Heimspiele » consider: - After last years improbable Final Four appear

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The Cincinnati Reds came up with a game plan to steal a game from Jake Arrieta, and they ran with it. Billy Hamilton stole his 51st base and the Reds swiped six in all, beating the Chicago Cubs 7-2 Thursday. Zack Cozart and Todd Frazier each stole twice, and Kristopher Negron added one more. The last time the Reds stole at least six was 2006 against Washington. The Reds had six steals in the first four innings, using six hits and four walks to build a 6-0 lead against Arrieta (7-5). Cincinnati stole three in a three-run second inning and two in a three-run fourth. All six steals came at second base, with John Baker catching Arrieta. "We knew it would be hard to score on Arrieta," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We wanted to create some opportunities by being aggressive. We did a good job, all the way through, not just the first time through the lineup." Dylan Axelrod (1-0) pitched five scoreless innings of two-hit ball and struck out eight. "He had roughly 60 pitches in the first three innings," Price said. "It looked like he would only make it through three but he made an in-game adjustment and made it through five." Axelrod was taking injured Homer Baileys spot in the starting rotation and made his first start for the Reds since Aug. 16 in Colorado. Axelrod left that game with a lead, only to have the bullpen give it up. A water main break in Denver caused a doubleheader that taxed the Reds bullpen and Axelrod was sent to the minors in favour of bullpen help. "It made sense," Axelrod said of that move. "You have to take advantage of every opportunity up here. They took some tough two-strike pitches in the first two innings. I decided to attack with my fastball. The three run lead made it easier. Cubs rookie Jorge Soler doubled and singled in his second major league game and drove in a run. He homered and singled in his debut on Wednesday. Hamilton set the tone right away. He drew a leadoff walk in the first and stole second on the next pitch. Hamilton went 2 for 2 with a double and walked twice. Dee Gordon of the Dodgers began the day leading the majors with 58 steals. Negron and Cozart each stole and scored in the second. Cozart and Frazier both stole and scored in the fourth. Cozart had three hits, including a double, and scored three times. "Ive been feeling better the last three weeks but I havent always gotten the results," Cozart said. "Now its starting to show. Weve been aggressive all year and not just with Billy. It makes it fun and creates opportunities when we run." Arrieta felt he could have done a better job against the Reds running game. "I was bad at holding the runners. Thats my fault," Arrieta said. "I wasnt giving Baker an opportunity to throw them out. That sets up the hits." "Frazier hit two good pitches, but the pitch to Phillips was out over the plate, and so was the one to Hamilton for the double. Ive got to vary my times better at holding the ball. They were aggressive on the bases and at the plate. They were able to get good reads and good jumps." Reds relievers Pedro Villareal and Logan Ondrusek combined for three perfect innings. The Cubs scored two runs off Jumbo Diaz in the ninth. WHIFF Jay Bruce struck out five times. He is the seventh Reds player to strike out five times in a game and the second to do it in nine innings. Adam Dunn also struck out five times in nine innings in 2002. TRAINERS ROOM Cubs: 1B Anthony Rizzo was out of the lineup for the second straight day with tightness in his lower back. Manager Rick Renteria hopes to have him back for the upcoming series in St. Louis. Reds: Bailey (right elbow) and 1B Joey Votto (left knee) are progressing at a slow rate. The Reds plan to call up seven to nine players on Monday when rosters expand to 40, according to manager Bryan Price. UP NEXT Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (5-1) will open the four-game series in St. Louis on Friday. He had a rain-shortened, two-inning start Aug. 23 against Baltimore. Reds: Mike Leake (10-11) will begin the opener of a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Friday. Leake is 5-0 in 11 starts against Pittsburgh since a 3-2 loss on May 5, 2012. DH PLANS Cubs LHP Felix Doubront will come off the DL to start the opener of Saturdays doubleheader in St. Louis. LHP Tsuyoshi Wada will start the second game. YOUNG CUBS The Cubs started four players who were 24 or younger: Veteran Starlin Castro (24), who made his debut at 20, Javier Baez (21), Jorge Soler (22) and Arismendy Alcantara (22) were in the starting lineup. Billy Hamilton was the youngest Reds starter at 23. Yeezys Ireland For Sale . On Saturday night, Winnipegs strong offense was again accompanied by some fantastic pitching which gave the Fish a commanding victory. Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Ireland . Modin, 36, tallied seven goals and three assists in 36 games with the Thrashers this season. The Sundsvall, Sweden, native has posted 232 goals and 230 assists in 894 career NHL games with Toronto, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Los Angeles and Atlanta and has appeared in 57 post-season contests, helping the Lightning capture the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship. http://www.yeezysupplyireland.com/ . 1 Pete Sampras. Speaking ahead of an exhibition match against Andre Agassi in London on March 3, Sampras said on a conference call Wednesday that he is impressed by Federers longevity. Adidas Zx 750 Black Ireland . -- Jose Bautista never worries about hitting homers during the regular season. Yeezy Boost Wholesale . RAPTORS STRUGGLING: The bottom line is the true test in sports isnt just how you handle failure, but how you handle success.With Selection Sunday behind us, its time to fill out your 2014 NCAA Tournament bracket and enter TSNs 2014 Tournament Challenge brought to you by Werner. Its pretty simple: Pick who you think will win each of the 63 tournament games (with the Tournament starting this Thursday) and earn points for a correct selection. As the tournament progresses, the point value for the right selection increases, culminating with the April 7 final. If you finish with the most points, youll win yourself a trip for two to a pro basketball game of your choice! You dont have to be a college basketball expert to fill out a bracket. Every year, March Madness is marked by Cinderella runs fueled by completely unexpected upsets. Obviously, teams are seeded where they are for a reason and you can use seedings to inform your choices, but theres nothing more satisfying than correctly calling an upset. And why not dare to be bold? You can enter up to 10 brackets. Go ahead and make risky picks in one, but then play it safe in another. Heck, you can even fill out a bracket based on which schools jerseys are nicer or what team has the better nickname. Theey are your brackets.dddddddddddd. Some storylines to consider: - After last years improbable Final Four appearance, Wichita State heads into the Tournament as an undefeated #1 seed. Will the Shockers live up to the hype or wilt under superior competition? - Last years champions, the Louisville Cardinals, defeated the UCONN Huskies on Saturday to win the AAC Conference title. Though they seemed to have the credentials for a top seed, they head into the Tournament as a #4. Has the selection committee underestimated the defending champions resolve or was it right to place Rick Pitinos charges where it did? - Which 2014 first-round NBA Draft hopeful will propel his team the furthest? Dukes Jabari Parker? Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State? Kentuckys Julius Randle? - How about the 35 Canadians in the Big Dance? Can Kansas superstar Andrew Wiggins lead the Jayhawks to a fourth national title? Are Melvin Ejim, Naz Long and Big 12-champion Iowa State primed for a deep run? With a loss in last years final, can Nik Stauskas and Michigan make that final step this year? So go ahead and fill our your bracket. Its cool. We wont tell your boss. ' ' '