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PHILADELPHIA -- Alfredo Simon invented new pitches to baffle hitters. Tony Romo Jerseys . Simon allowed five hits over 7 2-3 strong innings, Devin Mesoraco hit a three-run homer and the Cincinnati Reds beat the struggling Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 on Friday night. Simon (5-2) had a season-high eight strikeouts, walked one and hit one batter. Manny Parra got one out in the eighth and Aroldis Chapman struck out pinch-hitter Cesar Hernandez on a 102 mph fastball with runners on second and third for his second save in two tries. Simon mixed a strong fastball with a slider and assorted off-speed pitches to keep the Phillies off-balance. "I was trying to have fun out there," Simon said. A couple of pitches were clocked in the low 70s. "I dont know what he was throwing half the time," Mesoraco said. "I was just catching it and throwing it back." The Phillies havent scored a run in the last 20 innings and were shut out for the fifth time this season. They have lost four straight and eight of 10 to fall a season-worst five games under .500 at 17-22. Kyle Kendrick (0-4) lost his ninth straight decision, dating to last Aug. 11. He allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings. Kendrick hasnt had much help from the offence, however. The Phillies have been shut out five times in those 15 starts and have scored one run or less eight times. "Main thing is I want the team to win," Kendrick said. "Just have to go out there, take care of my job and give my team a chance to win." The Reds didnt have slugger Joey Votto because of a left distal quadriceps strain. The 2010 NL MVP remained in Cincinnati. With Jay Bruce on the disabled list, it was the first time the Reds didnt have Votto and Bruce in their lineup since Sept. 20, 2012, at the Cubs. Mesoraco provided all the support they would need. He ripped a three-run shot in his first at-bat since returning from his second trip to the disabled list. "It was terrific. His first at-bat and he gave us an early cushion," Reds manager Bryan Price said. Mesoraco was sidelined by a left hamstring injury. He arrived to the ballpark less than three hours before the first pitch after making the trip from Norfolk where he played three games for Triple-A Louisville. "I was supposed to leave early this morning and didnt leave until about 3," he said. "I was starting to panic. I didnt feel that good. My legs were tired. Things cleared up after the first swing." A reshuffled lineup didnt solve Philadelphias hitting woes. Leadoff hitter Ben Revere was out with a stomach virus, so Jimmy Rollins batted first for the first time in 70 games. Carlos Ruiz moved up to bat second and John Mayberry Jr. took Reveres spot in centre field. The Phillies squandered a few chances in the early innings. They had runners on first and third with two outs in the first, but Simon struck out Marlon Byrd to end the inning. They had runners on the corners again with one out in the third, but Simon fanned Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Simon struck out Ruiz to leave another runner on third in the fifth. NOTES: Votto had been the only Red to appear in the first 39 games. ... Reds cleanup hitter Todd Frazier was 0 for 4, ending his career-best 14-game hitting streak. .. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has used 22 different lineups in 39 games. ... Matt Beech was the last Phillies pitcher to have a losing streak of at least nine games. He lost 11 in a row between Aug. 13, 1996 and Aug. 2, 1997. ... Cole Hamels (0-2, 5.32) of the Phillies tries again for his 100th career win Saturday night vs. Homer Bailey (3-2, 4.72). Cole Beasley Jersey Dallas Cowboys . The Stars were up 3-1 in the third. Stars and Jets will meet at the MTS Centre Sunday night (TSN Jets, TSN 1290) in what is a must win for the Jets. The Jets and Stars will meet in Dallas later this month, the Stars have two games in hand. Kyle Wilber Jerseys . Bradley Johnson headed Norwich in front early in the second half before captain Sebastien Bassong was adjudged to have fouled substitute John Guidetti inside the penalty box.VANCOUVER -- Theres been a lot of painful bumps and twists on the road Sami Salo has travelled. When the season started the Vancouver Canuck defenceman wasnt sure if he would ever play hockey again after rupturing his Achilles tendon last summer. Now Salo finds himself just one win away from playing in the Stanley Cup final for the first time in his 12-year NHL career. "Its been a long journey, not just in a career way," Salo said Monday after the Canucks practised at Rogers Arena. "Im just excited to be part of this great group. "All the blood and sweat you poured during the season has really paid off. It is a really good feeling." The Canucks take a 3-1 series lead over the San Jose Sharks