DENVER -- Brett Anderson left Friday nights game before he wanted to. NMD For Sale . Still, he was a winner for the first time in 15 months. Anderson pitched effectively into the seventh inning before a blister ended his night and the Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1. "Its good. Your goal when you pitch is to win the ballgame and its been a while," he said. "Its pretty satisfying, especially my first win in the National League. Hopefully Ill get on a roll here." Carlos Gonzalez homered and Josh Rutledge had two hits and drove in four runs for Colorado, which has won consecutive games for just the second time in the last six weeks. The Rockies are 16-40 since May 20 but they cooled off the Pirates, who entered Friday 44-29 since starting the season 10-18. Not every Colorado player left Coors Field in a good mood. Third baseman Nolan Arenado was removed from the game after he failed to run hard to first on a grounder to the mound in the fourth. Pirates starter Charlie Morton bobbled the ball but was able to get Arenado, who jogged at the start before hustling to try and beat the throw. "We talk a lot about playing the game hard, playing the game right and how important that is, especially when youve been getting your (butt) kicked for a while. Its even more important. Its imperative," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "I just felt Nolan didnt meet that standard at that point. Nolans a great kid. Hes a great player. Thats how I saw it." Anderson (1-3) had not won since beating Houston on April 7, 2013, in his last start for Oakland. He spent four months on the disabled list and moved to the As bullpen when he returned. He was winless in three April starts for Colorado before a broken left index finger put him on the shelf for 81 games. Friday was his third start since coming back and he allowed just two hits in 6 1-3 innings before a blister began to develop on his left index finger "I noticed it in the bottom of the sixth and then I started throwing some breaking balls there in the seventh and it kind of caught," Anderson said. "Hopefully got it before thing (turns) major. It didnt break open and they drained it. I dont foresee it being a problem." He left the game with a 1-0 lead after walking Russell Martin for the third time. "My stuff is getting better and better and my velocity is coming back," Anderson said. "... The offence showed up tremendously." Tommy Kahnle came on and got the last two outs of the seventh and the Rockies broke it open in the bottom of the inning off Morton (5-10). Ben Paulsen and Wilin Rosario led off with consecutive doubles and DJ LeMahieu singled. Ernesto Frieri relieved Morton and pinch-hitter Drew Stubbs bounced a grounder over the pulled-in infield for an RBI double. An intentional walk to Charlie Blackmon loaded the bases and Rutledge cleared them with a double to centre. "He pitched a good ballgame through six and the seventh got away from him," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of Morton. "Frieri came in and wasnt able to quite execute the pitches he needed to so they piled up seven on us." One out later Gonzalez hit his 10th homer of the season to make it 8-0. "It was nice to see our offence but it was even better to see the way we pitched tonight," Gonzalez said. "Anderson gives us a big shot to win this game." The Rockies nearly pulled off a triple play in the fifth after Neil Walker led off the inning with Pittsburghs first hit of the game. With runners on first and second, Jordy Mercer hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Charlie Culberson, who stepped on the bag but his throw to second pulled Rutledges foot off the base. Rutledges relay to first got Mercer, and after a 3-minute, 16-second review the call at second was confirmed. NOTES: Walker has reached base in 22 straight games. Its the longest active streak in the majors. ... Members of the Manchester United Football Club visited with Rockies players during batting practice. ... Pirates 3B Pedro Alvarez was not in the starting lineup for the third straight game because of left knee discomfort. He pinch-hit in the seventh and stayed in the game. ... Rockies RHP Christian Bergman (broken left hand) will pitch in a rehab start in Double-A Tulsa on Tuesday. ... Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole (right lat soreness) will start at Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday. ... Rockies manager Walt Weiss said LHP Franklin Morales will get the start Sunday. NMD On Sale . -- Billy Donovans bench came up big, bailing out top-seeded Florida in a tight game against what was supposed to be an overmatched opponent. NMD Cheap .com) - Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh called Joe Flacco the NFLs best quarterback last week.