the rest of the season. ... Pittsburgh plays at the New York Islanders

SEATTLE -- Two days after his baserunning error cost Tampa Bay, Sean Rodriguez atoned for his mistake with a key pinch hit. Cheap Jerseys . Rodriguez hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning on Sunday and the Rays rallied past the Seattle Mariners 4-1 Sunday to build their wild-card edge. "I (will) definitely sleep better now," said a relieved Rodriguez about the cross country flight home. "Considering that happened only two days ago, you dont usually get an opportunity right away. Thats instant gratification. Instant redemption. Im very fortunate." Rodriguez had been picked off second late in the game on Friday in the Rays loss that night. The Rays lead Baltimore and Cleveland, who both lost, by two games for the second AL wild-card spot. Trailing 1-0, Tampa Bay scored three times in the eighth. Evan Longoria was hit by a pitch from Yoervis Medina (4-5) to start the inning and Luke Scott walked. James Loney followed with a tying double that landed just inside the right-field line. Rodriguez, hitting for Matt Joyce, singled sharply up the middle off new reliever Oliver Perez to score Scott. Loney also came home when centre fielder Abraham Almonte bobbled the ball for an error. The Rays began their 10-game road trip in sole possession of the first wild-card spot and a four-game lead on the second position. Tampa Bay completed the swing at just 3-7. The Rays contend, though, that the record on the road trip is less important than the momentum they grabbed with the win Sunday. "The thing is, everybody goes through bad moments," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Everybody does. Every team out theres gone through bad moments this year. Ours is just occurring right now. A lot of it is its a tough trip. Its a tough trip. "So it was kind of a buzz saw moment. We kind of survived it in a sense. We get to go back home. Again, of course you got to believe. I believe every moment of every day. I never lost faith in any of this. Youre just looking for that moment when you can break through again. It (happened) today." Rays starter Matt Moore got a no-decision despite tossing 6 1-3 innings of one-run ball. The left-hander allowed four hits, walked three and struck out three. Moore hasnt lost since June 14, a span of nine decisions. "Had really good fastball velocity, I thought he maintained it pretty much the entire gamem," Maddon said. "Curveball and changeup were there, but I think he actually pitched with his fastball well today." Jake McGee (4-3) got two outs and the win. Fernando Rodney closed for his 33rd save in 41 chances. The Rays picked up an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI double by Desmond Jennings, but still left the bases loaded. Tampa Bay also squandered a chance with the bags full in the seventh, as pinch-hitter Delmon Young grounded into a double play and Ben Zobrist flew out to end the frame without putting a run on the board. The Rays went 4 for 10 with runners in scoring position on Sunday, but still only hit .177 (17 for 96) in those spots during the road trip. Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez pitched into the seventh, blanking the Rays on four hits and working around four walks. "I thought Erasmo was good," Mariners skipper Eric Wedge said. "I loved his aggressiveness early in the game and he was able to hang on to it and sustain it." Kendrys Morales led off the Seattle second with his 20th homer of the season and 99th of his career. It was just one of five hits the Mariners were able to record. NOTES: Rays SS Yunel Escobar did not start for the first time since July 21. He pinch-hit in the eighth. Maddon said Sundays pitching matchup gave him a good excuse to sit Escobar, who he wants to keep from completely wearing down by the end of the season. ... Seattle 2B Nick Franklin was not in the lineup on Sunday, a day after taking a knee to the head while attempting to field a fly ball. Wedge said the decision was not entirely based on Saturdays collision, though, and Franklin is fine. Franklin struck out pinch-hitting in the ninth. Wholesale NFL Jerseys USA . Next years tournament is also within sight for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which has never played in a World Cup, but Cristiano Ronaldo looks destined for the playoffs with Portugal after a night when the qualifying picture in the nine groups became much clearer. Cheap NHL Jerseys . -- The anointed starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders is strengthening his hold on the position this training camp instead of losing it. