Allg. Anregungen & Kritik » night before. They were much more compet

ARLINGTON, Texas - Josh Reddick drove in three runs, Scott Kazmir won for the first time in seven starts and the Oakland Athletics moved oh so close to finally clinching their third consecutive playoff berth.After snapping a three-game skid with a 6-2 victory Friday night at Texas, the As needed only one more win a€” or a loss by the Seattle Mariners a€” to clinch an American League wild card. Kansas City clinched earlier in the evening.When the As finished their game, they gathered in the visitors clubhouse to watch Seattle play at home against the AL West champion Los Angeles Angels. But Seattle won 4-3, pushing Oakland to its 161st of 162 games still without a spot in the playoffs.Were just going to go out there and play these last couple of games and hopefully make it in there, Kazmir said.Reddick led off the fourth with his 12th homer, and an inning later added a two-run single to make it 6-1.Adam Dunn, the big designated hitter batting in the No. 2 spot for the first time since June 2008, had a two-run double in the third for Oakland (87-73). Dunn, in his 14th major league season, was acquired by the As on Aug. 31 and is looking to get to the playoffs for the first time.The As were a season-best 28 games over .500 and had a four-game lead in the AL West on Aug. 10. But they lost 29 of their next 43 games before Friday night.Weve been saying all weve got to do is get in and these last two months weve forgotten, Reddick said. Thats all we got to worry about now.Texas had its five-game winning streak snapped. Only their second loss in 14 games assured the Rangers (66-94) will finish fifth in the AL West after Houston (70-90) won at the New York Mets on Friday night.Nick Tepesch (5-11) allowed six runs and six hits, with four walks, in 4 1-3 innings.Kazmir (15-9) struck out five without a walk while limiting the Rangers to two runs (one earned) and four hits over seven innings.Its been a long time coming it feels like, Kazmir said. Just feels good.The lefty was 0-4 with an 8.58 ERA his previous six starts since his last win Aug. 19. The 15 wins are a career high, but only four of those have come since the All-Star break.Texas led 1-0 right away, when Leonys Martin had a leadoff single, stole second and scored on Ryan Ruas double. But Kazmir then retired 10 in a row, and the Rangers didnt score again until an unearned run in the fifth.Martins RBI grounder drove in Rougned Odour, who reached after first baseman Brandon Moss error when he threw behind Kazmir, who was going to cover first baseJOLTED JOSHAs 3B Josh Donaldson landed hard on his left knee trying to make a backhanded stab of a grounder by Elvis Andrus that went foul in the third inning. After falling on his stomach and rolling over, Donaldson grabbed the back of his knee and hopped around momentarily when getting to his feet.I didnt hear anything pop, which is good, he said. I tried to get back up and walk everything off, but it was just kind of, at the time, just pain.Donaldson sat back on the ground while being tended to by a trainer, and eventually got up and played the rest of the game. He was clearly not running full speed when he singled and eventually scored in the fifth inning.With the hamstring thing Ive been having too, the toughest part about running is just trying to push off that leg. So with the knee on top of that, the left leg just wasnt really working, he said. If I can move, Im going to try to be out there.UP NEXTAthletics: RHP Jeff Samardzija, another midseason addition, is set to start the potential playoff-clinching game. He is 2-2 in his past six starts despite a 1.40 ERA.Rangers: LHP Derek Holland (2-0) makes his sixth and final start after missing the first five months of the season rehabbing from microfracture surgery on his left knee.TRAINERS ROOMAthletics: OF Craig Gentry, who hasnt played since sustaining a concussion in a game Sept. 9, felt good a day after watching some pitches in the bullpen and getting on the field.Rangers: Interim manager Tim Bogar would like to get OF Jim Adduci in a game this weekend. Just make sure that hes mentally OK with everything before he leaves here, Bogar said. Adduci sustained a concussion Aug. 28 and is still dealing with a pinkie issue. New Balance Shoes Canada Online . Anderson is scheduled to have neck surgery April 8 to repair the injury, which occurred when he collided with the Celtics Gerald Wallace during a game in Boston on Jan. 3. The 6-foot-10 Pelicans forward, who had been averaging 19. New Balance Shoes Canada . A judge had summoned Clemens and Brian McNamee to federal court in Brooklyn for settlement talks aimed at heading off a trial in the defamation case. McNamees lawyer emerged saying an agreement wasnt likely. "I think this is a case where the lines are deeply drawn in the sand," said attorney Richard Emery. http://www.cheapnewbalancecanada.com/. The Blue Jackets play Thursday night at New Jersey in their first game after the NHLs Olympic hiatus. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Gaborik has represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics but was unable to play in Sochi because of his injury. New Balance Factory Outlet Canada . After all, the No. 8 seed is chasing far loftier goals. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., defeated American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Wimbledons second round on Thursday. New Balance Shoes Sale Canada . Tyutin has missed the last nine games with an ankle injury which occurred while playing for Russia at the Olympics. The top-two defenceman has four goals and 20 assists, 30 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating in 53 games with Columbus this season. NEW YORK -- Pound it into the paint, pound your opponent on the backboards. The Memphis Grizzlies rediscovered their winning formula Saturday, getting 25 points and 15 rebounds from Zach Randolph and snapping a five-game losing streak with a 95-87 victory over the New York Knicks. Tony Allen added 19 points and eight boards while providing his usual strong defence. Jerryd Bayless scored 11 points, including two free throws to end a Knicks flurry that had trimmed a 19-point deficit to four in the final half-minute. "This was going to be a tough one. It is not easy winning here," point guard Mike Conley said. "For us to come in and win says a lot. Hopefully this will spark something for us." Conley finished with nine points and eight assists after missing two games with a bruised left thigh for the Grizzlies, who had a 56-29 rebounding advantage and outscored the Knicks 60-28 in the paint. "Thats embarrassing, especially when you start a big lineup," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said, adding that Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Andrea Bargnani needed to rebound better. "I thought that was the difference." Anthony scored 30 points, while reserves J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. each had 16 for the Knicks. Chandler had eight points and six rebounds in his second game back from a broken leg, while Bargnani managed just three points and two boards in 22 minutes after moving back into the starting lineup. Randolph and the Grizzlies front line outworked the Knicks, methodically increasing their lead until they were able to build a big cushion with a 15-5 run that spanned the end of the third quarter and early fourth. "It was real critical me being aggressive, getting to the free throw line, making shots. Something Ive been trying to do these last couple of games," Randolph said. "Been a lot of focus on me packing the paint. I was kind of hoping that I could operate down there." Randolph had 10 points and eight rebounds in the third quarter, including a follow shot for the first of three straight Memphis baskeets that turned an eight-point lead into a 72-58 advantage.ddddddddddddHe made two free throws to open the fourth, then Bayless had the next three field goals for the Grizzlies to push the lead to 81-63. Memphis seemed comfortably ahead after Randolph scored in the lane and Allen came up with a steal and basket to make it 91-78 with 3:04 to play, but Smith and Anthony made consecutive 3-pointers to start a run of nine straight Knicks points that made it 91-87 with 25 seconds remaining. Bayless than knocked down a pair of free throws and Allen closed it out with a final basket. "I thought that we played really, really hard," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "Every coach puts up on his board, play hard, play smart, play together. I thought just about every single minute of the game we played hard." The Knicks fell to 4-10 at home, matching their total number of home losses all of last season in 41 games. The Knicks tried to change their luck in home day games, where they had lost by 41 points to the Celtics and 31 to the Spurs in noon starts, by staying in a hotel the night before. They were much more competitive, but far from good enough until it was too late. "Its a sense of inconsistency right now," Anthony said. "We have spurts where were playing great basketball and then we just have spurts where were just dead out there. So weve got to get better at that." Memphis is still playing without Marc Gasol and Tayshaun Prince, but was stabilized by the return of Conley, even though he shot just 4 of 18 and failed to score in double figures for the first time this season. The Grizzlies jumped to a 17-8 lead, but Knicks woke up early this time compared to the previous matinees and cut it to 25-22 after one. Memphis scored the final five points of the half, taking a 50-40 lead into the break after Ed Davis dunk with a second left. Notes: Knicks forward Metta World Peace sat out with a sore left knee for the third time this season. ... The Grizzlies are 0-7 against Southwest Division teams but improved to 11-8 against everyone else. ' ' '