SEATTLE -- Clint Hurdle speaks with great appreciation for what Sean Rodriguez brings defensively, playing wherever Pittsburgh needs him to be in the field.It was his bat, though, that carried the Pirates on Wednesday night.Hes as good a defender as Ive run across wherever you put him. ... Hes a gifted defender and hes having one of his better offensive seasons so far this half, Hurdle said.Rodriguez doubled in consecutive at-bats and drove in four runs, David Freese hit a solo home run and Pittsburgh beat the Seattle Mariners 8-1 to split a two-game interleague series.Rodriguez was responsible for breaking the game open in the fifth inning with a three-run double into the left-field corner off Seattle reliever Donn Roach. Rodriguez doubled an inning earlier off starter Wade Miley (6-4) to score Starling Marte.Freese got it all started with a solo home run on the first pitch of the second inning. It was a three-run inning for Pittsburgh, capped by a two-run double from Josh Harrison.All that offense backed a strong start from rookie right-hander Jameson Taillon, who pitched six innings, giving up just one run and six hits. Making his fifth career start, Taillon (2-1) overcame a shaky first inning and retired 10 straight at one point. He struck out six and didnt allow a walk.Taillon made some adjustments from his last start against the Dodgers when he was knocked out after four innings and giving up eight hits and four runs. His curveball was sharp, and Taillon relied more on his sinking fastball that had a number of Seattle hitters swinging over the top.Hurdle thought Taillons final four pitches to get Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager to finish off the sixth inning with two runners on might have been his best.Even though the game is 8-1, I dont want to give up those runs, Taillon said. I wanted to really put the foot on the gas there and set the tone still. I knew I was close to being done so I let them eat and was aggressive with them.Miley was making his first start since June 12 after a brief stint on the disabled list due to an impingement in his left shoulder. He was lucky to make it through the fourth, leaving pitches up in the strike zone and watching them get hit hard.A lot of mistakes up over the plate and he had a hard time getting in rhythm with any of his pitches, Seattle manager Scott Servais said.Freeses opposite-field home run into the first row down the right-field line was just the start. Rodriguezs double in the fourth gave Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead, and he scored on Jordy Mercers sharp single. Roach took over in the fifth and was greeted by consecutive one-out singles by Freese and Jung Ho Kang. Marte walked and Rodriguezs hard shot just inside third base bounced into the corner and allowed all three runners to score.Rodriguez doubled his RBI output for the entire month of June entering the game. Between June 1 and June 23, Rodriguez appeared in 21 games without an RBI.BROKEN HANDIf the pitching performances from Miley and Roach werent bad news enough, the Mariners lost catcher Steve Clevenger in the third inning to a broken bone in his right hand after taking a foul ball square on the exposed hand off the bat of Andrew McCutchen. Clevenger fractured the third metacarpal, and Seattle will require a roster move to fill the backup catcher role.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong will throw a simulated game this weekend in Oakland after throwing a bullpen session on Tuesday. Vogelsong suffered facial fractures when he was hit in the left eye with a pitch in late May. Hes eligible to come off the disabled list on July 23.Mariners: Seattle placed reliever Nick Vincent on the 15-day disabled list with a back strain to clear a spot for Miley. Vincent said hes been dealing with the discomfort for about two weeks and finally decided rest was the best course. Vincent has made a team-high 35 appearances.UP NEXTPirates: After an off day on Thursday, the Pirates open a series on Friday against Oakland with Jeff Locke (7-5) getting the start.Mariners: Seattle opens a four-game series with Baltimore on Thursday and Taijuan Walker (3-6) on the mound after missing his last start due to a sore ankle. Ozzie Smith Jersey . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Custom San Diego Padres Jerseys . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. http://www.padresrookiestore.com/Padres-Christian-Villanueva-Kids-Jersey/ .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Jose Pirela Jersey .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. San Diego Padres Jerseys . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford.OTTAWA -- Bryan Murray could make his biggest move before the NHL draft even begins. The Senators general manager says he expects to know Daniel Alfredssons status for next season before the first selection is made Sunday. The 40-year-old Sens captain has returned to Sweden with his family, but met with Murray prior to leaving and said he would likely give him an answer by draft day. An unrestricted free agent, Alfredsson has been contemplating retirement or returning for another season. "I have a feeling he wants to play," said Murray. "That was certainly something he wanted to look at again further and whether that will be the final answer or not I dont know at this point." If he and Alfredsson do agree on a new deal, Murray cant officially re-sign him until the free agency window opens July 5. Murray says he expects it would only be a one-year contract. "He felt good when he talked to me," said Murray. "He said he felt healthy. He hadnt worked out much, but wanted to do that starting this week and I think thats all he was waiting for was to feel good about another summer of working hard and getting ready for a hockey season." Murray said having Alfredsson "is better than most free agents we could get." The Senators have the 17th overall selection and while they believe they can get a solid player, Murray has been trying to move up. Murray has had discussions with a number of general managers, but said nothing has materialized as of yet. Its anticipated the asking price to move up could be fairly steep. "I think it would be difficult to move up from the indications Ive gotten," said Murray. "I havent even gotten a price to move up, but as Ive been told by a couple managers its hard to move back to 17 from where (they) are." Murray has said he wouldnt shy away from moving some of the teams younger prospects if it meant he could improve the team, but its unlikely he would give up too much to just move up a few spots. If anything, Murray is looking to trade for a twenty-something player that can come inn and make an immediate impact for the club.dddddddddddd The Senators have seven selections this year, but just one in the first round and one in the third. Ottawas second-round pick will go to the St. Louis Blues as the result of last years trade that sent Ben Bishop to the Senators in exchange for this pick. While the Senators say they just want to pick the best player available, it appears they have a preference. "If you go back and look at past drafts its tough to get an impact defenceman at that point so Ill let you guys figure that out," said assistant general manager Tim Murray. "I would say the percentages say it would be a forward, but maybe a D drops." The Senators have set their sights on a handful of players and in an effort to get to know them better, four were brought in a couple of weeks ago for more extensive interviews. "Most of the time at 17 the player wont play for you right away, but I think youre looking at someone in the short term that can still do something," said director of player personnel Pierre Dorion. The Senators are preparing for every possible scenario. They have studied players right from the top of the list all the way through to the 150th in the event a deal gets made. Dorion joked that the most intense discussions can often be about players ranked 78th or 79th. "That could be our third-round pick or our fourth-round pick and we have to be prepared for that scenario," he said. Dorion is also quick to add that everyone on the scouting staff has a voice and there have already been healthy discussions regarding the teams first-round pick. This will be Murrays seventh draft with the Senators and if history is any indication, its likely the Senators selections will be players from North America or Sweden. Murray has also shown an affinity for drafting local talent. "Right from the start Bryan and Tim have said if theres a good player and hes from the area then we should definitely consider him," said Dorion. "Choosing a local player is beneficial to both parties." Discount NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Online NFL Jerseys From China Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Jerseys From China China Womens NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '