CHICAGO - Jake Peavy is showing signs of getting back on track, and his timing couldnt be better for the San Francisco Giants. The 33-year-old right-hander pitched seven solid innings in his fifth start with San Francisco, and the Giants rolled past the Chicago Cubs 8-3 on Wednesday, hours after they won a protest regarding a rain-shortened loss from the night before. Peavy (2-3) has won two straight after losing his first three starts with San Francisco following a July 26 trade from Boston where he was 1-9. "I never gave up hope or thought I wasnt going to win," Peavy said. "I didnt really do anything different tonight other than just the team scored and made my job a whole lot easier. "Weve got five or six more starts and Ive got to try to find a way to win those with us trying to get in (the playoffs)." Peavy allowed 10 hits, struck out eight and walked none. Chris Valaikas two-run homer in the second inning accounted for the only runs against him. Hunter Pence and Andrew Susac homered, and Travis Ishikawa drove in three runs with pair of doubles among three hits to help the Giants strengthen their hold on an NL wild card spot. The Cubs Luis Valbuena added a solo homer and a triple in going 3 for 4. Struggling starter Edwin Jackson (6-14) was hit hard in just 2 2-3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. He allowed seven runs, eight hits and two walks. Jackson has lost seven of eight decisions. "Its just terrible," Jackson said. "Theres no excuse for it, pretty much. Tonight I didnt help myself. I didnt help my team." Before the game, the Giants won their protest filed with Major League Baseball over Tuesday nights rain-shortened loss that was called in the fifth inning. A problem in getting the tarp onto the field caused unplayable conditions, and the game was ruled a 2-0 Cubs win after a delay of over four hours. The suspended game will be completed on Thursday before the regularly scheduled game between the teams. "We needed Jake to get somewhat deep in the game," manager Bruce Bochy said. "A long day tomorrow. We have a lot of innings to play." MLB ruled the tarp hadnt been properly put away after its previous use, and therefore there was a "malfunction of a mechanical field device under control of the home club." MLB said this was the first successful protest since 1986. On Wednesday, the Giants jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning as five of their first six batters reached base. Ishikawa drove in two runs with his first double to cap the outburst. Ishikawa doubled in another run in the third and scored on Susacs first career homer as San Francisco opened a 7-2 lead. Pence led off the fourth against Carlos Villenueva with his 17th homer of this season to make it 8-2. UP NEXT The suspended game will resume on Thursday with the Cubs batting in the bottom of the 5th inning and leading 2-0. San Franciscos Yesmeiro Petit (3-3, 3.89) and Chicagos Jacob Turner (4-7, 5.80) will step in to start that one. In the regularly scheduled game, Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (13-9, 3.14) is slated to face Cubs LHP Travis Wood (7-10, 4.86). TRAINERS ROOM Giants: C Buster Posey was out of the lineup because of soreness in his left hip. Bochy likened it to an unscheduled day off and expected Posey to be back behind the plate on Thursday. Posey is batting .278 with 13 home runs. He was replaced by Susac. Cubs: SS Starlin Castro was a last-minute scratch from the lineup due to a family emergency. The team didnt provide details or say how long he would be out, but said it was likely hed be placed on the bereavement list. LHP Felix Doubront, placed on the DL with a left calf strain on Aug. 1, threw on the side on Wednesday. He is expected to make another rehab start at Double-A Tennessee on Sunday or Monday. Manager Rick Renteria said Doubront, acquired from Boston on July 30, is in line to be recalled and start on Aug. 30 when the Cubs play a doubleheader at St. Louis. BALLPARK WATER-GATE The infield was still damp and the areas under the stands at century-old Wrigley Field reeked of mould even more than usual following Tuesdays nights downpour that led to the game being called at 1:16 a.m. The storm apparently was very localized. Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said it didnt rain at his house, some 12 blocks from the ballpark. . A rainy day saw the former champion Djokovic handle 14th-seeded Frenchman Jo- Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) under the roof on the famed Centre Court. . -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres.
http://www.cheappredatorsjerseysauthent ... rsey.NYCFC confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that this week Lampard signed a contract to start in July — midway through the new teams first season in MLS. . PAUL, Minn. . - A mixed martial arts fighter who changed his name to War Machine was ordered Friday to stand trial in Nevada state court on 34 felony charges including attempted murder, sexual assault and kidnapping that could get him life in prison for allegedly attacking his porn star ex-girlfriend and her friend.NEW YORK, N.Y. - NFL teams can carry 10 players on their practice squads for the next two seasons. The league and the players union agreed Tuesday to increase the number of practice squad members from eight to 10. "Its the No. 1 way for teams to develop players because ... once the season starts, those guys are a part of the team," Saints coach Sean Payton said in support of the change. "Theyre involved in drills. Theyre involved in every element. All you have to do is look at the past five years, practice squad players that are now on the 53-man rosters, and theres a ton of them." Packers coach Mike McCarthy was also pleased. "I think its awesome. They could give us as many as they want to. If it goes to 10, I think its great. Its an opportunity to keep your players, continue to train them, trrain those guys.dddddddddddd "It gives them an opportunity for an NFL job. So weve never looked at it as having 53 players. We always talk in terms of having 61, and Ill be thrilled if it goes to 63." Also, criteria for practice squad eligibility has been expanded in two categories. A player must have a minimum of six games on a practice squad — increased from the previous three games — for that year to count as one of three permissible seasons on the squad. And each team now can sign a maximum of two practice squad players who have earned no more than two NFL seasons toward free agency. Aside from that exception, a player with one or more accrued seasons cant go on a practice squad unless he spent fewer than nine games on a clubs 46-player active list in each of his pro seasons. ' ' '
