Vorstellung » oxing champion Ruqsana Begum, who fights Swedens

PITTSBURGH -- Say what you will about the Pittsburgh Pirates questionable moves at the trade deadline or the poor numbers former National League Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen has had most of the season.Right now, things are looking up.Going into what could be a wild-card showdown against the Miami Marlins starting Friday at PNC Park, the Pirates are en fuego.Pittsburgh (62-56), which was off Thursday, just completed a 5-1 West Coast road trip -- including a three-game sweep in San Francisco. Since June 24, the Pirates 28-17 record is the best in baseball.They stand one game behind St. Louis for the second wild-card spot, and 1 1/2 games ahead of Miami (62-59) in that chase after the Marlins dropped a 5-4 decision at Cincinnati on Thursday night.Weve been a confident group all year. Road trips like this really bring a team together, Pittsburgh closer Tony Watson told MLB.com. Were playing great baseball right now. Playing well down the stretch has been key the last few years. ... This year is no different.McCutchens two-run homer Thursday, his 17th of the season, was huge in a 6-5 win over the Giants. Although he is batting .248 overall, McCutchens average in August is .317.Ive turned something, McCutchen told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. I dont know if its turning a page or a corner or something. Things are going well for us. Going well for me, too.Ive been getting pitches to hit, hitting them, having good at-bats, seeing the ball. They try to hit a location. Miss a location, Im able to make them pay.An unexpected bump in the Pirates good play recently is right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-8, 3.17 ERA), who is scheduled to start Friday. The presumed ace of the staff entering the season has dealt with some inconsistency and injuries.In his past two starts, Cole is 0-2, has failed to get through the sixth inning and has given up a combined nine runs on 15 hits. However, he could be aided by being at home, where he has a 2.94 ERA over his past nine starts.The Marlins are not as comfortable at PNC Park, where they are 16-31.On Friday, Miami will start right-hander Tom Koehler (9-8, 3.86 ERA), who is 0-4 with a 5.73 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.However, Koehler has been arguably the Marlins best starter of late. In his past five starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA.Its not like he doesnt have good stuff, Miami manager Don Mattingly told reporters earlier this month. His stuff is good.Hes got a good breaking ball that most guys dont really hit. He can change speeds and hes a little erratic. He can be effectively wild. You dont quite know what youre going to get with Tom. To me, thats part of his success.Success that hasnt been matched team-wide lately. Miami has lost three straight games, three series in a row and four of its past five series.The Pirates, meanwhile, have won four consecutive series and could put some distance between themselves and the Marlins in the wild-card scenario this weekend.Obviously, this is the time of year teams make or break themselves, Pittsburghs Matt Joyce told MLB.com. Its nice to see some guys turn the corner and keep fighting and keep pushing, because its very easy to just say, Were not in the race, and just kind of roll over. Its exciting, man. Its exciting to be a part of, and were having a lot of fun. Phillies Jerseys 2020 . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Philadelphia Phillies Gear . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. https://www.cheapphilliesjerseys.us/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap Phillies Jerseys . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. Phillies Jerseys China . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique.Dame Kelly Holmes admits she is stepping into the unknown when she runs in her very first London Marathon on Sunday. The double Olympic champion will line up alongside 53,000 amateur runners in the 26.2-mile race, more than a decade after she stopped competing as a middle-distance athlete. Cricket girls get Holmes vote Englands 2009 cricketers are Kelly Holmes pick of 25 years of Sky Sports coverage Last year, I went to the London Marathon to support two friends and I just found the environment, the energy and the atmosphere around it just amazing, Holmes told Sky Sports News HQ. So I combined the challenge of running a marathon with the challenge of running for five charities and raising £250,000. Dame Kelly won two gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics I have been trying to blank it out but everyone keeps wishing me good luck for Sunday!Im a bit worried about whether Im eating and drinking enough, its more the whole preparation because I have no idea of what to do. Sally Gunnell sent this message to Dame Kelly Homes ahead of the London Marathon this weekend. But the first thing is to get round.dddddddddddd Im under no illusion that it is a long way and it will take a toll on my body. I think I can run under 3hr 30 mins, probably a little quicker, because I have an idea about what my average pace will be.I think I will need to control myself but the thing I am most looking forward to is that finish line.Dame Kelly, who won 800m and 1500m gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics, is raising money for Myeloma UK, Mind UK, Hospice in the Weald and the Pickering Cancer Care charity. Dame Kelly established the Trust in 2008 She is also raising funds for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, established in 2008 to help get lives on track by using world class athletes to engage, enable and empower disadvantaged young people.One of the athletes representing the trust is British and European kickboxing champion Ruqsana Begum, who fights Swedens Susanna Salmijarvi for the world title on Saturday.I was fascinated with the work they do with young people who just need a little bit of guidance, Begum told Sky Sports.The Trust run education seminars and workshops using top-class athletes to talk about their journeys in the hope that it inspires youngsters and helps them believe that they too can be successful in life. Kickboxing champion Begum says the Trust has allowed her to give something back I have been blessed to come this far in my career and it is so important to give something back.Kelly is so down-to-earth and so humble and its great that she set up this project because her name brings a lot of awareness and attention to what the charity stands for.Kelly is such an inspiration and was one of my first role models. I remember watching the likes of her and other powerful athletes like Tessa Sanderson as a young girl. They really attracted me to sport in the first place. I know she is going to do the business on Sunday. Also See: SportsWomen Latest Show News Latest News SportsWomen Video ' ' '