of his past four outings, and his four homers allowed this season matches his total from all of last year. The 37-year-old Grilli is 0-2 with 11 saves and a 4.34 ERA in 20 games this year. He was sidelined for a month after straining his left oblique in late April. For now, Hurdle said he will use Grilli when the Pirates are trailing. "Hes all about doing whats best for the club and getting better," Hurdle said. "Well definitely need him as the season plays out." Melancon is 1-2 with 10 saves in 13 chances and a 1.89 ERA in 35 games this year. He has not allowed a run in eight games and 7 1-3 innings in June. Hurdle said he also could use Tony Watson in a save opportunity. . "Right now were kind of looking at him at the end of the rotation right now," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "Not indicative of how hes doing or how hes feeling. Its just, it seems like the spot we want him right now. . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Keeping The Captain? Brian Giontas agent Steve Bartlett told La Presse on Tuesday that the Montreal Canadiens want to keep their captain - an unrestricted free agent on July 1 - in the fold, while sources tell the paper that the two sides will start talks this week.
http://www.balenciagacheapshoes.com/bal ... -sale.html. Erik Cole scored on a breakaway with 4:49 to play, and the Stars rallied to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night. .com) - The Winnipeg Jets got over one hurdle by snapping their longest losing streak of the season. .com) - Novak Djokovic easily took care of Andy Murray to reach the final at the $2.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - After more than 23 1/2 hours of racing, Jordan Taylor figured he was in prime position for a victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.Then his team made a major miscalculation.Wayne Taylor Racing erred when it put Taylor back in the car at 12:17 p.m. Sunday. Between Taylors previous driving stint — 2 hours, 35 minutes — and the amount time left in the race (1 hour, 53 minutes), he would have exceeded series rules that prevent drivers from being behind the wheel for more than four hours over a six-hour span.It was a costly mistake.Instead of having a chance to pass leader and eventual champion Scott Dixon on a restart, the team had to swap drivers with 11 minutes to go in the twice-around-the-clock endurance race. Older brother Ricky Taylor replaced Jordan, and since the switch happened under caution and with pit road closed, it prompted a pass-through penalty that dropped the No. 10 Chevrolet way behind Dixon.It also led to a third consecutive oh-so-close finish at Daytona.Having that last restart opportunity was like a golden ticket, Jordan Taylor said. And we havent had that the past three years.The Wayne Taylor Racing team finished third for its third straight podium finish, but still shy of the elusive top spot. The team finished second the previous two years.It was just a small miscalculation, an unfortunate one because we were right where we kind of wanted to be, second place on the restart, Jordan Taylor said. I think we had a stronger car on restarts on cold tires, so it was a perfect opportunity to make something happen.Making matters woorse, the team was in position to win after overcoming a major mechanical issue.dddddddddddd The cars electrical system failed all weekend, and the engine was cutting out in the opening leg of the race.But the same engineers who couldnt fix it in practice or qualifying found a solution during the first pit stop.We were having all sorts of electrical issues, and I thought, You know, we might not finish, Ricky Taylor said. But the guys did an incredible job ... and they finally nailed it on the first stop of the race and gave us an absolutely incredible car.Its just a shame that after all that effort we werent able to produce a result for them.Jordan Taylor looked as if he would bring it home with about 20 minutes to go.He was on new tires, and like so many times before in the previous 23 hours, he thought he would be able to get by one of the Chip Ganassi Racing cars.Then he got the call over the radio — and it changed everything.Obviously, when youre about to restart with 10 minutes to go, youre not expecting to get out of the car, Jordan Taylor said. I figured I kind of had an idea about what it could have been. Theres no other reason for that to happen.Ganassi sympathized with the Taylors after winning his sixth Rolex 24 in 12 tries.They were right there, Ganassi said. They were doing everything it took to win. ... It was unfortunate they had to make a driver change. Obviously, that team knows how to win races and they know how to win this race and they know how to win championships and theyre a good measure for any team in automobile racing. ' ' '
