PITTSBURGH -- A rainy Saturday night was dreary for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they lost another game as well as more ground in the standings and possibly leadoff hitter Josh Harrison for an extended period. Johnny Gaudreau Flames Jersey .Joey Votto celebrated his 33rd birthday with four hits, including a home run, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the collapsing Pirates 8-7.Votto led off the ninth inning with his 23rd homer, a drive to right off Juan Nicasio that gave the Reds a two-run cushion. The 2010 NL MVP is hitting .427 in 51 games since the All-Star break and could become the first major leaguer to hit .400 in the second half since Ichiro Suzuki had a .429 average in 2004 with the Seattle Mariners.The Pirates flickering hopes of a fourth consecutive postseason berth took another hit as they dropped 5 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the second NL wild card with their 10th loss in 12 games.When asked in his post-game press conference if he would call a meeting in an effort to spark his team, manager Clint Hurdle gave a terse answer.The one thing I do is when I talk to guys, I dont tell you I talk to them, he said.Francisco Cervelli hit a two-out RBI single in the ninth for Pittsburgh, but Tony Cingrani held on for his 17th save. With runners on first and second, Jordy Mercer bounced into a fielders choice for the final out.We always talk about add-on runs being so big, Reds manager Bryan Price said. That solo shot by (Votto) gave Tony some breathing room, which we needed.Harrison left in the sixth inning after injuring his right groin while legging out a two-run double that got the Pirates within one at 7-6. He is 17 for 42 (.405) with six doubles during a 10-game hit streak.Harrison began limping after rounding the first base on the ball hit into the right-center field gap. He was able to slide safety into second base then pounded the bag with his left fist in frustration before walking gingerly off the field.Hurdle said he had no update on Harrison.Brandon Phillips had three of Cincinnatis 15 hits, helping the Reds rally from an early 4-0 deficit for their second straight win following nine losses in 11 games. Tucker Barnhart drove in three runs.Phillips is hitting .365 (19 for 52) with four homers and 10 RBI in 14 games against the Pirates this season.The Reds jumped in front with three runs in the fifth against rookie reliever Trevor Williams (1-1). Scott Schebler had a bases-loaded walk before Barnhart made it 7-4 with a two-run double.Williams took the loss in his second major league appearance after allowing one unearned run in three innings on Wednesday in a win over St. Louis.It comes down to one pitch, Williams said. Unfortunately, I hung a slider a little bit (to Barnhart).Jung Ho Kangs two-run homer off rookie starter Robert Stephenson gave the Pirates a 4-0 lead in the third inning. Kang finished with two hits and three RBI.Josh Smith (3-1) got the win despite allowing two runs in 2 1/3 innings.Stephenson threw 43 pitches during a two-run first inning and made it through just three innings, getting tagged for four runs and five hits.Acquired in an Aug. 1 trade with Toronto and assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis, Drew Hutchison gave up four runs --- all scoring in the fourth inning --- and eight hits in four innings in his Pirates debut.I wasnt sharp in the first but I thought I did a good job and started to get going in the second and the third, Hutchison said. The fourth was just frustrating and disappointing.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: LF Starling Marte (back spasms) sat out for a fifth straight game and there is no timetable for his return.KUHL SET FOR RETURNPirates right-hander Chad Kuhl will return to the rotation Thursday night and start at Philadelphia. The rookie was originally supposed to start Saturday but the Pirates decided to give him a break after working 134 1/3 innings between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis this season.UP NEXTReds: LHP Brandon Finnegan (8-10, 4.17 ERA) will start Sunday in the finale of the four-game series. He is winless in his last three starts despite a 3.00 ERA in that span.Pirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (3-4, 4.07 ERA) has allowed a combined 10 runs in nine innings in his last two starts while going 0-1. Al MacInnis Flames Jersey Authentic . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Gary Roberts Flames Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. http://www.officialflamesauthority.com/johnny-gaudreau-flames-jersey-c-19/ . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. OMAHA, Neb.--?Michael Phelps?said he wanted his last competitive race on U.S. soil to be a victory.He did just that, and in dramatic fashion, on Saturday by rallying over the final lap to win the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials and qualify in the event for next months Rio de Janeiro Games.The 31-year-old Phelps, swimming in Lane 7 and against opponents with an average age of 23, will now get a chance to win his fourth straight gold in the 100 fly at Rio.Sitting in fourth heading into the final turn, Phelps pulled ahead in the final meters, touching the wall in 51.00. Tom Shields also qualified in the event, finishing second in 51.20.When Phelps saw the 1 beside his name, he pounded the water and pointed toward his family -- including 7-week-old son, Boomer -- up in the stands.Overall, he made it three-for-three in Olympic qualifying at the trials.Missy Franklin will get the chance to defend her 200-meter backstroke gold medal in Rio after finishing second on Saturday in the event final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials.Joining Franklin is Maya Dirado, who won the final (2:06.90) after gaining a comfortable lead midway through the race.Franklin, who finished in 2:07.89, won gold and set the world record in the event four years ago in London. As a high schooler during those games, she took part in seven events, winning four golds and a bronze. She finished fifth in the 100 free in 2012 but wont be part of that race at all this time around.At age 21, Franklin hasnt been able to recapture the magic that carried her to such heights in London. Outside of a gutsy runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle, she finished sevennth in the 100 backstroke -- a race she won in 2012 -- and that knocks her out of consideration for the 4x100 medley relay. Michael Frolik Flames Jersey Authentic. One of the things Ive been trying to do this whole year is not compare myself to where I was in 2012, Franklin said. I think coming in a lot of people thought that ... I would have to do the same thing I did in 2012, and thats not what I came here intending to do. I came in here to be the best of who I am right now, not who I was four years ago. So to get two individual spots and a relay spot, Im so happy with that.Katie Ledecky also added to her Rio itinerary by qualifying for the 800-meter freestyle.For 32-year-old Cullen Jones, a quarter-of-a-second brought potentially the end of a career.Jones finished third behind Nathan Adrian and Anthony Ervin in the 50-meter freestyle on Saturday night, ensuring that he wont be part of the team the U.S. will take to Rio in August.After the race, Jones was the last one out of the pool. He lifted himself onto the pool deck and responded to the cheering fans by raising his arms high above his head. He admitted the outcome was extra frustrating, as he had put everything he had into making the Rio team.And to do that and not get the outcome you were looking for his tough, Jones said, though he added that he does plan on watching both the 50- and 100-meter freestyle races in Rio on TV.?Its going to hurt like hell, but Ill be watching, he said. Wouldnt miss it.Information from ESPNs Wayne Drehs and the Associated Press was used in this report. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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