. — The Diamondbacks are finally getting things to fall in their favour. Robert Griffin III JerseyMILWAUKEE — Andrew McCutchen turned in an All-Star performance on both sides of the plate. Cortland Finnegan Jersey . McCutchen hit a two-run shot for his fourth homer in the last three games and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-4 on Saturday night. “Andrews playing the game at a very high calibre right now on both sides of the ball,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “Hes in a very comfortable place.” McCutchen hit his 20th homer in the third and also made a nice sliding catch on a sinking line drive by Martin Maldonaldo with two runners on to end the eighth. “He makes those plays look easy,” Hurdle said. “But, its a good first step. Its an exact read when the ball is off the bat. Its a direct line to the ball and a slide.” The All-Star centre fielder is batting .447 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs in his last 28 games, and leads the majors with a .366 batting average. “Offensively, the big swing of the bat (tonight),” Hurdle said. “Its been fun to watch. The numbers up there, they really get your attention. The numbers hes been putting up since May, then you look at June, you look at July and keep moving forward.” McCutchen has now hit a home run in three consecutive games for the first time in his career. Milwaukee starter Marco Estrada made the mistake to McCutchen and paid for it. “There was one pitch I regret, the pitch to McCutchen,” Estrada said. “I went away from our game plan and decided to throw a fastball away. I shouldnt have done that. And I got hurt for it.” Casey McGehee had a much better game after striking out four times Friday night. He went 3 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs. “I believe in our guys,” Hurdle said. “If they dont get it done one day, that doesnt mean youre not going to get it done (the next). Casey struck out four time yesterday. Couple of big swings of the bat today.” Kevin Correia pitched six effective innings as the Pirates remained tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the NL Central lead. Correia (6-6) allowed four runs, two earned, and four hits while improving to 4-0 with a 3.81 ERA in his last five starts. Pittsburgh scored two runs in the seventh to take a 5-4 lead, making the most of two errors and a passed ball by the Brewers. Clint Barmes led off with a single and moved to second when the ball went under the glove of left fielder Ryan Braun. Pinch-hitter Josh Harrison then reached when reliever Kameron Loe (4-3) picked up his sacrifice and threw wildly to first, allowing Barmes to score. “We cant field a bunt when they give us an out,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “Braun with a little miscue in left field allowing the runner to go to second. And then the passed ball.” Harrison went all the way to third on Neil Walkers single and scored on Maldonados passed ball. “This is a good team,” Roenicke said. “We cant play poorly defensively. We talk about this all the time. You cant let games get away from you when you should win, not if youre going to win the division.” McGehee started the eighth with a drive off Tyler Thornburg for his seventh homer. McGehee finished with three hits. Joel Hanrahan pitched the ninth for his 24th save. Estrada struck out 11 in 5 2-3 innings and was charged with three runs and six hits. The Brewers scored two in the second and two more in the third to build a 4-2 lead. Corey Hart had an RBI triple in the second and a sacrifice fly in the third. NOTES: Walker extended his hitting streak to 14 games with an infield hit in the sixth. … Pirates OF Alex Presley started in left field Saturday for Triple-A Indianapolis and led off with a single as he began a rehab assignment against the Columbus Clippers. Hes been on the seven-day concussion list since July 5. … Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy made a series of throws to second and third during pregame drills and then headed off to practice his swing. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Lucroy, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a broken finger in his right hand, looked good hitting off a tee. … The Pirates have hit a home run in their last five games and 16 of the last 18. Dez Bryant Jersey . If he beats Richard Abril on Saturday night to reclaim the WBA lightweight title, Rios will be in position for even bigger achievements. Josh Freeman Jersey . Yes, he was concerned that the treacherous conditions had left thousands stranded in traffic unable to watch the practice sessions for the British Grand Prix. But the McLaren driver believes the deluge may have given him the edge this weekend. T.J. Lang Jersey . STARS IN TORONTOIf there are two players on the Toronto Maple Leafs that will stand out as being Brian Burke acquisitions, it will be Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf, two young players with star potential that had fallen out of favour with their previous teams. Randy Moss Jersey . — Kyle Buschs race team will field a full-time Nationwide Series car next season in addition to his Truck Series program. Donald Driver Jersey . The Finns top time of 1:17.974 was half a second faster than David Coulthard in the Red Bull Racing RB4. TORONTO — Now the reflection and soul-searching begins for Jim Barker. Andre Durie scored two touchdowns and registered his first career 100-yard receiving game (eight catches, 144 yards) as the Toronto Argonauts ended a disappointing season with a 33-16 home win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday night. Toronto (6-12) earned its first win over Hamilton (8-10) since Sept. 11, 2009 — a streak of six straight losses — and ended the year with two straight wins. But the Argos will finish last in the East Division and miss the playoffs for the third time in four years before a Rogers Centre gathering generously announced at 20,833 spectators. The Argos head into an important off-season — Toronto hosts the 100th Grey Cup next year — with plenty of questions, not the least of which is Barkers future with the CFL club. Barker has the dual role of head coach and GM and there has been persistent late-season talk Barker, the CFLs coach of the year in 2010, might have to eliminate one position from his business card this off-season. While Barker admits he still has a burning passion to coach, being the GM would give him much more job security and the flexibility to hand-pick his successor on the sidelines. “The GM will sit down with the head coach and well have a nice discussion about where hes at,” Barker said. “But I can tell you this about our head coach: Hes going to do exactly what is in the best interests of this organization to win a Grey Cup and if it means hes back coaching then hell be back coaching and if it means hes not, then he wont. “That is what you have to understand: Its about winning and when everything is evaluated in the end and when everything comes down, you know what, I know what we need to do. I know what has to be done and I will do what needs to be done to get this franchise to where it needs to be.” That is, after taking a well-deserved vacation, Barker added. Barker also praised Duries efforts after the game, something Durie sincerely appreciated. “It means a lot to me,” Durie said. “He has been mentoring me into this position.” Barker conceded the 2011 season was indeed a trying one for him, both professionally and personally. Ultimately a coach is judged by wins and losses and 6-12 simply isnt good enough. But Barker also had to cut ties this season with quarterback Cleo Lemon and defensive co-ordinator Chip Garber, both individuals he recruited. “It was a difficult year . . . just bizarre things that happened and it made it very difficult,” Barker said. “But I honestly believe in every dark cloud there is a silver lining. “I believe I am a better man and coach for having gone through and maybe I needed to go through this. But I love coming to work every morning and the day I dont, I will step down or the day I believe there is somebody better in that position I will step down and manage the club. I love it (coaching), love game planning and all those things . . . but I dont need to cooach. DeAngelo Williams Jersey. Again, Im going to look at it. Ive had both positions and Ill do whats best for the club.” Durie and Cory Boyd saved their best for last, anchoring a solid fourth-quarter outburst after Hamilton rallied to tie the score 16-16. Duries 43-yard TD catch from Bell at 4:27 put Toronto ahead for good at 23-16 before Boyds six-yard run at 6:43 cemented the victory. It was set up Jasper Simmons interception return to the Hamilton 12-yard line. Boyd finished with 105 yards, his 11th career 100-yard game, tying him with Bill Symons for fourth-most in club history. “This sends a great message that we can finish,” Boyd said. “Too bad it came at the end of the year but it shows we have character. “I wanted my teammates to finish this year strong and set the foundation for next year.” Hamilton (8-10) had already clinched third in the East and will travel to either Montreal or Winnipeg for the conference semifinal next weekend. The Ticats used all three quarterbacks — Kevin Glenn, Quinton Porter and Jason Boltus — in the contest. “This game doesnt speak much for the playoffs,” said Ticats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille. “We had two road games in five days so we kept everything vanilla. “We almost treated it like an exhibition.” Glenn was the most efficient of Hamiltons quarterbacks, completing 14-of-19 passes for 150 yards. He took a philosophical approach to having played twice in five days. “The good thing about playing so close is getting more rest before we play the next one,” he said. “The record doesnt really matter too much going into the playoffs, its about ranking.” Dalton Bell took the majority of snaps for Toronto, replacing the injured Steven Jyles. Bell, slated to become a free agent this off-season, was 12-of-22 passing for 216 yards and two TDs but also had two interceptions. In 101 pass attempts this season, Bell surrendered 10 interceptions while throwing just three TD strikes. Toronto slotback Jeremaine Copeland became the 15th player in CFL history to surpass 10,000 all-time receiving yards with a 32-yard catch in the first. But the 11-year veteran finished the year with no TD receptions, a career first. Porter, who replaced Glenn to open the second half, pulled Hamilton into a 16-16 tie with a five-yard TD strike to Aaron Kelly at 2:42 of the fourth. Torontos Noel Prefontaine added three converts and four field goals. Hamiltons Justin Medlock booted three field goals and a convert. NOTES: Kick-returner Chad Owens (hip) was among Torontos scratches. He will finish the season 56 kickoff yards short of Ian Smarts league record of 1,805 set in 2008 with B.C. Hamiltons scratches were halfbacks Avon Cobourne and Marcus Thigpen, linebacker Renauld Williams and offensive lineman Jason Jimenez . . . Ticats general manager Bob OBillovich spent nine seasons as Torontos head coach (1982-90, 93), twice being named the CFLs top coach (1982, 87) and winning the 83 Grey Cup. ‘ ‘ ‘
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