THE ASSOCIATED PRESS@ MILWAUKEE -- The Pirates will have to wait at least one more game before officially shedding more than two decades of losing. Pittsburgh ace Francisco Liriano lasted only three innings and the Milwaukee Brewers pounded out a 9-3 victory Wednesday night to delay the Pirates from clinching their first winning season since 1992. "We are trying to win every day," said outfielder Andrew McCutcheon. "Every game is important from the first to the last. So we dont treat it any differently from any other game. We go out every day to win. That is what we are going to do in St. Louis." Liriano (15-7), who had allowed five earned runs in his previous four starts, was rocked for seven runs on seven hits, with two walks and two costly wild pitches. The Pirates, aiming for their 82nd victory, twice left the bases loaded and stranded 12 runners. The loss also trimmed the Pirates lead in the NL Central to one game over the Cardinals, who defeated Cincinnati 5-4 in 16 innings. The Pirates begin a three-game series in St. Louis on Friday. The Brewers tagged Liriano for five runs on five hits in the third inning to open a 7-2 lead. Norichika Aoki and Carlos Gomez singled to open the third and Jonathan Lucroy followed with an RBI double to left to make it 3-2. Aramis Ramirez then doubled home both runners. After Khris Davis struck out, Yuniesky Betancourt singled Ramirez to third. Jeff Bianchis comebacker to the mound scored Ramirez, and Betancourt came around to score on a pair of wild pitches by Liriano. Wily Peralta (9-14) allowed three runs on nine hits in six innings, striking out six and walking one. "I thought he made some really good pitches when he needed to but he struggled," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "He struggled with his command and then all of a sudden on 3-2 he makes a real good pitch -- and he did it more than once -- so when he needed to make one, he did." Players from both teams briefly came out of the dugouts and bullpens in the fifth inning after Justin Morneau was hit by a pitch from Peralta, but no physical contact ensued. Andrew McCutcheon opened the fifth with his 19th home run to trim Milwaukees lead to 7-3. Peraltas next pitch was high and tight, hitting Morneau on the right forearm as he spun away. Morneau, whose career has been interrupted by post-concussion syndrome, stared down Peralta as he walked to first, bringing players from both teams onto the field. "Morneau was thinking that we were coming at him but any time you give up a home run and the next guy is hit, I dont care what guy it is, when you get hit by a ball you get mad," Roenicke said. "I dont have any issue with Morneau getting a little mad there. I know we werent trying to hit him. I know Wily wasnt trying to hit him. And I know you get mad (when you get hit). That wasnt an issue with me." Pittsburgh had three singles and a walk in the second, but managed just one run, leaving the bases loaded. Marlon Byrd singled with one out, but was forced at second as Pedro Alvarez reached on a fielders choice. John Buck then singled Alvarez to second. Jordy Mercer followed with a single off the glove of diving third baseman Ramirez, allowing Alvarez to continue around to score. Liriano walked to load the bases, but Jose Tabata bounced into a forceout at second. Davis answered in the bottom of the second with his ninth home run, a two-run shot he sent 428 feet over the wall in left-centre. The Pirates tied it 2-2 in the third on a single by Neil Walker, a double by Morneau and RBI single by Byrd. Milwaukee added two unearned runs in the seventh on Bianchis bases-loaded sacrifice fly and Martin Maldonados RBI single. Pirates All-Star reliever Jason Grilli, who had been sidelined with a right forearm strain, pitched the eighth for his first appearance since July 22. Grilli, who was leading the NL with 30 saves when he was hurt, allowed one hit and struck out two, throwing 17 pitches. "I hope it looked good because I felt pretty good. It is always good to be back on the mound," Grilli said. "It is definitely more adrenaline here than rehab starts. My whole plan even still was to make sure I am throwing strikes, commanding the striking zone, commanding my pitches." NOTES: Brewers SS Jean Segura was held out of the lineup. Manager Ron Roenicke said he was not feeling well. ... Brewers LHP Tom Gorzelanny, who left Mondays game with left shoulder tightness after facing one batter, was scheduled to be examined Wednesday night by a doctor. ... Morneau switched to uniform No. 66 on Wednesday after wearing No. 33 with the Twins, but that number was retired by Pittsburgh in honour of Honus Wagner. Morneau opted to double that. ... Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said before the game that OF Starling Marte is "slowly improving." The RHP is on the 15-day DL with a right hand contusion and sprained right ring finger. He last played Aug. 18. Hurdle said Marte hasnt been able to clutch a bat with two hands yet, or throw comfortably. Pirates reliever Stolmy Pimentel made his major league debut in the sixth and struck out pinch-hitter Juan Francisco to open the inning. Devin Singletary Womens Jersey .com) - James Harden needed just seven made field goals to drop 35 points on the Philadelphia 76ers, leading the Houston Rockets to a 104-93 win on Monday. Ed Oliver Jersey . This week, they discuss the NCAAs revenue sharing, Don Zimmer, soccer language and Super Bowl 50. http://www.authenticbillsfanaticfootball.com/customized/ . The stakes were higher, the competition more fierce and the atmosphere was that of a playoff game - something the young, upstart Raptors have five weeks to better prepare themselves for or the result will be eerily similar. Andre Roberts Jersey . -- Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, shot a 2-under 69 on Tuesday to finish first in stroke-play qualifying at the Womens U. Andre Reed Youth Jersey . The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in Las Vegas to quit granting therapeutic use exemptions for fighters undergoing the so-called TRT.