Bewerbung » leading Los Angeles to another win

PITTSBURGH -- It looked like Alfredo Simons bubble was about to burst. After being one of the biggest surprises of the young season for the Cincinnati Reds by ably filling in for injured starting pitcher Mat Latos, Simon hit a rough patch in the first inning Wednesday night. He walked three batters in a row to force in a run. Then, just like that, the right-hander went back to being dominant, pitching into the seventh inning despite the erratic early control, and Jay Bruce drove in a run for a fifth consecutive game as the Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2. "It was cold and I was having a hard time feeling the ball," said Simon, pitching on a blustery night when the game-time temperature was 50 degrees. "After that first inning, I felt a lot better and pitched like Ive been pitching. Simon (3-1) worked 6 2-3 innings and allowed two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out four. Simon has pitched at least six innings in each of his four starts this season as a replacement for the injured Mat Latos and has a 1.30 ERA. Simon pitched exclusively in relief the previous two years. "Hes been terrific," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Hes been an extremely versatile pitcher for us the last two-plus seasons. Hes always been a talented guy, but hes really found himself and made himself into a very good-looking starting pitcher." Bruce had two hits and knocked in the final run of the decisive three-run fifth inning against Charlie Morton (0-3) that gave the Reds a 4-2 lead. Billy Hamilton also had two hits for Cincinnati, which stole four bases while winning seven of 10 games since a 3-7 start. "We took advantage of what we could because this is team that might not give you a lot most nights," Bruce said. "We tried to put some pressure on the defence." Jonathan Broxton pitched a scoreless ninth inning, despite allowing two hits, for his third save. Andrew McCutchen had two hits and homered for the third consecutive night for the Pirates, who lost for the 10th time in 13 games. Morton also had control issues, walking five in six innings while giving up four runs -- three earned -- and four hits with four strikeouts. "I was yanking my fastball all night," he said. "There were times were I was trying to go inside on left-handed hitters and missing in the right-handed batters box. I was literally missing by 3 feet." The Reds used their speed to go ahead in a fifth inning that included two stolen bases and the second throwing error of the game by catcher Chris Stewart. NOTES: Pittsburgh C Russell Martin was a late scratch because of a miscommunication. Martin, who is 0-for-7 against Simon, thought he was getting Wednesday off while manager Clint Hurdle thought he and Martin had decided Thursday would be an off day. ... Reds LHP Aroldis Chapman threw early batting practice, the first time he had faced hitters since suffering fractures of his eye and nose along with a mild concussion March 19 when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Kansas Citys Salvador Perez. Chapman pitched from behind a protective screen and the next step is for him to throw batting practice without the screen sometime this weekend when the Reds visit Atlanta. ... Cincinnati INF/OF Skip Schumaker will report to the Reds extended spring training camp on Friday at Goodyear, Ariz., as he continues to rehab the left shoulder he dislocated while diving for a ball in the outfield during a spring training game March 21. ... Pittsburgh 1B Travis Ishikawa cleared waivers and elected free agency after declining an outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis. He was designated for assignment last Friday. ... The Pirates will recall RHP Brandon Cumpton from Indianapolis to start Thursday against LHP Tony Cingrani (1-2, 3.22) in the finale of the four-game series. Donovan Mitchell Jersey . -- Rodney Stuckey scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks for the first time in eight meetings, 92-86 on Tuesday night. Rudy Gobert Jazz Jersey . Louis Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract. http://www.jazzauthentic.com/. Pretty good hitting, too. Dan Haren pitched six innings and sparked the go-ahead rally with a single, leading Los Angeles to another win over the skidding Atlanta Braves, 4-2 on Tuesday night. Dante Exum Jersey . Rudy Gay made the tying basket in regulation and a 3-pointer in overtime that gave Sacramento the lead for good, and Fredette scored a career-high 24 points to help the Kings beat the Knicks 106-101 on Wednesday night. John Stockton Jazz Jersey . The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings.SAN ANTONIO -- Led by a no-frills coach, the San Antonio Spurs have long stated the regular season means little to them. Yet even normally stoic San Antonio couldnt hide its emotion on the court, and the satisfaction afterward, of toppling the two-time defending champion Miami Heat. Tim Duncan had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and the Spurs never trailed against the Heat, weathering a sluggish third quarter for an intense 111-87 victory Thursday. "Im sure this has some special meaning, to say something different would be silly," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said, "but we expect them to come out hard and play." In their first home game against Miami since losing a heart-wrenching, seven-game NBA Finals, the Spurs handed the Heat their worst loss of the season. The rematch brought out a raucous sold-out crowd and sparked high emotions from both teams. Players dived recklessly for loose balls and yelled at officials, while Popovich often screamed at his own players. "We needed a game like this," Manu Ginobili said. "Weve been talking (about it) all season long. Our record was probably 1-10, 1-8 or something like that against the top four teams in the league. So we needed a big one, and today we played well. . Its one of those wins that really gets you going." Tony Parker scored 17 points, including 14 in a wild first half, Boris Diaw added 16 and Kawhi Leonard had 11 for the Spurs (45-16), which has won five straight. Chris Bosh had 24 points, LeBron James added 19, Dwyane Wade had 16 and Michael Beasley 11 for Miami (43-16). James, who ditched the protective mask he was wearing early in the first half, was hounded by Leonard into shooting 6 for 18. The Spurs didnt do anything different defensively than they had in the past, James said, but the NBA did. The four-time MVP said the short-sleeved, tight-fitting "El Heat" jerseys Miami had to wear are not conducive for shooting. "Im not making any excuses, but Im not a big fan of the jerseys," James said. "So I have to figure something out next time I have to wear the short-sleeve jerseys. Every time I shoot, it feels like its just pulling right up underneath my arm. I already dont have much room for error on my jump shot anyways, so its definitely not a good thing." James got rid of the mask that protected his broken nose with four minutes left in the first quarter. "I dont like it," James said. "Its that simple; just got frustrated with it early on so I took it off.ddddddddddddIt didnt help me, taking it off. Its probably a game-to-game thing." He missed his first two attempts sans mask, tossing up a wild 14-footer that banged off the front of the rim and backboard, then botching a reverse layup. His first mask-free basket was a 5-foot running floater over Leonard with 6:26 left in the half. "(Leonard) was a pest," Duncan said. "Thats what we need him to be. He stuck his hand in there, knocked some balls away, got some steals, he contested shots. I think he did a great job overall in every aspect." The Spurs opened the fourth quarter on a 13-6 run, returning to the breakneck attack that led to a 17-point lead in the first half. Duncans 18-foot jumper gave San Antonio a 99-85 lead with 3:00 remaining, drawing a fist-pounding of the scorers table by Manu Ginobili as he waited to enter the game. The closing run was needed after the Heat kept the Spurs out of the paint early in the second half, to the point Popovich screamed, "Tony! Attack!" after his All-Star point guard walked the ball up midway through the third period. Miami turned up the heat defensively, closing quickly on every pass. San Antonio was 7 for 22 from the field in the third quarter. Miami was 10 for 18 in the quarter, with James, Wade and Bosh scoring six points each. Miami had cut the lead to 79-74 with 2:00 left in the third period, but could get no closer. "They are difficult to guard," Wade said. "They have a great system and they have a very unselfish team. That is why they are one of the better teams in the league. Thy stay true to their system and believe in it." Parker showed no signs of the lower body problems that sidelined him six games last month, driving unrestrained into the paint. Parker played all but the final two minutes of the first quarter, going 5 for 6 from the field in scoring 10 points and dishing out three assists. "Tonys our setup guy," Duncan said. "He runs our team, he sets our pace, sets our rhythm and he played the right way tonight." NOTES: The Spurs Jeff Ayres (sprained right hand) sat out for the second time in the last three games. Ayres has started 10 games. ... Miami received a rousing ovation when it took the court for pregame warmups, but was booed lustily during introductions. ... James glared at official Kevin Scott after drawing consecutive fouls, starting with a charge. He was mum when he drove headlong into Duncan for his third foul of the quarter and fourth overall. ' ' '