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PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Edinson Volquezs renaissance began with a simple game of catch. During his brief session with Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage on that January day at the teams training facility in Florida, the talented but erratic right-hander listened as Searage outlined a plan to help the 31-year-old regain the form that once made him an All-Star. He felt wanted, Searage said. That builds trust. Ten months later, Volquez will try to repay that trust by sending the Pirates into the NL Division Series for the second straight year when he starts Wednesday nights wild-card game against San Francisco. Facing Mr. Reliable The Giants will counter Volquez with Madison Bumgarner, who has been the face of consistency over the past three years. Bumgarner ranks second in NL wins and third in the NL in strikeouts, innings pitched and quality starts since 2011. The raucous scene that awaits Volquez at PNC Park is in stark contrast to his ignominious exit from San Diego last summer, when the floundering Padres released him after a miserable stretch in which his ERA ballooned to 6.01. Its kind of sad a little bit, Volquez said. You feel like your career is over. He ended 2013 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he showed minor improvement before hitting the free-agent market. But most teams hardly seemed interested in signing a pitcher who spent a half-decade struggling with his command and composure. Yet he found a home in Pittsburgh, where the clubhouse has become an Ellis Island of sorts for players looking to regain something theyve lost. A year ago it was left-hander Francisco Liriano, who signed with the Pirates and put together a 16-8 season that included a victory over Cincinnati in the wild-card game. Liriano and Volquez are good friends, and while the $5 million flier Pittsburgh took on Volquez to be a back-of-the-rotation guy raised eyebrows, he remained confident he could make the changes necessary to become competitive. People (who) know about baseball, they knew I was really close to getting ready to go, Volquez said. Searage tweaked Volquezs delivery. Pirates catcher Russell Martin worked with him to set a steady pace during games, often hustling to the mound when Volquez starts working too quickly. When Volquez gets out of rhythm, his mechanics run amok. Early on he couldnt control it. He had elbows and knees flying all over the place, Searage said. Now hes able to control it better. Thats the biggest thing between a major leaguer and a minor leaguer a€” they basically have the same stuff, but it all comes up to (their mental approach). Volquez responded by going 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA in a team-high 32 starts, the lone constant in a rotation that saw Liriano, Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton spend a significant amount of time on the disabled list. Volquez went 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his last 11 starts, his consistency one of the main reasons the Pirates sent Cole to the mound in the regular-season finale against Cincinnati in a last-ditch bid to win the NL Central. Cole was brilliant but Pittsburgh lost 4-1, putting its hopes of an extended playoff stay in Volquezs maturing hands. Curve Control Only two NL starters (A.J. Burnett, Adam Wainwright) used the curveball more than Volquez (25.9% of all pitches) this season. For the Giants, Bumgarner uses his curveball on 14 per cent of his pitches. Its the biggest start of his career, but Volquez isnt exactly sweating it. He spent Monday laying around his house napping. On Tuesday he traded jokes with other Latin players before playing long toss and shagging flies during batting practice. Ive got to pitch my game and be myself, he said. Its unlikely it can go any worse than his other post-season start. The Philadelphia Phillies tagged Volquez for four runs in 1 2-3 innings during Game 1 of the 2010 NL Division Series when he played for Cincinnati. Phillies starter Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter that day to start a three-game sweep. Four years later, Volquez faces another formidable task: beating a team that thrives this time of year. The Giants have captured two World Series titles this decade, including a resilient run in 2012 when they won six elimination games on their way to the championship. Most of the core that celebrated with a champagne shower after sweeping the Tigers in the World Series two years ago remains intact, including left-hander Madison Bumgarner. The 25-year-old is coming off a solid regular season in which he went 18-10 with a 2.98 ERA. He lost his only start against Pittsburgh, giving up five runs in four innings on July 28 at AT&T Park. The vibe will be decidedly different this time around on the other side of the country. And thats just fine by Bumgarner. Hes been here before, and so have most of the other guys in the San Francisco clubhouse, including his manager. I dont know whats going to happen, but youre going to see guys who are comfortable playing in this type of game, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Theyre all about winning. I dont think theyll be affected by any kind of element or environment. Including whatever Volquez might have in store. He hardly resembles the enigma who could never find his footing in San Diego. Now hes flourishing in Pittsburgh with a chance to cement his transformation from lost cause to something else entirely. Hes become a complete pitcher, Searage said. His evolution of becoming a major league pitcher has been nothing but forward. Another important step awaits. Volquezs improvement First 14 Starts Past 17 Starts ERA 4.67 1.85 HR Alowed 11 6 K rate with RISP 16% 24% Volquez Pitch Selection vs RHB vs LHB Fastball 57.4% 52.9% Changeup 14.3% 23.9% Curveball 28.2% 23.2% Ferguson Jenkins Jersey . The German has taken the pole for three straight races -- winning the first two. Hes aiming for a third consecutive win at the Yeongam circuit and, most importantly, a fourth consecutive F1 championship. Rougned Odor Jersey . Completely. Two days after releasing Peyton Manning, the longtime face of the franchise, the Colts announced they were cutting four fan favourites: running back Joseph Addai, linebacker Gary Brackett, safety Melvin Bullitt and tight end Dallas Clark. http://www.texasrangersshop.com/ .The law passed on Friday, in a 128-62 vote in the lower chamber of parliament, was prompted by FIFA bribery scandals in recent years.Switzerland-based sports leaders such as FIFA President Sepp Blatter and IOC President Thomas Bach are now classed as politically exposed persons in wider legislation covering money-laundering. Ivan Rodriguez Jersey .James scored 29 points, including 16 in the first quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers broke a four-game losing streak with a 106-74 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Custom Texas Rangers Jerseys . The weekend at Oriole Park has been less kind, with three players suffering varying degrees of injury. The worst ailment of the three, at least optically, is the deep bone bruise suffered by Adam Lind when he fouled a pitch off the top of his right foot in the sixth inning of Saturdays game.MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Nick Marshall threw two touchdown passes, Auburn forced three turnovers and the fifth-ranked Tigers held on to beat mistake-prone No. 20 Kansas State 20-14 on Thursday night. Marshall finished with 231 yards passing for the Tigers (3-0), who were forced to the air by a Wildcats defence that was bent on stopping the run. The nations sixth-ranked rushing attack had only 130 yards on the ground, 200 less than its season average. Not that it mattered the way Kansas State (2-1) squandered its chances. Jake Waters threw for 245 yards, but he also tossed two interceptions -- one in the Auburn end zone. The Wildcats also fumbled the ball away, and Jack Cantele missed three field-goal attempts. Kansas State tried to mount a rally in the closing minutes, scoring on a run by Charles Jones out of the wildcat formation with 3:49 left. After the kickoff, Auburn soon faced third-and-9 at its own 37 with 2:06 left. Marshall dropped back and found Dhaquille Williams running wide open downfield, and the 39-yard completion resulted in a first down and effectively ended the game. The win was the Tigers first on the road against a nonconference opponent since Virginia in 1997, and the first over a ranked nonconference foe on the road since Florida State in 1984. Auburn was the highest-ranked team to play in Manhattan since second-ranked Penn State in 1969, and an overflow crowd started tailgating Tuesday. The festivities continued until shortly after kickoff, when the Wildcats started to throw away opportunities to spring an upset. The first serious miscue was a fumbled handoff deep in Kansas State territory. Auburn hopped on the loose ball and, four plays later, kicked a 34-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The second turnover was even more costly.dddddddddddd The Wildcats had second-and-goal from the Auburn 2, and Waters zipped a pass that bounced off Tyler Locketts shoulder pads in the end zone. Rather than an easy touchdown, the ball was picked off by the Tigers Jonathan Jones. The Wildcats kept buckling down on defence, though, stuffing Auburns read-option attack. The Tigers had just 55 yards rushing in the first half, the fewest in the Gus Malzahn era. The nations best team in converting third downs also failed on its first five attempts. Kansas State finally scored with 4:56 left in the first half when DeMarcus Robinson scampered in from 3 yards out for his first career touchdown. But the Tigers hurried the other way, capping a 75-yard drive with Marshalls 40-yard strike to Ricardo Louis for a 10-7 lead. Cantele pushed a potential tying field-goal attempt wide on the final play of the half, his second miss of the night. He hooked one wide left late in the first quarter. He made it a frustrating hat-trick midway through the third quarter. The Wildcats had once again marched downfield, and once again pushed the ball inside the Auburn 5. But after the Tigers stiffened, Cantele was summoned to try a 22-yarder -- a mere chip-shot, hardly more than an extra point. He missed it wide right. Given a chance to put the game away, Auburn quickly capitalized. Riding on the broad shoulders of running back Cameron Artis-Payne, Auburn marched 80 yards amid the din of the 15th straight sellout at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Marshall then capped it with a nifty fade pass to Williams in the corner of the end zone for a 17-7 lead. Daniel Carlson tacked on his second field goal of the night to build on the cushion. 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