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PHILADELPHIA -- Alfredo Simon invented new pitches to baffle hitters. John Gant Jersey . Simon allowed five hits over 7 2-3 strong innings, Devin Mesoraco hit a three-run homer and the Cincinnati Reds beat the struggling Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 on Friday night. Simon (5-2) had a season-high eight strikeouts, walked one and hit one batter. Manny Parra got one out in the eighth and Aroldis Chapman struck out pinch-hitter Cesar Hernandez on a 102 mph fastball with runners on second and third for his second save in two tries. Simon mixed a strong fastball with a slider and assorted off-speed pitches to keep the Phillies off-balance. "I was trying to have fun out there," Simon said. A couple of pitches were clocked in the low 70s. "I dont know what he was throwing half the time," Mesoraco said. "I was just catching it and throwing it back." The Phillies havent scored a run in the last 20 innings and were shut out for the fifth time this season. They have lost four straight and eight of 10 to fall a season-worst five games under .500 at 17-22. Kyle Kendrick (0-4) lost his ninth straight decision, dating to last Aug. 11. He allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings. Kendrick hasnt had much help from the offence, however. The Phillies have been shut out five times in those 15 starts and have scored one run or less eight times. "Main thing is I want the team to win," Kendrick said. "Just have to go out there, take care of my job and give my team a chance to win." The Reds didnt have slugger Joey Votto because of a left distal quadriceps strain. The 2010 NL MVP remained in Cincinnati. With Jay Bruce on the disabled list, it was the first time the Reds didnt have Votto and Bruce in their lineup since Sept. 20, 2012, at the Cubs. Mesoraco provided all the support they would need. He ripped a three-run shot in his first at-bat since returning from his second trip to the disabled list. "It was terrific. His first at-bat and he gave us an early cushion," Reds manager Bryan Price said. Mesoraco was sidelined by a left hamstring injury. He arrived to the ballpark less than three hours before the first pitch after making the trip from Norfolk where he played three games for Triple-A Louisville. "I was supposed to leave early this morning and didnt leave until about 3," he said. "I was starting to panic. I didnt feel that good. My legs were tired. Things cleared up after the first swing." A reshuffled lineup didnt solve Philadelphias hitting woes. Leadoff hitter Ben Revere was out with a stomach virus, so Jimmy Rollins batted first for the first time in 70 games. Carlos Ruiz moved up to bat second and John Mayberry Jr. took Reveres spot in centre field. The Phillies squandered a few chances in the early innings. They had runners on first and third with two outs in the first, but Simon struck out Marlon Byrd to end the inning. They had runners on the corners again with one out in the third, but Simon fanned Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Simon struck out Ruiz to leave another runner on third in the fifth. NOTES: Votto had been the only Red to appear in the first 39 games. ... Reds cleanup hitter Todd Frazier was 0 for 4, ending his career-best 14-game hitting streak. .. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has used 22 different lineups in 39 games. ... Matt Beech was the last Phillies pitcher to have a losing streak of at least nine games. He lost 11 in a row between Aug. 13, 1996 and Aug. 2, 1997. ... Cole Hamels (0-2, 5.32) of the Phillies tries again for his 100th career win Saturday night vs. Homer Bailey (3-2, 4.72). Harrison Bader Jersey . Heather, the first Gaiter to win the award, set a Canadian Inter-university Sport record with 3,132 passing yards in eight league games, an average of 391.5 yards per game. That beat the mark of 3,047 set only one week earlier by Westerns Will Finch, a Hec Crighton finalist. Rogers Hornsby Jersey . Pretty good hitting, too. Dan Haren pitched six innings and sparked the go-ahead rally with a single, leading Los Angeles to another win over the skidding Atlanta Braves, 4-2 on Tuesday night. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/114t-ted-simmons-jersey-cardinals.html . Next up, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns in the AFC North. Baltimore Ravens In 2014, the 8-8 season that the Baltimore Ravens experienced was to be expected.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After watching Jeffery Taylor lead Charlotte to its latest win, Bobcats coach Steve Clifford was full of praise for his young star. Taylor matched a career high with 20 points, leading six teammates in double figures, and Charlotte beat the Philadelphia 76ers 105-88 on Friday night. "Hes a talented guy," Clifford said of the 24-year-old Taylor. "Hes at that age where guys make the biggest jump. Certainly he has the size, athleticism and intelligence to get his game to the next level. And hes a hard worker." Subbing for injured starter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at small forward, Taylor mixed mid-range jumpers with athletic drives and cuts to the basket to scored nine of Charlottes first 22 points. "I was just trying to take the opportunities as they came to me," said Taylor, a second-round draft pick in his second NBA season. "A lot of the same shots I made tonight havent been going in for me lately. I just tried to stay aggressive and take what the defence gave to me." Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker added 18 apiece, and Walker also had a season-high 10 assists. Al Jefferson had 14 points and 12 rebounds, Ramon Sessions added 13 points and rookie Cody Zeller chipped in with 10. Philadelphia was led by Tony Wrotens 21 points. Evan Turner added 16, Hollis Thompson scored 12 and Spencer Hawes had 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Sixers played without starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who came in averaging 17.7 points. The rookie sat out because of a sore right knee. Taylor impressed even Philadelphia coach Brett Brown. "Hes a good player," Brown said. "You look at his length and you look at his toughness and thats a rare combination. ... He had perssonal pride in attacking us. Matt Wieters Cardinals Jersey. " In addition to playing without Kidd-Gilchrist, out four to six weeks after breaking his left hand during a loss at Dallas last Tuesday, the Bobcats lost backup centre Bismack Biyombo to a right ankle sprain in the first half. In a matchup of defensive-minded teams, the opening quarter was an up-and-down affair that ended with the Bobcats leading 36-33 after shooting 56 per cent from the field (14 of 25). They never trailed again, eventually leading by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter while shooting 46 per cent for the game. The Bobcats have held opponents under 100 points for 13 consecutive games, most in the NBA. The Sixers cooled off after hitting seven of their first 12 shots, but Charlotte shot 54 per cent (25 of 46) in the first half. The Bobcats took a 62-51 halftime lead on Jeffersons tip-in of a missed layup by Walker at the second-quarter buzzer. "I feel like the whole first half was not very good for us defensively," Brown said of the Sixers. Wroten added: "Weve got to start the game off better defensively. We played better on defence in the second half, but weve just got to play defence like that for the whole 48 minutes." Jefferson scored the first two baskets of the third to give the Bobcats the first of what would be multiple 15-point leads in the quarter. The lead swelled to as much as 18 in the fourth as the Bobcats continued running and scoring almost at will in transition, evidenced by the 22-10 edge they held in fast-break points for the game. The 105 points represented a season high for the Bobcats, only the second time they surpassed the 100-point mark. The only other time came in a 102-97 win at New York on Nov. 5. ' ' '