me scoreless.I usually have a pretty good angle on most of them, and that was the first one all year I thought he had no shot, Straily said. I was s

CINCINNATI -- Dan Straily thought there was no chance Billy Hamilton would get to the ball. The center fielder ran it down and made a diving catch on the warning track, providing the only break that the pitcher needed.Straily extended his surge since the All-Star break by pitching six innings and Joey Votto drove in a pair of runs to lead the Cincinnati Reds over the Texas Rangers 3-0 on Tuesday night.A day after losing to the Dodgers 18-9, the Reds won a close one against a Rangers team that has been shut out three times in its last nine games.Straily (10-6) hasnt allowed more than two runs in any of his eight starts since the break, going 6-0. He gave up three singles and two walks. He also got a huge assist from Hamilton, who ran down Carlos Beltrans fly to left-center field to open the sixth with the game scoreless.I usually have a pretty good angle on most of them, and that was the first one all year I thought he had no shot, Straily said. I was starting to move over to back up third, but he found a way. Its pretty amazing what hes doing out there.The remarkable catch was a potential game-changer.It was just a spectacular play, manager Bryan Price said. What a difference he makes in center field. If he doesnt win a Gold Glove, theres no justice.Raisel Iglesias gave up two hits in the seventh but escaped the threat with two strikeouts. Tony Cingrani gave up two walks in the ninth before retiring Ryan Rua on a grounder to complete his 16th save in 21 chances.Votto singled home a run in the sixth off left-hander Derek Holland (5-6), who had been on the disabled list since June 22 with an inflamed pitching shoulder. Holland gave up four hits and a walk in six innings. He also got his first major league hit, a single off the plate that bounced over Vottos head at first base.Holland grew up in Newark, Ohio, and had been unbeaten in his home state, going 3-0 in games in Cleveland. He would have loved to get another one at the other end of the state.That would have been very nice, he said. I left quite a lot of tickets. It was definitely good to be back in Ohio in front of family and friends.Hollands only walk set up the run. He walked Tyler Holt -- who pitched a perfect relief inning during Mondays lopsided loss -- to open the sixth. Holt advanced on Hamiltons sacrifice bunt and came around on Vottos single to right.Tyler Barnhart doubled home a run in the seventh off Jeremy Jeffress. Votto added a sacrifice fly in the eighth off Matt Bush.STILL HITLESSStraily grounded out in his only at-bat, leaving him 0 for 43 in his career. Cubs pitcher Jon Lester holds the record for a hitless streak to start a career at 0 for 66.INTERLEAGUE RECORDSThe Rangers are 10-6 in interleague play this season, with their pitchers going 3 for 19 at the plate. The Reds are 5-11. ... The Rangers are making their first visit to Cincinnati since 2007. The Reds lead the interleague series 8-7.GOMEZ UPDATEOF Carlos Gomez could join the club in Texas on Thursday. He signed a minor league deal on Saturday and is playing for Triple-A Round Rock. Manager Jeff Banister said hell get a chance to play left field and right field.JOSH HAMILTON WAIVEDThe Rangers placed OF Josh Hamilton on unconditional release waivers, though they hope his left knee is healthy enough to allow him to try for a spot with the team next season. By making the move now, hes eligible to play for them all of next season. He had surgery on June 8 to reconstruct his ACL and repair cartilage damage.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: RHP Colby Lewis will pitch for Frisco on a rehab assignment Wednesday. Hes been sidelined since June 25 with a strained back.Reds: SS Zack Cozart missed his sixth straight game with a sore left Achilles tendon.UP NEXTRangers: Yu Darvish (4-3) is 2-0 in his last three starts with a 1.74 ERA. He has made six straight quality starts, matching the club high for the season.Reds: Tim Adleman (2-1) makes his sixth career start and his first against the Rangers.---Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay Basketball Jerseys On Sale .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Wholesale Basketball Jerseys . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . http://www.cheapbasketballchina.com/cheap-brooklyn-nets-jerseys-china_114r.html . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. Clearance NBA Jerseys Store . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Cheap Charlotte Hornets Jerseys China . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It seems that nobody is quite certain of the etymology of the term red zone, though many give credit to former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs for coining the term for the area inside an opponents 20-yard line.The Chiefs probably have their own choice words for it.Many of them unsuitable for print.For all the warts that dot their inconsistent offense, their baffling inability to score touchdowns when they get into the red zone may be the ugliest. And it is even more pronounced when stacked up next to Tennessee, which visits Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, and just happens to be one of the best teams in the league at converting those opportunities into seven points.Everyone from Chiefs coach Andy Reid to quarterback Alex Smith has tried to pinpoint the trouble, and they generally agree that its a combination of play-calling, execution and simple unluckiness.Weve been very good in the red zone at times, too, Reid insisted, almost as if he was trying to convince himself along with everyone else. Theyre all different. Everything is different down there, from the defenses that are played to each situation where you havent had success.So you go back and evaluate it, Reid said, and you come back again and give it your best shot.There are inherent difficulties in scoring touchdowns in the red zone.For one thing, everything gets compressed inside the 20. The field cant be stretched vertically, and that makes it easier to cover pass routes underneath, or stack up the line of scrimmage against the run.Defenses also tend to sharpen their focus, knowing their backs are against the wall. Or at least the goal line. And that makes everything from blocking to catching require just a bit more precision.Everything has to be on point, Reid said, and its got to be a little faster in there. We need to do a better job there, and I need to do a better job of putting guys in position.The Chiefs are scoring touchdowns on just 46.3 percent of trips inside the 20, which is tied for 27th in the NFL. By comparison, the Titans lead the league with a 71.4 percent conversion rate.While Reid seemingly has been trying in vain to find the source of the Chiefs red-zone ills, Titans coach Mike Mulaarkey knows exactly where to give credit for Tennessees success.ddddddddddddI think it starts with Marcus, Mularkey said, referring to second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota, who has thrown 32 touchdown passes without a red-zone interception in his career.I think a lot of it is because of his thought process, how quickly he thinks down there, Mularkey continued. He has a very quick release and theres not a lot of room for error down there, a lot of tight windows, and I think hes been very good with that.Mularkey also credited offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie and his other assistants for dreaming up a set of plays that always seem to work in those high-pressure, razor-thin confines.Theyve taken a lot of time and spent a lot of energy on those areas, he said.Now, it would be foolish to think the Chiefs dont put similar emphasis on those scoring situations, especially given their struggles early in the season. During one two-week stretch, which included a brutal 19-17 loss to Tampa Bay, they managed just one touchdown on five trips inside the 20.The low point may have come when Smith tossed an interception in the end zone against the Buccaneers, and Jameis Winston and Co. marched the length of the field for a touchdown that sealed the outcome.Especially down the stretch, I think those things only become more magnified, Smith said. They become more important as the games get bigger and bigger. No question.Hard for games to get any bigger these days.The Chiefs are 10-3 and tied atop the AFC West with Oakland, but have the tiebreaker thanks to their two wins over the Raiders. Winning out would ensure Kansas City a first-round bye in the playoffs, and at least some level of homefield advantage for the playoffs.You know, its always tough though too this late in the season with the work week and stuff, Smith said. You only get so many opportunities. Obviously, youre trying to take care of guys bodies and get guys back out there, but no question. Its a huge priority.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '