PITTSBURGH -- The strained right calf that sidelined Felix Hernandez for a third of the season is healed. That doesnt mean the ace is all better, and he knows it.It will take time for the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner to regain his form, yet theres a grit that he showed in Seattles 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night that offered proof to Mariners manager Scott Servais that Hernandez is on his way back.Hernandez picked up his first victory since May 21 despite getting touched for four runs over the first two innings, including a 416-foot homer by pitcher Francisco Liriano. Though Hernandez (5-4) never retired the Pirates in order, he found a way to get through six innings while giving his teammates enough time to get going at the plate.Were certainly looking for crisper, sharper stuff than what he showed early in the game, Servais said. To his credit, he hung in there. He gave us a chance, kept it right there, and then our offense was the story.Kyle Seagers three hits for Seattle included his 20th home run, and Franklin Gutierrez added his 10th off Liriano (6-10) as the Mariners began a rare trip to Pittsburgh by overcoming a three-run deficit and holding on late.The Pirates brought the tying run to the plate in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings but failed to get even one man across the plate. Seattles only perfect inning came in the ninth, when Steve Cishek picked up his 24th save.Gregory Polanco collected four hits, including his 13th homer, but Pittsburgh left nine men on base and went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position.I liked the game plan throughout the game, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. We pushed him every inning. We were able to score but he kept us off the board late.Hernandez spent nearly two months on the disabled list and hardly looked like his dominant self while slogging through 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox last Wednesday.It looked like more of the same early. Polancos shot to center field just cleared the wall in the first. Starling Marte drilled an RBI triple off the wall in right and Jung Ho Kang added a run-scoring groundout to stake Liriano to a quick 3-0 lead.When Liriano sent a Hernandez offering into the bushes beyond center in the second, the Pirates appeared to be in command with a 4-1 advantage.I didnt have good mechanics, Hernandez said. I was missing a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate. . Thats what you get when youve been out for a long time. Ive got to have better mechanics.But Hernandez eventually settled down and his teammates went after Liriano, who was dogged by control issues again. He threw nearly as many balls (34) as strikes (38) while walking four. The pitches he did get around the plate were often hammered. Gutierrez homered leading off the third and Seager tied it at 4 four batters later.An RBI double by Shawn OMalley and a run-scoring single by Robinson Cano helped chase Liriano in the fourth. An RBI groundout by Nelson Cruz against Jared Hughes gave the Mariners a three-run lead they would not surrender.BULLPEN HELPThe Mariners got some help for their bullpen after the game, acquiring right-hander Drew Storen and cash considerations from Toronto for pitcher Joaquin Benoit. Storen was designated for assignment by Toronto on Sunday after going 1/3 with three saves and a 6.21 ERA in 38 relief appearances.TRAINERS ROOMMariners: RHP Taijuan Walker (right foot tendinitis) will pitch a simulated game Wednesday in Pittsburgh. It will be the first time he has faced hitters since going on the disabled list July 6. ... SS Ketel Marte (mononucleosis) played catch in Seattle in his first baseball activity since he was placed on the DL last Wednesday. Servais said Marte is still regaining his strength after losing eight pounds.Pirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (facial fractures) will pitch for Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday in Gwinnett. Vogelsong, out since May 28 after taking a pitch to the face while batting against Colorado on May 23, left his last start with Indianapolis due to neck stiffness. ... The Pirates have yet to make a decision on who will start on Friday night in Milwaukee in place of injured RHP Tyler Glasnow (shoulder fatigue).UP NEXTMariners: James Paxton (3-4, 4.18 ERA) will try to back up perhaps his strongest start of the season on Wednesday. Paxton held Toronto to one run in seven innings last Saturday.Pirates: Gerrit Cole (5-6, 2.99 ERA) will try for his first win since May 26. Cole is 0-3 with a 3.96 ERA in his last five starts, which are sandwiched around a stint on the disabled list with a strained right triceps. Gary Trent Jr. Jersey . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Troy Brown Jr. Jersey . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. http://www.cheapjerseysauthenticnba.us/ . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Rodions Kurucs Jersey .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Marvin Bagley Jersey . