happened ... Its very strong," St-Pierre said later. Th

PITTSBURGH -- It looked like Alfredo Simons bubble was about to burst. After being one of the biggest surprises of the young season for the Cincinnati Reds by ably filling in for injured starting pitcher Mat Latos, Simon hit a rough patch in the first inning Wednesday night. He walked three batters in a row to force in a run. Then, just like that, the right-hander went back to being dominant, pitching into the seventh inning despite the erratic early control, and Jay Bruce drove in a run for a fifth consecutive game as the Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2. "It was cold and I was having a hard time feeling the ball," said Simon, pitching on a blustery night when the game-time temperature was 50 degrees. "After that first inning, I felt a lot better and pitched like Ive been pitching. Simon (3-1) worked 6 2-3 innings and allowed two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out four. Simon has pitched at least six innings in each of his four starts this season as a replacement for the injured Mat Latos and has a 1.30 ERA. Simon pitched exclusively in relief the previous two years. "Hes been terrific," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Hes been an extremely versatile pitcher for us the last two-plus seasons. Hes always been a talented guy, but hes really found himself and made himself into a very good-looking starting pitcher." Bruce had two hits and knocked in the final run of the decisive three-run fifth inning against Charlie Morton (0-3) that gave the Reds a 4-2 lead. Billy Hamilton also had two hits for Cincinnati, which stole four bases while winning seven of 10 games since a 3-7 start. "We took advantage of what we could because this is team that might not give you a lot most nights," Bruce said. "We tried to put some pressure on the defence." Jonathan Broxton pitched a scoreless ninth inning, despite allowing two hits, for his third save. Andrew McCutchen had two hits and homered for the third consecutive night for the Pirates, who lost for the 10th time in 13 games. Morton also had control issues, walking five in six innings while giving up four runs -- three earned -- and four hits with four strikeouts. "I was yanking my fastball all night," he said. "There were times were I was trying to go inside on left-handed hitters and missing in the right-handed batters box. I was literally missing by 3 feet." The Reds used their speed to go ahead in a fifth inning that included two stolen bases and the second throwing error of the game by catcher Chris Stewart. NOTES: Pittsburgh C Russell Martin was a late scratch because of a miscommunication. Martin, who is 0-for-7 against Simon, thought he was getting Wednesday off while manager Clint Hurdle thought he and Martin had decided Thursday would be an off day. ... Reds LHP Aroldis Chapman threw early batting practice, the first time he had faced hitters since suffering fractures of his eye and nose along with a mild concussion March 19 when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Kansas Citys Salvador Perez. Chapman pitched from behind a protective screen and the next step is for him to throw batting practice without the screen sometime this weekend when the Reds visit Atlanta. ... Cincinnati INF/OF Skip Schumaker will report to the Reds extended spring training camp on Friday at Goodyear, Ariz., as he continues to rehab the left shoulder he dislocated while diving for a ball in the outfield during a spring training game March 21. ... Pittsburgh 1B Travis Ishikawa cleared waivers and elected free agency after declining an outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis. He was designated for assignment last Friday. ... The Pirates will recall RHP Brandon Cumpton from Indianapolis to start Thursday against LHP Tony Cingrani (1-2, 3.22) in the finale of the four-game series. Wholesale Vapormax Plus . The top-ranked Spaniard won his fourth Madrid Open on Sunday after Kei Nishikori was forced to withdraw with a hip injury when trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 in the final. And Nadal, who is coming off to uncharacteristic quarterfinal losses on clay, said his mental strength is still lacking just two weeks ahead of the French Open. Fake Vapormax 97 . Peter Dawson took his long before he started the job. "I was playing an American one year at Oxford Golf Club, and he introduced me to this travelling mulligan," Dawson said. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/cheap-vapormax-2019-clearance.html .com) - Driphus Jackson had three touchdown passes, including two in a 19-second span in the opening quarter, to guide Rice to a 30-6 rout of Fresno State at the Hawaii Bowl. Fake Vapormax Womens .Y. -- The Montreal Canadiens have had few reasons to celebrate this season as they have been mired near the basement of the Eastern Conference. Vapormax 97 Clearance . - Dominika Cibulkova erased three match points in the second set Wednesday and beat Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open. TORONTO -- Georges St-Pierres road back to the Octagon is suddenly a lot bumpier. The former UFC welterweight champion, currently on hiatus from mixed martial arts but still training with an eye to a future return, revealed Thursday that he requires knee surgery. "Tore my left ACL in training. Surgery in a few days," St-Pierre said via Twitter. "Rehab, pain, hard work, no shortcuts - Ill soon be back at 100%. Thanks for the support." The Montreal mixed martial artist confirmed in a text to The Canadian Press that it is not the same knee that required reconstructive surgery in December 2011. "Im OK," he said. St-Pierre vacated his title in December saying he needed time away from the sport. But he kept training. The 32-year-old fighter has said he plans to return to MMA but has not provided a timeline. GSP has had his share of injuries. In the fall of 2011, he sustained a minor left knee problem and pulled hamstring. He believes that led to overcompensating with his right leg when he returned to training. An attempted takedown during a wrestling drill led to a torn anterior cruciate ligamment and a small tear to his internal miniscus.dddddddddddd That operation was done by Neal ElAttrache, the surgeon who looked after NFL star Tom Bradys knee in 2009. "My knee feels like it never happened ... Its very strong," St-Pierre said later. The Canadian returned in November 2012 to win a decision over Carlos (The Natural Born Killer) Condit at UFC 154, the then-champions first fight in some 18 months. St-Pierre (25-2) went on to beat Nick Diaz and Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks, in a controversial split decision at UFC 167 last November, before opting to step away from the sport. He cited personal issues, without detailing them. Hendricks won the vacant 170-pound title at UFC 171 earlier this month with a unanimous decision over (Ruthless) Robbie Lawler. St-Pierre had to delay his first scheduled title defence back in 2007 due to sprained posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. Surgery was not required then. And a 2006 fight was called off due to a groin problem. He also had a layoff in 2009 after tearing his adductor muscle in three places in a UFC 100 win over Thiago Alves. ' ' '