PITTSBURGH -- Ryan Vogelsongs resilient return from the facial fractures that cost him two months in the middle of the season is remarkable.The veteran pitchers stuff at the moment, however, is not. And the 39-year-old knows it.The Chicago Cubs pushed Vogelsong around for five choppy innings and Pittsburghs ninth-inning rally fell short on Tuesday night in a 6-4 loss.Pittsburgh was eliminated from postseason contention when San Francisco won later Tuesday, ending a run of three-straight playoff appearances.Vogelsong (3-7) struggled with his command, giving up four hits, walking five and hitting a batter. He threw just 51 of his 102 pitches for strikes and fell to 0-3 with a 9.55 ERA this month, a downturn thats coincided with his teams fade out of playoff contention.Just an unacceptable start, really, Vogelsong said. Just no excuses. Unacceptable.Vogelsong managed to get out of a two-on, two-out situation in the first but couldnt in the second. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases before Chris Coghlan sent an offering off the wall in right-center to clear them to give the Cubs the lead. Chicago won for the seventh time in its last eight games to improve to 101-56, the clubs highest victory total since it won 104 games in 1910.Much of that success has come against the Pirates. A year after the two reached the postseason as wild cards, Chicago is 14-3 against the Pirates this season, outscoring them 109-64 in the process.Dexter Fowler added an RBI double for Chicago. Lackey (11-8) worked around five hits and three walks to win his last regular season start.Felix Pena recorded the final two outs for his first career save after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run single off Justin Grimm to get the Pirates within two. Pena struck out Sean Rodriguez with the bases loaded to end it.Chicago manager Joe Maddon is experimenting with his lineup over the seasons final week with the Cubs already assured of home-field advantage in the NL playoffs. That means plenty of playing time for Coghlan, who has been mired in a season-long slump but is hitting .423 (11 of 26) since Sept. 16.Lackey made sure the early lead stood, though not without some shaky moments. He needed a double play to thwart a potentially big inning in the second and his defense bailed him out when Jordy Mercers line drive with the bases loaded in the fourth went straight to second baseman Munenori Kawasaki, who flipped to second to double off Rodriguez.The Pirates went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position -- both hits coming in the ninth -- and left 11 men on base.NO Ks FOR NICASIOPittsburgh reliever Juan Nicasio gave up two runs in the ninth and failed to record a strikeout for the first time in 34 appearances, ending his club-record streak.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: LF Starling Marte remained out of the starting lineup with back stiffness and grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the fifth. The All-Star has just three plate appearances -- all as a pinch hitter -- since Sept. 5. Theres a chance Marte could get back in the lineup before the series with Chicago ends. Things are moving quickly and Im feeling a lot more better than things were before, Marte said after the game. Right now, Im just submitting to my trainers and what they have me doing and hopefully Ill get back and be able to bounce back as soon as possible.UP NEXT:Cubs: Jake Arrieta (18-7, 2.85 ERA) makes his final start of the regular season. The 2015 Cy Young Award winner is 9-1 with a 1.46 ERA in 12 career starts against the Pirates.Pirates: Rookie Jameson Taillon (4-4, 3.49) faces the Cubs for the second time this season. Chicago touched him for four runs in four innings of a 10-5 loss on June 19. Fake Nike Shoes From China . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Nike Shoes From China . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. https://www.nikeshoeschina.us/ . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Cheap Nike Shoes From China . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Discount Nike Shoes From China .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. CLEVELAND -- Indians center fielder Rajai Davis cranked a ball Wednesday night that briefly made Cleveland sports history, unleashing a feeling of pure joy unlike anything he had ever felt.His two-run, score-tying home run in the eighth inning of an epic Game 7 was like a little kids dream come true.Davis was convinced his team was about to win the World Series. He believed the Indians would score another run off Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman, and that he and his teammates would dance into the night.But only one team was able to end its curse, and it wasnt the Tribe. After a scoreless ninth, the Cubs scored twice in the top of the 10th. Davis, after driving in a run in the bottom of the inning to cut Chicagos lead in half, was left stranded on base as Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant threw across the diamond for the final out of an 8-7 Indians loss, ending 