PITTSBURGH -- A.
Dalton Pompey Blue Jays Jersey .J. Burnett
walked into the Pittsburgh Pirates dugout after falling two runs down to the
Cincinnati Reds in the second inning Saturday night when his catcher decided it
was time for a little pep talk. "I told him Thats all were giving up today and
he said Yes sir," Russell Martin said. "Thats his attitude. If you give up a
couple, its not the end of the world. If you give up a couple, youve got to keep
going out there, keep grinding." Something the veteran ace and his resilient
club do better than just about anyone else in baseball. A night after a stunning
ninth-inning collapse, Pittsburgh responded behind Burnett, who scattered four
hits in seven strong innings to lift the Pirates to a 4-2 win and a one-game
lead over the Reds for the top spot in the NL wild-card race. "Go out, its a big
game, its a big series, you want to attack," Burnett said. "We were able to do
that and get through seven somehow. I felt like I got stronger as it went on."
Burnett struck out a season-high 12 against three walks and became the first
right-hander in the 126-year history of the franchise to top 200 strikeouts in a
season when he fanned Joey Votto in the sixth. "I was just focused, I was locked
in," Burnett said. "It was probably the best command of that hook Ive had in a
long time. I had a put-away pitch tonight, and its lot different when you have
those." Jason Grilli worked the ninth for his 31st save, his first since going
to the disabled list with a strained right forearm in July. Martin slugged a
two-run homer, and Jose Tabata added two hits for the Pirates. Zack Cozart hit
his 12th home run of the season for Cincinnati, and Ryan Ludwick added an RBI
but Homer Bailey (11-11) lost his first decision since July 26. "The story of
the game is we didnt score enough runs," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "We just
couldnt get much going against (Burnett). We got some runs early, then he
settled down." The Reds rallied for a 6-5 win in 10 innings on Friday, turning
three unearned runs in the ninth and Vottos solo homer in the 10th into a tie
with the Pirates in the race for home field in the wild card round. It was the
second gut-punch loss by the Pirates in three days. In danger of falling behind
the Reds in the standings for the first time in since June 20, Pittsburgh
reduced its magic number to three behind Burnett and a bullpen that regained its
composure after a pair of potentially confidence-shaking meltdowns. Reliever
Justin Wilson induced a double play to get out of the eighth, and Grilli -- an
All-Star this summer after racking up 29 saves in the seasons first half --
looked like his old self while working around Ludwicks leadoff single in the
ninth. "Im just a competitor," Grilli said. "I want the ball. I want to
participate. Watching these guys do it for so long made me want to come back and
do it with him. It was a big win, obviously, and a lot of fun to be out there."
Bailey wasnt quite as sharp. Making his first start at PNC Park since throwing a
no-hitter at the Pirates last September, Bailey was solid but not spectacular.
An off night by Cincinnatis typically reliable defence didnt help. Alvarez
reached with two outs in the third when Votto mishandled a slow chopper to
first. Martin followed by taking a fastball from Bailey and sending it into the
bleachers in left field to tie it at 2. Pittsburgh broke the tie in the sixth.
Andrew McCutchen walked with one out and sprinted to third when Baileys
attempted pickoff throw slipped past Votto and rolled to the wall.
Justin Morneau walked to put runners on the corners, and Marlon Byrd hit a
sacrifice to deep centre field to give the Pirates the lead. Bailey gave up four
runs, two earned, and three hits with four walks and three strikeouts. "The loss
is on me," Bailey said. "I had the throwing error at first base, I didnt execute
very well, I made a couple of bad pitches. (The offence) gave me a couple of
runs to work with early and I didnt take advantage of it. I gave them all back
and then some." Reliever Zach Duke -- who spent six years in Pittsburgh during
the clubs two-decade losing streak -- came on after Byrds sacrifice fly and
immediately surrendered an RBI single to Alvarez that gave the Pirates a two-run
cushion. NOTES: Cincinnati CF Shin-Soo Choo sat out after injuring his right
hand while sliding into first base on Friday. Baker said he wasnt sure when Choo
will return. ... Cincinnati rookie OF Billy Hamilton will make his second start
of the season on Sunday. The base stealing specialist went 3 for 4 with four
stolen bases in his previous start against Houston on Wednesday. ... The series
concludes on Sunday when Pittsburghs Jeff Locke (10-6, 3.27 ERA) faces
Cincinnatis Bronson Arroyo (13-11, 3.56).
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Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check.
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Bobby Ryan helped the U.
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. Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday.
George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled
back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up.PARIS -- France reached the World
Cup against the odds after beating Ukraine 3-0 on Tuesday, overturning a
first-leg deficit with a performance full of pride and confidence after most
observers had written the team off. Backs to the wall after a 2-0 defeat last
Friday, France started at a frenetic pace and never let up against a dispirited
Ukraine that played most of the second half with 10 men. France was already
leading 2-0 by then after Mamadou Sakho scored his first international goal
midway through the first half and Karim Benzema added a close-range finish in
the 34th. "Ive experienced some great moments but this one is special. Its
fabulous, especially after the first game and the bad result we got there,"
France coach Didier Deschamps said. "The players should get all the credit
because they did something special." Ukraine went down to 10 men when fullback
Yevhen Khacheridi was red-carded for fouling Franck Ribery in the 47th minute.
France sealed qualification in the 72nd when Ukraine subsitute Oleg Gusev turned
a cross into his own net under pressure from Sakho. "We should have worked
harder and been more organized," Ukraine coach Mykhailo Fomenko said. "I warned
my players before the match to avoid the yellow and red cards but this was very
difficult." There were delirious scenes at the end as France players rushed off
the bench to celebrate. Bullied all night in Kyiv last Friday, the French
responded brilliantly in a performance full of bravery, panache and
determination. "Its the magic of football. Four days ago we were bad, very bad,"
Deschamps said. "Tonight the players were present and I had no doubt they would
be." The players, under intense pressure in the build-up to the game, grabbed
flags and sprinted around the field in jubilation as France avoided the
embarrassment of failing to qualify for a major tournament for the first time in
20 years. "Its been a very long time since we saw the Stade de France like
this," Ribery said. "We took a big slap in Ukraine and we woke up. We were stuck
together until the end and we showed it on the pitch." Olivier Giroud grabbed a
microphone and got the crowd singing along to the national anthem as pent-up
emotions were welll and truly released.
Roy Halladay Blue Jays Jersey. "Weve suffered
so much, theres been so much sadness," Ribery said. "This is wonderful,
magnificent." In a match four years ago, 10,000 travelling Irish fans drowned
out the home support. But there was no danger of that this time from Ukraines
considerably smaller following. Pre-match footage on the stadiums big screen
showed clips of glory days: the Platini years, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Perhaps this was an attempt to jog the crowds memory, a last-ditch plea to get
them to rally behind the team. Or perhaps it was a simpler message: "This is how
to win, remember?" The words to "La Marseillaise" then popped up on the screen,
offering further encouragement to show their support. It seemed to have the
desired effect as France poured forward and had Ukraine firmly on the back foot
from the outset, with Mathieu Valbuena going close with a rising shot and Paul
Pogba and Benzema heading over from good positions. Piatov had kept eight
consecutive clean sheets but his resistance was finally broken when Sakho
pounced to turn the ball in from close range after Piatov pushed away Riberys
shot from the edge of the penalty area. The way Sakho sprinted to the bench,
thumping his chest with pride, showed just how intense the strain had been on
the French since Friday. Some of the tackling was ferocious, as this time France
stood up to the physical challenge after their battering in Kyiv. "I know the
French team is very strong and can play at a very high level. They were playing
at home and their fans were very good," Fomenko said. "I regret a few things. We
werent good psychologically. We needed to be ready and I dont think we were."
Piatov was well beaten for the second goal when Cabayes attempted shot deflected
favourably into the path of Benzema and he stroked it into the bottom corner.
Moments before halftime, Sakho stretched his leg high to poke the ball away from
Roman Zozulya as he was about to shoot and, from the resulting corner, Andriy
Yarmolenkos goal-bound hit Mathieu Debuchys chest. The French bench rose in
unison when Gusev turned a cross into his own net and substitute Giroud almost
made it 4-0 but his point-blank header was superbly saved.
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