PITTSBURGH -- Coming around second base in the seventh inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night, John Jaso stumbled.Then, he went for it.Ninety feet later, Jaso was safe at third base with a triple to become the first player to hit a cycle in the 16-year history of PNC Park.The triple off reliever Pedro Strop clinched the Pirates first cycle since 2004. The last Pirate to hit for the cycle was Daryle Ward on May 26, 2004, in St. Louis. The last Pirates home cycle was by Jason Kendall on May 19, 2000, against the Cardinals at Three Rivers Stadium.Jaso isnt exactly a typical candidate for the cycle. He has neither prodigious power nor speed, as he hit just his seventh home run and third triple of the season. Jaso didnt even realize what had happened until he had already performed the feat.It didnt really dawn on me until I was standing on the base, he said. I was looking at (third base coach Rick) Sofield and it finally just hit me.Jasos teammates were well aware of what was going on. Shortstop Jordy Mercer said they didnt want to jinx it by telling him.There was a little buzz going on and we were aware of the situation, but I dont think its something you want to openly talk about when they have one more at-bat left, Mercer said.But when Jaso looked like he might settle for a double after rounding second, Mercer and the rest of the bench became a legion of third-base coaches.We were just yelling, `Keep going! Keep going no matter what, just go, Mercer said. It worked out. I couldnt be more happy for him. It was awesome.Against Chicago starter Jake Arrieta (18-8), Jaso singled in the second inning, hit a three-run home run in the fourth and doubled in the fifth. Arrieta went five innings and allowed 10 hits and seven runs, both season highs.Its just a great memory to have, Jaso said. You dont really want to take this blessing for granted being here.Pirates starter Jameson Taillon (5-4) allowed one hit and struck out four in six innings.Chicagos Anthony Rizzo hit a solo homer, his 32nd of the season.OH, CANADAThe Pirates announced that they will play a two-game preseason series in Montreal against the Toronto Blue Jays March 31 and April 1, 2017. The Pirates havent played in Montreal since 2013.TRAINING ROOMCubs: OF Chris Coghlan left the game with a mild left ankle sprain. He ran into the wall in left field attempting to catch a fly ball in the fifth inning. . Manager Joe Maddon expects OF Jorge Soler (right side) to be able to play this weekend.Pirates: After being officially eliminated from the playoffs Tuesday, the Pirates will shut injured reliever Neftali Feliz down for the season, and will be backing away from C Francisco Cervelli, according to manager Clint Hurdle. Cervelli had hamate surgery in July and has dealt with several minor injuries all year. . OF Gregory Polanco did not play with a stiff neck. He had previously missed three games with a facial contusion following a collision with the wall in left field.UP NEXTCubs: Rob Zastryzny (1-0, 0.79 ERA) will make his first career start. In seven career appearances, his longest outing is 3 2/3 innings. Zastryzny started 14 games for Triple-A Iowa this season with a 7-3 record and a 4.22 ERA.Pirates: Ivan Nova (12-8, 4.37 ERA) has lost two straight starts after winning his first five decisions with the Pirates since coming over from the New York Yankees at the trade deadline. He has given up 11 runs (nine earned) and 18 hits over seven innings in his last two starts. Skal Labissiere Jersey . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Zach Randolph Jersey . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. https://www.kingslockerroom.com/Oscar-Robertson-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Dewayne Dedmon Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. Wenyen Gabriel Jersey . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Joe Flacco eased back into the pocket, surveyed the field and lofted a pass that zipped 50 yards through the air into the waiting arms of rookie receiver Chris Moore.The scene, which once might have been taken for granted, was noteworthy because of the brace affixed to the quarterbacks left knee.Flacco practiced with his Baltimore Ravens teammates Thursday for the first time since he tore his ACL and MCL last November. Not every pass was as impressive as the one to Moore, but hey, he was plenty sharp enough to get through the opening day of training camp.I felt great, Flacco said after the 2 1/2-hour session. I thought I could have thrown the ball a little better, but physically felt good, mentally I felt good.Now in his ninth season, Flacco set an NFL record by starting 137 straight games (including playoffs) to start his career. The run ended when he was struck in the knee in the midst of a frantic fourth-quarter drive that produced a 16-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 22.Surgery followed, and Flacco could only watch as the Ravens stumbled to a 5-11 finish.Now hes back behind center, eager to compete again but wary of how he might react when being chased by a few overeager opponents looking to increase their sack total.Ive been doing a bunch of running and all that stuff the whole time, but I didnt hurt my knee running, Flacco said. It was a contact injury, and I havent had to deal with any of those issues. I havent had to deal with people being around me while Im stepping and throwing. I assume that might take a little bit of an adjustment, but Im not too worried about it.The plan is to keep Flacco out of harms way until its absolutely necessary. He probably wont start in the preseason opener against Carolina on Aug. 11 and will likely be used sparingly until the Ravens launch the regular season at home against Buffalo on Sept. 11.Flacco, 31, owns nearly every team passing record -- including most yardage (28,322), touchdowns (162) and completions (2,479). He helped Baltimore reach the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons and was the MVP of the Super Bowl affter directing the Ravens to a win over San Francisco in February 2013.ddddddddddddollowing his knee injury, Flacco vowed to be ready for the first day of training camp. And there he was, flipping passes of varying lengths to a variety of receivers as if hed never been gone.One to (tight end Dennis) Pitta across the middle was just a great throw. Only great quarterbacks can make that throw, safety Eric Weddle said. He looked good, he seemed confident. You couldnt tell he had surgery in the offseason. Its definitely a positive sign.After surviving for years in the most vulnerable position on the field, Flacco didnt enjoy watching his team play -- and mostly lose -- without him. But he made the most of the experience, and maybe learned a thing or two.Its not the end of the world. I missed a handful of games, and it didnt feel good, he said. But there are a lot of good things that come out of it. You just have to look at yourself in the mirror every day and go to work, go to work, go to work, and work toward that goal of getting back out onto the field.Every day with this rehab you would get up, come in and accomplish something. Accomplishing something every day is good for your confidence. It makes you feel good about yourself.When he was finally done with all those months of working his way back, Flacco actually found himself looking forward to the grind of training camp.Its kind of fun for me to come back and really go out there and sling it around, he said. Of course, its still training camp. Youre going to have your days when youre talking to your guys and coming up with all kinds of stuff as to why you dont want to be here right now. But thats just a part of the game.Game notes RB Lorenzo Taliaferro was placed on the PUP list with a foot injury. Hes not quite there yet, coach John Harbaugh said. ... WR Mike Wallace and CB Jerraud Powers failed to pass the conditioning test and were not allowed to practice.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '