be the fifth partner hes been paired with already this season.

SEATTLE - Jed Lowrie drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the 10th inning to force in the tiebreaking run and lift the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night. Wholesale Jerseys For Cheap . Mariners reliever Fernando Rodney (1-6) came on in the 10th and walked Coco Crisp to open the inning. After Crisp advanced to second on a sacrifice, Rodney intentionally walked Josh Donaldson and then Alberto Callaspo drew another walk to load the bases. Rodney struck out Brandon Moss looking before walking Lowrie on four pitches to force in the go-ahead run. Luke Gregerson (5-4) pitched a perfect ninth to earn the win, and Sean Doolittle, reinstated from the disabled list one day earlier, pitched the 10th for his 21st save as Oakland remained a half-game ahead of Kansas City for the American Leagues first wild card. The Mariners dropped a game behind the Royals for the leagues second wild card. Donaldson hit his team-leading 27th home run in the sixth inning to tie the score at 1-1. Oakland took the lead in the seventh when Josh Reddick doubled with one out, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Eric Sogards two-out single. Sogard, who had three hits, stole second and moved to third on another wild pitch, but Hernandez struck out Crisp to end the inning. Seattles Robinson Cano tied the score at 2-all with a solo home run, his 14th, in the bottom of the inning. Oakland starter Sonny Gray allowed two runs and five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in eight innings. Seattles Felix Hernandez gave up two runs and seven hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings. It marked the seventh time this season hes pitched at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer without a decision. The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the third when James Jones tripled and scored on Chris Taylors single up the middle. The game drew 43,913 for Seattles first sellout since its home opener. TRAINERS ROOM Athletics: C Geovany Soto, who left Fridays game with back spasms, will hopefully be able to return after Oaklands day off Monday, manager Bob Melvin said. ... OF Craig Gentry, who has not played since suffering a concussion on Tuesday, felt dizzy after riding a stationary bike on Friday but did not feel dizziness after riding on Saturday. "Hopefully were on the right path with him," Melvin said. Mariners: OF Dustin Ackley was out of the lineup again with soreness in his foot and ankle. Ackley played Friday after sitting out four games, and Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said hes day-to-day. UP NEXT Athletics: Jon Lester (14-10) is 8-3 with a 1.79 in 16 starts since June 12, the second-best ERA in the American League in that time. Mariners: Chris Young (12-7) will try to set a new career high for wins in the series finale with Oakland. Hes 1-2 with a 4.35 ERA in six appearances against the As this season. Wholesale Authentic NFL Jerseys . Erik Cole scored on a breakaway with 4:49 to play, and the Stars rallied to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night. Cheap NFL Jerseys . The defeat leaves the 41-year-old Nestor to concentrate on the mixed-doubles event after winning 12 straight matches and winning Australian titles in Brisbane and Sydney with two different partners. "This was a little bit of a let down, but all credit to them," said Nestor. http://www.nflchinajerseys.top/ . "We cannot stay the same way the whole season long," said Reyes. "This is not acceptable. Something needs to change because were a better team than what were showing right now. Its a long season and we just need to continue to push." Its been a frustrating week for the ballclub.TORONTO – In each of the past two offseasons Cody Franson and the Maple Leafs disagreed on the worth of the now 26-year-old defender. Contract disputes lingered for days, weeks and months in the winter of 2012 and once more in summer of 2013 before the two sides finally compromised on an unhappy middle with a pair of one-year contracts. Franson, not surprisingly, feels he has something to prove in his third season in Toronto. "Definitely," he said in conversation with the Leaf Report on Tuesday afternoon. "Thats the way my dad raised me was live by proving people wrong, have that motivation and drive to make people that say youre not eat their words." Franson believed that hed established himself as a viable top-4 defender last season, when he broke out with 29 points in 45 games, but Dave Nonis and the Leafs management group wanted to see more. They werent sure what the Sicamous, B.C. native was (the half-season sample size undoubtedly a factor) and balked at committing the sizeable term and dollars he desired in free agency (hence the one-year