Brayan Penas pinch-hit single in the eighth

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- A Reds team that hadnt pulled off a big comeback all season now has two in one week. And its been some kind of week. Two starters got hurt, three infielders went on the disabled list, and the wins kept coming. Brayan Penas pinch-hit single in the eighth inning completed another late rally by the Reds, who overcame more injuries on Friday and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 to keep their momentum going toward the All-Star break. Pena described this one as a "championship effort." "This is a huge victory for us," he said. "This is the kind of victory that shows what we can do. When we got behind, everybody kept pushing each other." Down 5-1 after six innings, the Reds scored twice with the help of third baseman Pedro Alvarezs throwing error in the seventh and added three more in the eighth. Cincinnati is 7-2 on its 11-game homestand leading into the break. Devin Mesoraco homered with two outs off left-hander Tony Watson (5-1) in the eighth, and the Reds put together four more singles, with RBI hits by Ramon Santiago and Pena completing Cincinnatis second big comeback of the week. Cincinnati overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Cubs in the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. Watson came in with a 0.84 ERA having allowed only one homer and four earned runs all season. "I dont want to say it came out of nowhere, but to come back from two outs and nobody on against a Tony Watson whos throwing missiles, I cant say enough," manager Bryan Price said. Curtis Partch (1-0), called up earlier in the day, escaped a bases-loaded threat in the eighth. Aroldis Chapman fanned the side in the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances. He has at least one strikeout in his last 40 appearances, passing Bruce Sutter for the record by a major league reliever since 1900. Andrew McCutchen and Alvarez homered for a 4-0 lead off Cincinnatis Mat Latos, who left after only five innings because of back spasms. It was the shortest of his six starts since returning from torn knee cartilage and a strained pitching forearm. Latos ran hard to first to try to beat out a bunt in the second inning. His back started acting up when he went back to the mound. "When I was bending over to get the sign for the first batter in the third inning, all of a sudden it felt like one of the middle infielders came up and stabbed me in the back," Latos said. "It calmed down a little bit for two more innings." The Reds have been hit hard by injuries in the past week. First baseman Joey Votto is on the DL indefinitely with a thigh injury. Second baseman Brandon Phillips tore a ligament in his left thumb and had surgery on Friday. Skip Schumaker was expected to help fill in at second base, but he went on the 7-day concussion list. Starter Homer Bailey slightly strained his right knee on Thursday, but is expected to make his next turn. Now, its Latos who is a question. Billy Hamilton had a sore hamstring on Thursday and was relegated to pinch-hitting during a 6-4, 12-inning loss to the Cubs. He was back in the lineup on Friday and produced a run right away. He led off with a bunt toward first baseman Gaby Sanchez, pulling up and whirling his arms as he dodged the tag and then lunged for the base, touching it safely with his hand. He scored from first on Zack Cozarts double. NOTES: Mike Leake (7-7), who has won his last five decisions against the Pirates, faces Charlie Morton (5-9) on Saturday. ... Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said RHP Gerrit Cole wont be ready to rejoin the rotation when hes eligible to come off the DL on July 20. Cole has a sore muscle in his right side. ... Neil Walker was 0 for 3 with a walk, ending his 12-game hitting streak. ... Alvarezs 15 homers rank second behind Cincinnatis Todd Frazier (16) for most by an NL third baseman. ... The Reds optioned C Tucker Barnhart to Triple-A Louisville and called up right-handed relievers Carlos Contreras and Partch. Sam Mills Jersey . Icardi is living with the ex-wife of former teammate Maxi Lopez, and the Sampdoria forward refused to shake Icardis hand before kickoff. Walter Samuel and Rodrigo Palacio also scored for Inter while Lopez had a penalty saved. Archie Manning Jersey . On a hot, sweaty day, the Hall of Famer looked cool and comfortable. http://www.shoptheofficialsaints.com/Eli...-Saints-Jersey/. Carreno Busta broke his opponent five times in the match, but also lost his serve three times in the second set before prevailing in the tiebreaker. Both players struggled with their first serve, as Carreno Busta landed just 51 per cent of his to 47 per cent for Kukushkin. Rickey Jackson Jersey . - Tom Brady and the Patriots routed the Bengals and quieted the doubters. New Orleans Saints Jerseys .com) - Rakeem Christmas scored 21 points, B.ANAHEIM – Adam Lind will be lost to the Blue Jays for most of the second half of the season with a fracture in his right foot. Not only does the injury do further damage to the clubs hopes of a first playoff appearance in more than 20 years, it damages the franchises reputation because of how the injury was diagnosed. Lind volunteered the information after Wednesdays 8-7 loss to the Angels. "My mom wanted me to get an MRI, which we hadnt had yet because it wasnt getting any better," said Lind. "I asked for an MRI and it showed it." The fracture is the result of the ball Lind fouled off his foot on June 14 in Baltimore. At the time, he underwent a CT scan, which revealed a deep bruise. Lind said he was told he could not make the injury worse by playing. He pinch hit in games in New York (June 19) and Cincinnati (June 20, 21) before returning to the starting lineup as the designated hitter on June 23. At the time, he acknowledged his return to the starting lineup was expedited in the wake of injuries to Brett Lawrie (fractured right index finger) and Jose Bautista (hamstring). Since that time, Edwin Encarnacion has landed on the disabled list with a Grade-2 strain of his right quadriceps. Its not clear whether the initial CT scan missed the diagnosis or whether Lind was given bad information regarding the consequences of playing with the injury. The bottom line is Linds gone, taking his .320/.389//.dddddddddddd489 (.369/.434/.570 versus right-handed pitchers) slash line with him. "Its not good," he said, in what qualifies as the understatement of the year. The Blue Jays, 1-6 through the Oakland and Anaheim portions of their 10-game, pre-All-Star Break road trip, have a day off on Thursday before settling in to Tampa Bay for three games with the Rays. A roster move will have to be made with Dan Johnson making the most sense. Johnson, 34, is a left-handed hitter whos best served as a designated hitter. He can occasionally play first base. He is a poor mans Lind, racking up more than three years of major league service time spread over eight seasons with four organizations. In 92 games with Triple-A Buffalo this year, Johnson is hitting .251/.405/.479 with 17 home runs and 19 doubles. He is best remembered for a home run he hit off Yankees reliever Cory Wade on the final day of the 2011 regular season. Johnsons Tampa Bay Rays overcame a 7-0 deficit as the Boston Red Sox, up in Baltimore, completed their fried chicken and beer-induced implosion that cost manager Terry Francona his job. The Rays would beat the Yankees in 12 innings on an Evan Longoria home run and enter the playoffs in improbable fashion. Without Lind, Encarnacion and Lawrie for the foreseeable future and with Bautista playing through continued pain in his hamstring, the Jays are beaten up as they get beaten on a near daily basis. ' ' '