1.   They had great pitching performances all three games.

2.   And Hamilton, who looked more thrilled by his hit than he possibly could have been by his pitching performance, earned the victory after seven innings of work.

3.   And it came with the best pitching performance of the season by Gross, who allowed just one unearned run in eight-plus innings.

4.   A great pitching performance, we get it.

5.   After a ninth-inning comeback Thursday and a sterling pitching performance by Sterling Hitchcock on Friday, they did it Saturday night with a lethal attack.

6.   After two nearly flawless pitching performances to begin the series, the Astros followed with their worst of the season.

7.   But Wolcott gave them the pitching performance they needed even more desperately.

8.   Connors spoke to Irabu the other day and gave him a critique of his most recent pitching performances in the major leagues.

9.   Cuba used the long ball and two solid pitching performances to dispose of Nicaragua.

10.   Especially when renewed evidence of offensive life is coupled with a pitching performance that was gutty in the extreme.