108 years of misery for one city and extending Clevelands to a full 68.Now past midnight, Davis hung around for a few moments jealously watching the Cubs jump up and down on his home field, celebrating perhaps the greatest seventh game in the history of the sport.Im thinking that should have been us, Davis said.But perhaps thats not entirely true. The Indians are a resilient bunch that sincerely wanted to bring Cleveland its first World Series title in nearly seven decades. Still, deep down, the Indians knew the better team had won.After the game, there were no tears in the clubhouse -- not from reliever Bryan Shaw, who gave up the winning runs in the 10th, nor from manager Terry Francona. There was no hand-wringing over squandering a 3-1 Series lead. No, the Indians handled the loss with dignity. And they gave credit where credit was due.We have a bunch of guys who realize they have a really good team, Davis said of the Cubs. We were going on our willpower. We have some talent, but they have a lot of talent. They were loaded.That is why this loss probably doesnt belong in the pantheon of Clevelands sports misery. It is a notch below The Drive, The Fumble and The Decision, because while the Indians lost three straight games, they went down fighting, beaten by a superior club. There were no Game 7 embarrassments to pin this on. It was just the Cubs time.Ace Corey Kluber having to again pitch on three days rest caught up with them. The injuries to starters Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco, which forced them into a three-man rotation, was too much to overcome.It was tough, Davis said. We kind of ran out of pitching. We lost two of our starters. It was a tough loss. They didnt have their guys going on short rest. That was an advantage for them.Game 7 came down to Shaw. Neither Shaw nor Francona thought the 17-minute rain delay that preceded his 10th inning had any impact on the decisive runs. Shaw answered questions for more than a half hour, but without showing the devastation you might assume after letting a potential title, 68 years in the making, slip by on his watch.You cant really say anything, Shaw said.Francona could aafter the game.dddddddddddd While Progressive Field turned into Wrigley East as the Cubs and their large contingent of fans celebrated, the Indians skipper gathered his players in their clubhouse.Its going to hurt, Francona said he told the team. It hurts, because we care, but they need to walk with their heads high, because they left nothing on the field.The Indians had wanted to complement LeBron James in turning their city into Titletown, USA.It wouldve meant two championships in one year, said Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, who grew up a half-hour outside of Chicago. They were all-in with us and they were proud fans -- and they should have been with the way that we represented this city. I thought we were a bunch of hard workers and gritty players. It kind of reflected their attitude toward things.One day, Cleveland is going to win a World Series. If its soon, with this group of guys, there will be a special bond. You can feel it in the room.There are a lot of organizations in different sports in this part of the country that have been through a lot, economically and stuff like that. I think if you can bring a little excitement to a town, it is fun to be a part of, said reliever Andrew Miller, whose magic largely brought the Indians to Game 7, but who struggled Wednesday in his 2⅓ innings, giving up two runs. You love giving the people in the city something to smile about.The Tribe did for this entire run, plowing through the Red Sox and Blue Jays before taking the sports best team to the limit, coming back to tie Game 7 in the eighth when all seemed lost.Tonight summed up this team: Never give up, next man up, no excuses. It was so fun to be a part of, Miller said. It hurts right now, but it was a blast to be a part of. We achieved a lot with so many obstacles.The injuries, which struck early in the season with the loss of All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley and continued later on with their starting pitchers, couldnt derail the Indians; only the new beasts of baseball, the club formerly known as the Lovable Losers, could.You have to understand that is a fantastic ball club over there, Kipnis said. In no way did we let any games go, did we lose any games or let them slip through our fingers. We had our chances. I dont think we gave them any of the games. They really are a great ballclub over there. We didnt take them lightly by any means. We knew this next one would be the hardest one to get because we knew the rotation was lined up for them, too. We tip our cap to them.All of the Indians did. They didnt look devastated. They looked as if they plan on coming back.We were close in that series, designated hitter Carlos Santana said. We have to be ready for next year. 2017.Again, its wait til next year time in Cleveland, but as the Indians walked out of their clubhouse, following their managers lead, their heads were held high. ' ' '