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PITTSBURGH -- Mat Latos spent Sunday morning trying to quell a queasy stomach. Mikkel Diskerud USA Jersey . All the Cincinnati right-hander really needed was a little bit of defensive help and an overpowering fastball. Feeling lightheaded and chugging Gatorade, Latos fought off the bug and a shaky first inning to strike out a career-high 11 and lead the Reds to a 5-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. "Sometimes when guys dont feel quite right, a lot of times they throw their best games," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. "You settle down, youre concentrating, you try not to overthrow because you dont have the strength to do so." Baker joked that he kept calling Latos "Michael Jordan" in the dugout between innings and Latos kept reassuring his manager he was OK. Latos (2-2) certainly appeared to be fine while giving up two hits over six innings. So did the three relievers who upped Cincinnatis strikeout total to 17, tying a club record for a nine-inning game. The biggest of the 17 whiffs came in the first as Latos tightroped out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam. Third baseman Todd Frazier got the first out with a spectacular diving grab on a liner by Casey McGehee, a smash hit so hard Latos started looking in left field for the ball only to see Frazier lift up his glove. "Luckily I got it in the glove," Frazier said. "It almost snuck out at the end. I was holding it up there, trying to let him know. I knew Matty would do his thing. Whatever you can do to help is great, and he can help himself." Latos then caught Nate McLouth looking with a 94 mph fastball to escape. The Pirates didnt get a runner to third during Latos final five innings. "We had a chance to take the game in a different direction in the first inning and we did not," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. Drew Stubbs had three hits, including a two-run homer, and scored three times for the Reds. Frazier added his first home run of the season as Cincinnati continued its strong play in series finales. The Reds are 8-1 on getaway days, including 5-0 on Sundays. Charlie Morton (1-3) struggled to keep his sinker down and gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two. It was a far cry from the dominance Morton showed against the Reds last year, when he shut them out twice. Hes still finding his way after off-season hip surgery and admitted he appears to have lost a feel for his signature pitch. "Im not saying Im in overhaul, but Ive got to tweak something to get my bread and butter back," Morton said. "That sinker is what I am." Latos is more of a fireballer, though hes struggled this spring after being acquired in an off-season trade with San Diego. The 24-year-old dropped his first two decisions before bouncing back to pitch seven shutout innings against San Francisco on April 24, only to slip against the light-hitting Astros last week, giving up a career-worst 10 hits. Command has been an issue, and so has the lack of a strikeout pitch for one of baseballs top young arms. Latos came in with 18 strikeouts in 28 2-3 innings. It took one game to get his groove back. Latos struck out four straight at one point, and his only mistakes over his final five innings were a pair of harmless singles. "He told me (after the game) that he wasnt feeling good," Frazier said. "It didnt look like it on the mound. Good for him. Hopefully he feels like that every time he pitches." Pittsburgh rode stellar pitching and defence to scratch out a taut 3-2 victory on Saturday but had issues in both departments less than 24 hours later. The Pirates committed a pair of errors -- including a botched pickoff attempt by Morton that led to the games first run -- and left nine runners on base. Morton couldnt get his trademark sinker to sink and the Reds took full advantage. Frazier drilled a shot into the bleachers in the second for his first home run since Sept. 2, and Stubbs pushed Cincinnatis lead to 4-0 in the fourth when his fly ball sailed just over the wall in right-centre. Hurdle asked for a review but the call was upheld. Staked to a sizable lead, Latos worked quickly. Relying heavily on a fastball that consistently clocked in the mid-90s, he rolled along and capped his day by getting Clint Barmes to miss badly at a slider to end the sixth. NOTES: Pittsburgh All-Star centre fielder Andrew McCutchen was given the day off. McCutchen is battling the flu and Hurdle said: "Hes not in a good place physically." ... Latos previous career best was 10 strikeouts, which he did three times. ... The Reds begin a three-game series in Milwaukee on Monday. Bronson Arroyo (1-1, 3.03 ERA) starts against Yovani Gallardo (1-3, 5.79). Pittsburgh is off Monday and continues a nine-game homestand Tuesday against Washington. A.J. Burnett (1-2, 8.04 ERA) starts for the Pirates against Edwin Jackson (1-1, 3.69). ... Cincinnati infielder Miguel Cairo went 0 for 4 in a rehab appearance with Class-A Dayton on Saturday. His return from a strained left hamstring is still uncertain. Fabian Johnson USA Jersey . David Griffin was promoted from interim GM on Monday by owner Dan Gilbert. He says Irving was not consulted on Browns future and any insinuation that he pushed to have him fired is "patently false. Julian Green USA Jersey . Canadas strong showing throughout the World Cup season has qualified it for the maximum number of spots in every short-track speedskating event at the Sochi Games in February. "With the beginning to the season that Ive had, beginning with the Canadian trials in August, I have nothing to doubt in myself.CINCINNATI - Andy Daltons first throw was right there. So were his next seven. Even his longest pass came down in the exact spot he intended. Perfect, all around. Dalton completed all eight of his passes and led the Bengals to a pair of touchdowns and a field goal during three impressive series Saturday night before the New York Jets reserves rallied for a 25-17 preseason victory. "He continues to play the way we think Andy should play all the time," coach Marvin Lewis said. "It doesnt surprise me. Its the way he practices every day. He doesnt need to be flashy. He just needs to be accurate. He just needs to handle the offence. He does that very well." It was Daltons first game at Paul Brown Stadium since his turnover-filled 27-10 loss to San Diego in the opening round of the playoffs. Also, it was his first home game since he signed a six-year contract extension that showed Cincinnatis commitment. Couldnt have gone any better. "Thats about as good as it gets in the preseason, I guess," Dalton said. "I just felt good out there." The fourth-year quarterback went 8 for 8 for 144 yards, one touchdown and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. The Bengals (0-2) rolled up 173 yards while he was in the game, pulling ahead 17-3. With their starters on the field, the Jets (2-0) had another bad day at Paul Brown. They got drubbed 49-9 in Cincinnati midway through last season — Dalton threw a career-high five touchdown passes in that one. Their injury-depleted secondary made it easy for Dalton on Saturday night. "Dalton looked like a million-dollar quarterback tonight," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. In an experiment, the Jets moved safety Antonio Allen to cornerback and had him cover A.J. Green. It didnt go well at all — Green caught three passes for 69 yards, including a 35-yard catch after he pulled away from Allen down the sideline. Dalton threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu on the opening series, fitting a long throw in-between double coverage. Tim Howard USA Jersey. . "I just had to put my hands out," Sanu said. "It was all Andy on that one." The Bengals went no-huddle with Dalton in the game, part of new offensive co-ordinator Hue Jacksons attempt to speed things up. They looked comfortable at the new pace. "You want to see that every time out," Lewis said. "Andy looked very sharp." Geno Smith played the first half, staying in with the starters after Cincinnati substituted on defence in the second quarter. Smith was 10 of 13 for 98 yards and a passer rating of 65.5. He also ran four times for 20 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown. Smith had his worst day as a rookie at Paul Brown last season, throwing two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. Michael Vick took over in the second half and threw a 17-yard touchdown pass. He went 5 of 9 for 70 yards and scrambled twice for 16 yards. Rookie Ikemefuna Enemkpali blocked Kevin Hubers punt out of the end zone for a safety. The Jets had seven penalties for personal fouls, unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness. Offensive tackle Breno Giacomini got two of them — one for shoving cornerback Terence Newman after his interception, another for a roll block. Guard Brian Winters also got flagged for two. Notes: Attendance was 45,330. ... Rookie WR Jalen Saunders, who was involved in a one-car accident on Friday, didnt accompany the Jets to Cincinnati. ... CB Ras-I Dowling suffered a groin injury and sat out the second half. ... S Calvin Pryor, the Jets first-round pick, played in the second half. He missed the first preseason game with a concussion. ... Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict left in the first quarter with an injured right shoulder but returned for the next series. ... Top draft pick CB Darqueze Dennard hurt his hip in the first half and didnt return. Second-round RB Jeremy Hill hurt his right shoulder in the second half. cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
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