deal worth $2 million). Soon to be a restricted agent once more in the summer of 2014, Franson is out to prove that hes worthy of such an investment. Entrenched with the significant role and responsibility he always wanted upon landing with the Leafs via trade from Nashville, Franson is only half-satisfied with the season hes had to date. "Its going okay, but I can do more," said Franson, who will assume top pairing duty in the absence of suspended captain Dion Phaneuf. "I feel like I can do more. I feel I can help produce more. I can be a bigger part in our group turning things around." The Leafs have stumbled into December, struggling to generate offence and adequately defend amid a stretch which has seen them win just twice in regulation in 17 games. Now without their captain and leading minute-eater for the next two games – against top teams from Los Angeles and St. Louis no less – theyll need others, Franson most prominently, to step up their game. "The challenges are bountiful as we go forward into the season," said Randy Carlyle of a year thats seen an increasing number of injuries and suspensions, "but somebody else now gets an opportunity to fill those minutes." Be it offensively or defensively, Franson feels his game could stand to rise on a number of different fronts. The scoring leader of the Toronto defence once again this season – he has 14 points – Franson is nonetheless concerned by his inability to find the back of the net. He had four goals on 70 shots in 2013, but has yet score on any of the 40 attempts hes fired so far this year. Directing more pucks on net, thus creating not only goals but rebound opportunities for teammates, will aid in the teams struggling offensive attack – the Leafs have just 23 even-strength goals during this lasting 17-game run. "Obviously not having scored a goal is in my head," he said, noting a desire to increase hiss overall offensive production. Wholesale MLB Jerseys. "Its been a tough year to try and get shots through to the net and really help our forwards in that sense. Thats bothering me a bit." Amongst the best at his position in producing offence at even-strength last season – he had 16 points, tied for 12th most among NHL defenders – Franson has just three such points this season, the majority of his production coming on one of the leagues top power-plays. Because the Leafs have struggled to move the puck effectively for the better part of the opening two-plus months theyve been ineffective with a forecheck from which theyd like to initiate offence. One of their better puck-movers, Franson can help in that regard with some measure of improvement. "I havent got enough of those this year," said Franson of even-strength points, 11 of his 14 assists coming with the man advantage. "Thats something Ive been trying to focus on in getting better at and try to help our team win." Already second in ice-time among Leaf defenders – 21 minutes per game –Franson is poised to peg, if not more minutes, than more difficult minutes with Phaneuf suspended for tough tests against the Kings and Blues. He was paired with Carl Gunnarsson on the top pairing of Tuesdays practice. Though hes made strides in the right direction in Toronto, Franson remains a work in progress in the defensive zone. Part of that growth lies in his assertiveness and physicality. The 6-foot-5 defender has always been prodded to employ the requisite physical game his size is said to demand. Under the direction of Carlyle he has improved considerably. Franson actually leads all NHL defenders with 98 hits (entering Tuesdays action), quite a shift for a player who had 55 in his first 61 NHL games with Nashville. "Ive gotten better," said Franson, "but theres always room for improvement. Ive watched the video clips of myself after a lot of games and I see spots where I know I couldve at least bumped a guy there or a guy takes a shot and I was more worried about the rebound than finishing [him] into the wall. Just some things that I need to get back into the habit of doing and itll help me." Habit has also been forced to change with a steady mix of defensive partners. Unlike last season, when he played with Mark Fraser almost exclusively, Franson has shifted from partner to partner amid the teams struggles on the back-end. Gunnarsson will be the fifth partner hes been paired with already this season. The adjustment is as subtle as thinking versus reacting instinctually. "[I]t makes you think a little more and sometimes Im thinking too much and its making me read things a little slower than I should be and in turn making me not quite as aggressive as Id like to be," said Franson. "Ive got to get that down a little quicker and itll help." Such improvements will go a long ways toward proving the "naysayers" wrong while helping the Leafs turn a much-needed corner. ' ' '