offseasons while bringing in players such as cornerback Darrelle Revis,

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates had a plan for Gerrit Cole when they drafted the hard-throwing right-hander with the top pick in the 2011 amateur draft. They hoped Cole would develop into one of the franchise cornerstones, and two years later he may already be there. The 23-year-old dominated the San Diego Padres on Thursday, striking out 12 to lead the Pirates to a 10-1 romp and stop a three-game losing streak. Pittsburgh moved a game in front of Cincinnati for the top wild card spot in the NL after Cole (9-7) pitched his third straight gem. "He continues to grow right in front of our eyes," manager Clint Hurdle said. Cole is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA and 28 strikeouts in his last three starts, each following a Pittsburgh loss. Overwhelming the Padres with a fastball topping out in the high 90s and a curveball seeming to improve by the pitch, Cole prevented a sweep that would have put a dent in his teams pursuit of its first division title since 1992. "We just couldnt get to the fastball," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "I think we knew it was coming but he located some pitches, threw down and away well. He pitched in. He pitched up (and) mixed it up a little bit with the slider and the changeup." And for once, Cole received some help at the plate. Held to four runs and 11 hits in the first three games of the series, the Pirates pounced on starter Ian Kennedy (6-10) for six runs while putting together their biggest offensive outburst in nearly a month. Neil Walker had four hits, including his 11th homer of the season, and drove in three runs while Pedro Alvarez hit his NL-leading 34th homer for Pittsburgh. Jose Tabata added two hits and three RBIs as the Pirates regained some momentum heading into the biggest series in the 12-year history of PNC Park. "If you would have told us we were going to win one of four in this last series, Ill take the last one, thats for sure," Walker said. "Its certainly not the best feeling. This wasnt our best series playing a team people probably think we should beat, but thats baseball." And meaningful baseball at that, something not seen in September in Pittsburgh since Barry Bonds was hitting balls over the fence at Three Rivers Stadium in 1992. The Pirates ended 20 years of losing earlier this month and have their sights set on a playoff spot. Pittsburgh inched closer to extending its season beyond Sept. 29 by showcasing the resiliency thats become the teams trademark. The Pirates were in position to beat San Diego on Wednesday night when closer Mark Melancon surrendered two runs in the ninth to blow his third save of the season. Given 12 hours to get over it, they responded emphatically. Coles main weakness may be that he gets too fired up. His ERA in the first inning rose to 6.00 when Tommy Medicas two-out RBI single gave the Padres an early lead. It was the lone hiccup on a day he bolstered his case to earn a start in October if the Pirates make it that far. Pittsburgh can get there if it can find any sort of consistency at the plate. After gasping for three days, they rediscovered some pop against a team at the end of a wearying 10-game road trip. Making a spot start while leadoff hitter Starling Marte spent the day in the hospital helping his wife welcome their first child, Tabata scored on a fielders-choice grounder by Andrew McCutchen to tie it in the first. Three innings later, Alvarez crushed a belt-high Kennedy pitch and sent it nearly to the concourse behind the seats in centre for just his second home run in 22 games. The homer sent a jolt through Pittsburghs dugout. Tabata hit a two-run double with two outs, and Walker followed with a shot to right that climbed just over the top of the Clemente Wall for a 6-1 lead. Cole worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the fifth and completed his career day by striking out Nick Hundley swinging. The burly right-hander pumped his first in celebration as he walked off the mound. The Pirates hadnt won a game by more than two runs since knocking off Milwaukee 5-2 on Sept. 2. NOTES: Hurdle said he hasnt set a rotation for the final week of the season. If the Pirates dont make any changes, ace Francisco Liriano would be available to pitch the opening game of the post-season. Liriano (16-7, 2.29 ERA) will start Friday night against Cincinnatis Mat Latos (14-6, 3.14) ... Pittsburgh C Tony Sanchez had 2 of his teams 14 hits and made an acrobatic grab in the eighth when he hauled in a foul pop by Chris Denorfia, flipping into the Padres dugout in the process ... San Diego begins a three-game series at home on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Robbie Erlin (2-3, 5.18 ERA) will face Edinson Volquez (9-11, 5.94). Andy Pettitte Jersey . After Andrew Romine served up two monster home runs in the inning, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he thought Romine was one of the bright spots on the night, showing just how bad the series opener against the last-place Minnesota Twins went for the Tigers. Mike Scott Jersey . Raonic, the mens No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., needed more than three hours to overcome Frenchman Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 and become the first Canadian man into the fourth round at Roland Garros. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/carlos-lee-astros-jersey/ . Head coach Corey Chamblin announced on Monday that Avon Cobourne had been hired as the defending Grey Cup champions new running backs coach. Jimmy Wynn Jersey . - Dominika Cibulkova erased three match points in the second set Wednesday and beat Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open. Alex Bregman Jersey ." The tournament was set to be held Sept. 15-21 and would have been the first ATP tournament held in Israel since 1996. But amid Israels military campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, ATP President Chris Kermode said "we do not feel we can proceed as planned given the situation in the region.TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired Arizona Cardinals front-office executive Jason Licht to help coach Lovie Smith transform a team that hasnt won a playoff game in more than a decade into a championship contender. The struggling franchise confirmed the move Tuesday and plans to formally introduce him as the fifth GM in club history at a news conference Thursday. Licht has been with the Cardinals for the past two seasons, the last one as vice-president of player personnel. "Jason is a seasoned NFL personnel veteran who has worked with some of the most accomplished individuals in professional football while contributing to success in New England, Philadelphia and Arizona," Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said. "His strong player personnel background provides the ideal complement to Lovie Smiths philosophy as our head coach," Glazer added. "We look forward to working with Jason and Lovie as we set the foundation and chart the course for the future of Buccaneers football." Licht was Arizona general manager Steve Keims right-hand man in the overhaul of the Cardinals roster last off-season, which resulted in a 10-6 record in 2013 -- an improvement of five wins over the previous year. He succeeds Mark Dominik, who was fired after the Buccaneers went 4-12. The Bucs also dismissed coach Greg Schiano after missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season and replaced him with Smith, who won three division championships and one NFC title while coaching the Chicago Bears from 2004 to 2012. Tampa Bay last made the playoffs in 2007 and hasnt won a post-season game since its 2002 Super Bowl run produced the franchises only NFL championship. Lichts challenge in his new position will reshaping the roster and helping Smith improve a team that went 28-52 during Dominiks five years as GM.dddddddddddd. Licht also has worked for the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins during a career as an executive that spans nearly 20 years in five different organizations. The hire was first reported by Fox Sports. The Bucs have only had one winning season last making the playoffs, however the roster is not devoid of talent. After years doing little to upgrade the roster through in free agency, ownership spent generously the past two offseasons while bringing in players such as cornerback Darrelle Revis, safety Dashon Goldson, receiver Vincent Jackson and offensive lineman Carl Nicks. The first major decision Licht and Smith face personnel-wise figures to be determining if Mike Glennon is the teams quarterback of the future. A third-round draft pick in 2013, Glennon started the final 13 games as rookie, going 4-9 and hardly proving hes the answer to the teams struggles. The Bucs, who have the seventh pick in this springs draft, finished last in the league in passing and total offence. Smith is a defensive-minded coach who plans to bring back a version of the Tampa 2 system that the Bucs popularized during a successful run under Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Revis and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy were Pro Bowl selections this season, and young linebacker Lavonte David and safety Mark Barron have promising futures. Smith hired former Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier as defensive co-ordinator. Former California coach Jeff Tedford, who coached Aaron Rodgers in college, is the new offensive co-ordinator. ' ' '