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WASHINGTON -- After more than five hours of baseball between his Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals, Starling Marte had all he could take.Too many innings, Marte said. We were tired. It was time for a home run.Martes solo home run off Oliver Perez in the 18th inning on Sunday gave the Pirates a 2-1 victory in a marathon game that was the longest for both teams this season. The only longer game in the majors this season came July 1 when Cleveland beat Toronto in 19 innings.I just love the grit of our club, said manager Clint Hurdle, whose Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak and avoided a series sweep. I dont know if it builds character. It definitely reveals character.It took 17 pitchers combining for 540 pitches in a bullpen- and stadium-emptying affair that lasted 5 hours, 48 minutes. It was close to ending a lot earlier -- the Nationals were down to their last strike in the ninth inning when pinch hitter Daniel Murphy hit a tying home run.By the time the 1:35 p.m. start ended at 7:23 p.m., stellar outings by Pittsburghs Chad Kuhl and Washingtons Max Scherzer felt like a distant memory.Kuhl allowed one hit and two runners and struck out five in six shutout innings. Hurdle said it was the outing Kuhl expected out of himself after some struggles, and the right-hander rewarded the organization for giving him the nod when Jonathon Niese was demoted to the bullpen.Scherzer wasnt too bad himself, giving up one run and six hits and struck out seven in seven efficient innings. The homer by an injured Murphy took Scherzer off the hook for what wouldve been his second loss in a 1-0 game in three starts.We were in the middle of a pitchers duel and when it is like that, every little thing is amplified, Scherzer said.Murphy, who was out of the lineup for the third consecutive day with a sore left hamstring, took All-Star closer Mark Melancon deep on a 2-2 cutter with two outs in the ninth.Murphy leads the majors in hitting, and connected for his 18th home run. He sent the game to extra innings, where it turned into a battle of attrition.The Pirates should have taken the lead in the 16th on a double by Josh Harrison, but a perfect relay from Washington center fielder Michael A. Taylor to shortstop Danny Espinosa to catcher Wilson Ramos was good enough to get Eric Fryer at the plate.How about the relay they had in the 16th inning? Hurdle said in amazement. Its the best relay in the history of the game in the 16th inning. Ever.That relay kept the game going and forced Niese (8-6) into duty on back-to-back days. Thats not how Hurdle drew it up, but he became the winning pitcher when Marte deposited a pitch from Perez (2-3) into the left-field seats.I felt good in (my) first inning and I was kind of running on fumes there in the second, said Niese, who tossed three hitless innings. And then when Marte hit that home run it kind of gave me an extra boost of energy to finish it up.Martes seventh home run of the season came on a swing the Nationals didnt even want him to get. With Niese on deck, Washington manager Dusty Baker wanted to intentionally walk Marte but couldnt get the signal to Ramos in time, and it proved costly.That was my fault because I didnt put the (four) fingers up in time soon enough to walk him, Baker said. Before I could, he hit the first pitch out of the ballpark.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: OF Gregory Polanco remained out with a sore left hamstring, but general manager Neal Huntington hopes hell play Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. ... C Francisco Cervelli was set to play another inning on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, and Huntington said well see about him being back as soon as Tuesday.Nationals: 3B Anthony Rendon was scratched with flu-like symptoms. Baker said Rendon was sick as a dog. ... LHP Sammy Solis will be placed on the disabled list Tuesday with a right knee injury.CHALLENGE ACCEPTEDThe Pirates successfully challenged two plays on the bases in the sixth. After a 91-second review in the top half, Marte was awarded his 32nd stolen base of the season, and Espinosa was called out on a steal attempt in the bottom half after a 31-second review.They both played out extremely big for us, theres no doubt about it, said Hurdle, who credited video coordinator Kevin Roach. It was another example of why we have a replay.UP NEXTPirates: After an off-day Monday, top pitching prospect Jameson Taillon (2-1, 3.86 ERA) is expected to start Tuesday at PNC Park against the Brewers. RHP Chase Anderson (4-10, 5.44) is scheduled to start the series opener for Milwaukee.Nationals: With RHP Joe Ross not ready to come off the disabled list, RHP Reynaldo Lopez will make his major league debut against Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Scott Kazmir (7-3, 4.52). Cheap NHL Jerseys . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Authentic NFL Jerseys . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/ . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Cheap Jerseys . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Cheap NBA Jerseys .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. MANCHESTER, England -- With one of the worlds best strikers bearing down on him, Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had a quick decision to make as he received the ball five meters (yards) outside his penalty box.Smash it downfield and quickly retreat to his area? Or keep possession and instigate another attack for his team?Most goalkeepers in that situation would choose the safer first option, but not Bravo. Instead, he attempted a delicate lob-pass over Luis Suarez to teammate Fernandinho -- and completely fluffed it.The mis-hit pass went straight to Suarez, whose goal-bound return shot was blocked by the outstretched hands of Bravo outside the area. Immediate red card and, just like that, any realistic chance of City fighting back from 1-0 down vanished at Camp Nou.City lost 4-0 to Barcelona on Wednesday in a Champions League game that turned on this avoidable mistake by Chiles international goalkeeper in the 53rd minute.The author of the error was perhaps not Bravo, but his coach.One of Pep Guardiolas footballing philosophies is that the goalkeeper must play the ball out from the back at all costs. Thats why, months into his tenure at City, Guardiola made the big call to drop long-serving goalkeeper Joe Hart and sign Bravo from former club Barcelona.There will be no change. It stays the same, Guardiola said after the Barcelona match. Im sorry, until the last day of my career as a coach, I will try to play from our goalkeeper.Guardiola knows its a risky approach -- he says so openly and regularly -- but he believes the value of retaining possession outweighs the chances of making a mistake.Most of the time, when we play good, it starts from there, he said.However, having that rigid policy at his previous clubs, Barcelona aand Bayern Munich, is fine considering the quality and type of goalkeepers and defenders that Guardiola had at his disposal.dddddddddddd At City, the technique of some of his players isnt as good and he may be asking too much of defenders like Nicolas Otamendi, Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta to keep possession in often exacting situations.Bravo is one of the best ball-playing goalkeepers in the world -- he started out as a forward as teenager -- and center back John Stones was also bought by Guardiola this summer for the primary reason that he is good with the ball at his feet. The rest of the back line is not so comfortable, however.Very brave, but very stupid, was the verdict of former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, analyzing on British television, when asked about the way Guardiola encourages Bravo to play the ball from the back.Bravo has had an up-and-down start to his City career.Handed his debut in the Manchester derby against United at Old Trafford, he dropped a high ball to allow Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score a goal that reduced the deficit to 2-1.Later that game, Bravo might have been shown a red card and conceded a penalty when he dribbled away from Ibrahimovic in his area, only to take a heavy touch and then dive in studs-first at Wayne Rooney as the forward went for the ball. Bravo just about connected with the ball.Otherwise, he has looked composed and convincing with the ball at his feet -- until his high-profile Camp Nou mistake.It is a game of mistakes and correct decisions, Bravo said. Its just bad luck that I was the person that changed the course of the game, but its like that. ' ' '