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.Nike Air Max 90 Outlet .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Clearance Nike Air Max 90 . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. https://www.cheapnikeairmax90china.us/ . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Nike Air Max 90 Sale . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Fake Nike Air Max 90 . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games.FRISCO, Texas -- One day after the Columbus (Ohio) City Attorneys Office decided not to pursue charges against him stemming from allegations of domestic violence toward a former girlfriend, Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott admitted hes learned an important lesson.?Im a target, Elliott said Wednesday in his first public comments. Thats what Ive realized from all of this, and I have to conduct myself that way, so I cannot have any distractions so I can just focus on ball.In July, Tiffany Thompson filed two police reports claiming Elliott abused her and struck her several times ... leaving bruises on her arms. The former Ohio State star, however, told police that he never touched Thompson in a harmful manner, saying she suffered the bruises during a bar fight.On Tuesday, the City Attorneys Office said it declined to pursue charges because of conflicting and inconsistent information. It also said Elliott was cooperative in the investigation and offered affidavits and photographs to support his case.I feel like there has been some damages done, Elliott said of his reputation, but the past is the past. Im focused on now.Elliott, the fourth player taken in the NFL draft, said he wanted to focus on Week 1 opponent the New York Giants.Im ready to leave that all behind me, he said. I really dont want to talk about it much. I tried to block it out and try to focus on football -- whats important. I know I didnt do anything wrong.We were very confident since Day 1. I wasnt really worried that much. I was really ffocused on ball and let my lawyers and representatives handle the rest.ddddddddddddElliott remains under review by the NFL. A player does not need to be formally charged with a crime to be punished under the leagues personal conduct policy.Last month, Elliott found himself in the news for another reason. He visited a legal marijuana dispensary in Seattle before the teams preseason game against the Seahawks, and afterward, owner Jerry Jones and coach Jason Garrett criticized the rookies decision.The Dallas Morning News, meanwhile, obtained court documents that revealed an exchange of texts messages between Elliott and the former girlfriend regarding whether he thought he might fail a drug test.I know youre stressed out, if you need me, call me. Just do everything you can to pass your drug test tomorrow. Youll be okay. Im here for you, the womans text read.Im gonna pass (the test), Elliott replied.The next text, according to The Dallas Morning News, came from Elliott and read: About to live in this sauna the next 24 hours.When asked about the text exchange Wednesday, Elliott said, Honestly, I have no idea what youre talking about. I havent seen those. Im actually talking about football. Im sorry.Note: ESPN typically does not release the names of alleged domestic violence victims, but Thompson posted Instagram photos showing bruises on her body. One of her posts was tagged to Ezekiel Elliott. ' ' '