WASHINGTON -- Stephen Strasburg so badly wanted to start the Washington Nationals first game after the break that he gave up the chance to pitch in the All-Star Game in his hometown of San Diego.His 13th victory was a reward for that.Strasburg allowed one run and three hits with six strikeouts in eight masterful innings as the Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Friday night. Strasburg (13-0) has won 16 consecutive decisions dating to September, a franchise record for starting pitchers.He got probably some grief by not pitching in the All-Star Game, but he was doing what he thought was best for us and for him, manager Dusty Baker said. Boy, that sets the tone for the rest of the series.Strasburg has allowed a total of five hits in three starts since coming off the disabled list on July 3. Catcher Wilson Ramos said this is the best he has ever seen Strasburg pitch, and eight innings matched the right-handers season high.At the plate, Strasburg drove in what turned out to be the winning run on a sacrifice bunt attempt in the seventh inning. He reached safely because of an error by Pirates first baseman David Freese.I was just telling myself Im going to stick in there, Strasburg said. I wasnt going to walk away without getting it down.First baseman Clint Robinson, who drove in a run in the fifth, scored in the seventh on the combination of a wild pitch by reliever Neftali Feliz and a throwing error by catcher Eric Fryer. Center fielder Michael Taylor broke the game open with a two-run homer, his seventh of the season, off Feliz.Pittsburgh starter Francisco Liriano (5-9) got the loss after allowing three runs and five hits in six-plus innings.I thought he pitched a very competitive ballgame, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. Its good to see him move it deeper into the game.Competitive wasnt enough against the Nationals lineup, which was strong even without Daniel Murphy, who was scratched with a sore left hamstring. Robinson, who didnt learn he was starting until batting practice, went 2 for 4.Big Robinson, hes always ready, Baker said. He got some big hits for us, he tied the game up off Liriano and then he got another hit that started a rally. Clint has been a life saver for us and especially in (Ryan Zimmermans) absence.The Nationals keep chugging along atop the National League East in large part because of starting pitching. Strasburg has been the best and on Friday lowered his ERA to 2.51.I felt pretty good, said Strasburg, who threw 69 of 105 pitches for strikes. Im trying to go out there with the same game plan, the same plan of attack and focus on executing pitches.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong, who has been out since May 23 when he was hit by a pitch and suffered three facial fractures, threw six scoreless innings in a rehab start for Double-A Altoona. ... C Francisco Cervelli, who has been on the DL since June 11 with a broken bone in his wrist, doubled and singled in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Indianapolis.Nationals: Murphy said he felt tightness in his hamstring after sliding into second base during the All-Star Game on Tuesday. The team listed him as day-to-day but he wasnt sure if hed be able to play Saturday night. ... Baker said RHP Joe Ross continues to toss but remains on the DL with no definitive timeline.FATHERS DAYSThis is the Pirates fourth annual dads trip, and almost 20 fathers of people throughout the organization are taking part.Its an absolute blast for everybody, Hurdle said. Its kind of like revisiting Little League but backwards because then weve got to follow our fathers around and make sure they havent left stuff behind.UP NEXTPirates RHP Gerrit Cole (5-4, 2.77 ERA) returns from the DL and starts Saturday against Nationals RHP Tanner Roark (8-5, 3.01). Cole has been out since June 11 with a strained right triceps muscle. Vente Stan Smith France . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Stan Smith Destockage . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. http://www.stansmithfrance.fr/ . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Stan Smith Pas Cher Chine .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Stan Smith Soldes . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. The Brisbane Bullets have overcome their recent poor form to record a 100-90 NBL win over Melbourne United.Pressure was firmly on the Bullets shoulders on Saturday night after winning only one of their past five matches.Melbournes recent run had been the opposite of the hosts, with four victories from their past five, and they appeared to be heading for another win early in the contest.Former Bullet Chris Goulding topped the scoring for both sides with 24 points, while Jermaine Beal led Brisbane with 20 points and seven assists at the Brisbane Convention Centre.United flew out of the blocks and opened up a seven-point lead over the sluggish Bullets, who slowly found their rhythm as the first quarter wore on.Trailing 20-23, Brisbane came out a different side in the second stanza and hit the front 47 seconds in - a lead they held for the rest of the match.The Bullets led by as much as nine in the second quarter until Melbournes wobbles steadied late in the period, and Brisbane was one point ahead at the main break.The Bullets took a seven-point advantage into the final quarter despite conceding more than double the number of Melbournes turnovers.ddddddddddddThe visitors remained within touching distance down the stretch, but the Bullets were too classy when it counted the most as they held on for their eighth victory of the season.Brisbane forward Anthony Petrie celebrated his 250th NBL match with 15 points and three rebounds.Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis praised his sides mentality after snapping a concerning three-game losing streak.We arent more talented than we were last week - its about a mindset, application and a desire to get things done, Lemanis said.Its good we showed that tonight but we have to come out and rediscover that mindset and go again.Brisbane face a short turnaround, with a home match against Illawarra on Monday night to complete round 11, while Melbourne host the Bullets for their next match on Boxing Day. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '