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PITTSBURGH -- John Lackey fielded phone calls from plenty of interested teams in the offseason. Yet the veteran pitcher opted for the Chicago Cubs.Sure, the money was good. The opportunity was even better.I had some pretty good offers from other people and I chose this one for a reason, Lackey said. Its all here.Looks like it.Lackey worked through five innings, Chris Coghlan hit a three-run triple and the Cubs held off the staggering Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 on Tuesday night. Coghlans second-inning drive off the wall in right-center against Ryan Vogelsong (3-7) gave the NL Central champions all the offense they would need to win for the seventh time in their last eight games. Chicago improved to 101-56, the clubs highest victory total since it won 104 games in 1910.Pittsburgh was eliminated from postseason contention when San Francisco won later Tuesday, ending a run of three-straight playoff appearances.Dexter Fowler added an RBI double for the Cubs. Lackey (11-8) worked around five hits and three walks to win his last regular season start. The 37-year-old finished his 14th season 11-8 with a 3.35 ERA and has looked fresh since a stint on the disabled list to rest his right shoulder. Lackey is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA since coming off the DL earlier this month.The rest was good for him, manager Joe Maddon said. Hes going into the postseason well rested. Just got to keep these guys sharp.Lackeys next start will be in the playoffs, a time of year the two-time World Series champion knows well. Hes 8-5 with a 3.11 ERA in the postseason and doesnt think Maddon will need to do anything too extravagant to keep him engaged during the lengthy downtime.I dont know about (simulation) games, Lackey said. I can throw a bullpen and be just fine. I dont need to see somebody up there. I know how to throw the ball over the plate.Felix Pena recorded the final two outs for his first career save after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run single off Justin Grimm to get the Pirates within two. Pena struck out Sean Rodriguez with the bases loaded to end it.Overall we did play pretty well, Maddon said. We got everybody involved, which is good. Theres a lot to be happy with.Vogelsong allowed four runs in five innings and fell to 0-3 with a 9.55 ERA in September. The 39-year-old managed to get out of a two-on situation in the first but couldnt in the second. A hit batter and two walks loaded the bases for Coghlan. The outfielder narrowly missed his first career grand slam when the ball landed just below the top of the fence. He sped to third for his second triple since rejoining Chicago in a trade with Oakland in June.Just an unacceptable start, Vogelsong said. No excuses. Just unacceptable.Lackey made sure it stood, though not without some shaky moments. He needed a double play to thwart a potentially big inning in the second and his defense bailed him out when Jordy Mercers line drive with the bases loaded in the fourth went straight to second baseman Munenori Kawasaki, who flipped to second to double off Rodriguez.The Pirates went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position -- both hits coming in the ninth -- and left 11 men on base.STREAK ENDSPittsburgh reliever Juan Nicasio gave up two runs in the ninth and failed to record a strikeout for the first time in 34 appearances, ending his club-record streak.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: OF Jorge Soler remained in Chicago while dealing with tightness in his side but could rejoin the team in Cincinnati on Friday. Maddon said an MRI on Soler came back negative, but with the division already clinched theres no rush to get Soler back on the field. Side bothers him, nothing horrible, nothing to be highly concerned about, Maddon said. I dont know what we think right now, except that it wasnt bad.Pirates: LF Starling Marte remained out of the starting lineup with back stiffness and grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the fifth. The All-Star has just three plate appearances -- all as a pinch hitter -- since Sept. 5. My brothers are out there battling and I wish I could get out there with them, Marte said.UP NEXT:Cubs: Jake Arrieta (18-7, 2.85 ERA) makes his final start of the regular season. The 2015 Cy Young Award winner is 9-1 with a 1.46 ERA in 12 career starts against the Pirates.Pirates: Rookie Jameson Taillon (4-4, 3.49) faces the Cubs for the second time this season. Chicago touched him for four runs in four innings of a 10-5 loss on June 19. Cheap Authentic NFL Jerseys . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Cheap China Jerseys . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. http://www.cheapauthenticnfljerseys.net/ . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. China NFL Jerseys . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Jerseys NFL Wholesale . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. AUSTIN, Texas -- After two losing seasons and with the pressure of an entire program bearing down, Charlie Strong turned his team over to a freshman quarterback for Texas opener, something no Longhorns coach had done in more than 70 years.He even called Shane Buecheles mom the night before to say her son would start against No. 10 Notre Dame. She started crying.I told him dont let her down, Strong said.Buechele didnt, and instead delivered big time with 280 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns before Tyrone Swoopes, the senior he beat out for the job, punched in a lunging 6-yard touchdown in the second overtime for a thrilling 50-47 win Sunday night.I said a year ago we probably would have lost that football game because we didnt know how to finish, Strong said.Buechele was the first freshman quarterback to start a season-opener at Texas since Bobby Layne in 1944.You knew (Buechele) could handle it. You knew the stage wouldnt be too big, Strong said.Yet it was Swoopes who won it in the end. Disappointed not to start, Swoopes still played a huge role in the offense with three touchdowns and big runs that punished Notre Dame tacklers who struggled to bring him down.On the winning score, Swoopes broke a tackle, burst up the middle and stretched the ball across the line. Swoopes has been booed by Texas fans the last two seasons and was treated to a chorus of Swooooooopes from the Texas-record crowd of 102,315.With that chant and booing, I cant really tell the difference, Swoopes said.Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer rallied the Irish from a 31-14 deficit in the third quarter and finished with 215 yards passing and five touchdowns.Texas went ahead 37-35 on DOnte Foremans 18-yard touchdown run before Notre Dame blocked the extra point and Shaun Crawford returned it for a 2-point score that tied it at 37 with just under four minutes left.Strong, and Longhorn fans, had seen Texas collapse and lose games late the previous two seasons.This is a great start for us, Strong said. Our fans really needed that. Weve been down for so long. ... It was a night for us to just make it right.THE TAKEAWAYNotre Dame: Coach Brian Kelly will have to consider scrappping the quarterback rotation between Kizer and Malik Zaire that sapped momentum and helped dig the Irish into a big hole.ddddddddddddNo final decision has been made, Kelly said. Its never easy playing two quarterbacks.Texas: A huge win for Strong, who is trying to avoid being the first Texas coach with three consecutive losing seasons since the 1930s. Its been said time and again in recent years, but the Longhorns sure look as if theyve got their quarterback, despite some sputters in the second half.We needed tonight to get this program back in the spotlight, Strong said. I know one game does not make a season. We have many more to go. But its a great start.POLL IMPLICATIONSNotre Dame: A loss means a drop, but how far? The Irish sure didnt look like a top-10 team when the Longhorns were pushing them around early.Texas: Texas hasnt been ranked since late 2013 when Mack Brown was coach. Beating a top-10 opponent with big plays, tough running and late moxie probably earns a return to the Top 25.18-WHEELERSwoopes ran the 18-wheeler package -- so-named because he wears No. 18 -- to near perfection, moving the chains and punishing Notre Dame tacklers in the process. He finished with 53 yards on 13 carries and was a dynamic change of pace when he came on for Buechele.Hes 260 pounds and runs big, said Notre Dame defensive lineman Isaac Rochell.INJURY REPORTNotre Dame: Wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. was knocked out of the game in the third quarter on a ferocious hit from DeShon Elliott in the end zone that broke up an Irish touchdown.Kelly said he had heated discussions with game officials asking why the play wasnt reviewed for a possible penalty.TEXAS: Safety Dylan Haines left the game in the second quarter with a head injury.UP NEXTNotre Dame: The Irish play their home opener against Nevada on Saturday. The Wolf Pack beat Cal-Poly 30-27 in overtime in their first game.Texas: Texas hosts Texas-El Paso, which beat New Mexico State 38-22.---This version corrects to Kizer rallied the Irish from a 31-14 deficit instead of 31-17. ' ' '