ive key contributors, including emerging center back N

PITTSBURGH -- Joey Votto is having one special finish to the season. So good even he isnt sure it can continue for much longer.Votto celebrated his 33rd birthday with four hits, including a home run, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the collapsing Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7 on Saturday night.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.Its pretty unlikely, Votto said. Well see. Just mathematically, its very unlikely to hit .400 for such a long period.Reds manager Bryan Price, who was the Mariners pitching coach in 2004, believes Votto can follow in Ichiros footsteps.Joey is such a great hitter, Price said. He can hit the ball out of the ballpark, hit the ball all over the field and has such great plate discipline that he gets on base at a .430 clip. Its special when you see this kind of production over this period of time.The Pirates flickering hopes of a fourth consecutive postseason berth took another hit as they dropped 5 1/2 games back of St. Louis for the second NL wild card with their 10th loss in 12 games.When asked 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.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.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.Pirates second baseman Josh 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.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 and eight hits in four innings in his Pirates debut.I liked the way guys pushed through, Price said. Were down 4-0. Were struggling to win games. We have to take a struggling starter out after three innings. Then here come the Reds with four runs to tie it, three runs to take the lead then the bullpen bent a little but got the job done.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.Wholesale Cheap Shoes China . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Shoes Clearance Sale Online . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. http://www.shoeswholesale.us/ . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Shoes Discount Sale Online . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Shoes Wholesale Online Store . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half.Two teams below the red line on the Western Conference table collide Sunday, when shorthanded Sporting KC hosts the Seattle Sounders at Childrens Mercy Park.The Sounders have been mired with inconsistency this season and been unable build off a recent big 5-0 win over first-place FC Dallas. Theyve dropped two games since that big win, including a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy in U.S. Open Cup play on Wednesday.Weve got to buckle down, captain center back Brad Evans told the teams website after the loss to the Galaxy on Wednesday. Just keep saying the same thing every week, but thats how you have to approach it. Its a bit of a Groundhog Day, even when youre winning. Its keep doing the same thing. And when youre losing, youve got to keep doing the same things that weve talked about: put your head down, work, sacrifice yourself for the team, all the things everybodys read in the press. Weve just got to keep working and bang away some goals and hopefully that changes the outlook for us.Sporting KC (8-10-4) has experienced similar inconsistency this season and sits in seventh place, but just one point behind sixth-place Portland. TThey followed up back-to-back wins over New York City FC and Columbus with back-to-back shutout losses to Chicago and Colorado, and now find themselves with a rash of injuries heading into Sundays game.ddddddddddddSporting KC could be missing as many as five key contributors, including emerging center back Nuno Coelho, who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Defender Matt Besler, an MLS All-Star, also will miss the game after suffering an injury while training this week.Hes definitely not going to play this weekend, and he wont be going to the All-Star Game, Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes told the teams site Friday. You tweak (a ligament), and it just takes time for it to shrink back to where it normally is.The injuries to Coelho and Besler leaves the Sporting KC defense depleted, but will Seattle be able to take advantage?The Sounders are 2-7-1 in their last 10 league games and have only one road win on the season. Seattle has owned the series against Sporting KC, however, going 7-3-3 all-time. ' ' '