asked if he had taken a poll.Ive just been watching the games, he said.NOTE: Orioles LHP Zach Britton, successful on all 47 of his save opportunities in 2016, has d | Forum

PITTSBURGH -- Maybe its the lack of pressure on a team that is out of contention as mid-September approaches. Johnathan Joseph Jersey . Maybe its one or two players making a difference here and there.Whatever it is, the Cincinnati Reds have been a thorn in the Pittsburgh Pirates sides in a weekend series which concludes Sunday at PNC Park. The Reds lost Thursday in the series opener but have come back to win two in a row against a team desperate for wins.I feel like when you start to put too much context into a game, you fall prey to the ebbs and flows of the season, said Cincinnatis Joey Votto, whose homer Saturday provided the winning margin in an 8-7 game.I feel like the best teams and the best players dont pay attention to those kind of things and are just trying to execute. Thats why I think the rah-rah ... doesnt work in this game. Youve got to go out and play well.The Pirates would do well to use that or any other formula that would produce more wins. Pittsburgh (69-71) has lost 10 of its past 12 games and is 5 1/2 games behind of the National League wild-card cutoff, with 22 games remaining.The series against the Reds (59-82) marks the first four games of 15 in a row against teams that are playing out the season, which would seem like an opportune situation.Manager Clint Hurdle approached being terse -- something not normally in his character -- after Saturdays loss when asked about any message he was sending to the Pittsburgh players.The one thing I do is when I talk to guys, I dont tell you I talk to them, Hurdle said.Votto isnt sure any lectures or messages are needed if players are accountable.In my experience, all players feel they have the responsibility to do the best they can every day, regardless of where your team or the other team is in the standings, he said.Manager Bryan Price, Votto said, sets the tone for the Reds.Bryan is always managing to win, Votto said. Hes never worrying about fairness. Hes trying to win every game.Price is one win shy of 200 career wins.Sunday, Price will sent left-hander Brandon Finnegan (8-10, 4.17 ERA) to the mound.Over Finnegans past four starts, opposing hitters are just 12-for-86 (.140), but he has been the victim of some less than ideal circumstances this season. Five times, the Reds have blown saves in games he has pitched. Twice, he has taken a no-hitter into the seventh inning but wasnt able to complete it.The Pirates are in a stretch where they are managing their rotation in a way to keep some of their young arms fresher in the hope they make the playoffs, but that wont apply to right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, who his scheduled to start Sunday.Vogelsong (3-4, 4.07) will be making his eighth appearance since he returned from the DL after taking a pitch to the face and having surgery in May, so his season pitch count isnt a concern. He is 2-2 with a 4.26 ERA since he returned. Kahale Warring Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Tyron Johnson Jersey . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. http:///...erick-johnson-jersey . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. OXON HILL, Md. -- Jose Bautista has long been booed whenever hes played in Baltimore. Now, the free agent slugger wants the Orioles to consider signing him, and the team isnt having any part of it.Bautista, who made his major league debut with the Os in 2004, has tussled in recent years with Baltimore pitcher Darren ODay and outfielder Adam Jones, among others.Orioles Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette was asked about the 36-year-old Bautista on a Toronto radio station Tuesday night, and he said he wouldnt sign the longtime Blue Jays star because Baltimore fans didnt like him.In a session with Baltimore reporters at the winter meetings, Duquette expanded on his remarks.Jose Bautistas agents been knocking on the Orioles door for a while, Duquette said. I told him, `Look our fans dont really like Jose Bautista, and they dont.Not to mention he has a qualifying offer attached to him, and I just made a comment in that we werent going to be pursuing their client. Its true, the guys a villain in Baltimore.Duquette was asked if Bautista could conceivably become more attractive if his price on the free agent market dropped.Ill have to ask our fans, said Duquette, joking.Bautista was one of several AL East players who have been uunpopular in Baltimore. Davin Bellamy Jersey. . But, three of them -- New Yorks Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira and Bostons David Ortiz -- have retired.We have a good rivalry with several teams in the division. We have a very spirited rivalry with the Jays, which I think is good. Most of the time its healthy. Once in a while, peoples emotions get the best of them, Duquette said.This is a tough division. The American League East is tough. Youve got those two behemoths in the north, and then youve got a whole country a little further north. You play these teams, what 18 times? Nineteen times during the season? In addition to that, we play them another four or five times in spring training.Were in the same neighborhood with these people, 24, 25 times a year, and its very competitive, so these things are going to happen. Its a pretty wide number of fans that dont like this guy.Duquette was asked if he had taken a poll.Ive just been watching the games, he said.NOTE: Orioles LHP Zach Britton, successful on all 47 of his save opportunities in 2016, has declined an invitation to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in March. Wholeslae Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys ' ' '