designated coach in waiting.MIND THE NETCan Jake Allen carry the lo

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies entered their weekend series hoping for some improvement on offense -- more of it, and more consistency with it.Philadelphia won round one of that game within the game with a 4-0 win Friday.Pittsburgh is 3-4 since the All-Star break and has been outscored 30-16. The Pirates had scored five runs in each of their two games before being shut out Friday, but had just six runs combined in the other four games since the break and were limited to three hits Friday by Phillies rookie Zach Eflin.Were looking for pitches to hit, Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. Were looking for one pitch in one zone at the start of the at-bat. Were looking for the ball up and out over the plate. Were not looking for pitches down early. We had balls to hit, and we didnt hit them that well. We had some swings. At the end of the day, we only had three hits (Friday).Two of those came from Jason Jaso, on a double and a single, and Josh Harrison had the other. The players in top four spots in the lineup went a combined 0-for-13 with a hit-by-pitch producing the only baserunner.The Phillies got their four runs Friday on 11 hits off of four Pirates pitchers. Before that game, they were 2-5 since the break and had been outscored 27-17. They scored just 10 runs in four games against the Marlins.That kind of inconsistent production had manager Pete Mackanin nervous when his club scored just once Friday in the sixth despite loading the bases with no outs. Philadelphia added another with two outs in the seventh, but the game felt tight until Cameron Rupp hit a two-run homer in the ninth for the four-run margin.That gave us a little breathing room, Mackanin said.The teams will each be facing a young starter Saturday.Pittsburgh had been guarded about its starter until after Fridays game, when Hurdle confirmed that, We expect (Tyler) Glasnow to make the start.The rookie right-hander, who will need to be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, will be making his second career start. In his debut July 7, a 5-1 Pirates loss at St. Louis, Glasnow took the loss after giving up four runs on three hits, with two walks and five strikeouts.The Phillies will go with right-hander Aaron Nola (5-8, 4.41 ERA).Nola had a rough stretch when he had a 13.50 ERA and did not go beyond five innings any of five starts in a row. Philadelphia opted to skip his final start before the All-Star game so he could clear his head, Mackanin said.I understand what they did, Nola told philly.com. We dont want to miss any starts. But, at the end of the day, my arm feels good. Thats the important thing, being healthy and maintaining your health.Monday, after what stretched into a 16-day layoff, Nola allowed no runs in six innings, with two hits and one walk, in what later turned into a 3-2, 11-inning loss to Florida.It was a tough month for me back in June, said Nola, who relaxed during the All-Star break by fishing. But those two weeks off felt like a really long time and I was ready to get back out on the mound.He said he made an important adjustment.Just try to get lower strikes instead of trying to hit a corner, Nola said. So I feel like thats where I got myself in trouble. Air Max 270 Shop Australia . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Cheap Air Max 270 Australia . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. http://www.cheapairmax270australia.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nike 270 Australia . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Nike Australia Air Max 270 . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues have won at least 49 games in each of the past three seasons and advanced to the Western Conference finals last spring.Doing it again this season will require effort from a bunch of new players.David Backes, who spent 10 years in St. Louis, is now in Boston. Goalie Brian Elliott was traded to Calgary. Troy Brouwer, the Blues second-leading goal scorer in the playoffs last spring, signed with Calgary. Steve Ott, after two-plus seasons with the Blues, is now in Detroit.Theres no time to be sad about somebody, Blues right winger Vladimir Tarasenko said. They were great players and theyre still good players, but they play for other teams, so were going to play against them now. It seems like we have a really good team right now and Im just looking forward for our season to start.Before the 2015-16 season, the Blues traded T.J. Oshie to Washington for Brouwer and opted not to re-sign defenseman Barrett Jackman. St. Louis went 49-24-9 with 107 points, just two points less than in 2014-15.The Blues core group has changed slightly over the years but Ken Hitchcocks squad remains one of the most talented groups in the NHL.Tarasenko set career highs in goals (40) and points (74) last season, ranking fourth in the league in goals and 12th in points, after signing an eight-year contract extension. Alexander Steen (52 points), Paul Stastny (49) and Kevin Shattenkirk (44) ranked second, third and fifth among the Blues in scoring and are all back. Robby Fabbri accounted for 18 goals and 37 points as a rookie last season.The defensive group, led by Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, Shattenkirk and youngster Colton Parayko, is among the best in the NHL.The biggest change for the Blues is in net, where St. Louis broke up its successful tandem of Elliott and Jake Allen, who went 26-15-3 with a 2.35 goals-against average and .920 save percentage last season. After sending Elliott to Calgary foor a second-round draft pick, St.dddddddddddd Louis signed Allen to a four-year contract extension that kicks in for the 2017-18 season.I think I have a great opportunity in front of me, Im very fortunate for that, and its been a long road, Allen said. Its been four years in the minors, some stints up and down here, a couple seasons here. Its been quite the grind to get to this point but I feel like the process is finally paying off.Some things to watch this year with the Blues:FAREWELL HITCHHitchcock announced this offseason that this would be his final season, which led to a shakeup among his assistant coaches and with former Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo coming in as an assistant and the designated coach in waiting.MIND THE NETCan Jake Allen carry the load? The Blues are counting on Allen to be their No. 1 netminder after trading Brian Elliott to Calgary. Allen has looked the part in a part-time roll, with a 2.34 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 99 career regular-season games, but St. Louis needs him to carry the load this season.LEADERSHIP QUESTIONSThe Blues lost veteran forwards in captain David Backes, Troy Brouwer and Steve Ott in free agency. Alex Pietrangelo, a 26-year-old defenseman, became the 21st captain in the organizations history.TWENTYSOMETHINGSOne of the surprises this offseason was the signing of 28-year-old forward David Perron, who spent his first six seasons with St. Louis before the Blues traded him to Edmonton. Hes scored 20 or more goals in three of his nine seasons and the Blues will need him to produce. The Blues also re-signed Schwartz, 24, to a five-year deal. He had 28 goals and 63 points in 2014-15 but was limited to just 33 games a year ago because of an ankle injury and is now out for at least a month after hurting his left elbow. ' ' '