PHOENIX — Crack the door http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/ben-banogu-jersey , and these days the Arizona Diamondbacks will blow right through.


The Diamondbacks did it again Tuesday, when they took advantage of three throwing errors in a six-run first inning for the impetus needed for a 13-8 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Chase Field. The game was not decided until Jon Jay’s three-run homer in the seventh inning, but the decisive first inning helped them build an 8-0 lead.

“Those are some of the characteristics of a good team, that when they sniff a little blood, they are going to go out there and execute,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “When you get second chances in this game, you have to take advantage. Our guys are ready for that.

“We talk about them (opponents) being in their most vulnerable state when they are making mistakes, and we have to be ready. It’s not a good feeling when you are on the (other) side of it and it is not going well. But when you are executing and fighting back a little bit, it is very gratifying.”

Arizona right-hander Zack Greinke, who has lost only one of his last 25 starts at Chase Field, will oppose Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon in the final game of the series Wednesday.

The Pirates have lost eight straight series, and a failure to execute has hurt in the first two games of this series. They blew a 5-0 lead entering the seventh inning in a 9-5 loss Monday, when the Diamondbacks combined timely hitting and extra benefits, including hit batter, an infield error, two wild pitches and a balk.

First baseman Josh Bell and second baseman Josh Harrison had throwing errors and pitcher Trevor Williams made an errant pickoff throw in the first inning Tuesday around two singles and Ketel Marte’s two-out, two-run triple. Five of the six runs were unearned.

“We didn’t handle the ball like we needed to handle the ball,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “We weren’t able to execute defensively the way we needed to execute defensively. We’ve got work to do. We are not playing at the level we are capable of playing.”

Arizona scored six runs in the eighth inning of a 12-7 victory at Colorado on Saturday Parris Campbell Jersey , capitalizing on a double-error by reliever Bryan Shaw early in the inning. Only one of those six runs was earned.

“That’s what you have to do,” said Jay, who had his first three hits in his fifth game with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. “When you have chances, you have to make the most out of the opportunities. We’ve been able to do that the last couple of days, and we just have to keep it going.

“I think that’s the mentality they have here. I saw that last year playing on the other side. That’s just the mentality you have to have.”

The Diamondbacks have scored 51 runs in their five-game winning streak, with heavy contributions from Paul Goldschmidt and Marte. Goldschmidt is hitting .477 with five homers and 12 RBIs in the last 11 games, with six multi-hit games. Marte is hitting .389 with 11 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in the last 11. He hit his NL-leading seventh triple Tuesday.

Greinke (5-4, 3.53 ERA) has won his last two decisions and is 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA and a .229 opponents’ batting average since beating the Dodgers at Chase Field on April 30. He is undefeated at home this season, going 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in seven starts while continuing the success he had at home last year. Greinke was 13-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 18 home starts in 2017.

Greinke took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh at Chase Field last season, losing it when Gregory Polanco led off with a homer down the right-field line. Greinke struck out 11 and walked one in that game, his lone start against the Pirates last season. He is 7-3 with a 4.59 ERA in 11 career starts against the Pirates, about half of those games coming when he was with Milwaukee in 2011-12.

Taillon (3-5, 4.08) has been effective for the most part, but a few rocky outings this season caused his ERA to jump over 4.00. He has given up three runs or fewer in 10 of his 13 starts, but has given up five, seven and six in the other three.

After winning his first two decisions and giving up two earned runs in his first 20 2/3 innings, Taillon is 1-5 with a 5.36 ERA. He has not faced the Diamondbacks in his three seasons.

HOUSTON (AP) — Lonnie Johnson Jr. nearly quit playing football.The Indiana native was bouncing around the junior college ranks and having trouble making the jump up to the next level.“I almost gave it up at one point in junior college because I kept getting knocked down every step I tried to take,” Johnson said. “Just stuck with it, ended up qualifying through school and got to Kentucky and ended up doing the right thing.”The work paid off after two years at Kentucky: Johnson was taken by the Houston Texans in the second round of the NFL draft Friday night at No 54 overall.“It just shows that I work hard Will Harris Jersey ,” Johnson said. “Everything that it took to get here, everything I’ve been through, I’m lost for words right now.”Johnson started 18 games for the Wildcats after a series of twists and turns. Originally, he committed to Ohio State but did not qualify academically. In 2014, Johnson played at San Bernardino Valley Community College before spending the next two years at Garden City Community College. His final two seasons were spent at Kentucky, where he had 64 tackles with 12 pass breakups.“He was just a really impressive guy,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “The way he could talk about his life, the way he could talk about football and then obviously, his skill set on the field. So, I think the more our organization got to know him we felt like he’d be a great fit.”This is the third straight season the Texans have addressed the cornerback position in the draft. Johnson will try and fill the voids left in the secondary with the exits of Tyrann Mathieu, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Kareem Jackson, who signed with the Denver Broncos.The Texans also used two of their top three picks to shore up their porous offensive line and get Deshaun Watson some protection: Northern Illinois’ Max Scharping (No. 55 overall) and first-rounder Tytus Howard of Alabama State will be asked to help protect the oft-banged up quarterback.“I know he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” Scharping said. “He’s a great person to be able to protect for. He’s athletic, he can move throughout the pocket and he’s got a great arm. I can’t wait to be one of the guys protecting him.”Watson was sacked an NFL-leading 62 times as Houston won the AFC South last season.Howard was a quarterback in high school before growing into his 6-foot-5, 322-pound frame while Scharping is a 6-foot-6, 327-pound tackle who started in 53 consecutive games for the Huskies.Scharping, who is a native of Green Bay, will get to head to his hometown next season when the Texans and Packers participate in a joint practice prior to their preseason opener. Scharping is also now teammates with fellow Wisconsin native J.J. Watt http://www.detroitlionsteamonline.com/austin-bryant-jersey , who he watched growing up when he played at Wisconsin.“It’s going to be amazing being on the same team,” Scharping said. “You’re going against the best defensive line in the country, really. You’ve got him; you’ve got Clowney. So, blocking those guys in practice every day, you’re going to be going up against the best.”The Texans finished the night picking San Diego State tight end Kahale Warring (No. 86 overall). He started playing football in his senior year of high school.“Meets our prototypical standards, everything we look for,” Texans general manager Brian Gaine said. “From the physical skillset and ending the with character and football skillset. Ton of upside here, a youthful player as it relates to his football experience but a ton of upside.”In high school, Warring played multiple sports, including water polo and basketball, which he said helped him transition to football.The 6-foot-5, 252-pound tight end was always curious about playing football and never thought about getting drafted into the NFL when he made the choice.“No, I was just enjoying the game of football falling in love with it day by day,” Warring said. “I was just having fun with my friends.”The Texans will finish off the draft with three picks in the final four rounds on Saturday. Houston will have a single pick in the fifth (161st overall), sixth (195th overall) and seventh round (220th overall).“We’re going to honor the board,” Gaine said. “We’re going to honor the process. It’s the best available player that makes the most sense in the moment and at that time.”__