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up is the Buffalo Sabres, with nowhere to go but up after an abysmal 2013-14 campaign. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Atlantic GM: Tim Murray Head Coach: Ted Nolan 2013-14: 21-51-10 (8th in Atlantic) Playoffs: Did not qualify Goals For: 150 (30th) Goals Against: 243 (25th) PP: 14.1% (29th) PK: 81.4% (20th) That Was Then: The Buffalo Sabres 2013-14 campaign started and ended with identical seven-game losing streaks. In total, the club was beaten in 61 of its 82 games - or in nearly 75 per cent of its season. Buffalos 21 wins, 52 regular season points and 150 goals scored all ranked at the bottom of the league. The losing took its toll from management level all the way down through the roster. Head coach Ron Rolston and long-time general manager Darcy Regier were fired after the clubs 4-15-1 start. By the trade deadline, the club was in full fire sale mode when they dealt away long-time goalie Ryan Miller and star forward Thomas Vanek along with Matt Moulson, Cody McCormick and Steve Ott. Fans in Western New York can take solace that after a season like that, there really is nowhere to go but up. Scott Cullens Analytics Sabres 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 1.70 3.05 6.9 .916 39.7% .225 21-41 1.57 2.33 5.9 .926 44.4% .405 42-62 2.48 2.86 9.3 .916 42.9% .476 63-82 1.45 3.00 5.7 .910 40.8% .300 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Trouble from get-go, with horrific possession numbers leading to a massive goal deficit. Games 21-41: Got even worse offensively, but possession improved and Ryan Miller was strong in goal. Games 42-62: Possession still a problem, but went on a (relative) hot streak offensively, led by Ennis, Hodgson and Stafford. Games 63-82: Faded down the stretch, with a patchwork lineup and a goaltending change putting up subpar numbers across the board. Key 2014 Additions: RW Brian Gionta, C Cody McCormick, LW Matt Moulson, C Sam Reinhart, D Andrej Meszaros, D Tyson Strachan, D Josh Gorges Key 2014 Subtractions: D Christian Ehrhoff, F Cory Conacher, LW Ville Leino This Is Now: With veteran coach Ted Nolan dropping the interim title behind the bench, general manager Tim Murray wasted no time this summer rebuilding his battered club. First up, using compliance buyouts on Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino. On Free Agent Frenzy day, the Sabres broughtt back Moulson and McCormick on three-year deals and added veteran winger Brian Gionta. NMD Wholesale. The blue line was bolstered by the signing of Andrej Meszaros and acquiring Josh Gorges from Montreal. And before the summer was out, the team re-signed Tyler Ennis to a five-year contract. The Sabres didnt score much last year, but the players who did are all back in the fold. Cody Hodgson led the team in points with 44 (20 G, 24 A) and re-joins Ennis (21 G, 22 A) up front. Youngsters Zemgus Girgensons (8 G, 14 A) and Drew Stafford (16 G, 18 A) are also looking to take the next steps in their development. Joining the fray is Buffalos second-overall draft pick, Sam Reinhart. The 18-year-old forward tallied 105 points (36 G, 69 A) for the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League and the Sabres could certainly use a boost in firepower as Reinhart develops. He has a good chance of making the squad right out of training camp this season. In goal, the battle for playing time will be between Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Matt Moulson Cody Hodgson Drew Stafford Tyler Ennis Sam Reinhart Brian Gionta Marcus Foligno Zemgus Girgensons Chris Stewart Cody McCormick Torrey Mitchell Brian Flynn Nicolas Deslauriers Mikhail Grigorenko Patrick Kaleta Johan Larsson Zac Dalpe Joel Armia Defence Left Right Josh Gorges Tyler Myers Nikita Zadorov Rasmus Ristolainen Andrej Mezaros Andre Benoit Mike Weber Mark Pysyk Jake McCabe Chad Ruhwedel Goaltenders Michal Neuvirth Jhonas Enroth Matt Hackett Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: If there was a Hockey Mensa Society, Sam Reinhart would be a member. The ability to think at a high level is required to play successfully in the NHL. Sam has a next generation processor when it comes to playing. His ability to think ahead, anticipate what is unfolding and then act is a skill that sets him apart. Like a chess grandmaster, he manipulates the ice to the advantage of his team. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Tyler Ennis There is not a lot of fantasy gold to be spun out of a team that had two players (three, if you count Matt Moulsons full season with three clubs) finish with more than 35 points last year. However, Ennis is one of the few Buffalo forwards with offensive upside. After a rough start to the year, he finished last season with 28 points in his last 39 games, which might be enough to draw fantasy interest, if his plus-minus isnt dragged down to a minus-25 again. ' ' '