is precisely the formula Baltimore used to beat Ryans New York Jets on Sund

SAN FRANCISCO -- His left oblique no longer a painful obstacle, Francisco Liriano is starting to look like the dominant pitcher he was for Pittsburgh in 2013. With the Pirates in the thick of the race in the NL Central, the timing couldnt be better. Liriano struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and Pittsburgh beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night. "I was just trying to hit my spots, make some good pitches," said Liriano, who last won consecutive starts nearly a year ago. "My last start and tonight, everythings getting better pitching-wise and Im getting ahead with the fastball." Josh Harrison hit a leadoff home run in the first inning and Travis Snider added a two-run shot in the second for the Pirates, who moved within one game of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central. A former minor league prospect for the Giants, Liriano (3-7) gave up a home run to Mike Morse but was otherwise stellar while leading the surging Pirates to their eighth win in 11 games. The left-hander allowed four hits, walked one and retired 18 of the final 21 hitters he faced. More importantly, Liriano threw first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 26 hitters he faced. Hes 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA over the last three starts. "I thought it was his best outing," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "The fastball played so well, he was able to get them into a swing mode. This is a guy who was a huge part of the success we had last year. Thats why I felt it was important to get him up and running again." San Francisco lost its sixth straight, matching its longest skid of the season. Harrison hit a 3-2 pitch from Giants starter Tim Hudson off the facing off the brick wall in right field for his first career leadoff home run. Harrison is hitting .583 (7 for 12) with a double and three home runs over his past three games. Snider hit his seventh homer after Ike Davis reached on an infield single leading off the second. It was just enough to help the Pirates (57-49) move a season-high eight games over .500. Mark Melancon worked the ninth for his 20th save. Buster Posey had three of the Giants six hits, including a leadoff single in the ninth. Pablo Sandoval followed with a deep fly out to right before Melancon struck out Morse and pinch-hitter Travis Ishikawa. "Were sputtering with the offence," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "We just cant string together a few hits. We have to find a way. Its tough to go through this." Hudson (8-8) allowed six hits over seven innings and took his sixth loss in the last eight starts. NUMBERS The Pirates have won 17 consecutive games when scoring first. ... The Giants have lost eight of their last nine series at AT&T Park. ... Posey hadnt had a multi-hit game at home since June 26. ... Hudson is 1-6 with a 4.32 ERA over his past eight starts. POWER OUTTAGE San Francisco has scored just five runs over its past five games and has had four extra-base hits during that span. TRAINERS ROOM Pirates: Outfielder Starling Marte ran the bases but has not yet been cleared to play after being placed on the 7-day concussion list. Marte is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday but no move is expected. Giants: Right-hander Matt Cain plans to meet with specialist Dr. James Andrews this week to get a second opinion on his injured elbow. Bochy said the move is precautionary and that surgery has not yet been discussed. ON DECK Tim Lincecum (9-7) pitches the finale for the Giants on Wednesday. Charlie Morton (5-10) goes for the Pirates, who are seeking their first sweep at San Franciscos waterfront ballpark since 2007. Cheap Nike Air Max Clearance . The Raptors (15-15) posted six road victories last month and have won seven of their last nine games overall. Toronto visits the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Cheap Wholesale Air Max Shoes . The 24-year-old right winger has one assist in nine games this season with the Sabres. In his career, he has three goals and six assists in 43 NHL games. http://www.airmaxcheapwholesale.com/ . -- The anointed starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders is strengthening his hold on the position this training camp instead of losing it. Cheap Air Max Free Shipping . Berdych and Stepanek played all five matches when the Czechs beat Spain 3-2 in the final last November in Prague to win the countrys first title as an independent nation. Air Max Cheap Wholesale . Thats how the Ravens won when Ryan was their defensive co-ordinator from 2005-08, and that is precisely the formula Baltimore used to beat Ryans New York Jets on Sunday.Sydney, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Seeded men Leonardo Mayer and Pablo Cuevas were among Mondays opening-round winners at the Sydney International tennis event, a final Australian Open tune-up. The fifth-seeded Argentine Mayer grounded German Benjamin Becker 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, while the sixth-seeded Cuevas, of Uruguay, handled Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 on the hardcourts at NSW Tenniis Centre.dddddddddddd Another result saw Italian Simone Bolelli subdue Aussie wild card Marinko Matosevic 6-3, 6-2. This weeks top seeds are Italian Fabio Fognini and Belgian David Goffin, who will meet Bolelli in the second round. Juan Martin del Potro, unseeded this week, beat Aussie and 2013 titlist Bernard Tomic in last years final. This weeks winner will claim $80,000. ' ' '