final.Atletico was to play Chapecoense in the final but the

PITTSBURGH -- Francisco Lirianos fastball is going where he wants it to. The Pittsburgh Pirates are following suit. The veteran left-hander continued his torrid start, scattering two hits over seven innings and the Pirates edged the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on Wednesday night. Liriano (3-0) struck out nine and walked just one to remain unbeaten since making his season debut against the New York Mets two weeks ago. "What was it, one walk, nine punchouts and two hits?" Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "Man, thats clean stuff." You wont find the Cubs arguing after Liriano escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the third inning unscathed and then cruised. The Cubs went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and are hitting just .160 (4 of 25) with runners on base during their three-game losing streak. "Its the same old song and dance," Chicago manager Dale Sveum said. "We get people on but cant get them in." Mark Melancon survived a bumpy ninth inning for his first save of the season. The Pirates were forced to sit closer Jason Grilli -- whose 18 saves lead the majors -- after he laboured through 34 pitches in a 5-4 win on Tuesday. The road to Melancons first save since Aug. 26, 2012, while pitching for Boston wasnt exactly smooth. The Cubs put runners on first and second with one out but couldnt tie things up. Melancon, who has served as the primary setup man this season, didnt feel any extra jitters getting the last three outs. "I do it every night, its just in the eighth inning instead of the ninth," Melancon said. Andrew McCutchen doubled twice for the Pirates and scored the games only run on an RBI single by Garrett Jones in the first. Pittsburgh has won 10 of 12 to move 10 games over .500 (28-18). The Pirates have also won six straight one-run games. "I love the way were going about our business," Hurdle said. Chicagos Jeff Samardzija (2-6) nearly matched Liriano pitch for pitch, giving up just three hits in seven innings, but received little help once again. The Cubs have scored just 10 runs in Samardzijas losses. The right-handers only issue came in the first when McCutchen doubled with two outs then scored on a single by Jones. It would be all the cushion the Pirates needed while Samardzija lost a 1-0 decision for the second time in a month. "You take it with a grain of salt," said Samardzija, who walked one and struck out eight. "Thats just the way the game goes sometimes. You give up five runs and get a win sometimes." Or, in the case of the Pirates, whenever Liriano is on the mound. The Pirates agreed to terms with the former All-Star in December, but Liriano signed a more incentive-laden deal after breaking his right (non-throwing) arm in a freak accident on Christmas Day. Its certainly looking like a bargain now. The left-hander has spent most of the five seasons attempting to regain the form he showed as a 22-year-old phenom with the Minnesota Twins in 2006, when he went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and made the All-Star team on his way to finishing third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. His path to stardom was sidetracked by Tommy John surgery in 2007, though he appears to have found a home in Pittsburgh. Mixing his offspeed stuff with a rejuvenated fastball refined by a tweak to his delivery, Liriano has joined A.J. Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez in giving the Pirates a respectable top of the rotation. "I think I work hard in the off-season, location-wise with my fastball and everything is working so far," Liriano said. "Pitching is all about location so when you can locate your pitches, you have better results." He was solid in his first two starts in wins over the Mets and Milwaukee. He was spectacular at times against the Cubs. He retired 14 of 15 batters at one point and managed to expertly wiggle out of the lone spot of trouble in the third when the Cubs loaded the bases with no outs following a Cody Ransom single, a walk and an error. In a way, Liriano had the Cubs right where he wanted them. Chicago began the night hitting just .218 with runners in scoring position, the second-lowest in the majors. The number dropped a bit more after Julio Borbon hit into a fielders choice, Starlin Castro struck out and Anthony Rizzo flew out to right to end the threat. No Cub made it to third base over Lirianos final four innings and Pittsburghs bullpen made it hold up. The Pirates are 21-1 when leading after seven innings this season. Tony Watson worked the eighth and the Cubs made Melancon work in the ninth. Alfonso Soriano reached on strikeout-wild pitch and Wellington Castillo singled with one out. Nate Schierholtz and Darwin Barney both lofted weak fly balls to shallow right field that Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker corralled with ease. NOTES: Chicagos Darwin Barney, who went 4 for 4 in the series opener on Tuesday to raise his average from .192 to .223, went 0 for 3 ... Pittsburghs left-handed starters are 8-1 at PNC Park this season ... The series wraps up on Thursday. Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.78 ERA) will make his first start against the Cubs. Edwin Jackson (1-6 5.76) starts for Chicago. Jackson is 4-1 with a 3.09 ERA against the Pirates in his career. Cheap Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Cheap Bengals Jerseys Authentic . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. http://www.cheapbengalsjerseyselite.com/ . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. Cheap Bengals Jerseys China . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. Cheap Bengals Jerseys . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. OSAKA, Japan -- Colombias Atletico Nacional arrived in Japan for the Club World Cup on Saturday, still dealing with the trauma of the recent airplane crash that caused the cancellation of the Copa Sudamericana final.Atletico was to play Chapecoense in the final but the plane carrying the Brazilian team to the game crashed on Nov. 28, killing almost all on board.Nacional qualified for the Club World Cup by winning the Copa Liberdatores in July, and vowed to honor the memory of its rivals when it faces either South Africas Mamelodi Sundowns or Japanese champions Kashima Antlers on Wednesday.The best tribute we can give them is to play a great tournament and reach the fiinal, Nacional coach Reinaldo Rueda said at Kansai International Airport.ddddddddddddThe directors of Atletico asked the governing body of South American football to award Chapecoense the Copa Sudamericana championship.Atletico is hoping to advance to a final against Spanish giants Real Madrid on Dec. 18.We know the responsibility we have to South America, Atletico captain Alexis Henriquez said. Rest assured well do the utmost to bring home the Club World Cup.European teams have been the most successful in the tournament, with eight titles. ' ' '