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Ref! Been a long time Sens fan and stuck with them through the ups and downs. Ive always liked the fact that theyve made no excuses for their wins and their losses but their game with the Habs has me a tad irate with the what appears to be inconsistent calls. For example, there were a couple goalie interference calls against the Sens, like it or not, they were called, yet there were at least two non-calls for Robin Lehner being bumped including the game-tying goal at the end of regulation. Im not even going to go on about the non-call on the dive that caused that power play. My question is this: In the replay of the game-winning OT goal, the play moved into Ottawas end, a shot was taken that was stopped by Lehner and the puck was in/on/around his pads. The overhead camera angle showed the puck on the ice, not covered for a few seconds and then it was jammed in. Unless the referee is 35 feet tall and looking straight down at that angle, there is no way he could have even seen the puck free as the goalie had his back to him and there was a scrum of players there. Yet there was no stoppage even with the puck out of his sight for over five seconds (according to the game clock) and he later told Spezza that he didnt blow the whistle because of the noise level in the building. I would like to know if theres any disciplinary action for a referee who blows a call like that and then makes a "its too noisy to hear the whistle" comment as an excuse? Roger Smallman,St. Catharines, ON --- Hello, I just wanted some clarification - I thought when the goalie has the puck covered, the ref has to blow the whistle. Its my understanding that if the goalie has the puck covered, then an opposing player cannot jam at the goalie to knock the puck loose! Is that true or not? Josh Knowles Roger and Josh, Thank you for your questions following a very emotionally charged come-from-behind overtime victory by the Montreal Canadiens over the visiting Ottawa Senators. I want to share a general philosophy and understanding as to when the referee should blow the whistle. There is a misconception by some fans that a puck must be frozen for three seconds before the referee should deem it unplayable and then blow his whistle. This stems from language in Rule 85.2 when a puck falls onto the back of the goal netting and the referee is specifically directed to allow three seconds for it to be played unless the goalkeeper uses his stick or glove to freeze the puck on the back of the net, in which case the whistle is immediate. This three second application is also generally applied to determine a "frozen" puck between opposing players along the boards; although we often see the refs encourage play to continue with a non-whistle and audible command to "play it". The philosophy employed to kill play in and around the goal crease is somewhat consistent with Rule 69 (Interference on the Goalkeeper.) This rule was formerly called "Protection of the Goalkeeper" for good reason by recognizing, in part, the vulnerability of a goalkeeper given his unique position and the obvious impairment to defend his goal that would result through player contact. As such, the referee must first determine that the goalkeeper has control and coverage of the puck prior to his intent to blow the play dead in order to avoid a quick whistle. Of equal importance, is for a ref to be aware that an attacking player(s) does not dislodge or expose a covered puck by contacting the goalkeeper with a stick or any part of the body! Rule 85.3 (puck out of sight) states that should a scramble take place or a player accidentally fall on the puck and the puck be out of sighht of the Referee, he shall immediately blow his whistle to stop the play.dddddddddddd Truth is, there are many times during a scramble that the referee loses sight of the puck but does not blow his whistle immediately while he moves in an attempt to visually locate the puck. Every referee has had the embarrassment of blowing his whistle too quickly, only to have the puck slip through the goalies equipment and into the net causing a legitimate goal to be disallowed. Previous embarrassments such as this are always in the back of the refs mind. To avoid the quick whistle, but also to be aware of the potential for players to dislodge a covered puck, the referee must attack the net quickly from the best angle and react quickly to potential contact of the goalkeeper. Lets apply the above philosophies to the reality of the eventual winning goal scored by Francis Bouillon. Max Pacioretty, who was being checked by Jared Cowen, threw the puck at the Ottawa net from the bottom middle point of the end zone face-off circle to the left of goalie Robin Lehner. The shot was gobbled up in the right pad of Lehner, protected and appeared to be covered by Lehners blocker. The referee began to drive toward the net from his initial position some 30 feet from the right post. The closest Montreal player to the net, David Desharnais, was at the bottom of the end zone face-off T some 20 feet away and positioned on the outside of Sens player Bobby Ryan. Cody Ceci approached the centre of the goal crease from 15 feet out. This distance of other players from the net creates time and space for the goalkeeper to control and cover the puck. With all these parts of the puzzle moving quickly toward Lehner, who remained in a stationary position tight to the post with his blocker and stick down in front of the right goal pad throughout, my radar as a ref would go on high alert! The very last thing I would want to have happen is for the goalkeeper to be contacted and the puck dislodged. From the sight line the referee had at the time (and the multiple camera angles shown), I find it hard to imagine the puck was visible to him or anyone else at this point. Desharnais stepped to the inside of Ryan and jammed at Lehner with his stick and body as his momentum took the Hab forward behind the net. Ceci then made contact with the right side of his goalkeeper causing Lehners blocker to elevate off the ice and rotate. The contact by both players altered the position of Lehner sufficiently to expose the puck in front of Lehners pad. At this point, the puck would be clearly visible to the referee from his position closer to the net and as detected on the overhead camera shot. Pacioretty then came in hard from the side and jammed the puck outside the crease for an easy layup for Bouillon. When players crash the crease and jam at the goalkeeper, bad things usually happen. Typically, the refs will exercise the philosophy I described above and blow the whistle in advance of any deliberate contact exerted by an attacking player. This play was allowed to continue too long without visible evidence of the puck being uncovered prior to the contact exerted by Desharnais and then Ceci. In my judgment Josh, the whistle should have blown prior to that contact. Roger, if Stephen Walkom, Sr. V.P. of Officiating assessed this play as I did, he will review and discuss the play with the referee and make suggestions as to how a similar situation should be ruled upon in the future. There is no disciplinary action in place for officials beyond the ongoing rating and ranking system that every official is subjected to for playoff assignments and ongoing employment. One call or one game does not greatly impact the overall season performance rating of any official. Great calls are made and some are unfortunately missed. Thats the human element of the job. ' ' '