For the 336th time in the series, Jason Holder ran up to the bowling crease. The 335 previous times, he had powered through the crease with hope and expectation, followed through, and gone back to the top of his run-up, or to the umpire to retrieve his floppy hat, a wicketless bowler.In the overs preceding this one, he had come closer than ever. Three times he had appealed loudly, perhaps even confidently, after striking Ajinkya Rahanes front pad. All three times, Aleem Dar had shaken his head. And, on closer examination, he seemed to have made the right decision each time.Apart from the incoming deliveries, Holder had also bowled a few that had gone the other way. Twice in one over, he had nipped the ball past Rahanes outside edge.All these close shaves had occurred in the space of eight straight overs Holder had delivered from the Michael Holding End, named after a man who took a wicket every 50.9 balls he bowled in Test cricket. At that rate, Holding would have taken 6.58 wickets in 335 balls.Whether the 0.58 was no wicket or an extra wicket might have depended on the umpire at his end.Holders 336th ball of the series, in the ninth over of his Monday-morning spell from the Michael Holding End, came back in off the pitch, and kept a shade low. Wriddhiman Saha, going back and across to defend, couldnt bring his bat down quickly enough, or along the right line, to keep the ball from hitting his back pad.Holder appealed. Aleem Dar raised his finger. Replays, with the benefit of imaginary lines drawn along the length of the pitch, suggested only a fraction of the ball had struck the pad in front of off stump. Umpires call, and it was out according to this umpire. Bowling from Dars end, Holding might have had seven wickets rather than six in 335 balls.Nonetheless, the wicket was fair reward for an unflagging spell of probing seam bowling. It was reward for Holders persistence right through Indias innings. On Sunday morning, he had bowled a relentless fifth-stump line to KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara, and had earned their respect - Pujara, who made 46, only scored one run off the 38 balls he faced from Holder - but not their wickets.By the time India declared, Holders figures reflected the respect all of Indias batsmen had shown him: 34.2-12-72-1, and an economy rate of 2.09. He had played a large part in India scoring at less than three an over through their innings, and as a consequence needing to spend more time at the crease than they may have desired in order to build the lead they wanted.In a Test match that has lost 43 overs to rain, and is expected to lose even more time on the fourth and fifth days, West Indies bowling discipline, exemplified by Holder, their captain, could prove the difference between losing and drawing, or at least between losing and having a fighting chance of drawing.Before the start of the series, Holder had defined himself - and Carlos Brathwaite - as a workhorse. Here he had played the role as well as he could have.But he had taken only one wicket, and his economy rate was down in large part to a pitch that continued to offer bounce and seam movement even halfway into day three. His bowling at Sabina Park had showcased both his strengths and his limitations.In the first Test in Antigua, on a pitch that offered the fast bowlers bounce but little else, he had looked a lot less impressive. Bowling with control but little incision, he had ended the first day with figures of 0 for 41 in 17 overs. At the start of day two, against two set batsmen in Virat Kohli and R Ashwin, even his good-length balls went for boundaries in a four-over spell that cost him 30 runs.Right from the start of his career, Holder has looked like an international cricketer, whether hes running up to bowl or driving down the ground with that combination of orthodox technique and extreme reach. But he has always looked like a fourth seamer, a batsman with the potential to bat at No. 6, and perhaps someone who could captain the side after gaining a little more experience. Instead, he has usually been West Indies third seamer, or sometimes even a new-ball bowler, batted at No. 8, and captained them.England have done something similar with Moeen Ali, and attempted to convert a middle-order batsman who bowls handy offspin into a frontline spinner who bats at No. 8. It has not always worked, but England play most of their Test cricket on pitches where their spinner does not need to bowl long spells. Their attack also contains four Test-class fast bowlers, one of whom also bats in the top six.West Indies are not blessed with those resources. Holder - and Brathwaite, when he plays - does not have that sort of cushion around him. By squeezing him into this uneasy situation, West Indies have simply reduced the impact one of their more talented players could be making. Holder has worked hard to be everything he is asked to be, but he, and his team, will probably be better off if hes just allowed to be himself. Xander Bogaerts Jersey . 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The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. PITTSBURGH -- The ball left Travis Sniders bat and he took off with his head down. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder had imagined driving the ball into the Allegheny River since he joined the team last summer. In Sniders daydreams, the homer always went down the right field line, the shortest route out of PNC Park. Reality turned out to be even sweeter. And longer. Sniders 458-foot longball over the bushes in right-centre propelled the Pirates to a 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night. The two-run shot was Sniders first homer since last August, an eternity for a guy once considered a power-hitting prospect. Thats why he didnt look up. Snider thought he had homered earlier in the season and flipped his bat in celebration only to end up with a double. Not this time. He sprinted around the bases without so much as peeking from under his cap to see where the ball landed. "For me its not how far it goes," Snider said. "Its just about getting it over the fence. Its been a struggle, a long nine months or so." Snider finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs, including the 31st homer to end up in the river in the 12-year history of the ballpark. Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Garrett Jones and Russell Martin all had two hits as Pittsburgh won for the sixth time in seven games. Francisco Liriano (2-0) allowed one run on six hits over 5 2-3 innings, striking out seven and walking three. The veteran left-hander reached 96 mph with his fastball and overcame a sloppy first inning before settling down. "I just try to stay calm, not try to do too much, hit my spot and just focus on location," Liriano said. "Pitching is all about location. Im locating my fastball a lot better and my slider is working for me so far." Burgos gave up three runs in five innings but Milwaukees offence sputtered. The Brewers have lost 11 of 13. "I know were going to be fine," Milwaukee centre fielder Carlos Gomez said. "This is a problem that can be fixed because we have good players. Its tough now, though. Its embarrassing. We have a lot of expectations on this team and were not playing up to them." The Pirates sure are. Pittsburgh moved to 24-17 with the win, matching the franchises best start through the first quarter of the season in 21 years. The 1992 Pirates also began the season 24-17 and finished with 96 victories while capturing the NL East. Its also the last time Pittsburgh finished the season with a winning record. "Were in a good place right now," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. The romp capped a dramatic turnaround in one of baseballs most lopsided rivalries. Milwaukee has dominated the Pirates over the last six years, coming into the series 71-25 against Pittsburgh since 2007. Milwaukee won the opener on Monday before the Pirates responded with a 4-3 win on Tuesday in 12 innings.dddddddddddd A 3-1 victory followed on Wednesday before Thursdays rout, the first time the Pirates have won three straight against the Brewers in the same series since Aug. 16-18, 2009. Liriano, who signed a two-year free agent contract in the off-season, sparkled in his home debut. The veteran left-hander missed the seasons first six weeks while recovering from a broken right arm. He sailed through his first start, an 11-2 win over the New York Mets last Saturday. Things were a little tighter this time around. The Brewers pushed a run across in the first on an RBI single by Jonathan Lucroy, an inning that could have been bigger if leadoff hitter Norichika Aoki hadnt been gunned down trying to steal second after a leadoff walk and McCutchen didnt rob Ryan Braun of extra bases with a leaping grab at the wall in centre. The veteran left-hander seemed to settle down immediately. He struck out four straight batters at one point and worked out of a trouble spot in the fifth when Jonathan Lucroy flied out to left with two on to preserve a 1-all game. Snider broke the tie in the bottom of the inning. Marte led off with an infield hit then Snider crushed an 85 mph fastball. "I threw a fastball up and down the middle of the plate and he put a good swing on it," Burgos said. Burgos gave up three runs on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts, and he remains winless since winning his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs on April 20. Milwaukee had a chance in the sixth after Clint Barmes bobbled a potential double-play ball at shortstop. Reliever Justin Wilson came on with two outs and retired pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez on a fly to left with two on to preserve the lead for Liriano. The Pirates broke it open in the sixth off reliever Alfredo Figaro, ripping off five straight hits to score four runs and give the bullpen plenty of cushion on a night closer Jason Grilli was not available after being given the day off by Hurdle. NOTES: Four-time All-Star reliever Francisco Rodriguez, called up from Triple-A Nashville early Thursday, struck out one batter during his perfect inning of work ... Pittsburgh RHP Charlie Morton, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, pitched four innings in a rehab start at Double-A Altoona on Thursday. Morton gave up two runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout. His next start will come at Triple-A Indianapolis next week ... The Pirates open a three-game series with Houston on Friday. Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.28 ERA) starts for the Pirates against Houstons Jordan Lyles (1-1, 8.36) ... Milwaukee travels to St. Louis Friday. Wily Peralta (3-3, 5.40) faces Jaime Garcia (4-2, 2.88). ' ' '