MILWAUKEE -- Before his team departed Pittsburgh for Milwaukee, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said he wasnt daunted by the franchises lack of success in the Brew City.And now, after winning three in a row to take a series at Miller Park for the first time since 2013, HurdleI said before we left that we were due, Hurdle said. We havent played well here. You have to go out and play. Its very refreshing to come here and do it the way that we did it tonight on top of the other games; 3-2, 5-3 last night. Both of them were push and shove back and forth and this one was another one where we battled and came back. We have a tough team. We have a gritty team.Pittsburgh will go for the sweep Sunday when right-hander Ivan Nova takes the mound looking to build off his best start of the season.Making his fourth start for Pittsburgh since being acquired from the Yankees, Nova went the distance his last time out, allowing just a run on six hits and a walk while striking out six in a 7-1 victory over the Astros.We couldnt really get the ball on the barrel and mount any sort of rally against him, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. When he needed a ground-ball, he got it.Nova was 7-6 with a 4.90 ERA in 21 appearances (15 starts) with the Yankees this season but since joining the Pirates, hes 3-0 with a 3.20.He credits a lighter atmosphere as a big reason for his turnaround.All you do is stop and laugh sometimes, Nova said. That was something you usually didnt do in New York.Milwaukee hands the ball to right-hander Chase Anderson, whose first season with the Brewers has been a rocky one.Acquired last winter from Arizona, Anderson has gone 7-10 with a 4.99 ERA in 25 appearances (24 starts). He hasnt allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last 10 starts, but hasnt gotten past the fifth inning in all but one of those outings.He took no decision in his last start, going five innings against the Rockies while allowing three runs on six hits and a pair of walks while striking out seven.He got through it, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. (Nolan) Arenado is such a dangerous hitter. Hes pretty locked in right now. He got a first-pitch changeup on him and hit it well (for a home run). The fifth was a big inning for him to get through. He made some big pitches in the fifth to get through it.The Pirates are going for their first sweep of the Brewers since taking a three-game series last April at PNC Park. It would be their first sweep in Milwaukee since April 30-May 2, 2004.Dedryck Boyata Jersey . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. Thomas Meunier Jersey . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. http://www.soccerbelgiumteamonline.com/Mousa-Dembele-UEFA-European-Belgium-Jersey/ . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Axel Witsel Jersey . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. Kevin De Bruyne Jersey . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off.There are three ways for an athlete to retire. Theres Door No. 1: the Jim Brown/Bill Russell model, which is to retire at the top of the game without a detectable diminishment of skill. Brown walked away the best player in the game in 1965. An aged, ferocious champion Russell did so in 1969.There is Door No. 2: being knocked into retirement by injury. Andy Roddick hurt his shoulder and called it a career. Terry Bradshaws elbow ended his playing days. There was Joe Montana lying on the frozen turf in Buffalo, concussed, and Larry Bird resting his aching back on the Dream Team sideline. And Joe Theismann, well ...Then there is Door No. 3: hanging on too long. It is the saddest door in sports. It is watching Willie Mays stumble in the outfield, Pedro Martinez get hammered in the World Series and Michael Jordan wear a Washington Wizards jersey.Roger Federers announcement that he will miss the remainder of the 2016 season suggests he will soon be headed toward Door No. 2. But within his Facebook announcement, in which he mentioned his plan to return and play another two or three years, he is risking the dreaded Door No. 3.To love Federer, as his ravenous fan base does, is to read his vow to return to play attacking tennis as his showing the teeth of the shark. For all Federers leggendary elegance and beauty, it is his competitive side, the part motivated by slight or appearance of a new rival or someone challenging his place that gives the genius its power.ddddddddddddSharks know only how to eat and fight, however, and dont get hung up on near misses. Doubting Federer fuels the engine. He is quick to remind the public and media that losing to?Sergiy Stakhovsky?at Wimbledon and?Tommy Robredo at the US Open, both in 2013, were not the end of the world after all. Last season, despite losses to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon and US Open finals, was one of his strongest in years.What door awaits Federer will be a fascinating watch when he returns in 2017. His tank is not empty, in either competitiveness or love for the sport. He hasnt won a major since 2012, but he has been a finalist three times. For him, that is proof that he has no reason to quit or give in to anyone, Djokovic included.Those who watch Federer struggle and want him to quit do so generally out of love. They get squeamish watching the master yield to time, the one enemy that remains undefeated. The shark doesnt look at it that way, which is why he is a shark. ' ' '