Inland Waterways » Eric Chavez spoke for

PHOENIX - Andy Marte had not been in the major leagues since 2010, nearly a four-year span that included one year out of the game and time in the independent leagues. The 30-year-old was called up from Triple-A Reno on Thursday to help fill the roster spots vacated by the trades of Gerardo Parra and Martin Prado and broke a tie with a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the sixth inning to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4. Aaron Hill added a solo shot one out later, and Nick Ahmed hit the Diamondbacks third home run, an eighth-inning blast that was the first of his major-league career. Marte became the eighth player in Diamondbacks history to homer in his first at-bat with the club. His last home run came in September of 2010. "It feels great to be back," Marte said. "I worked really hard to try to prove that I could still play here." Reliever Oliver Perez (2-1) earned the win by getting the last two outs in the sixth. The Pirates took the lead in the second inning when Russell Martin drove in two with a double off the left field wall, but Arizona starter Josh Collmenter was able to escape further damage. Collmenter played a part in allowing the Diamondbacks to tie the score after Jeff Locke (2-3) no-hit them for the first three innings of the game. With the bases loaded and two out, Collmenter hit a bouncer to third baseman Pedro Alvarez, who charged the ball, scooped it and pumped once before throwing to first base. The throw was low, but first baseman Ike Davis mishandled the catch for an error that allowed Mark Trumbo and Jordan Pacheco to score and tie the game at 2. ""He has played a lot of first base," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of Davis. "He has caught that one before. Nobody felt worse about it than he did." Neil Walker hit his 16th homer for the Pirates. After home runs from Marte and Hill, Andrew McCutchen drove in Gregory Polanco with a single in the seventh, but the Pirates couldnt rally against Arizona relievers Brad Ziegler and Addison Reed. Reed earned his 27th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning. GIBBYS BIG DAY Gibson walked into the media interview room for his postgame comments soaked from a beer shower with silly string hanging off the back of his jersey. His players celebrated the 338th managerial win of Gibsons career, which put him No. 1 among all Diamondbacks managers in career wins. Thursdays win vaulted Gibson past Bob Melvin to the top of the list. "It means weve got a long way to go, and wed like to do those types of celebrations with a world championship," Gibson said. "It was an interesting day today. Tough day for us all, and to kind of cap it off that way, its certainly a day Ill remember." "COLL" YOUR JETS Collmenter slammed his cap on the dugout bench upon being removed from the game after 5 1/3 innings and Walkers home run. "I didnt make some pitches early on, struggled," he said. "I kind of had a feeling he was looking for first pitch curveball anyway, but stuck with it and should have thrown something different." SAYING GOODBYE Former third baseman Eric Chavez spoke for the last time as a player after he officially announced his retirement on Wednesday. "Just loved the opportunity to win, and we were able to do that for most of my time in Oakland and New York," the 17-year veteran and six-time Gold Glove winner said. "I dont want to say it was a tough decision. I dont plan on leaving the game forever. Im going to take a little break and jump back into it the first opportunity I have." ON DECK: Diamondbacks: Left-hander Vidal Nuno (0-2) starts the second game of the four-game series Friday. Nuno will be making his fifth start of the season and has a 3.47 earned-run average. It will be his second career start against Pittsburgh. Pirates: Right-hander Edinson Volquez (8-7) makes his 21st start of the season. He is 3-0 in his last four road starts with a 2.05 ERA and has won four of his last five decisions. TRAINERS ROOM Diamondbacks: Shortstop Chris Owings is getting close to swinging a bat and is taking ground balls. Manager Kirk Gibson said. Owings has been on the disabled list since June 29 with a left shoulder strain. Pirates: OF Starling Marte was eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list on Wednesday but has not been activated. Nike Air Max Günstig Kaufen . The team of Lars Nelson, Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, and anchor Marcus Hellner cruised to victory in the 4x10 km event, winning in a time of one hour, 28 minutes, and 42. Air Max Schweiz . Or, for that matter, the aged. http://www.airmaxschweiz.ch/ . The 31-year-old, a two-time CFL lineman of the year, was among the most coveted free agents on the market. The Windsor, Ont., native will be especially important to a team that has lost veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo to retirement and is expected to go with the less experienced Troy Smith and Tanner Marsh this season. Nike Air Max Günstig ., climbed from seventh to fifth spot in womens competition Sunday at the ISU world junior figure skating championships. Nike Air Max Günstig Outlet . The international synchronized skating competition takes place from January 31 - February 1, 2014, and features 39 teams from 10 countries, in senior, junior, and novice. CLEVELAND -- No one will fault the Charlotte Bobcats for taking a moment to savour their second post-season appearance in franchise history. Theyve come a long way in a short period of time. Al Jefferson scored 24 points, including seven in overtime, and the Bobcats clinched a playoff spot with a 96-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. Charlotte is in the post-season for the second time in its 10-year history and the first time since 2010. The Bobcats (39-38) are over .500 for the second time this season and hold seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Steve Clifford, the Bobcats third coach in three seasons, praised his teams character. "This is a significant accomplishment for our group of guys, and it puts us in a different place in the league," he said. "The guys in the locker room are excited -- and they should be -- because weve got a good group of guys and a group of guys who are truly deserving." While the Bobcats were celebrating, the Cavaliers slim playoff hopes suffered yet another damaging loss despite a career-high 44 points from Kyrie Irving. Cleveland (31-47) trails eighth-place Atlanta by 3 1/2 games for the final playoff spot in the East. The Bobcats have made significant progress since finishing 7-59 in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. Charlotte was 21-61 last season. "Words cant describe it," guard Kemba Walker said. "For me, Gerald (Henderson), and Biz (Bismack Biyombo), we were the original guys here. We were on the worst team my first two years, so to go from there to here, its like night and day." Hendersons basket gave Charlotte a 90-89 lead with 1:08 remaining and the Bobcats made four free throws down the stretch to seal the win. Walker scored 20 points and Henderson added 15 for the Bobcats, who have won four straight and swept the four-game season series with Cleveland. "This means a lot, individually and as a team," Henderson said. "I thought we would be good, but I think weve exceeded everybodys expectations -- even our own." Irving, wwho defended himself before the game over reports hes unhappy in Cleveland, was 16 of 31 from the field, including five 3-pointers.ddddddddddddHe added eight assists and seven rebounds. The Cavaliers could be eliminated from contention before they play again Wednesday. Irving admitted hell be paying attention to what Atlanta and New York -- the teams ahead of Cleveland -- are doing. "In this game, anything can happen," he said. "I know the Knicks and Hawks play some pretty tough teams coming up. Ill definitely be watching. Well see." Walkers 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining in regulation gave Charlotte an 82-80 lead, but Irvings jumper 7 seconds later tied the game. Irvings basket gave Cleveland an 89-86 lead with 1:55 remaining in overtime, but Jefferson hit a free throw and Hendersons basket put the Bobcats ahead. Following a Cleveland turnover, Walker missed a jumper, but Cody Zeller got the rebound and passed it out to Walker, who was fouled and made both shots with 17 seconds remaining to make it 92-89. After Dion Waiters sank two free throws, Walker split a pair of foul shots with 11 seconds to go. Following a time out, Irving took the inbounds pass at the top of the key, but his wide-open 3-pointer rimmed out. "Thats as good a look that I had all night," he said. "It was in and out. It was a crucial miss, (but) I can live with that." Hendersons two free throws with 7 seconds left gave the Bobcats a 95-91 lead. Spencer Hawes made a 3-pointer with 4 seconds to get the Cavaliers within one before Jefferson hit a free throw with 2.3 seconds left. He missed the second, but the Cavaliers had no timeouts remaining and Hawes desperation full-court heave was short. NOTES: Charlotte has defeated Cleveland five straight times. ... Bobcats assistant coach Mark Price, who starred for the Cavaliers from 1986-95, got a big ovation when he was shown on the scoreboard in the second quarter. ... The Bobcats are 3-14 all-time at Quicken Loans Arena, the worst record by a visiting team at the 20-year-old arena. 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