been grinding it out. I got a shot during the All-Star bre

PITTSBURGH -- From the get-go, Billy Hamilton could not be contained Sunday.Hamilton swiped four bases, got three hits and scored three times, leading the Cincinnati Reds over the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3.My job is to get on base and get into scoring position for these guys behind me to drive me in, Hamilton said. Thats my job. I felt like I did my job.Hamilton set the tone right away. He drew a leadoff walk from Gerrit Cole, then stole two bags. He finished the day with 43 steals this season, which led the majors until Milwaukees Jonathan Villar stole two bags later Sunday to match Hamilton.Hamilton helped the Reds avoid a series sweep with his bat and legs. The center fielder also made a leaping, backhanded catch that drew applause from the Pittsburgh fans at PNC Park.Pirates manager Clint Hurdle blamed himself for Hamiltons impact.We werent where we wanted to be with it. Thats my responsibility, Hurdle said. Its my responsibility to take care of that and everybody has different jobs to do. When we get those kinds of bases stolen, thats on the manager.Later, Eric Fryer hit a ball to deep center that turned around Hamilton twice before he recovered to make the catch.Through all the challenges that hes had offensively, the defense has kept him in the big leagues, to be honest, more so than the stolen bases, Reds manager Bryan Price said.Following Hamiltons leaping grab, winning pitcher Dan Straily emphatically pounded his glove while pointing back to his center fielder.I have never seen anything like him, Straily said. That ball, it started off over one of his shoulders, kind of knuckled back. It was pretty impressive from where I was standing, very much appreciated. I hung a slider. He hit the ball well. I was very fortunate.Straily (7-6) gave up two earned runs and three hits in six innings, walking none and striking out four. The Reds have won in each of his past four appearances since Straily lost four consecutive decisions.Straily got through the first four innings with 41 pitches, 32 for strikes.Straily didnt allow a hit until Matt Joyce hit a 442-foot homer in the fifth. Josh Harrison later homered off Straily.Gerrit Cole (7-7) fell to 0-6 lifetime against the Reds. He left in the sixth, giving up four runs on three hits and three walks.Cole allowed more than three earned runs for the third time in 17 starts this season.Youre not going to be able to stop Hamilton every time, but a walk to start off the game is pretty much a triple within four or five pitches, Cole said. Thats not going to get the job done.Hamiltons early steals set up an RBI grounder by and a run-scoring single by Brandon Phillips.Hamilton doubled in the third, again stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Joey Votto.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: 3B David Freese did not play Sunday, a day after leaving the game because of discomfort in his left elbow.UP NEXTReds: Rookie LHP Cody Reed (0-6, 7.30) will try to earn his first major league victory when he starts Monday at St. Louis.Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (1-0, 4.19) will make his first start for Pittsburgh since July 17 on Tuesday, when he faces the San Diego Padres at PNC Park.Custom Jerseys Cheap . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Custom Jerseys .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/ . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Custom Jerseys Nike . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Custom Jerseys Adidas . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep.PHOENIX -- Two days into the winter meetings, Arizona and Atlanta made a trade that was billed as a win-now for win-later deal.Nine months later, both teams are stuck in the win-later mode.It is hardly what the Diamondbacks expected as they prepare to play host to Atlanta in a four-game series that begins Monday at Chase Field.When the Diamondbacks acquired right-hander Shelby Miller from Atlanta for Ender Inciarte, Aaron Blair and 2015 No. 1 draft pick shortstop Dansby Swanson, they believed they were adding the final piece to the rotation that could lead them into contention in the pitching-rich National League West. A week before, they had signed Zack Greinke to a six-year, $206.5 million deal, and putting those two in front of a quality offense for 66 starts a year seemed like a good plan.But Miller scuffled so much that he was optioned to the minor leagues after the All-Star break, and a host of injuries has dropped the Diamondbacks (51-73) into last place in the NL West, the same spot that Atlanta (45-79) occupies in the NL East. Atlanta has the worst record in the majors.Show of hands.Who thought Swanson would be in the majors at this point of the season and Miller would not?It has been that kind of year in Arizona.Atlanta knew what it was getting into this season when it opted to trade Andrelton Simmons and Cameron Maybin in the offseason and release Michael Bourn (now the Diamondbacks starting center fielder) to create opportunities for younger players.While Atlanta added veteran outfielder Matt Kemp at the trade deadline, it is attempting to build behind a starting rotation that includes zero players in their age-26 season or above.Neither staff has pitched well. Arizonas starters have the highest ERA in the NL at 5.10, and Atlanta is 12th at 4.76. Atlanta has 49 quality starts, one more than Arizona. Only the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Angels have fewer in the majors.The Diamondbacks will start right-hander Zack Godley against right-hander Mike Foltynewicz in the series opener Monday. Arizona swept a three-gaame series in Arlanta the first week of May.ddddddddddddGodley, one of several who has been asked to fill Millers spot in the rotation, is 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his last three appearances, although the first two were in relief. He pitched a career-high 7 1/3 innings in a 13-5 victory over the Mets on Wednesday when he returned to the rotation in place of Patrick Corbin.They outplayed us today and beat us, Arizona manager Chip Hale said after a 9-1 loss at San Diego on Sunday. They made the plays. We have to do a better job of minimizing and giving our hitters a chance to come back.Atlanta broke a seven-game losing streak with a 7-6, 10-inning victory over Washington on Sunday and has lost nine of 11. It has given up 82 runs in those 11 games while losing five of seven to Washington.Atlanta played Sunday without first baseman Freddie Freeman, who took a cortisone shot in the middle finger of his right hand after Saturdays game. Freeman is slashing .287/.382/.471 with a career-high 24 homers in 122 games.Its been hurting since spring training, Freeman said. Ive been grinding it out. I got a shot during the All-Star break as well. It just kind of finally wore off. Its pretty painful every single day, but it got to a point yesterday where I swung a bat in the cage before the game and it kind of blew up on me again. Im going to try and go (Monday).Swanson, who grew up in the Atlanta area, was promoted last week and is 4-for-16 with double and a walk in four games. Atlanta officially passed the baton when it traded Erick Aybar to Detroit at the end of last week.Arizona lost three of four in San Diego over the weekend, failing to build on a three-game sweep of the Mets earlier in the week.The Diamondbacks have been active on the bases in August, tying a franchise record for the month with 30 stolen bases in 19 games. They had 19 steals in six games against the Mets and had five against the Padres on Friday. ' ' '