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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs are becoming quite a problem for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Corey Wootton Jersey . Pittsburgh lost its seventh straight game Friday and kept fading in the NL wild-card race as Starlin Castro hit a three-run homer that sent Chicago to a 7-4 win. The Pirates have dropped 11 of 13 overall. They began the day three games behind St. Louis for the final NL playoff spot. The Cubs have won four straight against the Pirates, including a three-game sweep last weekend in Pittsburgh. Chris Rusin (1-2) notched his first major league victory, allowing two runs in five-plus innings in his fourth career start. "It feels good," the 25-year-old Rusin said after a cold beer shower. "I located the ball, kept the ball down and got ahead of a lot of hitters." The Cubs led 4-3 in the sixth before Castro connected after Luis Valbuena walked and Alfonso Soriano was hit by a pitch. "I wanted to jump on the first pitch because I knew he would throw me a fastball," Castro said. "I know the team isnt going anywhere, but we have to finish strong." Since Castros debut in 2010, he leads all National League players with 508 hits. "We all know what kind of hitter he is right now," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "I was more impressed not by the home run, but by the adjustment he made. He went with no leg kick and no stride and hit a home run." "Those are the things you look for, to see guys make adjustments. Thats when you start to grow as a player," he said. Andrew McCutchen homered in the Pittsburgh seventh, but Cubs reliever Shawn Camp tossed a perfect eighth and Carlos Marmol earned his 20th save in 22 chances. Marmol has converted 19 consecutive save tries. Pirates starter James McDonald (12-8) struggled once again in the second half. He lasted just 3 2-3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks. He is 2-5 in his last 10 starts. McDonald, who also hit a batter, hurt himself with wildness. He walked three batters in the fourth before Anthony Rizzo delivered a two-run double down the right-field line and Alfonso Soriano hit an RBI single that made it 4-0. "I didnt have any pitches today, but Ive pitched in that situation where I didnt have any pitches before," McDonald said. "Walks are unacceptable. I had two outs, I should have gotten that out and been in the dugout." The Pirates got an RBI single from Pedro Alvarez in the fifth and closed within a run in the sixth. Gaby Sanchez singled home a run and Alvarez had an RBI grounder, but Pittsburgh left the bases loaded when James Russell struck out pinch-hitter Neil Walker. On Aug. 8, the Pirates were 63-47, but have gone 9-24 since. They are now just a game over .500 for the first time since June 15 when they were 32-31. Pittsburgh hasnt finished with a winning record since 1992. While the Pirates continue to fight for post-season berth, the Cubs have a magic number of their own. The victory was the Cubs 57th, meaning six more wins lets them avoid a third 100-loss season. "We got the magic number down," Sveum said. "These guys have a lot of pride and are trying to stay from that number." Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney was 2 for 2 with a run scored to extend his hitting streak to a career-high nine games. NOTES: Cubs first-round draft pick Albert Almora took batting practice with the team at Wrigley Field prior to the game. He will report to the instructional league on Monday. ... Alvarez (sore wrist) returned to the lineup after missing Wednesdays game. Walker (lower back tightness) did not start for the 16th consecutive game. ... Jason Berken makes his Cubs debut Saturday against Wandy Rodriguez (10-13, 3.72). Alshon Jeffery Womens Jersey . Kim has made only two cuts this year and has withdrawn from his last three tournaments. Along with nagging pain in his left forearm, Kim hurt his right elbow when his club struck a rock while he was trying to hit out of a bush at the Texas Open. Jim McMahon Jersey . Bostons 7-4 victory on Saturday helped it keep pace in the American League East standings. The Red Sox head into the series finale in fourth place in the division, but only two games back of the Rays and Orioles, who will break their first-place tie in their own series finale on Sunday. http://www.proshopchicagobearsjersey.com/michael-bush-jerseys . The former U.S. Open champion was on course to break par in his opening round at Wentworth when he approached the ball after hitting his drive into the bushes to the right of the fairway. The ball, which was lying on a bed of branches, moved slightly -- costing him a shot -- and because he didnt replace it, he was handed another penalty stroke by the European Tour referee. Julius Peppers Youth Jersey .  The series tips off tomorrow (Tuesday, June 12) at 8 p.m. ET on TSN, with the network producing a special 30-minute pre-game show before every match-up (see complete broadcast schedule below). Games are also available live on TSN Mobile TV and on the following Bell Media sports radio stations: TSN Radio Toronto (AM 1050), TSN Radio Montreal (AM 990), Team 1410 in Vancouver, and Team 1200 in Ottawa. Robbie Gould Womens Jersey . World champion Catharine Pendrel of Harvey Station, N.B., is the headliner on the team unveiled Wednesday. Rising star Emily Batty of Brooklin, Ont.BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Bill Glasson swiftly polished off his round at Shoal Creek, finishing before lunchtime and leaving the rest of the Regions Tradition field chasing. Dan Forsman didnt catch up until about four hours later Thursday when he completed a run of four straight birdies at No. 14. Forsman and Glasson shared the first-round lead at 6-under 66 in the Regions Tradition, the second of the Champions Tours five major championships. Glasson and Fulton Allem were first on the course and done by 11 a.m., finishing up in 3 hours, 21 minutes. The solo lead held up longer than that, though Glasson might not have noticed because he said he wouldnt spend the afternoon monitoring the scoreboard. "My philosophy is I need all the birdies to make up for the impending bogeys Im going to make," he said. "So it doesnt do any good for me to watch. I just need to make as many birdies as I can. "This course will get you, theres no doubt about it. Its about one of the best courses in the country." Glasson has overcome tougher obstacles. He has undergone 25 surgeries, including back and neck fusions. This is the first time hes held at least a share of the lead since the 1997 Las Vegas Invitational, where he claimed the last of his seven PGA Tour titles. Fred Funk was a stroke back, and Bernard Langer opened with a 68. Glasson, Forsman and Funk all had their sons working as caddies. Forsman, who missed the cut at the Senior PGA two weeks ago, set the stage by asking son Tommy for a driver on the first tee, instead of playing it more conservatively with a 3-wood. "A lot of times on a course like this you say, Im not going to play a Mickey Mouse game," Forsman said. "It may be futile, who knows? It worked in this case. "That kind of set the tone thhat I was going to be aggressive on the course today. Gale Sayers Jersey. " His run of birdies came after a marshal found the glove he had lost on the 10th hole. Coincidence? Maybe not. "The marshal came up to me and said, Did you lose a glove on the fairway back there?" said Forsman, who won the opener at Hualalai. "I said, Oh gosh. So I put it back on and went out and birdied the next four holes. So I guess the glove I received from my walking scorer on the 11th tee is the reason I had those four birdies, so I have to lift my cap and say thank you to him." Glasson closed his bogey-free round with a pair of birdies in a strong rebound from a 75th-place finish last week in Iowa in the Principal Charity Classic. "That was a miserable experience," said Glasson, who tied for 58th last year at Shoal Creek. He knocked 11 strokes off that opening-round performance. The 20-foot birdie putt from the right side on the par-4 12th hole was especially cathartic. "I dont think Ive ever parred it, let alone made a birdie," Glasson said. He and Allem even beat most of the fans out there, finishing the round with about 20 people in the gallery, including a few wearing volunteers polo shirts. Defending champion Tom Lehman had an up-and-down 69. He had seven birdies but hit into the water on No. 9 for double bogey and had two bogeys. Lehman thought some low rounds might be in the works when he saw Glassons score. "I looked at the board at one point and there was a 6 ... a 4, a bunch of 3s," Lehman said. "So you think the course is giving up some birdies, so be aggressive. "When you see that, up by 3, it makes me happy that its a four-round tournament. In the three-rounders, getting off to a fast start is really, really important." ' ' '