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. MIAMI -- LeBron James caught the inbounds pass, changed direction and immediately attacked the rim. There was no one in his way. There was no stopping him, either. James made a layup as time expired in overtime, capping a 30-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist effort as the Miami Heat found a way to outlast the Indiana Pacers 103-102 in a wildly back-and-forth Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night. There were 18 ties and 17 lead changes, the last two of those coming in the final 2.2 seconds. "Two teams fought hard," James said. "We were able to make one more play." If this is how this series is going to go, then get ready for a classic between teams that absolutely wanted to face the other with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. Paul George saved the Pacers at the end of regulation with a 32-footer with 0.7 seconds left, and then made three free throws with 2.2 ticks left in overtime to give Indiana a one-point lead. George pumped his fist gently after the third free throw, then extended his index finger skyward as the teams retreated to their benches to get ready for the final play. He just left James too much time, and the Pacers left their best shot-blocking option on the bench. Roy Hibbert wasnt on the floor for the final play, and without a 7-foot-2 barrier to contest him, James made the winner look easy. "Two great teams just throwing punch for punch," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "Our spirit is very high, very confident. We know we can play with this basketball team." Vogel said he left Hibbert off the floor for the final play out of concern of what defending champion Miami would do with Chris Bosh in that scenario. Afterward, he acknowledged he might have different thinking next time. "I would say we would probably have him in next time," Vogel said. Game 2 is Friday night in Miami. Officials reviewed James play at the end, though it was clear he beat the clock, and the Pacers walked slowly toward their locker room, lamenting one that got away -- by no fault of Georges. George was fouled by Dwyane Wade on the play where the Pacers had to think they had stolen the series opener. Referee Jason Phillips said Wade hit George, and the Pacers star made all three free throws for the 16th lead change of the night. The final lead change came moments later. "Welcome to the Eastern Conference finals," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Back and forth the whole way." Wade scored 19 points, Bosh had 17 and Chris Andersen had 16 on 7-for-7 shooting for Miami. George scored 27 for the Pacers, who got 26 from David West and 19 from Hibbert. The Pacers have won only two series in NBA franchise history after dropping a Game 1. "It just felt like everything was in our favour," George said. The final few seconds of regulation were stunning, with Ray Allen -- the sixth-best free-throw shooter in NBA history -- missing one that proved big, and George making a miracle happen.dddddddddddd Trailing by two with 17.7 seconds left, the Pacers had to foul Allen, who surely would have been their last choice. But he missed one of the two free throws, and it remained a one-possession game. Indiana brought the ball into the frontcourt, called time, and then seemed to have nothing really working as the final seconds of regulation ticked away. So George simply made something happen. From 32 feet -- from the newly applied Eastern Conference finals sticker on the side of the court, technically -- George connected with 0.7 seconds left, tying the game and giving Indiana life. Allen didnt get much of a desperation shot off at the end of regulation, and to overtime the teams went. "It took an overtime to get it done," Spoelstra said. "Glad to get that one." The Pacers kept landing the first punches in the extra session. George made a pair of free throws to open the OT, and Andersen tied it with a pair of his own. Hibbert scored from close range, and Wade answered with an easy one after a runout for the 16th tie of the night. George was far from done. He went past James, got into the lane, tossed up a shot after contact and started what became a three-point play that put the Pacers up 99-96. Miami had three chances at the tie -- a desperation 3-pointer by Shane Battier as the shot clock was expiring, then a 3-point try by Battier and another 3 attempt by Battier. All missed. But Bosh grabbed the rebound of the last Battier shot that bounced off the rim in that sequence, scored while being fouled by George with 49.7 seconds left, calmly swished the free throw and the teams were -- what else? -- tied again at 99-all. James scored on a drive with 10.8 seconds left in the overtime, and George answered with the three free throws. With Hibbert on the bench, Indiana had one plan for James on the last play. "We wanted LeBron to shoot a jumper right there," George said. He was just better. And after 3 hours, 18 minutes, it was over. "Were excited about the win," James said. "But we have to get better going into Game 2." NOTES: Celebrities in attendance included Jimmy Buffett and Anna Kournikova. ... James picked up two first-quarter fouls for just the ninth time in 125 career playoff games. ... Wests 18 first-half points were his most before halftime since March 24, 2011, when he had 20 through two quarters against Utah. ... From the not-often-seen department, a lane violation against the Pacers that led to James getting a second (and successful) chance on a missed free throw, and a 5-second call against Wade, both of those coming in the first half. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '