Herausforderungen » 234 38. Gonzaga 8-0 1198 89. I

CHICAGO -- Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole expressed confidence hell return this season after returning to the team and playing catch Tuesday.Cole was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday and traveled to Los Angeles for a second opinion with a specialist, who confirmed posterior elbow inflammation.This is very encouraging news, Pirates trainer Todd Tomczyk said. He is now focused on how he is going to help this team win some ballgames the rest of the season.Pittsburgh entered Tuesday nights game against the Cubs 1 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the second NL wild card.Cole, 7-9 with a 3.55 ERA in 20 starts, played catch in right field with Tomczyk before Tuesdays game as pitching coach Ray Searage looked on.Its comforting to have confirmation that youll be OK, Cole said.Cole is on the DL retroactive to last Thursday, meaning he is eligible to return Sept. 9.Cole had a 6.08 ERA in five August starts and said he alerted the team of a level of discomfort that was concerning after allowing five runs and seven hits in five innings last Wednesday against Houston.Tomczyk said its uncertain how Cole was injured. He missed time in spring training with sore ribs and spent more than a month on the disabled list earlier this season with a strained right triceps.That is an ongoing discussion. He did have a slow start to the season with the rib injury, Tomczyk said. That could be a factor. And theres the assumed risk of throwing a baseball.Coles absence means all five starters from the beginning of the season are no longer in Pittsburghs rotation. Yet the Pirates remain in the thick of the playoff race.Its like coming back from a road trip and your wife has rearranged the furniture, manager Clint Hurdle said. After you bump your shin a couple times, youve got to find a different way to cross the living room.Weve had to find a different way to get across the room this year. And its been a really good opportunity to learn.DeAndre Hunter jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Josh Smith Hawks Jersey . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/Trae-Young-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Spud Webb Jersey . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. DeAndre Hunter Hawks Jersey .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers.The top 25 teams in The Associated Press college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 4, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last weeks ranking:Record Pts Prv1. Villanova (57) 8-0 1613 22. UCLA (2) 9-0 1478 113. Kansas 7-1 1458 44. Baylor (6) 8-0 1437 95. Duke 8-1 1389 56. Kentucky 7-1 1274 17. North Carolina 8-1 1234 38. Gonzaga 8-0 1198 89. Indiana 7-1 1103 1310. Creighton 8-0 1003 1011. Louisville 7-1 901 1412. Saint Marys (Cal) 6-0 899 1213. Xavier 7-1 784 714. Virginia 7-1 758 6115.ddddddddddddWest Virginia 6-1 729 2516. Butler 8-0 691 1817. Wisconsin 7-2 655 1718. Purdue 6-2 485 1519. South Carolina 8-0 476 2020. Arizona 6-2 320 1621. Florida 7-1 285 2422. Cincinnati 7-1 258 -23. Notre Dame 8-0 197 -24. Oregon 7-2 175 2325. Iowa St. 5-2 95 19Others receiving votes: Syracuse 45, Southern Cal 43, Ohio St. 40, TCU 33, Florida St. 18, Virginia Tech 11, California 10, Maryland 9, Valparaiso 7, Wichita St. 5, Temple 3, Michigan St. 3, Minnesota 1, IPFW 1, UNC Wilmington 1. ' ' '