certainly didnt have many pitches. His stuff was still good.

PITTSBURGH -- Replacing Cam Heyward the football player may be the easy part for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Finding someone to do all the things their injured defensive end -- out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle -- does on the field that dont show up on tape will be considerably more difficult.It definitely hurts us, linebacker Ryan Shazier said. It punches you in the heart because hes the heart of our defense.One who does more than simply shrug off blocks and wrap up running backs. Heyward is one of Pittsburghs four captains for reasons that go far beyond simple talent. He makes the line calls, offers in-game pointers and serves as the emotional fulcrum for the guys around him.Now hes gone after an MRI discovered the twinge he felt in last weeks loss to Dallas was actually his pectoral muscle shredding itself, leaving behind a defense thats failed to limit big plays during a four-game losing streak thats sent the Steelers (4-5) tumbling into a midseason crisis. While the winless Cleveland Browns (0-10) offer the promise of a temporary salve on Sunday, Pittsburgh understands it needs to find a way to get better quickly if it truly wants to turn things around.Its hard to lose a guy like your captain and stuff like that, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. But other guys have to step up. I mean, its that time of year.If the Steelers want to get it together, they dont really have much of a choice.Weve just all got to get better as a group, rookie nose tackle Javon Hargrave said. Thats our leader. Hes the oldest on the D-line. He knows more than us. Weve just got to grow up.Quickly. The defensive front faltered when a bum left hamstring forced Heyward out of the lineup for the first time in his six-year career last month. He could only watch in frustration as Miamis Jay Ajayi became the first player in 16 years to go over 200 yards rushing against Pittsburgh in a Week 6 loss and New Englands Garrett Blount bulled his way for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns seven days later.Teams been running on us a lot lately, nose tackle Daniel McCullers said. Thats not Steeler defense.At least not the way Pittsburgh used to play it. Not so much anymore. The proof came in the final 2 minutes last week against Dallas, when Ezekiel Elliott sprinted to the end zone twice to rally the Cowboys to a victory that sent the Steelers to their fourth straight loss. And that was with Heyward in the huddle. Now theyve got to clean up the mistakes without him.Sometimes we get in the right spots and were not executing, Shazier said. Sometimes were in the right spots, getting moved out of the way and sometimes were not doing the right thing.Heywards absence puts more pressure on Stephon Tuitt, who defensive coordinator Keith Butler will move up and down the line in search of mismatches. Thats fine by Tuitt, who has shown flashes of dominance at times but will now be asked to do it on a more consistent basis. Hes developed a close friendship with Heyward during his three years in the league, in part because he knew at some point this moment would arrive.Its gonna be tough because we have a partnership, we have a chemistry, Tuitt said.One Tuitt will try to develop with Hargrave, McCullers and Ricardo Matthews. Tuitt is more reserved by nature and joked earlier in the year he doesnt pay attention to the game plan and instead simply does what Heyward tells him to do. Now Tuitt will find himself doing the yelling.For me to get this role now, its not under the circumstances I want them to be under but I almost get the veteran role back and teach my defensive linemen and lead by example.Heyward will still be around on the sideline and in meeting rooms. But not having his familiar No. 97 in the huddle will take some getting used to for a group thats grown accustomed to his steadying influence.Hes like a brother to us outside of football, McCullers said. We always spend time with each other, hang out. Its big (to lose him). Weve got to play hard for him.Game notes TE Ladarius Green (knee), WR Sammie Coates (finger), S Jordan Dangerfield (groin) and TE Xavier Grimble (quadriceps) were limited on Wednesday. ... C Maurkice Pouncey (finger) and WR Markus Wheaton (shoulder) did not practice.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Gary Trent Jr. Blazers Jersey . 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Jaylen Hoard Blazers Jersey .In my heart and mind Im competing for India, luge competitor Shiva Keshavan told The Associated Press in an email interview. Every day Im flooded with messages from Indians all over the world telling me they are supporting me. Nik Stauskas Jersey . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Things finally started to unravel for Seattle starter James Paxton in the eighth inning Thursday night.The full meltdown came when Steve Cishek entered in the ninth.The Mariners veteran closer gave up a leadoff single, plunked a batter and then served up a two-run double to Salvador Perez that allowed the Kansas City Royals to rally for a 4-3 victory to open their four-game series leading into the All-Star break.Not to mention ruin what should have been Paxtons big night.I dont know if you can be much more in control of the game to being on the wrong side of things in an inning and a half, Mariners manager Scott Servais said. Tough game to lose.Paxton only needed 78 pitches to cruise through eight innings, but he started to crack when Paulo Orlando hit a two-out double off him to get Kansas within 3-2. He retired Alex Gordon to escape the inning.Cishek (2-5) came on to close, and Whit Merrifields double, the hit-by-pitch of Kendrys Morales and the timely shot from Perez ultimately sent the Mariners to their 10th consecutive road defeat.How many times have we been through it? I mean, we fight. We keep fighting, said Danny Duffy, who kept the Royals in the game with 6 1/3 strong innings. Youre never out of the game with these boys.Brooks Pounders (1-0) earned his first career win with a scoreless inning of relief.Its a great moment in my life, the big reliever said. To walk away with a win in that game is just unbelievable. It says a lot about the team we have here.The win snapped a four-game skid for Kansas City. Seattle now has lost four in a row.You lose as a team, said the Mariners Robinson Cano. We dont want to blame anybody here.The Mariners built an early 2-0 lead not with a homer -- they entered the game tied for second in the majors with 128 of them -- but with old-fashioned small ball. Dae-Ho Lee scored from second on Dan Robertsons single in the second inning, and Robertson scored after a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly in the fifth.Nelson Cruz added a homer off Joakim Soria in the eighth.Those three runs seemedd insurmountable the way Paxton was cruising along.dddddddddddd.He induced inning-ending double plays the first two innings, then another one in the third after back-to-back singles led it off. Ketel Marte then made a nice play ranging out from third base on Alex Gordons blooper into shallow left field to leave Brett Eibner on third base and end the inning.The worst throw Paxton made before the eighth wasnt to the mound but to first base, when Kendrys Morales chopped a grounder back to him the previous inning. Paxtons throw slipped and bounced halfway to the bag.With everything else going for him, it still beat Morales easily for the out.Pax pitched a good ballgame, Servais said. I felt very good about leaving him out there in the eighth inning. He certainly didnt have many pitches. His stuff was still good. Tough game to lose.STATS AND STREAKSMorales was 0 for 3 before getting hit by a pitch in the ninth, allowing him to extend his streak of reaching safely to 21 starts. ... The Mariners lost for the fourth time when leading after eight innings. ... Cruz homered for the seventh time in his last 14 games.ROTATION REMOVALThe Royals are sending RHP Chris Young to the bullpen and will start RHP Dillon Gee or LHP Brian Flynn in Sundays series finale. Young is 2-8 with a 6.90 ERA in 15 appearances, 13 of them starts. Hes also given up a league-leading 26 home runs despite pitching many of his games at spacious Kauffman Stadium.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals RHP Kris Medlen has been shut down after straining his shoulder during a rehab outing. Medlen was 1/3 with a 7.77 ERA in six starts before going on the disabled list in May with rotator cuff inflammation. He is going to be no-throw for a couple weeks, Royals manager Ned Yost said.UP NEXTRHP Yordano Ventura returns for Kansas City on Friday night after spraining his right ankle running the bases in his last start in Philadelphia. RHP Hisashi Iwakuma will oppose him for Seattle. ' ' '