Global Atlantis Forum » gs Stanley Cup Final Game 5 Best NFL P

PITTSBURGH -- All eyes were supposed to be on Gregory Polanco. But thanks to his new-found success against left-handed pitchers, Anthony Rizzo stole the show. Rizzo homered, doubled twice and drove in three runs to lead the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 Tuesday night, spoiling Polancos much-anticipated debut. Rizzo hit a two-run homer in the first inning off lefty Francisco Liriano, who came out in the fourth with discomfort on his right side. Rizzo also doubled and scored in the fourth and hit an RBI double in the seventh, a drive to deep right-centre that struck Polancos left wrist as the touted Pirates rookie tried to make the catch. Rizzo has five home runs and a .344 batting average in 61 at-bats against left-handers this season. Last year, he batted .189 with seven homers against southpaws in 189 at-bats. "I feel more comfortable against them now and its the best Ive ever hit left-handers at any level," Rizzo said. "I dont know if Ill ever figure lefties out -- or right-handers, either -- but I do feel confident against them." Rizzo has every reason to feel confident. He has five homers in his last 10 games, raising his season total to 13. "You can talk about mechanics and scouting reports and everything else, but the biggest thing in this game is confidence," Rizzo said. "If you step into the batters box with confidence, then youre giving yourself a much better chance to hit." Polanco went 1 for 5 after getting called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, where the right fielder was leading the International League with a .347 batting average and 49 RBIs in 62 games. "It was a lot of fun," he said. "It was exciting. I was a little nervous at first but then I relaxed and had fun." Pinch-hitter Luis Valbuenas two-run double off Casey Sadler (0-1) broke a 3-all tie in the sixth and put Chicago ahead for good. Travis Wood (6-5) allowed three runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. "It was a grind at times but I got through it," Wood said. Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer for the Pirates, his ninth of the season and fifth in nine June games. Valbuena and Junior Lake each had two hits for the Cubs, as did Pittsburghs Russell Martin and Starling Marte. Rizzo scored on a single by Starlin Castro in the seventh to push Chicagos lead to 7-3. Rizzos homer put the Cubs up 2-0, but the Pirates tied it on McCutchens drive in the third. In the top of the fourth, Rizzo led off with a double and scored on Darwin Barneys double. Pittsburgh tied it again in the bottom half on pinch-hitter Jose Tabatas RBI double. "Rizzos blast there in the first inning kind of got us rolling and we did a good job of adding on runs after that," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. Liriano allowed two runs in three-plus innings. He bent over and held his back after throwing a pitch to Rizzo, then left the mound after a few warmup pitches. After leading the Pirates with 16 wins last season, Liriano has struggled this year. He is 1-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 14 starts. Liriano will almost certainly miss his scheduled start Sunday in Miami and could land on the disabled list. Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole (right shoulder fatigue) went on the DL on Sunday and second baseman Neil Walker (appendectomy) followed him Tuesday. NOTES: The Cubs released RHP Jose Veras, one week after designating him for assignment. He was 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA in 12 relief appearances while going 0 for 2 on save chances. ... Pittsburgh 3B Pedro Alvarez got the night off. He is 1 for 18 against Wood. ... Chicago RHP Jason Hammel (6-3, 2.53 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday night against RHP Brandon Cumpton (1-2, 6.51). Adam Foote Jersey . -- James Harden scored 31 points, including 25 in the second half, and the Houston Rockets dug out of a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Orlando Magic 101-89 on Wednesday night. Rob Ramage Avalanche Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames were again involved in a game in which a team was held scoreless, only this time they came out on the winning side. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic-anton-lindholm-avalanche-jersey/ .com) - Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll knows about life in the NFL from other stints around the league. Rene Robert Avalanche Jersey . The 22-year-old Spanish midfielder recently signed a new three-year contract with Chelsea, and after spending last season on loan with Valencia in La Liga, Romeu will move to the Bundesliga for the 2014-15 campaign. Cale Makar Jersey . Scrivens stopped 48 shots and captain Andrew Ference scored in overtime as the Oilers pulled off a 4-3 upset of the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.Canadas Sports Leader heads to Hollywood for the biggest awards event in sports, THE 2014 ESPYS, hosted by Toronto-born Grammy Award-winning platinum-selling recording artist Drake from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The awards show will feature 33 categories highlighted by the honours of "Best Male Athlete," "Best Female Athlete" and "Best Team." Nominees in the "Best Male Athlete" category include NBA MVP Kevin Durant, MLB AL MVP Miguel Cabrera, NFL MVP Peyton Manning, and undefeated lightweight boxing champ Floyd Mayweather, who are all vying to take home the honour for the first time. The "Best Female Athlete" category also showcases a collection of fresh faces this year with WNBA star Maya Moore the only returning nominee. Others include the first female UFC champion, Ronda Rousey, the youngest Olympic slalom gold medalist, Mikaela Shiffrin, and college basketball Player of the Year, Breanna Stewart. Award winners at The 2014 ESPYS will also include Michael Sam, who will be honoured with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, Stuart Scott, this years recipient of the Jimmy V Perseverance Award, and Josh Sweeney. Sweeney, a U.S. Paralympic gold medal sled hockey player and Purple Heart recipient, will be the first winner of The Pat Tillman Award for Service, a new annual ESPYS honour. Best Male Athlete Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder Peyton Manning Denver Broncos Floyd Mayweather Boxing Best Female Athlete Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx Ronda Rousey UFC Fighter Mikaela Shiffrin Alpine Skiing Breanna Stewart UConn Basketball Best Team Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Kings San Antonio Spurs Seattle Seahawks Connecticut Womens Basketball Florida State Football Best Game Auburn vs.dddddddddddd Alabama Iron Bowl Colts vs. Chiefs AFC Wild Card Game Rangers vs. Kings Stanley Cup Final Game 5 Best NFL Player Jamaal Charles Kansas City Chiefs Luke Kuechly Carolina Panthers Peyton Manning Denver Broncos LeSean McCoy Philadelphia Eagles Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks Best NBA Player Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder Blake Griffin Los Angeles Clippers LeBron James Miami Heat Joakim Noah Chicago Bulls Best MLB Player Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers Chris Davis Baltimore Orioles Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers Max Scherzer Detroit Tigers Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels Best NHL Player Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins Ryan Getzlaf Anaheim Ducks Anze Kopitar Los Angeles Kings Henrik Lundqvist New York Rangers Jonathan Toews Chicago Blackhawks TSN2s exclusive Canadian coverage begins Wednesday at 7pm et/4pm pt with The 2014 ESPYS Countdown followed by The 2014 ESPYS at 9pm et/6pm pt. TSN subscribers can also access live and on demand coverage of The 2014 ESPYS via TSN.ca and TSN GO. ' ' '