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/ . The Tinkoff-Saxo rider was still dealing with the right shin he broke in a crash which ended his Tour de France on Stage 10. He hoped to defy his doctors and race in the home Grand Tour he won in 2008 and 2012, but he says there have been complications in his recovery.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Languishing on a perpetually rebuilding team for more than a year taught David Perron a valuable lesson about confidence.Good teams have them. Bad ones not so much. After wasting away in Edmonton, Perron has rediscovered his soft hands — and the back of the net — in Pittsburgh.The forward scored twice and added an assist in a 7-2 thrashing of reeling Minnesota on Tuesday night, as the Penguins put together the kind of outburst that has been rare at times this season for one of the leagues most potent attacks.As soon as I stepped in here I could feel the (confidence) in this group, said Perron, acquired on Jan. 2 to give Pittsburgh some needed scoring depth. We started feeding off of that pretty quick and it was a good night for everyone.A series of injuries has forced the Penguins to rely heavily on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to keep them in their usual spot near the top of the Eastern Conference. The players on injured reserve, however, are dwindling. The team that pushed the Wild around looked a lot like the one that steamrolled through the first month of the season.Paul Martin, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins. Marcel Goc and Brandon Sutter also scored for Pittsburgh and Sidney Crosby picked up three assists as the Penguins posted their second-highest goal total of the year.We havent been scoring like we thought we could, coach Mike Johnston said. Certainly getting some lines back together and playing two or three games with similar combinations, youre seeing some improvement.Fleury made 30 saves and has now beaten every other team in the league.Niklas Backstrom stopped 29 of the 35 shots before being pulled following Letangs goal midway through the third period. Jonas Brodin and Justin Fontaine scored for the Wild, who have lost six straight and did little to make a case for embattled coach Mike Yeo. The team held a lengthy players-only meeting afterward, but it will take more than just clearing the air to get Minnesota back on track.Were so easy to play against, forward Zach Parise said. We lose battles. The details of our game are terrible. We dont make it hard onn the other team. Cheap NBA Jerseys. The Wild have been one of the leagues biggest disappointments at the seasons halfway point, wasting any momentum carried over from last years surprise run in the second round of the playoffs.The opening 20 minutes against the Penguins was a microcosm of the last three frustrating months. Minnesota dominated at stretches early thanks to some sloppy play by Pittsburgh, which gave the puck away in its own end with alarming regularity. Yet the Wild couldnt convert on several glistening opportunities and once the Penguins found their footing, Minnesota was simply no match.We use the word unflappable and for whatever reason its not in our vocabulary right now, Yeo said. For whatever reason we just fall apart and we start to press and make bigger mistakes.Goc scored for just the second time since the Penguins acquired him from Florida last March, swatting a rebound out of the air past Backstrom 6:16 into the game. Forward Zach Sill picked up the primary assist, giving him his first NHL point in his 48th game, the second-longest pointless streak to start an NHL-career in league history.Perron collected his second goal in Pittsburgh and seventh of the season 12:04 into the first, grabbing a meaty rebound in front of Backstrom, then switching quickly from forehand to backhand and slipping the puck by the stunned goaltender.Backstrom stuffed Kris Letang on a breakaway early in the second and the Wild responded with Brodins second goal of the season on a wrist shot from near the top of the right circle. It was a one-goal game for all of 93 seconds. Kunitz camped in front of Backstrom and flipped a rebound that caromed off Evgeni Malkin into the net.It was all the cushion Fleury would need. The Penguins poured it on in the third and tied its largest margin of victory this season.NOTES: Penguins F Steve Downie left early in the second period after taking an elbow to the face from Minnesota D Ryan Suter. ... Penguins D Olli Maatta will undergo shoulder surgery on Wednesday and miss the rest of the season. ... Pittsburgh plays at the New York Islanders on Friday. ... The Wild visit Buffalo on Thursday. ' ' '