The Texas Rangers are testing their own patience with six

[linhe]

OAKLAND, Calif. wholesale jerseys . -- The Texas Rangers are testing their own patience with six games to go. They gave up a chance Thursday to inch closer to a second straight AL West crown. Coco Crisp hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning, and the Oakland Athletics beat the first-place Rangers 4-3 to avoid a series sweep. The reigning AL champion Rangers had their magic number reduced to two when the Angels lost to Toronto later Thursday night. "We just have to keep winning series. If we do that well be fine," manager Ron Washington said. "The sooner we win games to wrap it up, you want to do it. At the same time we dont look too far ahead. It is the way it is. ... If we keep playing like this, pretty soon it will happen." Texas, which held a five-game lead over Los Angeles entering Thursday, headed home for three games with the Mariners before ending the regular season at Anaheim. "Wed love to do it as soon as possible," second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "Whether its the first game, second game or third game at home, it would be a lot of fun if were able to do it in front of our home crowd." Grant Balfour (5-2) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the win, then Andrew Bailey finished for his 21st save in 23 chances as the As snapped Texas four-game winning streak and handed the Rangers just their second loss in 10 games. Pinch-hitter Scott Sizemore hit a tying RBI groundout in the seventh against Darren Oliver. Crisps hit came against Mike Adams (1-3) and helped stop a three-game skid. Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba left in the eighth after taking a foul tip on the head and experiencing nausea. The team said he was seen by a doctor and doesnt have a concussion. Adrian Beltre hit an RBI double, Nelson Cruz added a sacrifice fly and David Murphy also drove in a run for the Rangers, who couldnt hold a 3-1 lead. Texas had its five-game winning streak at the Coliseum snapped and finished 13-6 in the season series -- matching its most wins against an opponent in one year. "A team that beats up on you, you better have a little extra hate for them," As manager Bob Melvin said. Colby Lewis went 4-0 in six starts against his former As team this year but missed a chance to join Ferguson Jenkins in becoming the only Rangers pitchers to win five games against Oakland in a season. Jenkins had been the lone pitcher in Texas history to beat an opponent five times in one year -- against the As and Minnesota in 1974. Lewis struck out the side in order in the fourth and finished with seven Ks and two walks. He allowed three runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings. Jemile Weeks hit his first major league home run in the sixth, a rare show of power for the speedy five-foot-nine, 160-pound leadoff man. His drive to right came in his 379th career at-bat. "It feels like a weight has been lifted from my chest," Weeks said. "I had pretty much thought if it didnt happen by now it wasnt going to happen. Today is one of the best days to get it done." Weeks snapped a 90-game homeless streak, the second-longest to start a career in Oakland history behind Mike Bordicks 132 games without a longball before connecting on May 10, 1992. Weeks reached base in all four of his plate appearances Thursday with two other hits. Lewis allowed his AL-leading 35th home run. "If Im leading the league in home runs, it might as well be me who gives it up, his first one," Lewis said. Oakland avoided falling a season-worst 18 games below .500, which would have been its lowest since finishing the 1997 season 32 games below. The As completed their home schedule a day after Melvin received a new three-year contract to be the permanent manager. Oakland went 43-38 at the Coliseum for its second straight winning season at home. The As finish with three games in Anaheim, then three in Seattle. Crisp crashed his left side hard into the centre-field wall trying to make a play on Beltres second-inning double. He went down briefly but stayed in the game. NOTES: Sizemore didnt start as he nurses shoulder tendinitis. ... Rangers RHP reliever Mark Lowes playoff status is in doubt after he returned to Arlington to have his injured left hamstring examined by team physician Dr. Keith Meister. Lowe has a Grade 2 strain, GM Jon Daniels said. The pitcher was hurt running sprints during warmups before Wednesday nights game. Righty reliever Michael Gonzalez also flew home Thursday because of an illness. The team didnt consider his bug to be anything serious. Gonzalez is 2-2 with one save and a 4.38 earned-run average in 54 outings. ... Actor Danny Glover threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... As LHP starter Gio Gonzalez received this years "Good Guy" award from the local chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Gonzalez (14-12) starts Friday night against the Angels trying to become Oaklands first back-to-back 15-game winner since Mark Mulder in 2003-04. Gonzalez is 5-1 with a 3.20 ERA over his last six starts. ... LHP Matt Harrison (13-9) pitches for the Rangers on Friday. nfl jerseys china . Michael Grabner knocked in a shot from the slot at 1:46 of overtime, giving the Islanders a 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. cheap nfl jerseys . The incident happened during Barcelonas 3-2 win at Villarreal on April 27th when Alves, who is black, picked up the banana thrown by 26-year-old David Campayo Lleo, bit off a piece and then discarded it.FRANKFURT, Germany -- Former Bundesliga champion Stuttgart fell into the relegation zone on Wednesday by losing 2-0 at Nuremberg, and Hamburg also came closer to dropping into second division by drawing 1-1 at home to Freiburg on Wednesday. One day after Bayern Munich clinched its 24th league title, two storied clubs found themselves facing an uphill battle to avoid being demoted. Nuremberg lifted itself from the relegation zone with its win after a brace by Josip Drmic. Freiburg stayed in 15th place, two points ahead of Hamburg, another former champion and the only club never to be relegated from the Bundesliga. A 16th-place finish means a playoff against a second-division team for a place in the top division. Stuttgart and Hamburg are three points above bottom Eintracht Braunschweig. Bayer Leverkusen won 3-1 in Augsburg to end a nine-game run without a victory in all competitions, Eintracht Frankfurt edged Borussia Moenchengladbach 1-0 and Hoffenheim edged 10-man Hannover 3-1. Stuttgart won the last of its three championships in 2007 but the club is now two points from safety, just like Hamburg. Wednesdays loss hurt even more because it came against a direct rival in the bbattle against relegation. wholesale nfl jerseys. Nuremberg ended a four-match losing streak, with Drmic bringing his season total to 15 goals by scoring either side of halftime. Striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga returned after missing three games through injury to salvage one point for Hamburg, which fell behind in the 50th through a goal by Vladimir Darida. But Lassoga notched the equalizer five minutes later. Hoffenheim and Frankfurt all but made sure of avoiding demotion. Hannover lost Manuel Schmiedebach to a red card in the 75th but by then Hoffenheim was already 2-1 up and Sebastian Rudy secured the victory in injury time. Leon Andreasen put Hannover ahead but Eugen Polanski and Anthony Modeste then scored for Hoffenheim. Striker Joselu scored a first-half goal for Frankfurts second consecutive victory. Leverkusen had lost five of its last six in the Bundesliga but Stefan Kiessling scored his 13th goal of the season to put his team ahead, Augsburg pulled one back through Tobias Werner, but Son Heung-min and Emre Can scored late in the match to secure Leverkusens win. Leverkusen strengthened its grip on fourth place and has three points more than Wolfsburg in fifth. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '