PITTSBURGH -- A classic sinkerballer, Charlie Morton has gotten out of countless jams by inducing a ground ball. On Wednesday, one turned his entire outing around. Morton shook off a shaky beginning to retire his final 11 batters over seven strong innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates maintained the best record in the majors with a 4-2 victory over the Miami Marlins. Morton (4-3) beat Miami for the second time in an 11-day span despite allowing six hits over his first three-plus innings. "Hes got pitches to get outs and to get on a roll," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Weve seen it in the past. The challenge in front of Charlie is consistency." The Marlins had a single during each of the first three innings against Morton, and they took a 2-0 lead when they opened the fourth inning with three consecutive hits. Donovan Solano drove in Giancarlo Stanton with a bloop single over Neil Walkers head for the games first run. But conceding Miamis second run was a trade-off Morton and the Pirates were willing to make. Logan Morrison scored when Adeiny Hechavarria followed by grounding into a double play. "Hes capable of getting two outs with one pitch with somebody on base more than anyone we have," Hurdle said. "I do think that did give him a boost of confidence going into the rest of the game." Morton did not allow any of the remaining hitters he faced to reach base. "Initially, I give up two runs, and I dont want to give up runs," Morton said. "I dont want to put anything on the shoulders of anyone else -- I want to do my job. So when I dont and I give up runs, thats frustrating. But I have trust and faith in the guys in this clubhouse; theyve been amazing all year. Its a lot of fun to watch." Morton, who also had an RBI single, did not walk a batter and had five strikeouts in allowing two runs on six hits. Justin Wilson pitched a perfect eighth, and Mark Melancon was aided by Walkers catch on Stantons line drive in earning his seventh save. Second baseman Walker went to his right to stab a ball that was heading up the middle, then in one motion quickly threw to first to double up Ed Lucas. Andrew McCutchen homered for the Pirates (69-44), who have won four straight and are a season-high 25 games over .500. Christian Yelich had two hits for Miami, which has lost four in a row and scored eight runs in that span. "Weve had some good at-bats but were not stringing them together," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "Were piecing together one run here or one run there. Believe me, its very frustrating. I know our guys our frustrated. Youve got to keep plugging along and hopefully have that day where we string a bunch of hits together." The go-ahead run came sprinting home in the Pittsburgh fifth when Tom Koehlers pitch to Starling Marte almost struck Marte in the face as he squared around to bunt on a safety squeeze. Marte went down hard, and as the ball went to the backstop he jumped up to get out of the way as Jordy Mercer ran in from third. That was one of two wild pitches by Koehler (3-7), who also hit a batter and allowed four hits and a walk in five innings. The rookie was the losing pitcher the previous time Morton beat Miami less than two weeks prior. "Im still a little aggravated about the fifth, to allow two runs and make the team fight back," Koehler said. "Youve got to be able to shut it down, slam the door there. You give them a chance and theyre going to capitalize on it. They didnt necessarily score their two runs as much as I gave them to them." With one out and no one on in the fourth, McCutchen took a 3-1 pitch to right-centre for his 16th home run, the second homer allowed by Koehler in his past seven starts. McCutchen added an infield single in the eighth, and Pedro Alvarez followed with a sacrifice fly to pad the Pirates lead. McCutchen, who is batting .359 at home this season, has a streak of five straight multihit games. NOTES: The start of the game was delayed by rain for 36 minutes. ... Pirates LHP Wandy Rodriguez, on the disabled list since June 11 because of left forearm tightness, threw off a mound for the first time in his rehabilitation Tuesday. ... The Marlins have lost five straight at PNC Park, dating to last season. ... Two of the top rookie starters in the National League will pitch the series finale Thursday -- Pittsburghs Gerrit Cole (5-5, 3.69) and Miamis Jose Fernandez (8-5, 2.54). They faced each other July 28 at Marlins Park, when Fernandez had 13 strikeouts in a 3-2 victory. Swell Bottle Wood Collection . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Swell Water Bottle Flowers . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. http://www.ukswellbottle.com/ .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Swell Wholesale .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Swell Traveler Sale . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. Max Walker, the tangle-footed and rubber-armed Australia seamer of the 1970s, has died in Melbourne after succumbing to cancer. He was 68.A key member of the successful Australian Test teams led by Ian and Greg Chappell, Walker was also among the breakaway group of players who took part in Kerry Packers World Series Cricket from 1977 to 1979. Their stance fundamentally altered the shape of international cricket ever since.Walker played 34 Tests for Australia, bowling into the wind opposite Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in the memorable home summers of 1974-75 and 1975-76, when England and West Indies were laid to waste.He also stepped up notably on occasions when the aforementioned pair were injured or unavailable. Chief among these efforts were early in his career: a Test match against Pakistan in 1973 when he ran through the tourists opposite an ailing Lillee, and the West Indies tour later the same year when he led an undermanned bowling attack to one of the teams best overseas wins.Greg Chappell remembered Walker saying: My two most indelible memories of Tangles would be the tour of the West Indies in 1973 when Australia lost our spearheads Dennis Lillee and Bob Massie, meaning that Jeff Hammond and Max had to shoulder the burden of the bowling. The conditions were pretty tough and they werent really conducive to swing bowling, which was Maxs strength, but it was one of the earliest occasions where we became aware of reverse swing, and he was able to get the older ball to go Irish, which really helped our cause.We won that series and he was a big contributor to that victory. The other moment that I can still recall vividly was during the Centenary Test in 1977 when England had dismissed us for 130-odd and we needed something special, and we got it from Max. Tony Greig was always a big wicket, but when he sent Greigys off stump cart-wheeling, the roar from Tangles was louder than that of the crowd. I was in slips and it was almost frightening as he charged down the pitch with both arms in the air, roaring his delight.Hailing from west Hobart, where he lived until recruited to the Melbourne Football Club by the legendary coach Norm Smith, Walker became an instantly recognisable figure for his handlebar moustache and toothy grin. Later in life those features helped him become a popular commentator and entertainer; he published a string of comedic books and hosted Wide World of Sports.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chhief executive, paid tribute to Walker.dddddddddddd Max was an outstanding cricketer who played an important role in the emergence of successful Australian cricket teams in the 1970s, he said. It was a golden era of Test Cricket under the captaincy of Ian and Greg Chappell, and Maxs medium fast bowling and his unmistakeable bowling action were a feature of those teams, and then in the late 1970s when he joined World Series Cricket.The cricket world will be deeply saddened to hear of Maxs sudden passing. As a cricketer, with ball or bat in hand, Max was always fiercely competitive. He was a genuine crowd favourite wherever he played - and nowhere more so than at his beloved MCG, where he had also played senior football prior to his Test debut.Tony Dodemaide, CEO of Cricket Victoria, spoke of Walkers contribution. Max was a positive and jovial character and devoted much of his life to playing and serving the game, during what many would call a revolutionary period for cricket, he said. At the completion of his playing career, Max charmed many on our TV screens as he built his career in the entertainment industry.Maxs contribution to the game was significant and at a time when cricket was undergoing significant changes, playing a critical role in World Series Cricket. A gentleman of his era, Max was able to be part of some moments that will be cherished forever in cricket history and will continue to inspire future generations.Hugh Marks, chief executive of Channel Nine, offered his thoughts about Walkers time in television At Nine and across the game we have lost a genuine hero of Australian cricket with Max Walkers sad passing, Marks said. He was terrific bowler as his Test record shows, but an even better bloke. He will be missed by the whole Nine family.Larger than life on and off the field, a huge character with that laconic, laid-back approach to sport and life. Just a big, cuddly colourful bloke whom everyone really liked - his opponents just as much as the rest of us, Max enjoyed that unique sense of humour made only in Australia, which shone like a beacon in his post-retirement commentary roles on Nine, his hilarious books and his famous have a good weekend Mr Walker television advertisements.Max leaves an indelible signature on Australian cricket and its culture. He will be profoundly missed. ' ' '
