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CINCINNATI -- The Pittsburgh Pirates did the little things to come up with a big win.Jordy Mercer had an RBI single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning, David Freese added a two-run single, and the Pirates overcame some shaky defense to preserve their chances in the NL wild-card race with a 9-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.The Pirates loaded the bases against Tony Cingrani (2-5) with a walk and two infield hits, including catcher Francisco Cervelli beating out a bunt to load the bases before Mercer snapped a 6-6 tie with a single to left. Freese singled to center two batters later.With (Cingrani), you have to be patient, Cervelli said. He throws the ball down and wants you to hit ground balls. We tried to do the little things. In that situation, you trust the guy behind you. The way Ive been swinging, I had to do it perfectly.You cant walk the leadoff man, Reds manager Bryan Price. Its basically a nothing-nothing game. You have to come in throwing strikes. Tony has had a terrific year, but thats been his nemesis lately.The Pirates have scored a combined 11 runs in their last at bats over their last two games. They scored eight in the ninth inning on Thursday against Philadelphia.They continue to play, manager Clint Hurdle said. Thats it. Theyre looking to continue games and finish games. That game was fun. Different things happened. Different opportunities presented themselves to different people.Gregory Polanco and Jung Ho Kang homered to help the Pirates to their third win in four games after a four-game losing streak. Pittsburgh remained 5 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the NLs second wild card.Antonio Bastardo (3-0) pitched a perfect ninth and Tony Watson allowed Steve Selskys first career home run before finishing up for his 13th save.The teams combined to use 15 pitchers.Polanco followed Andrew McCutchens RBI double with a two-run homer to right in the first, his first since Aug. 29.After Brandon Phillips RBI single in the first, Ramon Cabrera tied the game 3-3 with a two-run homer in the second. Robert Stephenson hit Kang with a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Pirates a 4-3 lead in the fifth.Scott Schebler cashed in on two Pittsburgh fielding gaffes with a tie-breaking triple to give the Reds a 6-4 lead in the fifth.Joey Votto singled with one out in the sixth for a 4-4 tie. One out later, Brandon Phillips reached when pitcher Ryan Vogelsong dropped first baseman John Jasos throw for an error. Schebler followed with a line drive to center field that McCutchen uncharacteristically misplayed, allowing it to sail past him and roll to the wall for a two-run triple.Kang tied the game with a two-run homer in the seventh off Blake Wood.RECORD(S) SWATKangs seventh-inning home run was the 236th allowed by Reds pitchers this season, tying the franchise record set in 2004. It also was the 93rd allowed by the Reds bullpen, breaking the major league record of 92 set in 1964 by the Kansas City Athletics.WET BLANKETThe start of the game was delayed 31 minutes by rain, one day before the teams play a day-night doubleheader created by a postponement from May 10.MANDATORY HBPStephenson grazed Kang with a pitch in the first inning and plunked him solidly with the bases loaded in the fifth, pushing to 20 the number of Pirates batters hit by Reds pitchers this season and to 53 the number over the last four seasons, the most by any major league staff against any opponent.FRIENDLY SKIESA drone was spotted flying around outside the ballpark before and during the game. A Reds spokesman said the Federal Aviation Administration had given the City of Cincinnati permission to let the drone record events on Friday and Sunday along the Ohio River.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: Continuing low back problems kept LF Starling Marte out of Fridays starting lineup. Marte hasnt played since Sept. 5.Reds: A day off on Thursday wasnt enough for SS Zack Cozarts right knee to improve enough to play. Cozart hasnt played because of soreness in the surgically repaired knee since being scratched from Sundays starting lineup.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Trevor Williams (1-1) is scheduled to make his first major league start in the second game of Saturdays day-night doubleheader. RHP James Taillon (3-4) is the first-game starter.Reds: RHP Anthony DeSclafani (8-3) can match the career high for wins he set last season in doubleheaders first game. LHP Robert Finnegan (9-10) is scheduled to start the second game. Air Max Ireland . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. Cheap Air Max Wholesale . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. http://www.airmaxireland.com/ . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Air Max Free Shipping . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. Wholesale Air Max . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months.There is a reciprocal relationship between sleep and exercise. If you sleep properly, you will probably perform well during your next workout or race, and if you exercise regularly, you will be able to sleep well. By understanding and applying the science of sleep, you will know how to optimize your health, fitness and performance. How Sleep Works Scientists recommend that people get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night because that is the amount of time required for all of the critical sleep-based recovery processes to occur. A very lucky and small percentage of the population has a gene that allows them to recover fully on about 4 hours of sleep - but the rest of us need much more! When you sleep, your body takes advantage of the regenerative processes that occur during this highly relaxed state. Acute exercise experiments that have measured sleep physiology directly from subjects who either performed, or refrained from, daytime exercise indicate that exercise is associated with a small, but reliable increase in Stage 2 and slow wave sleep.1 Exercise may improve sleep quality by regulating body temperature although the exact physiology to explain how exercise improves sleep is still being explored by researchers. However, because body temperature does play a key role in sleep, it has been suggested that people should sleep in a cool room that is about 21 degrees C. One example of a critical restorative process that occurs while you are sleeping is the release of Human Growth Hormone (HGH). HGH promotes fat breakdown and increases in muscle mass, which allows the body to recover from the physiological stresses that occur during training. If you are sleep deprived and have less HGH in your system, not only will you restrict your bodys ability to recover while you are sleeping, but it also appears that you will limit your ability to exercise the next day. Lower levels of HGH may decrease the amount of time an athlete can exercise at maximum effort due to reduced energy stores in their muscles.2 One of the most important things to know about sleep is that it is critical that you attain a highly relaxed state while sleeping. This means limiting the amount of stress in the hours leading up to when you want to fall asleep. The problem with stress goes beyond lying awake thinking about whatever is causing you stress. When you are in a stressed state, you secrete increased levels of a hormone called cortisol into your body and your body can respond to the apparent stress with changes like increased blood pressure and more rapid processing of glycogen. Cortisol is really helpful when you are faced with a stressful situation – like meeting a deadline or saving your family from a sabre tooth tiger – but it inhibits the adaptive processes of your body. The mental effects of sleep are well known to all of us. If we are well rested, we are more able to cope with lifes stresses, stronger and more effective in our exercise, sharper in our work and just plain more fun to be around. The catch is that the North American attitude toward sleep tends to be that it isnt particularly important. As you plan for your next race, or even if you are just reassessing your life in general, the more you can commit to getting a proper amount of sleep, the healthier and more effective you will be. What The Research Tellls Us Some research on sleep that is relevant for runners has to do with understanding the ideal conditions for a good nights sleep so that you can promote the secretion of key hormones that regulate sleep, in particular melatonin.dddddddddddd Melatonin is produced by your pineal gland, which is located deep inside your brain, and organizes the sleep cycle by controlling sleep-wake cycles. Because the pineal gland responds to light via neurons that project from your eyes, you have to ensure that you are in a dark space while you sleep. You also need to limit your use of your TV or computer since looking at a bright screen may disrupt sleep patterns by inhibiting the release of melatonin. Time to cut out the late night talk shows! An interesting finding related to sleep and eating is that research is discovering links between sleep and weight loss. The conclusions are only beginning to form but it appears that there are hormones released while we are sleeping that help to regulate our weight. Not to mention that you are less likely to dive into the sugar and fat to keep yourself going if you are exhausted. It is also important to avoid caffeine within six hours of heading to bed as caffeine (coffee, tea, green tea, chocolate etc…) will disrupt sleep patterns. In terms of the timing of your sleep, there is also an increasing body of evidence that suggests that sleeping on a regular schedule is even more important than the total amount of time you are asleep. Studies show that when an athletes bed time is shifted around but the total number of hours they sleep remains the same, there is a measurable decrease in athletic performance. So sticking to a consistent routine is critical. Improve Your Sleep Performance Personally, I recommend people get 8 hours on a consistent basis. I also recommend sleeping between 10 pm – 6 am to ensure at least 2 hours of sleep before midnight to allow people to get their 8 hours in while still having time to wake up early and get that morning run in. To ensure that you get the best quality sleep you can, keep the following things in mind: - Keep your stress levels to a minimum, especially in the hours before sleeping - Sleep in a room that is as dark as possible - even clock lights can be a problem - Avoid screen time within 45 minutes of going to bed - Keep the room you sleep in at roughly 21 degrees Celsius - Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule - Try to get into bed a couple of hours before midnight - Avoid caffeine within six hours of going to bed References 1http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/7556348...61IBT5vKEX5.222 VanHelder T, Randomski MW (1989). Sleep deprivation and the effect on exercise performance. Sports Medicine 7(4):235-247. Greg Wells Ph.D. (www.drgregwells.com, @drgregwells) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Faculties of Medicine and Kinesiology. He was the sport science analyst for the Olympic Broadcast Consortium during the 2010 & 2012 Games, and is the author of Superbodies: Peak Performance Secrets from the Worlds Best Athletes. Jessica Caterini is a member of the Human Physiology Research Unit in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Toronto. http://www.drgregwells.comhttp://www.twi....superbodies.tv ' ' '