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. Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Carlos Hyde Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. http://www.cheap49ersjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-joe-staley-jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Brandon Fusco Jersey . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Joe Williams Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. There are more bye week and injury issues to deal with in Week 5 of the fantasy football season. Youre going to have to sweat out more tough decisions as you attempt to earn another victory.Dont overthink it or second-guess yourself like crazy, though. All you can do is make the most informed decisions, set your lineup, and hope for the best. We help you come to some of those optimum conclusions. First, lets start with the good news:TOM BRADY RETURNSBradys return from suspension should instantly revive a New England offense that was blanked by Buffalo last week. The Browns have allowed an AFC-high 10 TD passes. Julian Edelman (foot) should be started as long as he is cleared to play and now Chris Hogan becomes an interesting add and play, with a shot at a larger role if Edelman is limited. Brady was developing a good on-field relationship with Hogan in the preseason, so if you have a WR on a bye like Doug Baldwin or Jeremy Maclin, consider Hogan a quality filler in point-per-reception leagues. Rob Gronkowski is battling a hamstring issue, so Brady may work to secondary playmakers such as Hogan and Martellus Bennett this week. Pass-catching RB James White also sees a boost in appeal in PPR formats.QB BYESRussell Wilson and Drew Brees are on byes, and Cam Newton (concussion) is iffy for Monday night. Eagles rookie Carson Wentz is the top QB sub of the week and a top-8 start overall against a Lions pass defense that has surrendered 12 TD passes, the second highest total in the league. Brian Hoyer is coming off a pair of 300-yard games for the Bears, and is a good one week play vs. Indianapolis. Joe Flacco is also a decent streamer against Washington. If your alternatives for Newton are not too attractive, pick up his backup, Derek Anderson, and start either Carolina QB that gets the call against Tampa Bay, which has allowed nine TD passes.RAIDERS RUNNERSOakland running back Latavius Murray has a foot injury and is out for this weeks game against the Chargers. Rookie DeAndre Washington should get the start and has some upside against a Chargers defense that allows 26 fantasy points per game in PPR formats to running backs, according to FantasyPros.com. He is a viable flex play, but Jalen Richard may also see some work and fullback Jamize Olawale could get some goal-line work. Richard is a deeper league option.AND LIONSThe Lions continue to deal with injuries at running back, as Ameer Abdullah is already on IR with a foot injury and now rookie Dwayne Washington could be out this week with a sprained foot and ankle. Theo Riddick has rushed for 40 yards on 21 carries in the past two games. If you are digging for some RB help, Zach Zenner may be the next man up for the Lions as a ball carrier. He has shown some potential in the preseason before and certainly has some promise as a ggoal-line runner, as he is a strong, physical runner who can grind out some yardage and battles hard after initial contact.ddddddddddddDefinitely add him if he is available and he could be a desperation starter.FALCONS REPEAT?Matt Ryan is the best QB in fantasy so far, with 105 points in standard leagues. Julio Jones is coming off a historic performance and Devonta Freeman has scored in each of the past two games. But the Falcons draw the Denver defense this week, a matchup which often leads fantasy owners to consider benching their top performers. Jones cannot be reserved regardless of opposition, but Ryan has a very stern test and it appears safer to use other choices such as Wentz or Hoyer. Jones could still catch a TD, but that scoring catch could conceivably be Ryans only TD connection of the day. The Broncos are allowing 15.6 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, so Freeman should give you a decent floor statistically.HOPKINS STRUGGLESDeAndre Hopkins has not returned his first round value recently, with five catches for 60 yards in his past two games, including a one-catch, 4-yard outing against the Titans last week. The Vikings are allowing 13.6 FFPG to opposing WRs, second-lowest in the league. So do you bench Hopkins? In many cases, you wont have a more proven option with more upside. Fantasy superstars often earn such a label by producing in even the most challenging of matchups. Hopkins may relish such a matchup and the Texans will want to get him involved early and often, so maintain your confidence in him and keep him active.SAME QUESTION FOR BECKHAMThe Giants offense sputtered last week at Minnesota, and Odell Beckham Jr. endured the worst statistical performance of his career. Look for a rebound performance at Green Bay, as the Packers have allowed 307.3 passing yards per game, second-highest in the NFC. Beckham should calm down some of the negative talk about him, and Eli Manning will be good for at least two TD passes. Sterling Shepard should remain in your starting lineup and Victor Cruz can be used as a quality bye week replacement.PANTHERS DEFENSEThe Panthers were embarrassed by Ryan and Jones last week, but dont expect a repeat performance and assume you should start Jameis Winston. After such a poor defensive outing, the Panthers will likely want to recapture their pride in a Monday Night game against a divisional opponent. Winston already has eight interceptions and has not progressed as hoped so far this year. Mike Evans will get his numbers, but Carolina may take its frustrations out from last week on Winston.---This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '