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CINCINNATI -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost seven of 11 and are clinging to slim hopes of securing one of the two National League wild card spots. The Pirates trail by six games for the coveted second spot and have three teams to leapfrog.Injuries have been a common theme. Gerrit Cole was shut down for the season this week. The Pirates have used 54 players this season, eclipsing the franchise record of 52 in 2011.We did set the record, and we gave it some gap, right? manager Clint Hurdle said Wednesday. Im guessing we need to be done. If we need any more, I think weve got another challenge on our hands.The Pirates playoff chase continues Friday when they begin a four-game series against the Reds at Great American Ball Park, where more protective gear might be needed.Over the past four seasons, Reds pitchers have hit 51 batters, including 18 this season, the most by any major league staff against any opponent. Pirates pitchers have hit 45 Reds batters, including nine in 2016, second-most of any staff.And, Pittsburgh doesnt just plunk the Reds.Over the past four seasons, Pirates pitchers lead the major leagues in number of batters hit. Going into their series finale on Wednesday at Philadelphia, the Pirates had hit 295 batters, following by the Reds 264 and White Sox 243.Taking aim on Friday will be right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, whos 5-6 with a 4.81 ERA in 22 career appearances including 12 starts.Vogelsongs last outing against Cincinnati didnt go well. He allowed six earned runs on seven hits and walked three in an 8-0 loss at PNC Park on Sunday.He missed nearly two months after being struck near the left eye by a Jordan Lyles pitch on May 23. He suffered facial fractures but managed to return in early August.Right-hander Robert Stephenson, one of the Reds top pitching prospects, will make his fifth career appearance and third start since he was promoted in September.Stephenson was the first Reds pitcher to win his first two major league starts since Larry Luebbers in 1993.The Pirates come in with some momentum after Andrew McCutchen hit two homers in a 15-2 win at Philadelphia.Cincinnati has gone 30-26 since the All-Star break, including winning five of its last six. But, the Reds do have some injuries with shortstop Zack Cozart missing four games with a sore knee and center fielder Billy Hamilton out indefinitely with a strained left oblique.Its always a high-tension affair when these two NL Central rivals square off, and this seasons series has been evenly played. Pittsburgh has gone 7-8 this season against the Reds including 2/3 at Great American Ball Park.On Saturday, theyll play a day-night doubleheader. 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Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- From owner to general manager to coach, no other NBA management team has had as little time to prepare for the draft this year as the Sacramento Kings. Catch the NBA Draft on TSN Thursday starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. The Kings have had so much turmoil and turnover since the season ended that focusing on the future has been an ever-present process of acceleration. The uncertainty that clouded the franchise for so long hit its peak May 21, when Keith Smart represented the Kings at the draft lottery at the request of the Maloof family. Smart has since been fired as coach and replaced by Mike Malone. Pete DAlessandro took over as general manager for Geoff Petrie last week. And new owner Vivek Ranadive has wiped away just about every memory of the Maloofs inside Sacramentos suburban arena as part of the franchises "new era." The Kings can begin adding to that next chapter on the court come Thursday night, when they have the seventh and 36th overall picks in the draft. "I see real potential in this draft," DAlessandro said. The first-time general manager has relied heavily on the scouting he did in Denvers front office and leaned heavily on Malone -- whom DAlessandro jokingly called "a seasoned veteran with two weeks experience" at his introductory news conference -- to decide how that information might translate to the coachs style and Sacramentos needs. DAlessandro also brought over Mike Bratz from the Nuggets to be his assistant general manager. As for filling out the rest of his front office, that will have to wait. "The beauty of this business is you have a network," DAlessandro said. "Its like any business -- you have people that you trust. Even without having a staff, I have the people that I trust in this industry that are excellent." This years draft will shed some insight on what directtion DAlessandro and Malone want to take the team.dddddddddddd After making eight straight playoff appearances, the Kings have failed to make the post-season the last seven years and have the second-worst record in the NBA during that span. The franchise had become more frugal each year under the Maloofs, putting pressure on Petrie to find success in the draft, where talent can come cheap. The Kings seemed to channel Petries past success when they took Tyreke Evans with the fourth pick in 2009. Evans turned into the NBA Rookie of the Year, though the combo guard has been saddled with knee injuries and inconsistency ever since, and now hes set to become a restricted free agent. Drafting DeMarcus Cousins fifth in 2010 had the same risk then as signing him to a long-term extension does now: hes a talented centre who could blossom into one of the leagues best big men, but hes also a player who has shown a lack of discipline and defence, getting suspended three times this past season -- twice by the NBA, and once by the team. While getting point guard Isaiah Thomas with the 60th and final pick two years ago might be considered a steal at that slot, the rest of Sacramentos recent draft history has been forgettable. Jimmer Fredette, the former BYU sensation selected 10th overall in 2011, has yet to live up to the hype. Thomas Robinson was such a disappointment after been taken fifth that the Kings traded him to Houston midseason. That missed pick was magnified even more because Damian Lillard, the NBA Rookie of the Year, was drafted by Portland one spot after Robinson. But as with everything else in Sacramento now, the revamped franchise is looking forward and not back. "I think this team is more of a clean canvas," DAlessandro said. "We have some strong pieces in there, but theres a lot we can do to get it in the right direction." ' ' '