PITTSBURGH -- Its hard to know which team has momentum going into Fridays series opener between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park.Maybe neither.The Brewers are coming off of a 3-1 win over St. Louis that ended a 10-game homestand, but they lost six in a row before that.The Pirates got swept in three games by the Cubs in Chicago, ending with a 6-5 loss Wednesday, after a rousing four-game sweep of the Brewers last weekend in Milwaukee, where Pittsburgh rarely has won.Both teams had a day off Thursday.We got pushed down three games in a row. We just went through Milwaukee and pushed forward four days in a row, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.You just keep showing up and keep playing. Its the beauty of the sport and the beauty of what those men out there do, are built to do and are wired to do together.While Milwaukee (57-76) dropped far off the pace, Pittsburgh (67-64) has a realistic shot at making the playoffs despite some highly streaky play. Since the All-Star break, the Pirates are .500 at 21-21.Ups and downs, shortstop Jordy Mercer told mlb.com. I wish we had the answer. I dont know. I cant pinpoint one thing. Its part of it, really.Hurdle expects his club to be resilient.They keep coming. Why would you back away? he said. Youve got a month of baseball left to play, so youve got to keep pushing it out there every day, regardless if you get pushed down.Fridays game will be the first of 17 at home this month for the Pirates, while Milwaukee will be playing the first of 18 on the road in September.We expected in September to be playing teams that are in the thick of things; good teams, manager Craig Counsell said. Going on the road doesnt get any easier for us, for sure, but well keep going.Just like Pittsburgh, the Brewers expect some never-quit in their game.You have to keep coming, outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis said. Thats why I really love this group. I think we have a good group in the clubhouse. We keep each other accountable for coming to play every day.Perhaps Milwaukee can get a lift from the return of right-hander Junior Guerra, who is expected to come off of the DL (right elbow inflammation) and start Friday.Guerra (7-3, 2.93) was arguably the Brewers most consistent starter before getting hurt. He is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in three career appearances against the Pirates.With Guerra back, the Brewers will expand their rotation to six.I think initially well definitely use six guys, so hell just kind of slot in, Counsell said. Therell be six guys for sure, and then well kind of judge it going forward from there.Rookie right-hander Jameson Taillon (3-3, 3.39) is expected to start Friday for Pittsburgh. Taillon will look to bounce back from a tough start Saturday against the Brewers, when he allowed five earned runs on seven hits over three innings in a game the Pirates came back to win 9-6.Custom Jerseys Nike . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Authentic Custom Jerseys . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/ . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Fake Custom Jerseys . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long.SAN DIEGO -- Miami Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert was ruled out of Sundays game against the Los Angeles Rams with a dislocated left wrist.The Dolphins made the announcement Wednesday while they remain in California after playing at San Diego.Albert, a Pro Bowler, exited Sundays win over the Chargers in the second quarter. He returned to the game in the third quarrter and played while wearing a brace.ddddddddddddIts the third game Albert has missed this season. The other two were due to an ankle injury and an illness.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '