Bayern Trupp » Hernandez had no reason to

ATLANTA - Gerrit Cole was so focused on recording 17 consecutive outs, he didnt glance at the out-of-town scoreboard.Cole insisted he didnt know his win over Atlanta had clinched a playoff spot for Pittsburgh until he walked into the clubhouse and saw the lockers covered in plastic.The surging Pirates earned their second straight trip to the post-season with a 3-2 victory over the free-falling Braves on Tuesday night.Cole gave up two runs in the first two innings and then didnt allow another baserunner.The Pirates win combined with Milwaukees loss to Cincinnati assured Pittsburgh of no worse than an NL wild card.I didnt have any idea until I came in here, Cole said.Pittsburgh also moved within 1 1/2 games of NL Central leader St. Louis, which lost to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings.The Pirates wrapped up their post-season berth exactly one year after clinching a place in the 2013 playoffs to end a 21-year drought.I think it establishes our presence in this league that were not going to go away, Cole said.The Pirates reacted to the final out on Tuesday with little emotion. Players exchanged high-fives in a line on the field before sharing hugs in front of their dugout. The emotions flowed with champagne and beer in the clubhouse.Andrew McCutchen, last years NL MVP and a contender again this season, wore big ski goggles as he held a bottle of champagne in one hand and lit a big victory cigar.McCutchen, who had two hits and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth, already had his focus on bigger goals.To celebrate is fun, but weve still got to take care of business, he said.Starling Marte gave Pittsburgh the lead with a sixth-inning double that drove in McCutchen.The Pirates have won 11 of 13.We didnt panic, McCutchen said. Thats whats good about this team.Cole (11-5) trailed 2-0 after two innings but didnt allow another runner through seven innings. That allowed the Pirates to rally against Alex Wood (11-11).Travis Sniders 12th homer tied the game in the fifth.Cole allowed two runs and four hits with eight strikeouts.Jared Hughes pitched a scoreless eighth. Left-hander Tony Watson gave up a one-out single to Phil Gosselin in the ninth, but he got Freddie Freeman to hit into a game-ending double play to earn his second save.The Braves, who fired general manager Frank Wren on Monday, are 4-16 in September. Atlanta (76-81) has lost five straight to fall five games under .500 for the first time since May 9, 2010.Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he admired the Pirates determined approach at the plate.These guys, they stick their nose in there offensively and they dont give at-bats away. They put the ball in play and they get some results, Gonzalez said.Atlanta loaded the bases with no outs in the second but managed only one run when Andrelton Simmons grounded into a double play. Jason Heyward, who led off the inning with a walk, scored from third.The double play was the key to Coles turnaround.There was something missing in the first couple of innings, Cole said. Luckily, they made some good plays behind me. The double play was huge. We knew we were going to come back and score a few.It was about outs, and we turned a great double play. Then we just got in a rhythm and just kept going.DROUGHT-BREAKER:The Braves scored a first-inning run for the first time since Aug. 27. Freemans double to the right-field wall drove in Gosselin. Freeman was thrown out trying to advance to third base.The run ended a streak of 23 scoreless innings by Pirates starting pitchers.THE CATCH:Simmons added to his already lengthy list of defensive highlights at shortstop in the third inning. He made a leaping grab of Josh Harrisons line drive before landing hard on his chest. He also banged his nose and face to the ground, but held onto the ball as Wood expressed astonishment on the mound.TRAINERS ROOMirates: LHP Jeff Locke (7-5) is scheduled to face the Braves for the first time this season on Wednesday night. Locke received two no-decisions against Atlanta last season.Braves: RHP Julio Teheran (13-13) will try to match his career high with his 14th win. Teheran was 14-8 for Atlanta in 2013. Stitched Mariners Jerseys . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. Seattle Mariners Shirts . Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Capitals possible summer plans, with the understanding that its tough to plot a direction without a general manager or head coach around which to set those expectations. https://www.cheapmariners.com/. Ghoulam has put pen to paper on a four and a half year deal, tying him to Napoli until 2018. The 22-year-old Algeria international, who played for France at Under 21 level, has made 87 league appearances in four seasons at Saint-Etienne. Seattle Mariners Store . Starting from pole, the 26-year-old Vettel turned in a trademark clinical performance to win the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday and join F1 greats Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as just the third driver to win four consecutive championships. Mariners Jerseys China . "Canada," Bolland said with a smile. "Is that a question?" One day earlier, though, fellow Toronto Maple Leafs centre Nazem Kadri wasnt so sure his home and native land could pull off the win against the United States in the semi-finals of the Olympic hockey tournament.FALL RIVER, Mass. - The 18 New England residents sitting on the jury in the murder trial of former Patriots star Aaron Hernandez will be allowed to watch the home team play in Sundays Super Bowl, but the judge overseeing the case says they must leave the room if his name is mentioned.Hernandez caught quarterback Tom Bradys last Super Bowl touchdown pass in the Patriots 2012 loss to the New York Giants. Now he is on trial for murder, charged with the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, who was dating his fiancees sister.The trial is playing out just as Hernandezs old team is preparing to take on the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL championship game.Bristol County Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh closed the second day of testimony Friday by telling jurors they may watch the game if it is important to them, but they must be vigilant for mention of the case or Hernandez.You hear that word, youve got to walk out of the room, Garsh said. Distance yourself.The judge previously told jurors that they are not allowed to discuss the case with anyone, even to tell their families or employers that they are sitting on the jury for Hernandez. During jury selection, jurors were asked if they were Patriots fans, but that did not mean they were automatically disqualified from being selected.Hernandez had a $40 million contract with the Patriots when he was arrested.Earlier Friday, Lloyds mother, Ursula Ward, was overcome with emotion and had to leave the courtroom as a prosecutor showed graphic photos of her sons body at the industrial park where he was found. The 27-year-old Lloyd was shown lying on his back with his left fist curled in a ball over the gunshot wounds to his chest.It was the second straight day she left the courtroom in tears.Lloyds body was found riddled with bullets in an industrial park near Hernandezs North Attleborough home, not far from Gillette Stadium.On Friday, two men who worked at a business in the industrial park described a teenage jogger coming to their office early on the evening of June 17, 2013, then leading them down to an empty lot.ddddddddddddOne of the men, David Swithers, said he stopped about 20 feet away and saw a man on his back. The judge had cautioned jurors that the images would be graphic and that they shouldnt let their emotions sway them in the case.He was stiff and motionless. There were flies flying in and out of his nostrils, he said. I called 911.Also testifying Friday was Shaneah Jenkins, 23, who was dating Lloyd. Her sister, Shayanna, 25, is Hernandezs fiancee and the mother of his 2-year-old child. The sisters sit on opposite sides of the courtroom, Shaneah with Lloyds mother and Shayanna with Hernandezs family. Shayanna Jenkins was not in court Friday.Shaneah Jenkins testified that she introduced Lloyd to Hernandez and that although they had a cordial relationship, they were not close. She said the two men would hang out in the basement or smoke marijuana together when they came to visit, but that, apart from the weekend Lloyd was killed, the two men did not spend time together without her there.Hernandezs lawyer, Michael Fee, told jurors in his opening statement that Hernandez and Lloyd were friends and that Hernandez had no reason to kill him. He said they could have some day been brothers-in-law.Shaneah Jenkins is expected to resume testimony the next day court is in session. That could be Monday, though the judge told jurors a snowstorm forecast for then could delay that.In a separate murder case that has yet to go to trial, Hernandez was charged last year in Boston with killing two men in 2012 after someone spilled a drink on him at a nightclub. The judge has ruled that prosecutors in the Lloyd case cannot tell the jury about those slayings.___Follow Michelle R. Smith at: http://www.twitter.com/MRSmithAP ' ' '