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PITTSBURGH -- Edinson Volquez couldnt seem to find the strike zone in the first inning of his start against the Philadelphia Phillies, throwing 11 of his 16 pitches for balls. Wholesale Bills Jerseys . After escaping the jam unscathed, he got some advice from pitching coach Ray Searage. The rest of the way went smoothly with Volquez allowing a run over seven innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Phillies 3-2 Saturday. "He slowed me down," Volquez said. "I was too fast to the plate and everything was late with my hands to get the ball where I wanted." The adjustment worked. "I could see the strike zone a little closer to me and I felt like I could put the ball where I wanted," Volquez said. Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer in the first and Volquez (7-6) had an RBI groundout with the bases loaded in the second inning as the Pirates moved a season-high five games over .500 at 46-41. The Pirates couldve added to the 3-0 lead but Gregory Polanco Starling Marte each flew out with men on second and third. Volquez allowed four hits and walked four. He struck out five in his third straight win. "He battled," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It was a very, I thought, gritty performance by him today because he spent a lot of time out of the stretch again." McCutchen followed up Fridays game, when he was a home run shy of the cycle, with the big hit off David Buchanan. McCutchen connected to right after Polanco led off the home first with a single. McCutchen said it was nice to begin his day with a home run after he ended Friday with a ball that smacked the wall about 10 feet lower than necessary to clear it. "I got a little better swing on it," McCutchen said. "(I) got out in front of it a little more so I was able to get hands through the zone and put a little more backspin on it." Hurdle was pleased his team jumped on top early, similar to the way the Pirates scored four runs in the first inning Friday. "Its always nice to get in front," he said. "It does give you a sense of momentum coming out of the chute." Philadelphia dropped a season-high 13 games below .500 at 37-50. "We havent been able to bounce back from being down early in the game," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Its been different when weve scored early. Its something were going to have to try and do, score earlier in games." Buchanan (4-5) found his stride after the second and kept the Pirates at bay until he was lifted in the sixth. Philadelphias starter was charged with three runs and six hits and an intentional walk. "The biggest thing for me today was not walking anybody," Buchanan said. "If you throw strikes and make them put it in play then good things usually happen." Marlon Byrd stranded five men on base in his first two at-bats. He flew out in the first to leave men on the corners, then struck on four pitches to end the third with the bases loaded. Byrd homered off Pirates closer Mark Melancon in the ninth but even an attempt at starting a rally wasnt enough to appease the right fielder after his earlier at-bats. "I have to do a better job producing in the first at-bat, too," Byrd said. "Bases loaded and I struck out. My job is to produce." Melancon retired to next three batters he faced for his 16th save. Tony Watson worked a perfect eighth. Cody Asche homered in the fourth for Philadelphia against Volquez. NOTES Asches home run in the fourth inning snapped a 16-inning scoreless streak for Volquez. . In their last 14 starts, Pittsburghs starting pitchers have combined to post a 2.32 ERA. . Pittsburgh SS Jordy Mercer doubled twice and is batting .714 (10 for 14) in his last five games. . Pirates LHP Jeff Locke (1-1, 3.46 ERA) faces Phillies RHP A.J. Burnett (5-7, 3.92 ERA) when Pittsburgh and Philadelphia conclude their three-game series Sunday. Cheap Bills Jerseys China . PETERSBURG, Fla. Bills Jerseys China . -- Among the 31 players at the Montreal Canadiens rookie camp, none feels closer to cracking the NHL roster than right winger Aaron Palushaj. http://www.cheapbillsjerseysauthentic.com/ . Reimer is winless (0-2-1) since returning from a six-week absence due to concussion-like symptoms. The Maple Leafs dropped a 4-2 decision to the hosting Washington Capitals on Friday.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kevin Durant insists he cant do it alone. The Oklahoma City forward said hes going to need help picking up the slack, with running mate Russell Westbrook out until after the All-Star break following knee surgery Friday. "I need Reggie Jackson. I need Serge Ibaka. I need Kendrick Perkins. Im not afraid to say that," Durant said. "I need to lean on those guys, just like we need to lean on each other. That is what team is about. So through adversity we just have to lean on each other." But at least on this night, the Thunder leaned heavily on Durant, especially down the stretch. Durant scored 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 12 rebounds as the Thunder held on to defeat the Charlotte Bobcats 89-85 Friday night. The team announced before the game that Westbrook will miss at least 27 games after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in Los Angeles. Durant did get some help. Ibaka had 12 points and nine rebounds and Thabo Sefolosha had 12 points and a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds left to seal the victory for the Thunder, who have won seven straight road games and 11 of 12 overall. But Jackson, who started in place of Westbrook, was only 4 of 19 from the floor and Perkins failed to score despite playing more than 25 minutes. "Obviously, it was an emotional day with Russell, but I thought we did a good job of handling that," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Now weve got to work and improve the rest of the season." As for Jackson, Brooks said he has confidence that "hell get better. Hell challenge himself to shoot better and he will." Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 18 points and seven assists. Al Jefferson added 16 points and 11 rebounds. This one came right down to the wire. After tailing most of the game, Charlotte had a chance to steal the win with 3.9 seconds left but Josh McRoberts missed a wide-open 3-pointer from the left wing. Sefolosha was fouled and clinched it with two foul shots on the other end. Bobcats coach Steve Clifford wasnt satisfied with his team taking one of the leagues best teams to the wire. "This may surprise you, but I didnt like at all the way we played," Clifford said. Cheap Bills Jerseys. "I didnt like our defence. Our attention to detail was not good at all. The things we talked about this morning that we had to do, we did a poor job with. We gave them baskets. Our effort on the glass was not anywhere it needs to be." The Thunder led 76-74 with 5 minutes remaining when Durant knocked down a pair of 3s to give Oklahoma City the momentum. He added a step-back jumper and a driving layup to push the advantage to 86-78. But Anthony Tolliver hit a 3-pointer and Walker converted a breakaway layup to cut the lead to three with 49 seconds left. Durant left the door open when he missed a pull-up jumper with 25 seconds left, and the Bobcats grabbed the rebound. Instead of going for a 3-pointer to tie, Walker drove the lane and scored on a layup that cut the deficit to one. Jackson was fouled on the inbounds pass and hit one of two free throws with 10.7 seconds to go, setting up a chance for McRoberts. "I think Ibaka ran down there to cover Kemba and I got a wide-open look at it," McRoberts said. "Ill take that shot every time. Were frustrated we lost. There are no moral victories." The surprising news on Westbrook came just two days after he had a triple-double against the New York Knicks. General manager Sam Presti said in a news release that Westbrook has been playing pain-free, but "recently had experienced increased swelling" in his right knee. Westbrooks knee problems began in April when he tore his meniscus in the second game of the Western Conference playoffs. He had a second arthroscopic surgery before training camp. Oklahoma City is 21-3 with Westbrook in the starting lineup and 3-2 without him. "He was playing great basketball, probably some of the best basketball in the entire league," Brooks said. "Were looking forward to him coming back and getting back to the level that he has played at -- and he will." NOTES: The Bobcats embark on a five-game road trip beginning Saturday night in Atlanta. ... Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and wide receivers Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr. attended the game. ... The Thunder are 11-1 in their last 12 games against the Bobcats. ' ' '