PITTSBURGH -- The latest addition by the suddenly splurging Pittsburgh Pirates hustled into the dugout in the sixth inning on Saturday night eager to step into the batters box against St. Louis if necessary. Take a breath, Justin Morneau. The Pirates -- and the pennant race -- arent going anywhere. A.J. Burnett scattered four hits over seven innings, Russell Martin hit a three-run homer and the Pirates beat the Cardinals 7-1 on Saturday night to regain sole possession of the NL Central lead. Neil Walker added three hits for the Pirates, who improved to 79-56 and moved within three victories of their first winning season since 1992. And theres still a month left. "Its a great feat," Burnett said. "Its been a long time, but our goals have been higher than that." Burnett (7-9) gave up one run while striking out six and walking one. He received plenty of help only hours after the Pirates acquired Morneau from the Minnesota Twins, hoping the 2006 AL MVP can give a middling offence a jolt heading into the stretch drive. Morneau didnt waste time getting to Pittsburgh. He left Texas -- where the Twins were playing the Rangers -- in the middle of the afternoon, arrived at the airport just before 8 p.m. and was in uniform trading jokes with his new teammates moments after pulling on a black-and-gold jersey. "You try to get here as quick as you can because you want to be a part of this," Morneau said. The 32-year-old first baseman will have to wait until Sunday to get his first major league at-bat for someone other than Minnesota. By the time he was inside PNC Park, the Pirates had things well in hand. Martin keyed a five-run second with his drive off Lance Lynn (13-9), who has a 7.66 ERA in his last four starts. "It just (ticks) you off and thats where Im at," Lynn said. "Im not happy with the way Im throwing the ball, but Im going to fix it and Im looking forward to the next month because its going to be better." It might have to be if St. Louis wants to keep pace with Pittsburgh. The trade for Morneau marked the second big move by the Pirates in five days as they try to beat out the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds in baseballs tightest division race. Pittsburgh brought in Marlon Byrd and John Buck from the New York Mets on Tuesday. Asked if he was encouraged by the way the Pirates notoriously thrifty front office opened the checkbook to bring in three proven veterans, Burnett couldnt fight back a smile. "Thats what theyre supposed to do," he said. Pittsburgh ranks 10th in the NL in runs scored, one of the main reasons general manager Neal Huntington aggressively pursued Morneau. But the Pirates are averaging 5.2 runs per game during their current six-game homestand and Morneaus arrival gives MVP contender Andrew McCutchen and slugging third baseman Pedro Alvarez some much-needed protection. "Everybody knows we got better with the addition of Justin," Martin said. "Hes an ex-MVP. He knows what hes doing out there. Hes going to give you a productive at-bat and he lengthens the middle of the order." For a night, however, it wasnt McCutchen, Alvarez or Morneau but role players who provided the pop as the Pirates clinched the season series over St. Louis. Burnett got Pittsburgh started with an RBI single in the second, and Jose Tabata followed with one of his own to stake the Pirates to a 2-0 lead. It could have been worse after Lynn loaded the bases before striking out McCutchen to get out of the jam. Lynn wasnt so fortunate one inning later. Alvarez led off with a double, Byrd singled him home and Garrett Jones walked. Martin stepped in and sent a fastball into the front row of seats in right-centre for his second homer in two nights to give Pittsburgh a 6-1 lead. Walker added an RBI triple later in the inning. While Lynn managed to stay in the game, he left after four innings following a miserable start in which he gave up seven runs on 10 hits with three walks and four strikeouts. His ERA rose to 4.29. The deficit proved far too large for a suddenly reeling offence. The Cardinals lead the NL in batting average and runs but have scored just once in their last three games. "Weve had a few balls hit hard, but not a lot," manager Mike Matheny said. "I like what our offence has done over the majority of the season. You dont want to take a couple of games and start making conclusions. Were just going to keep going about it." Burnetts control had something to do with it in front of the second-largest crowd in the 12-year history of PNC Park. Working both sides of the plate effectively, Burnett assured Pittsburgh heads into the final month of a remarkable season in first place for the first time since it won the NL East in 1992. NOTES: Reliever John Axford, acquired on Friday from Milwaukee, pitched a perfect seventh in his Cardinals debut. ... The Pirates have outhomered St. Louis 18-3 in 15 meetings this season. ... St. Louis SS Pete Kozma grounded out while pinch-hitting for Lynn and is hitless in his last 29 at-bats. ... The series concludes Sunday. Joe Kelly (6-3, 2.91 ERA) starts for St. Louis against Kris Johnson (0-1, 3.00). ... The Cardinals have not settled on a starter for Tuesday in Cincinnati. Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez and Tyler Lyons are all under consideration. Jessie Bates III Bengals Jersey . For one, he still gets to crank the intensity to the max. "I push pretty angry. I ran pretty angry too though, but I have fun doing it," Lumsden said. Custom Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys . The thunderous cheers quickly changed to an appreciative chant: "Ma-son! Ma-son! Ma-son! Headed to New York with new life, Mason sure earned this curtain call. http://www.officialbengalsprofanatics.co...enn-Jersey/.com) - Devon Johnson ran for a school record 272 yards with four touchdowns and No. Preston Brown Jersey . Subway workers in Rio de Janeiro, meanwhile, were holding an assembly to vote on whether they would strike to demand higher wages, threatening to disrupt transportation. By late Tuesday night there was no announcement of their decision. Mark Walton Jersey .Y. - Phil Varone was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Rochester Americans edged the Toronto Marlies 3-2 on Sunday in American Hockey League action.HOUSTON -- To Houston manager Bo Porter, theres no one playing better in the majors right now than Jose Altuve. The Astros second baseman shied away from agreeing with his skipper. Instead, he kept up his impressive show. Altuve got three more hits and stole two bases Sunday as the Astros defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-4. Altuve finished the three-game series 9 for 14 and leads big leagues with 116 hits. Hes already stolen a career-high 36 bases -- he swiped second in the first inning, and set a franchise record with a steal in six straight games. "Ive seen some players locked in in all my years of playing," Porter said. "But the impact with which Jose Altuve is having on the baseball game, I would have to really sit down and think about or have some numbers put in front of me that would make me think that there is someone whos had more of an impact on a baseball game the way hes having an impact right now." Altuve took the compliment in stride, saying, "Hes my manager, he has to say that." "I have to be ready every game to get on base," he said. "I know the guys that I have behind me, if I get on base, something good is going to happen." Altuve became the third player since 1904 with four straight games with multiple steals, joining Ray Chapman in 1917 and Bill Dahlen in 1904, according information from the Elias Sports Bureau provided by the Astros. "Im going to try to keep getting on base, and if I have a chance to take the next base, I am going to do it," Altuve said. Scott Feldman (4-5) allowed two runs in six innings to earn his first win since May 26. Feldman, who snapped a personal three-game losing streak, has allowed three runs or less in each of his last three starts. "They have a great lineup," Feldman said. "I just tried to make some pitches. Luckily, a lot of the balls they hit hard were hit to centre field, where there is a lot of room out there." Matt Dominguez and Carlos Corporan had three hits apiece and L.J. Hoes and Jon Singleton each had two RBIs for the Astros, who have won three of their last four. Tony Sipp got the last four outs for his first save. Nick Castellanos had two hits for the Tigers, including a two-run triple in the eighth that cut the Astros lead to 5-4.dddddddddddd J.D. Martinez also had two hits, and Alex Avila hit a solo home run in the fifth. Tigers star Miguel Cabrera was 0 for 13 in the series, while Victor Martinez went 1 for 12. "Those are the guys we lean on," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. "They are going to have struggles. Its going to happen. They scuffled a little bit swinging the bat." The Astros scored three times in the first against Drew Smyly (4-7). Altuve singled, stole second and scored on George Springers double. Two batters later, Jesus Guzman hit an RBI single and scored on Hoes sacrifice fly. "I felt like that was very important," Porter said. "Losing the game the way we lost the game last night (4-3 in the ninth) I thought that our guys did a great job coming out setting the tempo. Ran the bases tremendously and just put a lot of pressure on the other team." After Torii Hunters RBI double cut the lead to 3-1 in the third, Hoes hit an RBI double in the bottom half. Singletons bases-loaded walk in the sixth scored Alex Presley to extend Houstons lead to 5-2, and he upped the lead to 6-4 in the eighth with an RBI single. Smyly, who was ill Saturday and sent back to the team hotel, was pulled after 2 1-3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. The outing was Smylys shortest as a starter this year and the most runs hes allowed since getting tagged for six on May 26 at Oakland. Smyly would not use being ill Saturday as an excuse for the poor outing. "Not a good day," Smyly said. "They came out swinging. I didnt bring it. They did." NOTES: Houston CF Dexter Fowler missed a third straight game with tightness in the back. ... Detroit 2B Ian Kinsler did not start Sunday getting a day off from Ausmus, but he pinch hit in the eighth and struck out to end his seven-game hitting streak. ... Detroit LHP Ian Krol, on the 15-day disabled list since June 21 with left shoulder inflammation, threw a bullpen session Saturday and felt good, Ausmus said. ... Houston Rockets star guard James Harden threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '