Locke. "Well, it basically got to our location not being good," Pirate

The super-sub did it again on Saturday. Kekuta Manneh unleashed a 25-yard bomb that even the cat-like Jaime Penedo couldnt catch up to. The Panamanian keeper wasnt even close to it. The goal earned the Whitecaps a point in a game they had to chase twice. Its becoming a predictable theme; when Manneh is on, things happen. Defenders dont like playing him because they dont know what hes going to do. Heck, even the Gambian teenager might not know what hes going to do. And while those defenders are being twisted into pretzels, players like Mattocks and Miller are getting residual opportunities. It begs the questions then: why cant Kekuta be on from minute one more regularly, and in what role does he give Vancouver the best opportunity to win? When he came on to start the second half Saturday, Manneh lined up in behind the strikers as a number 10. It was a move that may have actually been inspired by Liverpools Raheem Stirling and the Jamaicans performance against Man City the week before. Sterlings goal against Norwich this past Sunday must have looked very familiar to Whitecaps fans; a 19-year old speedster, weaving through defenders before unleashing a canon that seemed to explode off his boot. Manneh also spent part of Saturday on the left side in a proper 4-4-2. Again, he didnt look uncomfortable there. Still in his building phase, Carl Robinson is not going to be anchored to one system or one lineup. But its getter harder and harder for the rookie coach to quantify leaving Manneh out from the start. The managers de facto justification is the teenagers defensive liability. Its also hard to argue having an ace up your sleeve in the event your team falls behind, like it did three times in two weeks against the LA Galaxy. I cant help but wonder what the Whitecaps would look like, especially at home, if Miller and Mattocks have Manneh in behind them, with any combination of Morales, Laba and whoever else in the midfield diamond. It would be a high risk, high reward lineup, but one that no team in MLS would want to defend against. Not to mention, it would be darn fun to watch. Maybe, in the context of this past weekends affair, the Whitecaps would have been the team showing the early initiative. Perhaps the Galaxy might have been more sensitive to pushing numbers forward knowing that any turnover could lead to punishing counters. The team poised to win the Premier League seems perfectly comfortable conceding two goals a game, because they know they can score three or more. Were getting to the point where not starting Manneh is like leaving your Ferrari in the garage on a sunny day; especially if you know that Ferrari will eventually be up for sale. Might as well get the most out of it while you can. Matt Benning Oilers Jersey .5 million, two-year contract that runs through 2015. Venable, the son of former big leaguer Max Venable, will make $4. Jari Kurri Jersey . Cleveland has won the first two of this set and has won six straight games since losing back-to-back tilts to open the year. Seattle, on the other hand, has now lost six in a row following consecutive wins to kick off its campaign. http://www.hockeyoilersshop.com/esa-tikkanen-jersey/ . -- When the Los Angeles Kings are on top of their formidable defensive game, they revel in the silence they can create in a frustrated road arena. Paul Coffey Oilers Jersey . The Broncos quarterback earned the offensive award Wednesday after passing for 374 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-21 win over the Raiders Monday night. Manning completed 32-of-37 passes and had a passer rating of 135. Jujhar Khaira Jersey .com) - There may be a debate in Philadelphia about who should be the starting quarterback of the Eagles. PITTSBURGH -- Jean Machi has been playing professional baseball in the United States since 2002 when he pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies team in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Yet the beefy right-handed reliever, now with the San Francisco Giants, had never been asked to bunt until the 13th inning Monday night. Not only did he successfully execute get the bunt for a sacrifice, but caused Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Hughes to rush a wide throw to first base. The error enabled Hunter Pence to score from second base and give the Giants an 11-10 victory. "I saw (Hughes) got a late break off the mound and slipped and I knew I had to run hard," Machi said through a translator. "I was excited because I did my job. They wanted me to move the runners up and I did that." San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said he was confident the 6-foot, 255-pound Machi could bunt despite the lack of experience. "Looks are deceiving in his case," Bochy said. "Hes a lot more athletic than he looks." San Francisco overcame a six-run deficit to run its winning streak to a season-best six games and also win for the 10th time in 11 games while sending the Pirates to their 18th loss in 23 games. Hughes (1-1) came on to start the 13th with the score tied at 10. With one out, he walked Pence and hit Juan Perez with a pitch to put runners on first and second base. Machi (5-0) then dropped down his bunt and wound up tied for the major league lead in victories with three starting pitchers: the Los Angeles Dodgers Zack Greinke, St. Louis Adam Wainwright and Torontos Mark Buehrle. Giants backup catcher Hector Sanchez had four hits and three RBIs, while Buster Posey, who got a day off from catching and played first base, had three hits, three runs scored and two RBIs. Pence finished with three hits and scored four times and Angel Pagan also had three of San Franciscos 20 hits. Michael Morse drove in two runs with a pair of doubless.dddddddddddd Posey forced extra innings when his RBI single in the ninth off Mark Melancon tied it at 10. Machi pitched two scoreless innings and Sergio Romo worked the 13th for his 10th save. "Its just one of 162 games and at the end of the day its about playing hard, playing to the end and never giving up," Pence said. The Pirates Andrew McCutchen had four hits and Pedro Alvarez homered and drove in four runs. Pittsburgh went ahead by six runs, 8-2, after scoring four times in the fifth inning but couldnt hold on. Pittsburgh starter Jeff Locke, recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day, allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Pirates needed a spot starter after their rotation was scrambled last week by back-to-back rainouts in Baltimore. Six Pirates relievers gave up four runs in 7 2/3 innings and Bryan Morris let all three inherited runners scored when he relieved Locke. "Well, it basically got to our location not being good," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of his bullpens struggles. "We were up in the zone more than we normally are." San Franciscos Yusmeiro Petit allowed eight runs in 4 1-3 innings. He started in place of Matt Cain, who was placed on the disabled list Sunday with a cut on his right index finger. "I thought we were dead in the water," Bochy said. "It was one of the grittiest games Ive been a part of in this group." NOTES: Bochy is confident Cain will make his next scheduled start Saturday against the Dodgers at Los Angeles. ... San Francisco 1B Brandon Belt, who entered in a 2-for-29 slump, did not start but went 1-for-2 with a walk off the bench. ... Pittsburgh RHP Jason Grilli played catch for the second time in three days but there is no timetable for when the closer, who is on the DL with a strained left oblique, will be able to throw off a mound. ... The Pirates optioned RHP Casey Sadler to Indianapolis to open a roster spot for Locke. ' ' '