CINCINNATI - Travis Snider felt for Jay Bruce. Rajon Rondo Lakers Jersey . He also was happy to see the ball go to the wall.Sniders scorching liner got past Bruce for a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 on Friday night to keep the pressure on NL Central-leading St. Louis.Every once in a while, you hit one on the screws, and it has that knuckleball effect, said Snider, who started in right for the Pirates. Its a tough play for an outfielder. As an outfielder, youre going to see balls like that. Ive hit a few.The Pirates have won five of six and 17 of 21 overall. They have already clinched a wild card and remained one game back of the Cardinals, who won 7-6 at Arizona in 10 innings.Josh Harrison was aboard after a two-out single against Pedro Villareal (0-2) when Snider followed with a drive to right that Bruce overran, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Andrew McCutchen then doubled into the gap in left-centre.Like a lot of times this year, I just whiffed, Bruce said. He hit it hard, and its not the first ball that knuckled, but as I planted to redirect, I slipped.Jared Hughes (7-5) got the final two outs of the seventh for the win. Tony Watson pitched the eighth, and Mark Melancon finished for his 33rd save.Mike Leake struck out eight in seven solid innings in his last start of the season for Cincinnati. The right-hander allowed one run a€” Gaby Sanchezs homer on the first pitch of the fifth a€” and three hits with two walks.Leake also helped himself in the fifth. He doubled with two out and then ran through third base coach Steve Smiths stop sign on Kristopher Negrons single to centre, beating McCutchens throw with a slide that made it 1-1.Leake is not sneaking up on anybody in the league, Reds manager Bryan Price said. Hes always ready to compete.Sanchezs drive to left-centre field was his seventh homer of the season and first since August 14.Pirates starter Vance Worley surrendered nine hits in 6 1-3 innings. He struck out four and walked none while throwing 74 pitches.HOT HARRISONHarrison extended his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games. The Cincinnati native set his previous career high of 13 earlier this season.ON A ROLLThe Pirates are a season-high 16 games over .500 at 88-72.DOUBLE DOWNMcCutchens double was his 38th, tying the career high he set last season, and the 200th of his career.STREAKING LEAKELeakes double was his career-high fifth of the season and his run was his career-high ninth.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: Manager Clint Hurdles lineup was delayed while he awaited an update on the condition of first baseman Ike Davis. He has flu-like symptoms that are more than flu-like, Hurdle said. Davis did not play.Reds: LHP Aroldis Chapman was day to day after he had trouble getting loose while logging his 35th save on Thursday, Price said.ON DECKPirates: LHP Francisco Liriano tries Saturday for his first career win in nine regular-season starts against Cincinnati. He is 0-5.Reds: RHP Alfredo Simon tries to improve to 3-1 in four starts against Pittsburgh this season. Nick Van Exel Lakers Jersey . On Monday night, many fans in this city placed the blame squarely on the captain for his role in the James Neal overtime winner against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Magic Johnson Lakers Jersey .Y. - Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby captured his second career Art Ross trophy on Sunday after leading the NHL in scoring this season. http://www.lakersteamofficial.com/Byron-Scott-Lakers-Jersey/ .ca. Mr. Fraser, It looks like Martin Brodeur is coming back to play for the Blues. I was wondering if you have any great stories or fond memories of your time on the ice with Brodeur - in the NHL, or maybe even the Olympics.SOCHI, Russia -- Finland eliminated Russia from the Olympic mens hockey tournament with a 3-1 victory Wednesday, putting a stunning end to the Russians enormous expectations at home. Teemu Selanne scored an early goal and Tuukka Rask made 37 saves as Finland crushed the Russians dreams of winning hockey gold in front of their own fans. Russian teams have won eight gold medals in hockey, but none in the last 22 years. Selanne and Mikael Granlund each had a goal and an assist for the steady Finns, who overcame an early deficit and silenced the Bolshoy Ice Dome with two goals in the first period. Despite its roster of high-priced offensive stars, Russia couldnt score in the final 52 minutes after Ilya Kovalchuks early power-play goal. Finland will face top-seeded Sweden in the semifinals on Friday. Russia has failed to win a medal in three straight Olympics since 2002, and even home-ice advantage couldnt end the embarrassing drought. A quarter-final exit is excruciating for the proud Russian team, which pressed relentlessly and fruitlessly in the third period after falling behind by two goals. After the final buzzer, several Russian players stood on the ice with their hands on their knees. Evgeni Malkin, who failed to score a goal in the last four games, dropped to one knee before captain Pavel Datsyuk led the traditional post-game handshake line. The Russians then gathered at centre ice amid more jeers and whistles than cheers, mournfully raising their sticks to salute the fans before skating off the ice at an arena built to herald Russias return to hockey dominance. Alex Ovechkin, the reigning NHL MVP and one of the Sochi Games most public faces, failed to score another goal for Russia after scoring on his first shot just 1:17 into Russias opener against Slovenia. Malkin, the Russians other former NHL MVP, also didnt score a goal after the first four minutes of the opener. Ovechkin, Malkin and Datsyuk all hailed Russias home Olympics as the most important tournament of their careers, but theyll likely have only bitter memories. Russia didnt play horribly in Sochi, winning three of its five games, but lost a painful eight-round shootout to the U.S. team before falling behind early and failing to cattch up against steady Finland. Jamaal Wilkes Jersey. Semyon Varlamov allowed all three goals on 15 shots against the Finns before getting pulled for Sergei Bobrovsky during the second period. Juhamatti Aaltonen scored the first goal for Finland, the most consistently successful Olympic team in the last two decades, winning medals in four of the past five games. Russian fans realized the importance and peril of this game, filling the Olympic park early in the afternoon with cheers, chants and Russian flags. The Bolshoy crowd began chanting "Ro-ssi-ya!" even before pre-game warm-ups, waving hundreds of flags and banners emblazoned with hometowns and slogans. The tone was uncommonly intense from the opening faceoff. After Granlund took an early holding penalty in the offensive zone, captain Pavel Datsyuk fed Kovalchuk for a hard shot over Rasks shoulder. Kovalchuk popped the water bottle off the top of Finlands net and celebrated with a two-footed leap into the air amid ecstatic cheers. But moments later, Aaltonen made a beautiful move along the goal line, putting a shot under Varlamovs glove arm for the KHL forwards first goal in Sochi. Bolshoy got quiet, and it became positively funeral-like late in the period when Granlund moved up the boards, broke past two defencemen and fed Selanne for the Finn captains 22nd goal in a record-tying six trips to the Olympics. The 43-year-old Selanne extended his own record for the oldest player to score in an Olympics. Finland scored again on the power play early in the second, with Granlund collecting Selannes rebound and sliding in a backhand from a sharp angle. Granlund, who turns 22 in a week, hadnt been born when Selanne played in his first Olympics in 1992. Russia put together an impressive offensive stretch after Bobrovsky came on, with Rask forced to make a big save on Alexander Semins breakaway. The Russians continued to press in the third period, outshooting Finland 14-5, but Rask made big saves when his teammates didnt block Russias shots. Dozens of fans lingered in their seats long after the team left the ice, disconsolately folding their flags and staring at the ice. A few Finnish fans near centre ice even went up to a group of Russian fans for a hug. ' ' '