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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates patiently waited six years for former No. 2 overall draft pick Jameson Taillon to make the major leagues. So far, hes been worth the wait.The Pirates didnt call up Taillon until two months into the season but, thanks to several reshufflings of their rotation, hes now settled into what effectively is the No. 2 man in their rotation. And its taken Taillon only nine starts in the big leagues to do that.Taillon will make start No. 10 Thursday afternoon against the San Diego Padres after going 2-2 with a 3.29 ERA, 43 strikeouts and only six walks in 52 innings during his first nine starts.Taillon has been in the majors long enough that he doesnt feel like a rookie any longer, even though he clearly is.The 24-year-old Taillons latest start was typical of the way hes pitched to date; he gave up only one run in six innings Friday against the Cincinnati Reds, although he didnt get the decision in a game the Pirates won 3-2.Hes got some tools to work with, and hes learning more each and every time out there, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. It was another night for him to grow.Taillon is quickly growing into an irreplaceable piece of the Pirates pitching puzzle.He has allowed only eight earned runs in 30 innings over his last five starts, walking a single batter. Not surprisingly, the Pirates have won five of his last six starts, even though the right-hander was on the disabled list with right shoulder fatigue from July 5-19.Taillon hasnt won since June 29 at Seattle, or at all in five starts at PNC Park, but the Pirates are 4-1 in those games.Taillon will oppose Padres left-hander Christian Friedrich (4-7, 4.76 ERA), who makes his ninth start on the road of his 16 overall starts. Friedrich pitched a season-high seven innings in his last start Aug. 5 vs. the Philadelphia Phillies, permitting four runs and five hits.Friedrich, like Taillon, is a former first-round draft pick -- and one of 13 starters the Padres have used this season.For the most part, I thought he was really good all day, Padres manager Andy Green said -- with the exceptions being the home run and double he allowed to the Phillies Cameron Rupp.The Padres and Pirates will play for the sixth and final time this season, with the Padres leading the season series 3-2 following their 4-0 win Wednesday behind Edwin Jackson and two relievers, who combined to allow only two singles.San Diego is one of the more aggressive teams in the majors stealing bases -- theyre third in the majors with 99 steals -- and that was evident Wednesday as Travis Jankowski pulled off a rare steal of home in the eighth inning.Jankowski detected that reliever Antonio Bastardo wasnt watching him closely as the left-hander focused on his matchup with Alex Dickerson, so he took off for the plate and scored as catcher Eric Fryer fumbled Bastardos hurried throw home.We run the bases with a ton of aggression and steal a lot of bases -- but we take whats given to us, Green said. That was probably more of a gamble ... but it worked out because Travis has the ability to create anxiety in other people when hes running the bases. He took it upon himself (to go) ... and if youre going to take a chance, thats the time to take one.Roy Oswalt Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. J. R. Richard Jersey ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. https://www.cheapastros.com/513o-hector-rondon-jersey-astros.html .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Derek Bell Astros Jersey . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. Doug Rader Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team.BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Wyatt Walker scored 16 points and pulled down 16 rebounds and Samford won a 66-53 defensive battle over Campbell on Monday night.Neither team shot the ball particularly well. Samford managed just 38.9 percent from the field and 6 of 19 from long range while Campbell struggled to a 30.6 percent night from the field and 6 of 28 from 3. But the Bulldogs (2-1) held a nine point advantage at the free throw line (18-9) and held a 49-34 lead on the glass.Demetrius Deenzel-Dyson finished with 13 points and Christen Cunningham added 10 for Samford.dddddddddddd.Chris Clemons led all scorers with 23 points for Campbell (1-3). Marcus Birk finished with 10 for the Fighting Camels.Samford trailed until late in the first half, when a Denzel-Dyson 3 gave the Bulldogs a 14-12 lead which they lengthened to 28-19 at the break. ' ' '