ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Pedro Alvarezs first homer in almost three weeks helped the Pittsburgh Pirates improve to .500 for just the second time in more than two months. The slumping 2013 co-NL home run champion backed Edinson Volquezs pitching with a three-run shot, keying an 8-1 victory over the sputtering Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. "It always helps, obviously, when I can contribute to a team victory," said Alvarez, whos hitting .232 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs. "Ive always said sometimes results arent indicative of how you may feel at the plate, and I feel like Im a good place," the slugger added. "Im just going to continue to work." Andrew McCutchen went 3 for 5, drove in two runs and stole two bases for the Pirates in a homecoming of sorts for last years NL MVP, who grew up in nearby Fort Meade and had never played before at Tropicana Field. He also scored twice in Pittsburghs first appearance in St. Petersburg since 2003. Alvarez, who hadnt homered since June 3, went deep off Alex Cobb (2-6) during a four-run fourth inning that also featured the first of McCutchens two RBI singles. The first-pitch, 419-foot drive over the wall in centre field snapped a season-high 16-game stretch without a homer -- Alvarezs longest since a 22-game drought that began in September 2012 and extended into last season. "A lot of times people have been taking their chances with Pedro, and hes an important part of our offence," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "We need him to fire, we need him to drive in runs and that was very good to see. Three-run homers always play well." Volquez (5-6) allowed five hits in a season-high eight innings. James Loney drove in Tampa Bays only run with a two-out, first-inning single, and the Pirates supported their starting pitcher by turning three double plays. "I got a lot of help," Volquez said. The Pirates climbed to .500 (38-38) for just the second time since April 17, when they were 8-8. They have won four of five following a three-game skid and are a NL-best 26-18 since May 6. Tampa Bay has dropped 19 of its past 27 and is saddled with the worst record in the major leagues at 31-47. "I feel like with every loss its an opportunity missed," Cobb said, adding if the Rays are going to turn their season around theyve got to get on a roll soon. McCutchen, who is batting .366 in June, boosted his average in 11 interleague games to .425 with nine walks, four doubles and seven RBIs. His run-scoring single off Cobb moved him ahead of Brian Giles for the Pirates career record for RBIs in interleague action with 52. He added another in the ninth off Kirby Yates. Alvarez, meanwhile, is hitting .317 with two home runs and eight RBIs against AL teams this season. Cobb, making his seventh start since spending five weeks on the disabled list with a left oblique strain, allowed six runs and six hits in five innings. Volquez won for the third time in his last five starts. The right-hander walked two, struck out one and didnt allow a hit after the fourth inning. Three of Tampa Bays six hits were infield singles, including Kevin Kiermaiers second-inning bunt. Jeanmar Gomez pitched the ninth for the Pirates, yielding a two-out single to Loney. NOTES: Pirates OF Starling Marte was back in the lineup after missing two games tending to a personal matter at home in the Dominican Republic. ... Pittsburgh RHP Gerrit Cole (right shoulder fatigue) threw 83 pitches over six innings in a simulated game and could rejoin the rotation this weekend. ... Pirates 2B Neil Walker (appendectomy) is expected to be reinstated from the DL Tuesday. ... The Rays havent announced if RHP Jeremy Hellickson (elbow) will need one more minor league start before returning. .. Tampa Bay 1B-OF Jerry Sands has a wrist injury, which Rays manager Joe Maddon said could require surgery. Fake Shoes Black Friday . Mars announced Saturday that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will join him as part of his halftime show. Super Bowl halftime performers often have collaborators. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday Free Shipping . Fielder has been out with a herniated disk in his neck, and surgery was recommended after a follow-up exam and another scan Thursday with Dr. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/. Pierre last November, only to watch St. Pierre leave the UFC octagon with his welterweight title belt and a split-decision victory. Discount Shoes Black Friday .com) - Its fair to call Mike McCarthy one of the best coaches in the NFL but its also more than objective to point out that the veteran mentor bookended the Green Bay Packers season with two, truly awful game plans in Seattle. Cheap Shoes Black Friday . They were expecting him there all along. The Pacers announced Friday night that George has been cleared "to return to normal basketball activity," a decision made three days after he was concussed in Game 2 of the Indiana-Miami series. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius was in an altercation at an upmarket nightclub over the weekend, his family said Tuesday. Pistorius went with a cousin to a trendy Johannesburg nightclub on Saturday, where he was accosted by a man who aggressively questioned him about his murder trial, his family confirmed. The man gave a different version, saying the double-amputee runner was drunk, insulted his friends and the family of President Jacob Zuma and poked him in the chest, according to Johannesburgs Star newspaper. Regardless of who started the argument, the weekend episode focuses fresh attention on the disputed character of Pistorius, a globally recognized athlete who is on trial for murder after he fatally shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a closed toilet door on Feb. 14, 2013. Defence lawyers describe Pistorius, currently free on bail, as a vulnerable figure with a disability who pulled the trigger in a tragic case of mistaken identity, but prosecutors portray him as a gun-obsessed hothead who shot Steenkamp after the couple quarreled. The trial is on a break ahead of closing arguments on Aug. 7-8, sparing Pistorius the near-daily trip to the Pretoria courthouse, where he has sometimes wept and wailed in apparent distress during testimony. The nightclub argument has put him back on the front pages of South Africas press, which has also highlighted a number of quotations about suffering and religious faith that appeared on his Twitter account in the hours that followed. The altercation in the nightspot cannot be a factor in Pistorius trial, said a legal analyst who has closely followed proceedings. "It would not be appropriate to mention it in closing arguments as it would constitute hearsay as no previous witness has entered evidence of it on the trial record," Kelly Phelps, a senior lecturer in the public law department at the University of Cape Town, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "If it had occurred earlier in proceedings the gentleman concerned could have been called as a witness or Mr. Pistorius could have been questioned on the reports. Even then it would have very little value. The most important thing the court needs to determine is what Pistorius was thinking and how he was acting on the night in question," wrote Phelps, referring to the night on which Pistorius killed Steenkamp. Pistorius had been barred from consuming alcohol under early bail conditions, but the ban was rescinded after the defence appealed. He was seated in a quiet booth in the VIP section of the nightclub before he was approached, said Anneliese Burgess, a spokeswoman for the Pistorius family. "The individual, according to my client, started to aggressively interrogate him on matters relating to the trial. An argument ensued during which my client asked to be left alone," she said in a statement. "Osccar soon thereafter left the club with his cousin.dddddddddddd My client regrets the decision to go to a public space and thereby inviting unwelcome attention." The man who argued with Pistorius is Jared Mortimer, according to Johannesburgs Star newspaper and The Juice, a South African celebrity news website, which quoted Mortimer as saying the Paralympic athlete started the confrontation. Pistorius said Mortimers friends had betrayed him in the murder trial, The Star quoted Mortimer as saying in an apparent reference to evidence presented in court. The athlete also said he had information that could get those friends into trouble, but he would not use it, according to Mortimer. "He was drunk, but not bad. We were drinking tequila and I still remember putting down my drink and thinking I couldnt drink it while my friends were being spoken of like that," The Star quoted Mortimer as saying. Pistorius also insulted the family of the South African president, Jacob Zuma, upsetting Mortimer, who is a friend of a member of Zumas family, according to the newspaper. "He was poking me and saying that I would never get the better of him," the newspaper quoted Mortimer as saying. "He was close to my face and at that point I pushed him to get him away from me. A chair was behind his legs and he fell to the ground." The altercation happened Saturday night in Sandton, an upscale area in Johannesburg, according to South African media. A woman who answered the telephone at The VIP Room, the club where the incident occurred, said club owner Chris Coutroulis was "overseas" and was awaiting reports from club staff who witnessed the altercation. The club website says it caters to the "nouveau riche" and invites guests to "slip on your diamante dancing shoes or designer suit and dance the night away at the most ostentatious venue in Joburg." On Monday, several quotations appeared on Pistorius Twitter account. They included the biblical verse "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted," as well as a prayer, "Lord, today I ask that you bathe those who live in pain in the river of your healing. Amen." Another tweet shows photos of Pistorius with disabled and other children and a caption about "the ability to make a difference in someones life." Burgess, the Pistorius family spokeswoman, said she was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the tweets. He last tweeted on Feb. 14, the first anniversary of Steenkamps death. Pistorius, who says he killed Steenkamp after thinking an intruder was about to attack him, faces 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder. He could also be sentenced to a shorter prison term if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing. Additionally, he faces separate gun-related charges. ' ' '