Stave was intercepted by Whitehead, Carlson missed a 44-yard try. Go

PITTSBURGH -- The San Diego Padres are nowhere near a pennant race. Not by a long shot. Too bad. They have apparently gotten the hang of playoff baseball. Logan Forsythe and Rene Rivera delivered consecutive RBI singles in the ninth inning off Pittsburgh closer Mark Melancon and the Padres rallied for a 3-2 victory on Wednesday night for their third straight win. "What a game," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "Pitch to pitch, every pitch counted. Just a great, great game." Forsythes single to right scored pinch-runner Andrew Cashner to tie the game and Riveras blooper brought home Chris Denorfia as the Padres dealt Pittsburghs NL Central title hopes another blow as the Pirates fell two games behind first-place St. Louis, which beat Colorado 4-3. Dale Thayer (3-5) picked up the win in relief. Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his 33rd save as San Diego improved to 31-10 at PNC Park since it opened in 2001. "There is no rhythm or reason to it," Black said. "If we knew why, we would try to bottle it and take it with us wherever we go. I wish I could try to explain it." The Pirates would certainly like one. Melancon (2-2), who inherited the closers role when All-Star Jason Grilli went out with a forearm injury in July, blew his third save of the season. "Just got to tip your hat, they put the ball in play and found some holes," Melancon said. "They did a good job. Sometimes it happens that way." Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer in the seventh to give the Pirates the lead but Pittsburgh fell to 74-3 when leading after eight when Melancon faltered. Melancon has been nearly automatic since taking over for Grilli before running into trouble in the ninth. Jedd Gyorko led off with a single before Melancon settled down to retire the next two batters. Denorfia singled to put runners on the corners and Forsythe and Rivera followed with well-placed, if not exactly well-struck, hits to right field as San Diego improved to 11-4 in its last 15 games. "It was something special," Rivera said. "We battled all game and we came through." The rally spoiled McCutchens latest heroics. Pittsburgh was handcuffed by San Diego starter Tyson Ross for 6 1-3 innings when Neil Walker reached on a wild pitch with one out in the seventh. McCutchen followed by turning on a 3-0 fastball, sending it into the seats in right-centre for his 20th homer of the season. The Pirates lit up Ross for five runs in 6 1-3 innings in San Diego a month ago but came in having scored just two runs in the first two games of the series, losses that dropped Pittsburgh behind the Cardinals as they pursue their first division title in 21 years. Justin Morneau singled leading off the second before being erased on a double play. Ross spent the next 90 minutes toying with the Pirates. Pittsburgh only managed to get three balls to the outfield through six innings. Ross retired Starling Marte to start the seventh and Walker swung and missed at strike three. The ball skittered away from Rivera and rolled to the backstop, allowing Walker to reach. Ross threw wide on three straight pitches to McCutchen, and the National League MVP candidate mashed a fastball over the heart of the plate well over the wall. It was the only mistake on an otherwise brilliant night by Ross, who allowed two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts. "Tyson pitched a great game and he certainly didnt deserve to lose," Black said. "He was more efficient in the strike zone, he was aggressive in the strike zone, he was throwing more strikes and he got in better counts. When you do those things and you have good stuff then you have games like this." Tyson got a good look as McCutchen trotted around the bases then came out for a curtain call as the suddenly energized crowd of over 27,000 roared. He managed to get through the seventh without further damage, ending a duel with Pittsburghs Charlie Morton. Mixing his sinker with an improved curveball in his comeback from Tommy John surgery last year, Morton tied a career-high with nine strikeouts, allowing only one run and two hits. It wasnt quite enough as Pittsburghs playoff push hit another roadblock. NOTES: Pittsburgh sat C Russell Martin on Wednesday and will do so again on Thursday. Manager Clint Hurdle said he wants Martin to be well rested when the Pirates open a pivotal three-game series with Cincinnati on Friday. ... The series wraps up Thursday. Gerrit Cole (8-7, 3.33 ERA) starts for the Pirates against Ian Kennedy (6-9, 4.85). Karl-Anthony Towns Jersey .Former NBA forward Morris Peterson has been added to TSNs Toronto Raptors broadcast team. Taj Gibson Jersey .com) - Rakeem Christmas scored 21 points, B. http://www.cheaptimberwolvesjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-jimmy-butler-jersey . At this rate, the Flyers captain is set to be remembered more for a fantastic finish. Anthony Tolliver Jersey . Coach Jorge Sampaoli resisted naming any major surprises in the list published Tuesday at the site of Chiles football association. Chile is pinning its hopes on the recovery of Vidal. Cheap Minnesota Timberwolves Jerseys .com) - Jeff Teague finished with a game-high 26 points and eight assists as the Atlanta Hawks held off the Utah Jazz, 98-92, on Friday.Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Rafael Gaglianone made a 29-yard field goal to tie the game with seven seconds left in the fourth quarter, then won the Outback Bowl for Wisconsin with a 25-yarder in overtime. Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon led the way once again for the 17th- ranked Badgers, rushing for an Outback Bowl-record 251 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries in a 34-31 victory over No. 19 Auburn. Gordon ended 41 yards shy of the single-season FBS rushing record held by Barry Sanders. He finished with 2,587 yards, while Sanders record holds at 2,628 in 1988. Corey Clement carried the ball 15 times for 105 yards and also caught a touchdown pass for the Badgers (11-3), who set an Outback Bowl record with 400 yards on the ground and snapped a four-game bowl losing streak. Weve been through so much as a team, said Gordon. It feels good to leave as winners. Joel Stave completed 14-of-27 passes for 121 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions for Wisconsin, which played the game under the direction of athletic director Barry Alvarez. Gary Andersens abrupt decision to leave Wisconsin to coach Oregon State put Alvarez back on the sideline on an interim basis to coach in a bowl game for the second time in three seasons. Nick Marshall connected on 15-of-22 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers (8-5). Cameron Artis-Payne carried the ball 26 times for 126 yards and two scores. Auburn took a 31-28 lead on Artis-Paynes 2-yard TD run with 2:55 left in the fourth quarter. But the Badgers marched down the field and tied the game. Gordons 20-yard run coupled with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the ball to the Auburn 38. Wisconsin converted a 4th-and-5 and 3rd-and-5 before settling for Gaglianones game-tying field goal. The Badgers got the ball to start overtime and Troy Fumagallis 14-yard catch on 3rd-and-8 set up Gaglianones 25-yard field goal. Auburn was unable to move the ball and lost when Daniel Carlsons 45-yard field goal hit the right upright. The Badgers needed just five plays to find the end zone on their first possession of tthe game.ddddddddddddClement followed up a 43-yard run with a 7-yard TD catch. Auburn responded with a touchdown of its own late in the first quarter. Artis- Payne converted a 3rd-and-1 and then scored from two yards out with 2:16 left. Stave was intercepted by Trovon Reed with less than nine minutes remaining in the first half. Two plays later, Marshall hooked up with Ricardo Louis on a 66-yard bomb to give the Tigers a 14-7 lead. Wisconsin was driving on its ensuing touch when Stave was picked off by Jermaine Whitehead. However, Auburn failed to capitalize and was forced to punt. The Badgers opened the second half with a six-play, 75-yard drive that featured all runs. Gordon capped the series with a 25-yard score to make it 14-14. Carlson responded with a 51-yard field goal to give the Tigers a three-point edge. After Stave was intercepted by Whitehead, Carlson missed a 44-yard try. Gordon ripped off a 53-yard TD run on 4th-and-1 to give Wisconsin the lead back with 20 seconds remaining in the third stanza. He stiff-armed his way into the end zone. The Tigers came right back with a touchdown of their own, running the ball eight times during a nine-play drive. C.J. Uzomahs 20-yard TD catch made it 24-21 with 11:21 left in the fourth. Wisconsin went back in front on the next series, going 70 yards on seven plays with Gordon scoring from six yards out. The wild back-and-forth affair continued as Auburn took the lead back with a 10-play, 71-yard drive. The Tigers went for it on 4th-and-11 from the Wisconsin 15 and the Badgers were called for pass interference in the end zone. Artis-Payne scored from two yards out on the next play to make it 31-28 with 2:55 remaining. Game Notes Wisconsin leads the all-time series, 2-1-1 ... The Badgers improved to 12-14 all-time in bowl games, while Auburn fell to 22-15-2 in the postseason ... The Badgers, champions of the Big Ten West Division, made their fifth-consecutive appearance in a January bowl game ... Alvarez became the programs winningest head coach by compiling 118 wins from 1990 to 2005. ' ' '