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CINCINNATI -- The Reds have finally started winning as trading time approaches.Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer and barely missed another during one of Cincinnatis final home games before the non-waiver trade deadline, and the Reds beat the fading Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 on Saturday night for a modest breakthrough.The last-place Reds have won three consecutive series for the first time, finding success against other struggling teams.I think were starting to see some cohesiveness in the pitching, manager Bryan Price said. Were just playing better baseball. Thats good coming out of the break.Bruces 20th homer off Robbie Ray (5-9) gave him the team lead with 69 RBI. He also doubled off the top of the wall in left field and thought he might have gotten another homer, but the call of a double was upheld after a video review.The Reds tried to trade Bruce in the offseason, but the deal fell through. Hes Cincinnatis most attractive player for a deal before the Aug. 1 deadline. Cincinnati hits the road after concluding the series on Sunday. Bruce wasnt made available to talk to reporters after the game.The Diamondbacks have lost 17 of 21, falling from third place into the basement of the NL West.Michael Lorenzen (1-0) took over in the fourth inning for Keyvius Sampson, who made his first start of the season after seven relief appearances. A starter last year, Sampson hadnt gone more than four innings this season. He gave up four hits in 4 1/3 innings, throwing 88 pitches.I wanted to go on, but I got tired, Sampson said. I hit a wall.Arizonas Chris Owings was activated off the disabled list and singled home a run in the first inning. Owings had been sidelined by plantar fasciitis in his left foot.The Reds got three unearned runs in the first, two of them on third baseman Jake Lambs throwing error. Brandon Phillips doubled home a run to complete the inning, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. The Diamondbacks had a chance to get out of the inning when they got Billy Hamilton involved in a rundown, but they botched the play and allowed him to return safely to third.In the first inning, those three runs were on our defense, Arizona manager Chip Hale said. We had him in a rundown. Those are plays that have got to be made at this level.The Diamondbacks were still fuming over leadoff hitter Jean Segura getting hit in the lower back by Dan Straily on Friday night. The plunking came on the first pitch of his next at-bat after a solo homer. Hale thought Straily hit him on purpose, and warned that theres going to be some retribution at some point.There were no issues on Saturday. Rays first pitch to Joey Votto in the first inning was an 82 mph breaking ball that sailed over his head for a wild pitch. Nobody from either team got hit.SLOW STARTThe first inning lasted 38 minutes and featured 61 combined pitches.STATSRay fanned a career-high 10 batters in five innings. Hes the second pitcher in team history to strike out at least 10 in five innings, joining Max Scherzer (Sept. 7, 2008 against the Dodgers). ... The Reds will try for their first three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks in Cincinnati since 2007. ... Joey Votto has hit safely in all eight games since the All-Star break.YOU SHOULD BE DANCINGJohn Travolta and Kelly Preston watched the game from a suite. Travolta was shown on the videoboard while Night Fever played in the middle of the eighth.TRAINERS ROOMDiamondbacks: Placed INF Nick Ahmed on the 15-day DL with a sore right hip. He started at shortstop on Friday and went 0 for 2 with a walk during Cincinnatis 6-2 win. Hale said his hip has been bothering him and was especially sore during the game Friday.UP NEXTDiamondbacks: RHP Zack Godley (2-1) gave up four runs in five innings of a 5-1 loss to the Blue Jays on July 19. Hell make his first career start against the Reds.Reds: LHP Brandon Finnegan (5-7) got the win by going five innings in an 8-2 win over Atlanta on Monday. He hasnt gone more than five innings in any of his last three starts.---Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay Air Max 90 Canada Sale . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Air Max 90 Wholesale . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. http://www.cheapairmax90canada.com/ . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Air Max 90 Canada Online . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. Buy Air Max 90 Online . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Five tournaments into his rookie season on the PGA Tour, Mackenzie Hughes has the 36-hole lead at Sea Island and expects a few nerves.That weekend he spent with Phil Mickelson should at least help.Hughes had another bogey-free round Friday and took care of the par 5s on the Plantation Course for a 5-under 67, giving him a two-shot lead over C.T. Pan going into the weekend of the RSM Classic, the final PGA Tour event of the year.Hughes at was at 14-under 128.Pan also is a rookie, and perhaps they can take inspiration from rookie Cody Gribble winning in Mississippi three weeks ago. Hughes and Pan both spent last year on the Web.com Tour to earn their cards.Theres going to be nerves tomorrow, and Im going to be a little jittery starting out, but thats completely natural, Hughes said. But I just think guys come off the Web.com Tour that ... for example, I won in Missouri and I feel like the win translates to being able to win out here. The margin is so small that the things I did on that weekend to win that tournament are the same things Ill have to do Saturday and Sunday.Hughes started his rookie season in the Safeway Open, made the cut and wound up in the same group with Mickelson, who attracted the largest gallery.The atmosphere was a dream start for me, Hughes said. We played the first day, and I had a 9-footer on 19 for par to make par and stay tied with him. I was so pumped that I made it because I got one more round out of it. He was a super nice guy, really welcoming. It was a nice way to break yourself in.There wasnt much of a gallery at Sea Island on another pristine day for scoring, so ideal that the cut came at 5-under par. That probably wont change for the weekend, especially with tournament host Davis Love III and Sea Island neighbors Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar among those missing the cut.Even so, it was an experience that could come in handy for the 25-year-old Canadian.Being with him for two days and with his galleries and all the distractions going on there, thats probably as good a preparation as you would have for tomorrow and Sunday, Hughes said. There was so much learning going on that weekend that Ill be able to apply.ddddddddddddIt was the lowest cut on the PGA Tour since 5 under at the 2015 Zurich Classic.Hughes opened with a 9-under 61 on the Seaside course at Sea Island, while he didnt hit the ball as cleanly over at Plantation, he had few complaints. He picked up three of his birdies at the par 5s, even on the 18th when he found a fairway bunker off the tee and had to lay up. He hit wedge to 8 feet and made the putt.Today was definitely a little more work, Hughes said, though he quickly added that 67 was no slouch of a score and I would take two more of those in a heartbeat.Hughes and Pan, who shot a 64 at Seaside, played together on the Canadian Tour two years ago, and then all last year on the Web.com Tour. Pan had a brief stay atop the world amateur ranking in 2013 when he won eight times at Washington, and he made the cut as an amateur at the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.They will be joined in the final group by Hudson Swafford, who lives at Sea Island and shot a 67 on the Plantation. Swafford was three shots behind, along with Chad Campbell, Chesson Hadley and Blayne Barber.It should be fun, Pan said. We played on the Canadian tour last year, and then we played the Web.com Tour this year and now we are both on the PGA Tour. So its exciting to see both of us play well out there, because its a dream come true for both of us.That much was clear when Hughes came into the media center for an interview. He left his seat, walked to the back of the room and handed his phone to his mother to take a picture. It was that kind of moment for him.Even with a two-shot lead, however, the conditions have been such that low scores are available to anyone at any time. Twenty-five players were separated by just five shots with two more rounds to play.That group includes Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink. Four shots behind was Jonathan Byrd, a five-time PGA Tour winner who spent last year on the Web.com Tour and still doesnt have full status. He is playing this week on a sponsors exemption and wants to make the most out of limited chances like this. ' ' '