began the day with a wakeup call via his blog

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Homer Bailey finally beat the Philadelphia Phillies -- and he has nobody but himself to thank. Bailey pitched eight effective innings and drove in the go-ahead runs as the Cincinnati Reds came from behind for a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. "The bullpen has picked me up so much this year that the big thing I wanted to do today was give them a day off," he said. Manager Bryan Price was happy to see his starter rewarded. "What an effort," Price said. "What impressed me most was he went out in the eighth with 108 pitches against the middle of their lineup. He wanted to be the guy. He was all in. He did what we needed him to do. He tastes the finish line. Theres something in that. Certainly, his two-run single was big." Billy Hamilton added a two-run homer for the Reds, who won their second straight against the reeling Phillies after a three-game losing streak. Bailey (7-3) allowed just six hits and one run with three walks and seven strikeouts while matching his season high in innings and picking up his first career win in five decisions over 10 games against Philadelphia. He threw a season-high 121 pitches, four short of tying his career high. The Phillies had at least one runner on base in six of those innings, but they couldnt capitalize enough to avoid their eighth loss in nine games. Manager Ryne Sandberg blamed a lack of "execution and focus." "I see potential now and then, but we need to be consistent," the first-year manager said. "Its all about chipping in and doing something every day." Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth for his ninth save. Rookie right-hander David Buchanan (1-3), making his fourth career start since being called up by Philadelphia on May 24, allowed six hits and four runs with six strikeouts in six innings. He also hit a batter while losing his third consecutive start. Trailing 1-0 in the fifth, Todd Frazier led off with a bloop single to centre field and went to third on Zack Cozarts opposite-field double down the right-field line. Against a drawn-in Phillies infield, Bailey grounded a two-run single up the middle, just out of reach of diving shortstop Jimmy Rollins. "I think a starting pitcher should at least be able to handle a bat," Bailey said. "At least put the ball in play -- get a fly ball or a seeing-eye single." Hamilton, hitless in his previous 12 at bats, followed with his second home run of the season, a 348-foot drive into the right-field seats on what he said was a full-count changeup. He wasnt sure it was going out. "I dont hit home runs," he pointed out. "Didnt you see me running? I was rolling. I looked up and Homer was right there." Buchanan wouldnt change either one of the pitches, he said. "I got the ground ball I wanted," he said about Baileys hit. "I left the changeup (to Hamilton) up. If its down and away, he doesnt hit it. I had conviction with that pitch. It was the right pitch." Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead in the third. Ben Revere and Jimmy Rollins singled with one out. Revere stole third and scored on Chase Utleys sacrifice fly. The Phillies, who saw two innings end with runners thrown out at the plate on Saturday, lost another runner at home in the fourth inning on Sunday. Domonic Brown was on third base with Carlos Ruiz on first and one out when Cesar Hernandez hit a chopper to third baseman Todd Frazier, who easily threw out Brown at the plate. Buchanan followed with an inning-ending fielders-choice grounder. Notes: Jimmy Rollins needs five hits to pass Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt for the Phillies career record after going 1-for-3 on Sunday. ... Cincinnatis Devin Mesoraco struck out three times while extending his career-long hitless streak to 17 at bats. ... Philadelphia wrapped up a stretch of 20 games in 20 days with a 6-14 record. After a day off on Monday, the Phillies open a stretch of 21 games in 20 days with the first of a three-game home series against San Diego. ... The Reds are scheduled to continue their 10-game home stand, their second-longest of the season, on Monday with the first of four games against the Dodgers. Cheap Nike Shoes Free Shipping . The Oilers will try to get back in the win column on Monday when they continue a four-game road trip with a battle against the Buffalo Sabres. Edmonton won its third straight game last Wednesday against visiting San Jose, beating the Sharks 3-0 as Scrivens stopped 59 shots to set an NHL record for saves in a regular-season shutout. Cheap Nike Shoes Authentic .C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. https://www.wholesalenikeshoesauthentic.com/ . -- Washingtons Bradley Beal seemed to make every shot he took in setting a career high with 37 points. Cheap Nike Shoes . Lost to Los Angeles in first round of playoffs. Cheap Nike Shoes From China . Its great to be back for another season in Banditland, and Im looking forward to another competitive season with my teammates, said Tavares.WASHINGTON -- If Trevor Ariza can hit every 3-pointer he takes, if four starters can routinely score 20 points, if Marcin Gortat can keep asserting him as an inside scoring threat, and, well, if the opponent is always the Orlando Magic, the Washington Wizards will do just fine without Nene. In their first game since their Brazilian big mans latest injury, the Wizards took advantage of a favourable opponent and showed they know how to win without him. John Wall had 27 points and seven assists, Trevor Ariza scored 22 points by making all five of his 3s, and Gortat added 21 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday night in a 115-106 win over the Magic. "I automatically tried to put myself in the situation to score," said Gortat, who was 9 for 13 from the field. "I yell to John. Sometimes hes going to yell back at me, then I would just say, Hey, Nenes not here. This is what Ive got to do to lead this team, help this team inside, and Im going to run to the block and demand the ball, and I believe Im capable of doing it." Bradley Beal added 21 points, giving Washington four 20-point scorers for the first time since April 6, 2010. The Wizards have won a season-high four in a row to move one game above .500. They also improved to 2-6 this season without the pivotal but oft-injured Nene, who sprained the MCL in his left knee Sunday in a win at Cleveland and is expected to miss six weeks. Victor Oladipo scored 26 points and Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Magic, who tied a single-season franchise record by losing their 16th consecutive road game. They remain without leading scorer Arron Afflalo, who missed his second game with a sprained right ankle. "We scored," Vucevic said. "We just couldnt get stops, and you cant do that on the road." In case there was any thought that Nenes injury would give the Wizards a convenient excuse to miss the post-season for the sixth straight year, owner Ted Leonsis began the day with a wakeup call via his blog, posting "Our goals have not changed in any way" and the team must overcome injuries and "whatever else comes our way." Leonsis has made it cleaar that another year in the NBA lottery would not be acceptable.dddddddddddd The Wizards sit in fifth place in the weak Eastern Conference, and coach Randy Wittman and team president Ernie Grunfeld are both in the last season of their contracts. The Wizards are 60-61 when Nene plays and 9-34 when he doesnt since he was acquired in a trade two years ago. Washington also played Tuesdays game without forward Kevin Seraphin, who has a sore right knee. For the players, Leonsis message was hardly necessary. Theyre also tired of having the season end in mid-April. "If youre an All-Star and those type of players, youve got to step up and take on a bigger role," said Wall, who played in his first All-Star game this month. "And thats a situation Im willing to accept and do. ... Just having that energy that I have when play good against those other good point guards, to do it on a consistent basis, thats something I really have to step up to another level with Nene being out." The only starter in single digits was Nenes fill-in, Trevor Booker, who had three points and seven rebounds. The team planned to sign Drew Gooden to a 10-day contract in time for the next game, Thursday against the Toronto Raptors. The Wizards led for nearly the entire game, but it was never a blowout. Washington had a 17-point lead in the second and third quarters, but Oladipo and Vucevic led an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to six late in the third. The Magic got as close as eight in the final period, but Ariza got a fortuitous bounce on a 3-pointer to restore a comfortable lead. "I guess Ive been living right, doing the right things," Ariza said. "The shot clock was running down. It hit the front of the rim, I think it hit the backboard and went in, so its all good." NOTES: Orlando had no fast-break points. ... The Magic also lost 16 road games in a row in a single season in early 2006. The franchise record over more than one season is 17 -- the final 12 road games of last season and the first five of this season. ... The Magic had two new faces on the bench. C Dewayne Dedmon and swingman Adonis Thomas signed 10-day deals earlier in the day. ' ' '