into Tuesday nights Game 5 of the Western Conference final. A win sends Vancouver to the Cup final for the first time in 17 years. Salos booming slapshot was a big part of the Canucks 4-2 win over the Sharks on Sunday. He scored twice on the power play and added an assist. Vancouver scored three power-play goals in 1:55 in the second period, all on five-on-three situations. The Canucks have pushed the Sharks to the brink, but Salo knows that final shove may be the hardest. "You have to have the killer instinct to try and finish those guys off," he said. "We have seen that if youre not going out there to win, if you are just sitting back, usually things are not going your way." Rookie Logan Couture said the Sharks are focused on forcing a Game 6 Thursday in San Jose. "We know what to do, we know how to win," Couture said after the Sharks practised in San Jose. "We just need to go out there and do it. "Were obviously not where we want to be. Wed rather be up 3-1. The reality of the situation now is were down. Were excited to go to Vancouver and try and win a game." Salo has suffered around 36 injuries, costing him over 250 games, during his career. But the most devastating came last summer when playing floor ball, a form of floor hockey, in Finland. Friends told Salo it sounded like a shotgun blast when his Achilles ruptured. All he knew he was first-face on the floor. "It didnt hurt at all," he said. "It was just a weird feeling. "Three or four weeks after the surgery it was really painful at times. I got through it with the help of friends and family." It was a long, slow recovery for the 36-year-old native of Turku, Finland. He missed training camp and the first 52 games of the season. It was December before Salo was finally convinced hed be able to play hockey again. In early February Salo was sent to the Manitoba Moose, Vancouvers AHL farm team, for a conditioning stint. He responded by scoring two goals in his first game. He returned to the Canucks lineup Feb. 12. "Its like climbing Mount Everest," said Salo. Morris Claiborne Jersey Dallas Cowboys. "Its very small steps from Day 1 after surgery until all the way up to the time in December when I started skating. "You didnt see any progress on a daily basis, or sometimes even a weekly basis. You saw the light at the end of the tunnel once you . . . were able to do something you werent able to do maybe two weeks before. You knew things were going the right way." In 27 regular-season games, the six-foot-three, 215-pound Salo had three goals and four assists. In 13 playoff games he has three goals, four points and averaged 17:40 of ice time. Canuck captain Henrik Sedin said Salo is an important weapon in a Vancouver defensive unit that has scored 13 goals during the playoffs. "Weve always known in here what he can do," said Sedin. "Coming back like he did from his injury, shows how much he wants to be here and how much he wants to win." Beating the odds is nothing new for Salo. He was the third last player taken in the 1996 draft, 239th by the Ottawa Senators. Coach Alain Vigneault said he wasnt even sure if Salo would clear the latest hurdle. "At his age, to come back from such a serious injury, we werent sure he was going to pull that off," said Vigneault. "When hes on top of his game, he really helps our back end." The Canucks would like to finish off the Sharks as quickly as possible, then wait for the winner of the Boston Bruin-Tampa Bay Lightning series. Recent history shows Vancouver sometimes has trouble ending series. Vancouver is 2-4 in playoff elimination games this spring. They are 0-2 in Game 5s. "They say the fourth (win) is the toughest one to get," said Sedin. "Thats been the case for us. "We are going to treat tomorrow as Game 7. Its a must game for us and we are going to come out really excited." Vancouver took a 3-0 lead over the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round of the playoffs, then needed a goal in overtime of Game 7 to defeat the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Canucks were forced to make an extra trip to Nashville in the second round when they lost Game 5 of that series 4-2. They defeated the Predators 2-1 in Game 6. Vigneault gave no update on the status of defenceman Aaron Rome, who was injured by a Jamie McGinn check in Game 3. He said defenceman Christian Ehrhoff, who missed Game 4 with an upper body injury, is day-to-day. Salo is in the final year of a contract that pays him US$3.5 million this season. He wants to play hockey next year, but isnt sure where that will be. The future is uncertain for Salo, but winning a Stanley Cup would make a fond memory. "It would be awesome," he said. "It just seems like this team has grown up during these past years. "We knew what kind of mistakes we made and weve grown." cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
