MINNEAPOLIS -- There will be plenty of drama for the Oakland Athletics as they head down the home stretch in the pennant race.
Customized New Orleans Saints Jersey . Probably not the kind of drama that unfolded Wednesday night against the
Minnesota Twins, though. Jed Lowries foul ball that turned into a two-run double
after umpires changed the call highlighted a 10-run fourth inning as Oakland
pounded Minnesota 18-3. Every Oakland starter had at least one hit, one run and
one RBI as the As recorded a season-high 22 hits and extended their lead over
Texas in the AL West to three games. Lowrie, Coco Crisp and Stephen Vogt also
homered. Yoenis Cespedes had three RBIs to help the As score their most runs in
a game since beating Boston 20-2 on Aug. 31, 2012. "Once we got rolling there,
we never stopped," Josh Donaldson said. Lowries foul ball turned two-run double
helped keep the As rolling in the fourth. With runners on second and third and
three runs already in, Lowrie lined a ball down the line that first-base umpire
Bill Miller ruled foul as he danced out of the way. Lowrie pointed at the ground
inside the white line where he thought the ball hit. Oakland manager Bob Melvin
came out to argue, and Lowrie was eventually awarded a two-run double after the
entire umpire crew huddled and changed the call. "Bottom line is thats an
impossible call for Bill," Lowrie said. "His natural reaction is to get out of
the way. They told me they just want to get the calls right, and they did."
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected by Miller after a long argument, the
fifth time hes been tossed this season and the 67th ejection of his career. Fans
at Target Field sarcastically cheered Miller when he gave the foul signal after
Brandon Moss, the next batter, lined a foul ball down the first-base line.
Gardenhire didnt want to talk about the call after the game. "Were not going to
talk about anything else. Im not going to talk about all that crap," he said.
"Cant do anything about it now." Sonny Gray (3-3), who had received fewer than
four runs of support over his last six starts, struck out seven in five innings
for the win. The right-hander had to sit in the dugout for 35 minutes during the
marathon fourth inning, but welcomed the extra run support. "I wish we could
score as many runs as possible every day," Gray said. "Its a confidence boost
for our whole team." Grey almost had a couple more runs. In the fifth, Josh
Reddick of the As drove a ball off the top of the wall in the right-field corner
that Miller ruled a home run. The call was overturned after a replay review --
the first at Target Field this season -- and Reddick had to trot back out of the
dugout to second base. Mike Pelfrey (5-12) was removed with no outs in the
fourth, before all the theatrics that followed Lowries hit. He allowed seven
runs and eight hits and has won just once since July 11. "This is probably the
worst outing Ive had in a long time," Pelfrey said. "I fell behind guys and
threw balls over the middle, and thats whats going to happen." Relievers Josh
Roenicke and Ryan Pressly combined to allow six runs and six hits before the
fourth inning was finally finished. Eric Fryer, called up from Triple-A
Rochester on Monday, hit his first career home run in the sixth to give the few
fans remaining at Target Field something to cheer about. The Twins allowed
season highs in runs and hits. "Ive been a part of some games that have been
lopsided," As manager Bob Melvin said. "But never a game where all the starters
had one hit, one RBI and one run scored." As it tries to hold off the Rangers
down the stretch, Oakland will play the Twins five more times. The As will only
see the Rangers for one more three-game series -- this weekend in Texas. NOTES:
Twins GM Terry Ryan said C Joe Mauer "didnt have a good day" so the team sent
him home early. Mauer, out since Aug. 20, had been making progress in returning
from a concussion. ... Reddick was not in the starting lineup for the second
straight day after being activated from the 15-day DL with a right wrist injury.
He entered the game in the bottom of the fourth. ... Baseball America selected
19-year-old Twins CF Byron Buxton as its minor league player of the year on
Wednesday. "Couldnt be more proud of the kid. Heck, thats quite the year hes
had," Ryan said. ... Buxton hit .334 with 49 extra base hits and 55 stolen bases
during stints at Single-A Fort Myers and Low-A Cedar Rapids this season. ...
Scott Diamond (5-10, 5.52 ERA) will make his first start for the Twins since
being recalled from Triple-A Rochester in Thursdays series finale. A.J. Griffin
(13-9, 3.91) will start for Oakland.
Brandon Coleman Saints Jersey .com) - Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved
play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder
squad.
Garrett Grayson Saints Jersey . Earnshaw, 31, most recently spent time on loan in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv from Welsh club
Cardiff City, which plays in Englands second-tier League Championship. Earnshaw
began his career with Cardiff Citys youth program and turned professional in
1998.New York, NY - Goaltenders Jaroslav Halak of the New York Islanders and
Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins have been named as injury
replacements for next weekends All-Star Game. Nashvilles Pekka Rinne and
Detroits Jimmy Howard were originally selected as All-Stars, but will be unable
to participate. Rinne has a sprained knee and Howard is battling a groin injury.
Josh Hill Saints Jersey. Halak, who will be making his first All-Star appearance, is 23-8-0 with a 2.22 goals-against
average, .917 save percentage and four shutouts. Fleury, who will be an All-Star
for the second time, is 22-7-4 with a 2.16 GAA, .926 save percentage and a
league-leading six shutouts. The All-Star Game is set for Jan. 25 in Columbus.
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