PITTSBURGH -- The weary Chicago Cubs bullpen needed a break. [url=http://www.officialcoyoteshockey.com/Dylan-Strome-Jersey/]Dylan Strome Jersey[/url] . New manager Rick Renteria needed a win. Jason Hammel did a pretty solid job providing both. The veteran right-hander pitched two-hit ball into the sev

PITTSBURGH -- The weary Chicago Cubs bullpen needed a break. Dylan Strome Jersey . New manager Rick Renteria needed a win. Jason Hammel did a pretty solid job providing both. The veteran right-hander pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Cubs edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Thursday for their first victory of the season. "I didnt think it was going to be such a relief but it is quite a relief," Renteria said. "Its nice to win. These games were tough. Taking the last one was very gratifying." Particularly considering the first two were so draining. The Cubs lost in 10 innings on opening day and in 16 innings on Wednesday night -- actually, early Thursday morning -- in a 5-hour, 55-minute marathon that marked the longest Major League Baseball game (by time anyway) ever held in Pittsburgh. Hammel and four relievers needed only 2:39 to help the Cubs avoid their first 0-3 start since 1997, when the club lost 14 straight to begin the season. The 31-year-old Hammel allowed one run in 6 2-3 innings with one walk and five strikeouts. "He couldnt have been any better," Renteria said of Hammel. "He got to 97 pitches, got us into the seventh inning to help save the bullpen. He worked through a pretty good lineup pretty easily." The Cubs signed Hammel to a one-year, $6 million contract in February hoping he can provide some stability in the middle of the rotation. He was sharp in his Chicago debut, allowing singles in the first and third innings but otherwise keeping the Pirates in check. "We played three great games here," Hammel said. "There is no reason to hang our heads because we only won one. We played great but it looks like were going to be one-run warriors. Youve got to win these type of games and we did. We got some timely hits, good defence and played well for 27 outs." Emilio Bonifacio went 2 for 4 and scored twice to continue his torrid start. The Chicago centre fielder hit 11 for 16 (.688) during the opening three-game series. Mike Olt hit the first home run of his career for the Cubs. Tony Sanchez hit a two-run single in the seventh for the Pirates but Pittsburgh couldnt put together its first 3-0 start since 2007. Wandy Rodriguez (0-1) struggled early in his first start in 10 months but settled down late. The left-hander allowed three runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts. He retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced after missing most of 2013 with tightness in his left forearm. "(Rodriguez) finished up very efficiently, very strong, a very good outing," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "A big confidence boost for him and a momentum builder." After slogging through 26 innings in the first two games of the series, things moved a bit more briskly on a cold, wet day at PNC Park thanks in part to a pair of pitchers who werent in the mood to nibble at the plate. Hammel left the seventh after walking Neil Walker with two outs. Pittsburgh took advantage of another shaky performance from Chicagos bullpen with Sanchez -- who provided the walkoff hit on Wednesday -- smacking a two-run single up the middle off Justin Grimm to pull the Pirates within a run. Pittsburgh put the tying run on base leading off both the eighth and ninth, but Strop got Sanchez to line into a game-ending double play. NOTES: Renteria said the club will wait to decide whether RHP Carlos Villanueva will make his scheduled start on Sunday against Philadelphia. Villanueva pitched 1 1-3 innings and took the loss on Wednesday night. ... The Cubs open the 100th season at Wrigley Park on Friday against the Phillies. Travis Wood starts for Chicago against Roberto Hernandez. ... The Pirates open a three-game series on Friday against defending NL Central champion St. Louis. Gerrit Cole, who took the loss in Game 5 of the NL division series against the Cardinals last year, starts for Pittsburgh against Shelby Miller. Alex Goligoski Jersey . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal. Lawson Crouse Jersey . Carreno Busta broke his opponent five times in the match, but also lost his serve three times in the second set before prevailing in the tiebreaker. Both players struggled with their first serve, as Carreno Busta landed just 51 per cent of his to 47 per cent for Kukushkin. http://www.officialcoyoteshockey.com/Jamie-Mcginn-Jersey/ . Mike Ribeiro had a goal and an assist as Phoenix held on to snap a two-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.Chip Kelly got another versatile playmaker for his offence. The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running back Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints for a fifth-round draft pick on Tuesday. The Eagles also agreed on a two-year contract with former Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll. "Darren Sproles is an unbelievable offensive weapon," Kelly said. "He can do it all: run, catch, plus hes a proven winner. And on top of that, he can bring all of those dynamic skills to the return game as well. There is no question we were all excited once we found out we were going to be able to trade for him." The 30-year-old Sproles is coming off one of his least productive seasons. He ranked in the bottom five among punt returners with a 6.7 yards per return average and was third worst among kick returners with an average of 21.3. Sproles offensive numbers also went down for the third straight year. He had 71 catches for 604 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 220 yards and two scores. He joins an up-tempo offence that was quite dynamic in Kellys first season in Philadelphia. The Eagles set team records for points (442), total net yards (6,676), touchdowns (53), and gross yards passing (4,406). All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy had a franchise-best 1,607 yards rushing and 2,146 yards from scrimmage. Pro Bowl MVP Nick Foles had the third-highest passer rating (119.2) in league history. "Darren is a player that we have admired for many years," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. "Hes a proven performer at a high level. Hes such a dangerous back and hes a great piece to add to our offence and to our special teams. We spent a considerable time in order to try to make this happen and we were very happy to get a deal done with New Orleans." Sproles played his first five seasons in San Diego and last three with the Saints. He has run for 2,221 yards and 11 TDs and caught 378 passes for 3,381 yards and 27 TDs. Since 2007, Sproles leads the NFL with 13,806 all-purpose yards and ranks first among running backs in receptions (375), yards receiving (3,371) and TD catches. He also has five return touchdowns on punts (three) and kickoffs (two). The Saints get thee second of Philadelphias two fifth-round picks in May. Christian Fischer Jersey. The Eagles acquired that pick from the Patriots in a trade for defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga last October. New Orleans beat the Eagles in Philadelphia in a first-round playoff game in January. The Saints have been successful with several fifth-round picks in recent years: wide receiver Kenny Stills, cornerback Corey White, 2012 Pro Bowl punter Thomas Morstead, two-time Pro Bowl left guard Carl Nicks, and defensive end Rob Ninkovich. Whose success has come with New England. Carroll is the fourth free agent signed by the Eagles since Tuesday, joining former Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins and special teams standouts Chris Maragos and Bryan Braman. Carroll had three interceptions and two sacks in 12 starts last season. Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher were Philadelphias starting cornerbacks in 2013 and Brandon Boykin started in the slot. The Eagles finished last in pass defence. "Nolan Carroll brings good experience to our team," Kelly said. "Hes been a starter in Miami. Hes a good athlete and hell bring good depth to our cornerback position with Cary, Fletch and Brandon. His skill set fits what we are trying to do on defence and special teams." Carroll allowed just 43 receptions in 451 coverage snaps last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of only 65.0 when targeting him. "Nolan is a guy we have studied for a while and the thing you see is his size, speed and press ability," Roseman said. "He will add depth to a cornerback group we already feel good about. You can never have enough big, long corners on a football team. Hes also a player that has proven to be a productive gunner on special teams." The 27-year-old Carroll had 135 tackles, five interceptions, 22 passes defended and three sacks in four seasons in Miami. Before NFL free agency opened, the Eagles re-signed wide receivers Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin and gave contract extensions to All-Pro left tackle Jason