NEWS » been relatively quiet across north Lond

PITTSBURGH -- Even with expanded September roster, Jacob Stallings found himself as the last player on Pittsburghs bench.The rookie came through with a pinch-hit single in the 11th inning that lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates over Washington 6-5 on Friday night.Pittsburgh loaded the bases with one out in the 11th against Yusmiero Petit (3-5) when Francisco Cervelli doubled, Andrew McCutchen was intentionally walked and Pedro Florimon walked. Sean Rodriguez struck out and Stallings, a son of University of Pittsburgh mens basketball coach Kevin Stallings, grounded a 3-2 pitch into left field.Pittsburghs seventh win in nine games kept it on the fringe of the NL wild-card race. Washington lost for the fifth time in six games.I kind of did the math in my head, Stallings said. Bases loaded, two outs was the only way I was going to come up that inning. (Bench coach Dave) Jauss came up and told me to be ready. I went down and hit on the tee before that inning. I knew I was the last guy, so I figured just in case.Rodriguezs two-out RBI double for the Pirates in the ninth off Mark Melancon tied the score 5-5. Melancon blew a save for the first time in 13 chances since he was acquired from Pittsburgh on July 30 in a trade for left-handed reliever Felipe Rivero and a minor leaguer.I know what Marks throwing just like any other pitcher, Rodriguez said. You just hope he throws it in a spot where you can do something where you can drive it a little bit and he gave me a pitch I was able to do that with.A brief video tribute was played on the scoreboard when Melancon entered the game.I didnt know they were going to put a montage up there, said Melancon, who an All-Star in three of his four seasons with the Pirates. It was classy. It was very cool to get a standing ovation. ... I wanted to tip my cap but I didnt because I didnt want to mess up my mojo. I should have tipped my cap.Wilson Ramos and Danny Espinosa homered for the Nationals. Bryce Harper had three hits and Ryan Zimmerman hit a pair of doubles.Zimmermans RBI double in the second inning opened the scoring and was the 1,500th hit of his 12-year big league career. Espinosa followed with 23rd homer for a 3-0 lead.Ramos led off a two-run sixth with his 22nd homer, a drive off Antonio Bastardo. Jayson Werth drew a bases-loaded walk later in the inning as the Nationals went back ahead 5-3.Adam Frazier had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of half.Wade LeBlanc (4-0) pitched one scoreless inning.Pirates left fielder Gregory Polanco left the game in the first inning when bruised the left side of his face when crashing into the fence while chasing a double by Harper.Both starters, Washington left-hander Gio Gonzalez and Pittsburgh rookie Jameson Taillon, allowed three runs in five innings.ROTATION SWITCHRookie right-hander Tyler Glasnow will start Sunday for the Pirates rather than rookie left-hander Steven Brault. Considered the organizations top prospect, Glasnow is 0-1 with a 4.11 ERA in five games, including two starts.MINOR HONORSFirst baseman/outfielder Josh Bell is the Pirates minor league player of the year and right-hander Mitch Keller their minor league pitcher of the year. Bell hit .295 with 14 home runs in 114 games for Triple-A Indianapolis before being promoted to the major leagues. Keller went a combined 9-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 24 starts at Class A with West Virginia and Bradenton.TRAINERS ROOMNationals: 2B Daniel Murphy did not start for a fifth game in a row after an MRI revealed a strained glute muscle. He will sit out the three-game series be reevaluated.Pirates: RHP A.J. Schugel (shoulder inflammation) was placed on the 60-day disabled list, opening a roster spot for LHP Phil Coke, who joined the team after being acquired Thursday from the New York Yankees. . LF Starling Marte (back) sat out after being removed from Thursday nights loss at Milwaukee in the third inning. He missed 15 games before pinch hitting against the Brewers on Wednesday night. . SS Jordy Mercer (right forearm tightness) missed his second straight game.UP NEXTNationals: RHP Joe Ross (7-5, 3.48 ERA) will start Saturday night, his second outing since missing 2 1/2 months with shoulder inflammation. He pitched three innings and gave up one run last Sunday against Atlanta in a no-decision.Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (12-7, 4.19) is 5-1 with a 2.93 ERA in nine starts since being acquired Aug. 1 from the New York Yankees in a trade. He took his first loss with the Pirates last Sunday, allowing five runs in three innings against Cincinnati. Clearance Steph Curry Shoes . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. Steph Curry Shoes Outlet .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. https://www.stephencurryshoescheap.com/ . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Steph Curry Shoes Deals . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Wholesale Steph Curry Shoes . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. The fanfare around the arrival of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho in Manchester means Londons finest have been little more than a sideshow heading into the 2016-17 English Premier League.Dont, though, discount the chances of Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal being in the title conversation next May.After putting up the worst ever Premier League title defense last season to finish 10th, Chelsea surely will be a different proposition this time round under new coach Antonio Conte and with summer signing NGolo Kante running its midfield.Tottenham got a taste of challenging for the title last season, eventually fading away in the final weeks to finish third, and its young and dynamic squad will be better for the experience.Then theres Arsenal, a regular in the top four but a team that so often flatters to deceive when the championship trophy looks to be in sight. Many say they are a world-class striker away from ticking every box.With West Ham also seemingly on the rise and playing a first season in its new home at the Olympic Stadium, maybe theres life outside Manchester this season, after all.Of Londons three top sides, Chelsea could be best equipped to go all the way. The teams unraveling last season was almost as mystifying as Leicesters march to the title, but the squad is largely the same as the one that romped to the league trophy in 2014.Throw in Conte and the ubiquitous Kante -- following his departure from Leicester for $40 million -- and Chelsea has all the ingredients of a title winner, with its motivation rebooted.The schedule also helps. No European football this season means plenty more time with Conte -- a master tactician in the words of Guardiola -- on the training ground and extra rest between games. None of the travel and fatigue that comes with midweek games in the Champions League and Europa League.Look how that benefited Liverpool three seasons ago, and Leicester last season. And Conte experienced a similar situation in his first season at Juventus, in 2011.I took over after they had finished seventh, he said. We didnt play in the Champions League or the Europa League and our energy was only focused on the league. We won the title.New to the Premier League, Conte is sure to be one of the characters this season. The Italian is fiercely passionate about his job and can get animated to the point of wild in the technical area. But inside, theres a calm and calculated technician who knows how to get the best out of his playyers, which he showed as coach at the European Championship where Italy went out in the quarterfinals against Germany on penalty kicks.dddddddddddd want to transfer my passion to my players, Conte said on joining Chelsea.If Eden Hazard rediscovers his form of two seasons ago and Diego Costa can focus on scoring goals rather than clashing with the opposition, Chelsea will be hard to stop. The central-midfield axis of Kante and Nemanja Matic might prove to be the best in the league.A second-place finish last season maintained Arsenals record of qualifying for the Champions League every full season in Arsene Wengers 20-year reign, but there was frustration that a chance had been missed to end a league title drought now stretching 12 years.One potential area of weakness may have been filled by Wenger with the signing of Switzerland defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka but the most obvious issue -- the lack of a proven striker -- remains glaring. Attempts to sign Leicesters Jamie Vardy and Lyons Alexandre Lacazette have failed, leaving the not-always-convincing Olivier Giroud as first-choice striker.For Arsenals increasingly disenchanted supporters, that isnt enough, but theres still time for late business in the transfer window.Its also been relatively quiet across north London at Tottenham, whose only signings have been holding midfielder Victor Wanyama from Southampton and Vincent Janssen from the Dutch league. Janssen will provide much-needed back-up for main striker Harry Kane.Under forward-thinking coach Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs -- led by Kane, playmaker Dele Alli and a tight defense marshalled by Toby Alderweireld -- played the best football on a consistent basis last season and were the main challengers to Leicester in the last two months.This will be their last season at White Hart Lane before a move to a new ground adjacent to the current stadium: What better way to say farewell than winning the league for the first time since 1961?Tottenham will be playing in the Champions League for the first time since 2010-11, with home games staged at Wembley Stadium to meet UEFA requirements while work is done near the stadium, so its an exciting time for the club.Indeed, all three of Londons top clubs should be excited going into the new season, looking to prove theres more to the Premier League than Manchester. ' ' '