CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Zack Greinke had never lost at Great American Ball Park.
[b]San Francisco 49ers Store[/b] . Todd Frazier wasnt going to give him time to settle in on the mound again. Frazier swung at the first pitch he got from Greinke and hit a two-run homer on Thursday afternoon, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and a split of their four-game series. The Reds won the last two games to finish a 5-5 homestand that left them stuck closer to the bottom of the NL Central than the top. Alfredo Simon (9-3) gave up seven singles in eight innings, joining the Cardinals Adam Wainwright as the NLs nine-game winners. Greinke (8-3) had been 4-0 in five games at Great American. A slow start cost him his perfect mark. Skip Schumaker opened the Reds first with a single, and Frazier followed with his team-high 14th homer on Greinkes fifth pitch of the game. Joey Votto doubled on the next pitch as well. "I was just trying to electrify us and get us going," said Frazier, who has five homers in his last 11 games. "First pitch, I was ready to attack. It was good to get the lead for Alfredo." Greinke gave the third baseman credit for hitting a pitch that ended up where it was intended. "It wasnt necessarily any worse pitches than the rest of the game, just that Fraziers hot," Greinke said. "A first-pitch slider at the bottom of the zone, you take your chances. But hes a strong guy and got a homer out of it." Cincinnati would get only one more hit off Greinke, who went six innings before leaving for a pinch-hitter. The Reds added a pair of runs in the eighth, when Zack Cozart doubled and scored on Brandon Leagues wild pitch. Ryan Ludwick had an RBI single. Simon matched his career high with eight innings and held the lead by pitching out of a threat in the seventh with a 2-1 lead. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier opened with singles. Tim Federowicz flied out too shallow to score the run, and Kemp was caught in a rundown after he tried to score on Miguel Rojas grounder. Pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke struck out to end the threat. "What hes he doing thats most surprising to me is pitching effectively into the seventh and eighth innings," manager Bryan Price said. "Hes pitching deep into games and continuing to stay aggressive with his stuff. He looks very comfortable in high-leverage situations." The 33-year-old pitcher has been a reliever most of his career, but embraced the chance to start. So far, he hasnt shown any problems making the switch. "I feel like my arm is only 20 years old," Simon said. "I feel like I can throw 200 innings." Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances. Simons nine wins match his total for his last two seasons with Cincinnati, when he was a reliever. Simon moved into the rotation when Mat Latos tore knee cartilage and had surgery at the start of spring training. Latos is expected to bump left-hander Tony Cingrani from the rotation when he returns from the disabled list this weekend. The Reds offence was finally back together during the homestand, with Votto returning from a strained muscle above his left knee that landed him on the disabled list for 23 games. Votto had a double and a single on Thursday, leaving him 4-for-10 in his three games back. The Dodgers completed a 4-3 trip to Colorado and Cincinnati, two hitter-friendly ballparks. Their pitching was solid, but the offence faded at the end, scoring one run in the last two games. They were limited to eight singles on Thursday, including Kemps RBI hit in the first inning. NOTES: The Dodgers start a six-game homestand on Friday against Arizona. LHP Clayton Kershaw (5-2) faces Chase Anderson (5-0). ... The Reds play their next six games in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. Homer Bailey (7-3) faces Matt Garza (4-4) on Friday. ... LA is 39-22 against the Reds since the start of the 2006 season. .... The Dodgers won a challenge in the first inning, when Brandon Phillips initially was called safe at first base. The replay showed he was out. ... SS Hanley Ramirez was out of the lineup for a second consecutive game with a sore throwing shoulder. He got an injection after Wednesdays game. ... Phillips left in the eighth inning with a sore right index finger, hurt on a defensive play earlier in the game. ... Cozart extended his hitting streak to seven games.
[b]Stitched 49ers Jerseys[/b] . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Latvia won a four-man World Cup bobsled race Sunday, while the U.
[b]San Francisco 49ers Shirts[/b] .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown.BARCELONA, Spain - Lionel Messi has another scoring record in sight when Barcelona visits Almeria on Saturday looking to bounce back from consecutive losses that have cost it the Spanish league lead.Messi scored his 70th and 71st goals in the Champions League in a 2-0 win at Ajax on Wednesday to equal Raul Gonzalezs all-time record in Europes top-tier club competition.The Argentina forward can now match the Spanish leagues scoring milestone as he is just one goal short of Telmo Zarras mark of 251, a record the Athletic Bilbao great established in 1955.Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, will try to extend his club-record run of scoring in eight straight league appearances when the leaders hosts crosstown minnow Rayo Vallecano.Madrid leads Valencia and Atletico Madrid by one point, with Barcelona and Sevilla another point behind.Here are some things to know about round 11 of the Spanish league:___BALE BACK: Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has been facing questions about whether Gareth Bale, the winger Madrid bought for a world-record 100-million euros (then $132-million) last season, has a place in his starting 11.While Bale nursed a muscle injury, Madrid didnt skip a beat and won all five games, including a 3-1 victory over Barcelona.And with the Santiago Bernabeu crowd chanting the name of midfielder Francisco Isco Alarcon and thrilled with James Rodriguez, some have questioned whether Bale shouldnt be left on the bench.Ancelotti is not having any of it and said Bale will start against Rayo after coming on as a substitute against Liverpool.I see Bale is fine, Ancelotti said. I didnt start him because he is just back from injury. He felt fine. He will start on Saturday.___SUAREZ SEARCHING: While Messi dazzled in Amsterdam with his goals and incisive playmaking, new teammate Luis Suarez was left scoreless against his former club to remain without a goal in three games since returning from his four-month biting ban.Messsi is not worried and expects the goals to come for Suarez once he settles in and learns Barcelonas possession-based style.
[b]Fake 49ers Jerseys[/b]. .We are happy Luis is with us and he is adapting to our philosophy, Messi said. This was his third game and we expect more from him given the class of striker he is.Suarez will have a good opportunity to get on track against an Almeria team that has lost three straight and is winless in all five games played at its Juegos Mediterraneos Stadium this season.___WINNING VALENCIA: Valencia has had a remarkable turnaround under new Portuguese coach Nuno Espirito Santo and new owner Peter Lim, the Singaporean investor.The team looks like it is halting years of decline after losing only once in the first 10 rounds.Valencia is in second place before hosting struggling Athletic Bilbao. The Basques have won two straight in the league, but are in 12th place and coming off a 2-0 loss to FC Porto on Wednesday that ended their chances of advancing in the Champions League.___TROUBLE AT ANOETA: Atletico visits a Real Sociedad side that is still trying to find a replacement for fired coach Jagoba Arrasate.Sociedad let Arrasate go with the team having won just once in 10 rounds. The club president said former Manchester United boss David Moyes is one of four candidates to take over.Antoine Griezmann will make his return to San Sebastian, where he played for five seasons before transferring to the defending champions in the off-season.___STEADY SEVILLA: Sevilla has won four straight home games in the league and welcomes relegation-threatened Levante.Coach Unai Emery has melded new arrivals Denis Suarez, Aleix Vidal and Gerard Deulofeu into a side led by Colombia striker Carlos Bacca to produce one of the leagues most versatile attacks.Levante, meanwhile, is tied with Granada for the fewest goals scored in the 20-team league with just six.Sevilla hosts Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday. ' ' '