Allgemeines » five games to advance to the second round

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates are running out of time. It may already be too late.Ryan Vogelsong pitched four shaky innings in Pittsburghs 8-0 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday, closing a disappointing four-game set against the last-place Reds. The Pirates have dropped 11 of 13 overall to fall off the pace in the NL wild-card race.After Cincinnati got to Vogelsong (3-5) for five runs in the second on its way to a big lead, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle emptied his extensive bench, giving playing time to some younger and little-used players. But Hurdle insisted he isnt throwing in the towel.Not yet. Not for me, he said. My vision is to get us playing better. Thats my thought. Im not going to walk out of here with anything other than knowing I have a job to do. Negative emotions, I dont carry them at all. Frustration isnt going to help me do what I need to do to get those men motivated and continue to play. Discouragement, Im not going to go there. I dont go there. We needed to play better. We didnt. How do we play better? Thats where my focus is.After opening the series with a 4-1 win on Thursday night, the Pirates dropped the last three games. Left fielder Gregory Polanco was ejected by umpire Pat Hoberg for arguing balls and strikes in the third inning of the finale. It was Polancos first career ejection.Cincinnati left-hander Brandon Finnegan (9-10) struck out seven in five innings, but allowed five hits and walked five.The seven strikeouts played for him, Hurdle said. It got him out of the all messes. We werent able to convert in some situations that were there for us with a single, let alone a double, let alone a homer. That would have been great. Our execution in crunch time when we were trying to move or score or (get) a two-out hit has been challenging. ... We werent able to punch through and get that big hit off him.Jumbo Diaz followed Finnegan with two innings and Ross Ohlendorf and Wandy Peralta each got three outs, completing a seven-hitter. The Pirates (69-72) left 10 runners on base and went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.The Pirates are always good, Finnegan said. They have a good-hitting team. The Reds and Pirates dont really get along very well. But its nice beating any team, especially winning a series.Cincinnati grabbed control in the second, taking advantage of an error by center fielder Andrew McCutchen and some wildness by Vogelsong. Holt had the big blow, a two-run triple that gave the Reds a 4-0 lead. Eugenio Suarez followed with an RBI single.Vogelsong was charged with six runs and seven hits.Cincinnati (60-82) finished with 13 hits. Joey Votto, one of the hottest hitters in the majors, was the only starting position player to fail to record a hit for the Reds.TRAINING ROOMReds: Alfredo Simon will miss the rest of the year with a right shoulder injury that will require surgery. Simon went 2-7 with a 9.37 ERA this season. ... INF Jose Peraza was given the day off after being hit by a pitch in his hand Saturday.Pirates: 2B Josh Harrisons right groin injury is more than day to day and could potentially be season ending, according to general manager Neal Huntington.UP NEXTReds: Keyvius Sampson (0-1, 3.90 ERA) will move to the rotation in order for the Reds to skip the start of Anthony DeSclafani. Sampson will be making his second start in 2015 after starting 12 games in 2016.Pirates: Gerrit Cole (7-9, 3.55 ERA) is expected to return from the disabled list to start Monday at Philadelphia. Cole has been inactive since Aug. 24 with right elbow inflammation. He has made just 20 starts after pitching 32 games in 2015. L.T. Walton Jersey . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Jim Kelly Jersey . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. http://www.wholesalebillsjerseys.com/?tag=youth-damari-scott-jersey .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. Cam Phillips Jersey .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Mike Love Jersey . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. VIENNA -- Two-time former champion Jurgen Melzer upset fourth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of the Erste Bank Open on Tuesday.The Austrian, who has dropped to 417th after a five-month layoff following shoulder surgery, played only his sixth match of the season at ATP level.In front of a home crowd of 7,500, Melzer broke the 14th-ranked Bautista Agut when the Spaniard served for the second set at 5-4, and added another break to close out the win.Melzer, who won the event in 2009 and 2010, joined fellow Austrian Dominic Thiem in the second round. The third-seeded Thiem defeated Jurgens younger brother, Gerald Melzer, 6-0, 6-3.Thiem, who had not won a match in his home event since reaching the quarterfinals in 2013, conceded just eight points in a 20-minute opening set, and broke his opponent for a fourth time at 4-3 in the second set.Thiem next plays Viktor Troicki of Serbia, who converted the only break point in the final set to complete a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 comeback win over Kevin Anderson of Soouth Africa.ddddddddddddDefending champion David Ferrer had to play only five games to advance to the second round after Kyle Edmund pulled out with a hip injury.The fifth-seeded Spaniard was a service break up at 3-2 when his British opponent, who is ranked a career-high 40th, quit the match. Edmund had beaten Ferrer on the way to his first-career semifinal appearance in Antwerp last week.Ferrer next plays Joao Sousa of Portugal, who led Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 3-0 when the Uruguayan pulled out with an apparent knee injury.Also, 2011 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had 11 aces and avoided break points while beating German qualifier Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4.Also, Feliciano Lopez, who won his maiden title in Vienna in 2004, saved a match point before taking the last three games in a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 win over seventh-seeded Lucas Pouille. Lopez will play John Isner of the United States in the second round. ' ' '