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shushu
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11 Mar 2019 03:23 |
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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jon Lester got a rousing ovation the first time he pitched in an Oakland uniform. His second start for the Athletics ended with his name being chanted by the crowd at O.Co Coliseum. Lester pitched a three-hitter for his fourth career shutout, and the As beat the Minnesota Twins 3-0 on Thursday night. The All-Star left-hander struck out eight, walked two and only allowed two runners past first base in the 11th complete game of his career. He pitched out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth but was otherwise stellar. Lester (12-7) was making second start since being acquired at the trade deadline as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes to Boston. The deal rankled many Oakland fans. Others welcomed the trade and showed their approval with chants of "Lester! Lester!" when the veteran pitcher came out to pitch the ninth inning. "We all know what Cespedes did for this organization and how well hes liked," Lester said. "Just coming over here, you dont want to (mess) that up. You want to make the trade look like it had a purpose and it was good." Lester retired the first 15 batters while allowing only three balls out of the infield. Former As catcher Kurt Suzuki ended the bid for perfection with a leadoff single in the sixth. The former Boston ace improved to 6-0 with 1.21 ERA over his last 10 starts. "You could see from the onset that he was going to be tough to score on," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "Not only is he able to pitch that type of game but hes also a guy that gives the bullpen a rest. Thats exactly what he did tonight." Stephen Vogt homered and Derek Norris hit an RBI double to help Oakland become the first team in the majors to reach 70 wins. Melvin became the eighth active manager in the majors and 76th overall to reach 800 career victories. Two of them have come with Lester on the mound, showing why general manager Billy Beane made the deal with the Red Sox. Chris Colabello and Oswaldo Arcia had the other hits for Minnesota, which has lost 10 straight to Oakland. "Lester was the story of the night," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He has all the pitches. He can do all those things." Vogt snapped an 0-for-23 skid with his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot off Yohan Pino (1-4) in the third. Back-to-back doubles by Brandon Moss and Derek Norris in the fourth made it 3-0. EAGER FULD JUMPS THE GUN Melvin wanted Jonny Gomes to pinch-hit in the eighth inning and had Sam Fuld ready to run if Gomes got on base. But Fuld got overanxious and ran out to first base to run for Alberto Callaspo before being called back to the dugout. "He was just a tad eager," Melvin said. "He probably has a games (played) clause in his contract." DOZIERS NEAR-MISS Twins second baseman Brian Dozier just missed hitting a tying three-run home run in the sixth inning when his ball curved just wide of the left-field foul pole. "Even when it landed I still thought it was fair," Dozier said. "You go from a very high to a very low in a short time." TRAINERS ROOM Twins: First baseman Joe Mauer (strained right oblique) was given the day off after going 1 for 6 in his first two rehab starts with Single-A Cedar Rapids. There still is no timetable for Mauers return to the big league club. Athletics: Shortstop Jed Lowrie was held out of the starting lineup with a bruised right index finger. He pinch-hit with two on in the sixth and flew out to right. Melvin indicated Lowrie would most likely start Friday. ... First baseman Kyle Blanks (calf) ran the bases for the second time and could begin a rehab assignment this weekend. UP NEXT Twins: Right-hander Kyle Gibson (10- has pitched extremely well against the AL West, winning four of six starts this season while crafting a 2.50 ERA. He gets the ball Friday night against the As. Athletics: Left-hander Scott Kazmir (12-4) has a 1.92 ERA in 10 starts at the Coliseum this season. He beat the Twins in Minnesota on April 7 when he allowed three runs over six innings. Cheap NBA Jerseys . The deal will pay Hainsey $3 million for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons and $2.5 million in 2016-17. Ersan Ilyasova 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. http://www.cheapbucksjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-brook-lopez-jersey . After a 99-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, his Celtics coaches and teammates have only positive things to say about the Toronto-born rookie. Khris Middleton Jersey . They find themselves trying to knock each other out in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. The Blackhawks prevailed last year on their way to the Stanley Cup, and they have the early lead this time after taking the opener, 3-1. Glenn Robinson Jersey . Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.ASHBURN, Va. -- DeSean Jackson wore a white visor instead of a helmet to practice. He sat on the stationary bicycle while his Washington Redskins teammates were stretching. Instead of pedaling, he slowly worked the handlebars back and forth, keeping the muscles loose in his sprained left shoulder. This is the long-anticipated "return to Philly" week for Jackson, his chance to show the Philadelphia Eagles they were woefully mistaken when they suddenly released him in late March with barely a word of explanation. "Obviously its going to be a huge game for myself," Jackson said, "and something I always looked forward to ever since everything went down the way it went down." But fate has a way of complicating such tidy story lines. Jackson fell on his shoulder and sprained the AC joint in the first quarter of Sundays win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hes determined to play -- he said Wednesday "I dont plan on missing this game" -- but he will need to be a quick healer if hes to face the Eagles this weekend. "Playing a team that Ive been traded from, released from, I kind of know how that feels," cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. "I know hes going to be juiced up. Hes trying to get back out there on that field as quick as possible." Jackson didnt practice Wednesday or Thursday, so its hard to get a handle on his status for Sunday. Much will depend on whether he can regain the full range of motion with his shoulder, and whether he can stand the pain if he gets hit. "Were going to push him a little bit more tomorrow, to see where hes at," coach Jay Gruden said. Players face former teams all the time, but Jacksons circumstance is more curious than most. He caught 82 passes for 1,332 yards last season in the first year of coach Chip Kellys high-paced offence, but the Eagles tried to trade him and then simply released him. Asked this week why he let Jackson go, Kelly stuck to the "just going in a ddifferent direction" company line and suggested that Jackson (5-foot-10, 178 pounds) was too small.dddddddddddd "Yeah, just trying to build the overall team in terms of what we were looking for offensively and how we wanted to get bigger at the wideout spot," Kelly said, "and thats what we did." Jacksons release coincided with stories about off-the-field problems, and he released at statement at the time denying that he was a member of a gang. Kelly said this week that off-field issues had "zero" influence on the teams decision, and Jackson tried to make it sound as if he doesnt care anymore. "They made the decision. They moved on. I moved on," Jackson said. "Im just blessed to have a second opportunity to play here in Washington, and, you know, its not about them anymore. Its about what were doing over here." Less than a week after getting cut, Jackson was snapped up by the Redskins and given a three-year, $24 million contract with $16 million guaranteed. Hes kept a relatively low profile so far in Washington, with barely a whiff of trouble. "As far as anything you do in life, being in the NFL and being in the position that Im at in my career, regardless of what it is, you kind of have to overanalyze anything you do," Jackson said. "Being in the NFL, its like youre under a microscope and everything you do is being looked at. Being able to come here to Washington and play for the Redskins, since Day 1, since I stepped in here with this organization, I was just myself. I didnt really change. They accepted me for who I was." Philly fans are well-known for their hostility. Jackson, if he plays, is ready for whatever they dish out. "I felt I put it on the line for them when I played there, and (I know) what Ive done to help that organization win games," he said. "As far as if they congratulate me or boo me or whatever the case may be, Im ready for whatever it is." ' ' '
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