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SAN FRANCISCO -- The Washington Nationals found a reliable pitcher for the ninth inning, acquiring All-Star closer Mark Melancon from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. Authentic Custom Rams Jersey .Washington sent reliever Felipe Rivero and pitching prospect Taylor Hearn to the Pirates for Melancon, who supplants struggling Jonathan Papelbon as Washingtons closer. Melancon is expected to join the Nationals on Sunday for their series finale at San Francisco.Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dusty Baker called Melancon on Saturday. Both Rizzo and Baker said they were impressed that Melancon told them he planned to immediately check in with Papelbon.It says a lot about his character and makeup, and that was a big reason why he was such an attractive target to us, Rizzo said. His performance level is great, but his makeup and character are a lot of the reason that we went out and got him. That tells me hes team-first and Mark Melancon second.A 31-year-old right-hander, Melancon has converted 30 of 33 saves with a 1.51 ERA this season and joins his fifth organization in eight years. He is making $9.65 million and is eligible for free agency after the World Series.Once considered a possible successor to Mariano Rivera when he broke into the majors with the New York Yankees in 2009, Melancon said during the All-Star break he knew a trade was possible, given his contract status.The move comes as the Pirates find themselves on the fringe of the wild-card race. While general manager Neal Huntington stressed the team remains committed to reaching the playoffs for a fourth straight season, the opportunity to deal Melancon -- who led the majors with 51 saves in 2015 and had 33 in 14 -- for two young arms with friendly long-term contracts was too good to pass up.Rivero is under team control through 2021 and hit 100 mph on the radar gun regularly during an extended relief appearance against the Pirates this month. If Melancon left as a free agent, Pittsburgh would have received a high draft pick as compensation.We knew full well that holding Mark Melancon would have been a good return, but at the end of the day we felt this was a better return for us, Huntington said.This was Melancons fourth season in Pittsburgh after he also pitched for Houston, Boston and the Yankees.He will move his family once more -- his wife and three kids.This has been a blast. Pittsburgh has a special place in heart. My family has been treated so well, Melancon said. The experiences weve had, just running through my mind all the wild-card games, just big games that weve been in. From where we started, to where we are now, it is an honor. It is an honor to be a Pirate. We got to go through those experiences together. My teammates are my best friends.Papelbon is 2-4 with a 4.41 ERA and has allowed eight runs and seven hits in his past three outing. Baker wouldnt say earlier Saturday whether Papelbon still was his closer. Baker pulled Papelbon from a game Thursday in the ninth inning.Rivero, a 25-year-old lefty, is 0-3 with a 4.53 ERA this season. Hearn is a 21-year-old lefty who was the Nationals fifth-round pick in the 2015 amateur draft.The Pirates will plug Rivero into a seventh-inning role, with Neftali Feliz working the eighth and Tony Watson in the ninth. Watson was an All-Star in 2014 in a set-up role and will take over a position where Pittsburgh has enjoyed plenty of success during its rise from mediocrity. Each of its previous three closers: Melanon, Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan, made the All-Star team wearing black-and-gold.Manager Clint Hurdle said he will miss Melancon but is confident in his bullpen options.I love the guy, love the family. Happy we had him. He helped us, I believe we helped him, Hurdle said. We are not giving up anything, we arent lowering the bar. We are not settling. Our organization made a baseball trade, with confidence that our bullpen is going to be in a good place. We are going to be able to compete this year, we are going to be able to add to our competition level in the years to come.Huntington hinted the team may try to take the money it will save by not paying the remaining portion of Melancons contract and use it before Mondays trade deadline. The Pirates need help in the starting rotation, which has been forced to turn to rookies Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow quickly as established players Jeff Locke, John Niese and Juan Nicasio faltered.Also Saturday, Washington recalled right-handed pitcher Reynaldo Lopez from Triple-A Syracuse.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Custom Rams Jerseys . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Custom Rams T-shirts . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. http://www.customramsjersey.com/ . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- David Price was good, even better because of a rookies nifty glove work.Bostons ace won his third straight decision Monday night, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 with a huge assist from Andrew Benintendis home run-robbing catch that helped Price limit his old team to just two hits over eight scoreless innings.Price (12-8) walked two, struck out eight and didnt allow a runner past first base in helping the Red Sox win for the ninth time in 11 games and nudge into in a tie for first place in the AL East with Toronto.Benintendi drove in a run with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly, then kept Prices bid for a shutout alive by denying Steven Souza Jr. what would have been a two-run homer with an eighth-inning catch that nearly sent him tumbling over a short wall in the left-field corner.Thats a highlight-reel play at a pivotal time in the game, Boston manager John Farrell said. David was outstanding. But in a three-run game, that late, take away a two-run homer, its a huge difference in the ball game.The defensive gem enabled Price to extend Tampa Bays scoring drought against Boston to 25 innings dating to a series at Fenway Park before the All-Star break. Evan Longoria stopped the streak with a two-run homer off Matt Barnes in the ninth.I think thats the best catch Ive made. Ive never really had the opportunity to do that, Benintendi said. I knew that it was going to go out. I was just trying to time it and I was fortunate enough to finish with it.Chris Young returned from a two-month stay on the disabled list to drive in a run with a double off Blake Snell (4-6), Hanley Ramirez had a sacrifice fly in the seventh and Xander Bogaerts added a two-run homer off Danny Farquhar in the ninth.Price, who also pitched eight scoreless innings against his former team during a 4-0 victory in Boston on July 10, won for the first time as a visitor in four decisions at Tropicana Field.I had a lot of good things happen, said Price, the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner who helped the Rays make the playoffs four times before being traded in 2014. With Benny, and the catch he made to rob a home run, I spent seven years here and I didnt see that catch too many times. It doesnt happen a whole lot. That was huge.Benintendi started the game in center field. He moved to left after Young was removed for pinch-runner Jackie Bradley Jr. in the eighth. The maneuvering looked like a stroke of genius when Beenintendi chased down Souzas fly ball in the corner and made a running catch before nearly flipping over the wall. Custom Taylor Rapp Jersey. That was an unbelievable play, Souza said. He ran a long way, was at full speed. And then to go over and hold on to the ball, it was pretty impressive.Snell, who got his first big league win against the Red Sox on June 27, threw 94 pitches and allowed four hits and five walks in 3 2/3 innings, yet Boston was only able to build a 2-0 lead against the 23-year-old rookie.TRAINERS ROOMRed Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (left hamstring) will throw a three-inning simulated game Tuesday. Its not so much to answer the physical side of it, but its for him to test it at the higher intensity and for him to gain some comfort mentally, Farrell said. ... Knuckleballer Steven Wright (right shoulder strain) will have a bullpen session Tuesday. If all goes well, theres a chance he could start Friday night against Kansas City. ... RHP Koji Uehara (right pectoral strain) will throw off a mound for the first time Tuesday.Rays: CF Kevin Kiermaier (left hip soreness) was in the lineup after not starting the previous two games. ... RHP Alex Cobb (Tommy John surgery) made his sixth rehab start, allowing five runs, nine hits and walking two for Triple-A Durham at Norfolk.MOVING DAYTo make room for Young, who missed 51 games with a hamstring injury, the Red Sox optioned LHP Henry Owens to Triple-A Pawtucket.MINORS MATTERLHP Jason Groome, taken by Boston in the first round of this years amateur draft, allowed one hit and had three strikeouts over two scoreless innings in his first start for the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox against the GCL Rays.UP NEXTRed Sox: RHP Clay Buchholz (4-9, 5.42 ERA) gets the start, filling in for Wright. Last Thursday, he allowed one run and six hits over six innings but was not involved in the decision of a 4-3 loss at Detroit. Buchholz has a 2.63 career ERA against Tampa Bay, second-lowest among active pitchers with a minimum of 10 starts vs. the Rays.Rays: AL strikeout leader Chris Archer (7-16, 4.18) makes his fourth start of the season against the Red Sox. He leads the majors in losses, but is 3-4 with a 3.06 ERA in seven outings since the All-Star break. Hes 0-3 against Boston this year, 1-9 with a 5.82 ERA in 14 career starts. ' ' '