2012 » ities before Saturdays preseason game against the?Minnesota Timbe

CINCINNATI -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost seven of 11 and are clinging to slim hopes of securing one of the two National League wild card spots. The Pirates trail by six games for the coveted second spot and have three teams to leapfrog.Injuries have been a common theme. Gerrit Cole was shut down for the season this week. The Pirates have used 54 players this season, eclipsing the franchise record of 52 in 2011.We did set the record, and we gave it some gap, right? manager Clint Hurdle said Wednesday. Im guessing we need to be done. If we need any more, I think weve got another challenge on our hands.The Pirates playoff chase continues Friday when they begin a four-game series against the Reds at Great American Ball Park, where more protective gear might be needed.Over the past four seasons, Reds pitchers have hit 51 batters, including 18 this season, the most by any major league staff against any opponent. Pirates pitchers have hit 45 Reds batters, including nine in 2016, second-most of any staff.And, Pittsburgh doesnt just plunk the Reds.Over the past four seasons, Pirates pitchers lead the major leagues in number of batters hit. Going into their series finale on Wednesday at Philadelphia, the Pirates had hit 295 batters, following by the Reds 264 and White Sox 243.Taking aim on Friday will be right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, whos 5-6 with a 4.81 ERA in 22 career appearances including 12 starts.Vogelsongs last outing against Cincinnati didnt go well. He allowed six earned runs on seven hits and walked three in an 8-0 loss at PNC Park on Sunday.He missed nearly two months after being struck near the left eye by a Jordan Lyles pitch on May 23. He suffered facial fractures but managed to return in early August.Right-hander Robert Stephenson, one of the Reds top pitching prospects, will make his fifth career appearance and third start since he was promoted in September.Stephenson was the first Reds pitcher to win his first two major league starts since Larry Luebbers in 1993.The Pirates come in with some momentum after Andrew McCutchen hit two homers in a 15-2 win at Philadelphia.Cincinnati has gone 30-26 since the All-Star break, including winning five of its last six. But, the Reds do have some injuries with shortstop Zack Cozart missing four games with a sore knee and center fielder Billy Hamilton out indefinitely with a strained left oblique.Its always a high-tension affair when these two NL Central rivals square off, and this seasons series has been evenly played. Pittsburgh has gone 7-8 this season against the Reds including 2/3 at Great American Ball Park.On Saturday, theyll play a day-night doubleheader. The first game beginning at 12:10 p.m. EST will make up the May 10 game which was rained out. The second game will begin at approximately 6:10 p.m.Comprar Saucony Baratas . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Saucony Baratas España . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks. http://www.sauconybaratasespana.es/ . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Saucony Baratas Online .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Zapatillas Saucony Baratas .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.Miami and Florida are still set to host football games on Saturday as Hurricane Matthew marched toward Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas late Wednesday.The 10th-ranked?Hurricanes?have not made a decision to cancel or postpone Saturday nights home game against No. 23?Florida State?on ABC.Matthew was a dangerous and life-threatening Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph as it passed through the Bahamas on Wednesday, and it was expected to be very near Floridas Atlantic coast by Thursday evening. It is expected to make its way up the East Coast.?At least 16 deaths in the Caribbean have been blamed on the storm, with heavy damage reported in Haiti.I dont know what well do, to be honest with you, Miami coach Mark Richt said. Just keep everybody safe first. Well do the best we can.Florida State is scheduled to fly in Thursday night for the Miami game, though forecasters say Thursday could be the day when the Miami area absorbs the worst of Matthews wind.Weve looked through every scenario known to man and well figure it out here when it gets there, and well fly down when they tell us to fly down and play when they tell us to play, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said.As of Wednesday afternoon, the game is still on. Miamis athletic director Blake James said in a statement, We are monitoring Hurricane Matthew, and are in constant contact with stadium personnel. We are hopeful that the impact of Hurricane Matthew will be minimal and the game between the Hurricanes and Seminoles will be played as planned.University of Florida officials said Saturdays Southeastern Conference game between the?Gators?and?LSU?will not be moved?from?Gainesville.A final decision on the start time of the game will be made by 1 p.m. on Thursday as we continue to monitor the storm, the school said in a statement Wednesday. The games scheduled start time is noon at?Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.UF officials said they are working closely with local and state officials, as well as the SEC office, to monitor the hurricanes progress and its potential impact on campus and the safety of the fans.South Carolina officials said the?Gamecocks game against?Georgia?this weekend will be played in Columbia, although?they?acknowledged the date and time could change because of impending impact of the hurricane.The school said in a statement the USC vs. UGA game will be played in Columbia.Officials said they are monitoring Matthews track and will most likely make a decision on any changes Thursday. The school said it was communicating with the National Weather Service, the SEC and state and local authorities.Gov. Nikki Haley said the school was told Wednesday the state would not be able to spare personnel to help with a football game. Dozens of state troopers routinely help with traffic at Williams-Brice Stadium, which seats about 80,000.South Carolina senior associate athletic director Charles Bloom told Columbia radio station 107.5 WNKT-FM its possible the game could be played Sunday or Monday if necessary, with safety being the primary concern at this point.Were not going to risk peoples lives, and take emergency people away from people who really needd them, in order to host a football game, Bloom said.ddddddddddddMeanwhile, football games elsewhere in Florida were postponed, other events were canceled and contingency plans were being made. On Wednesday, the UCF Knights?decided to postpone their game against Tulane?until Nov. 5. The contest was scheduled to be played Friday night in Orlando.Taking into account all the latest projections for Hurricane Matthew, we have to keep the safety of everyone involved in these events at the forefront of our decision-making, UCF athletic director Danny White said in a statement. We appreciate our friends at Tulane and Houston understanding and working with us through this situation.Saturdays game between Florida Atlantic and Charlotte in Boca Raton will not be played Saturday and has tentatively been moved to Sunday, pending further assessments.Schools in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have either postponed or canceled some soccer, volleyball and other college contests scheduled for the next few days.Two other college football games -- Albany State at Charleston Southern and Bethune-Cookman at South Carolina State -- have already been postponed.The Miami Heat, who arrived home Tuesday night after a 106-95 victory over the Washington Wizards in their preseason opener, decided to fly to Houston on Wednesday night to resume preseason workouts, according to a team spokesman.The Heat will use the Houston Rockets practice facilities before Saturdays preseason game against the?Minnesota Timberwolves in Kansas City. The Rockets are traveling to China for two preseason games.The?Tampa Bay Lightnings preseason game against the?Florida Panthers, which was scheduled for Thursday, has been canceled at?BB&T Center. The arena, which is outside of Miami, is under hurricane watch. The Panthers are scheduled to fly to West Point, New York, on Friday,?but if winds close airports in the Miami area, those plans would be affected.The Miami Dolphins are scheduled to host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and officials are keeping a close watch. The Dolphins, who already had planned not to practice Thursday, will close their team offices to give players and coaches extra time to prepare for the storm.Were watching the weather with the hurricane thats going on down there, Titans coach Mike Mularkey said Tuesday on his radio show. There may be some weather issues. Theres a very slight chance that game could be moved up here. Theres been some discussion because of it.The ACC, which could have at least five Saturday football games directly affected by the storm, said it was monitoring Matthew closely and hoped games would be played as scheduled.Other Saturday ACC games that figure to be affected include Army at Duke, Virginia Tech at North Carolina, Syracuse at Wake Forest?and Notre Dame at NC State.Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said pushing his teams game back to Sunday was possible if events warranted.Everything is on the table right now, Kelly said.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '