ST. PETERSBURG Kent Tekulve Jersey , Fla. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics missed out this weekend on gaining ground to host the AL wild-card game.Khris Davis hit a grand slam in the ninth inning but the Athletics again came up short, beaten by the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Sunday.“It was good to see on a day that looks like we’re dragging a little bit or a little bit flat to be able to put up a four-spot like that,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said.The A’s remained 1 ½ games behind the New York Yankees for the top AL wild-card spot. Oakland lost for the second straight day at Tropicana Field — the Yankees fell to Toronto both days.Oakland dropped 4 ½ games behind AL West-leading Houston, which beat Arizona.Tampa Bay trails Oakland by seven games with 14 games left.C.J. Cron and Willy Adames homered off A’s starter Mike Fiers. Eight Tampa Bay pitchers combined on a four-hitter.“Oakland came in here as hot as any team and we pitched like we needed to,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.Down 5-0, the A’s loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth on three walks by Jake Faria. After Jose Alvarado struck out Jed Lowrie, Sergio Romo allowed Davis’ major league-leading and career-high tying 43rd homer before getting the final two outs for his 21st save.Davis’ second career slam gave him 115 RBIs, second in the majors to the 122 for Boston’s J.D. Martinez.Fiers (12-7) dropped to 5-1 over eight starts since being acquired from Detroit on Aug. 6. He gave up three runs and four hits in four innings. The righty worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second.“Put the guys behind early,” Fiers said. “Just too many jams, too many errant pitches.”Cron had a two-run drive in the first and Adames hit a fourth-inning solo shot. The Rays (82-66) secured their first winning season since reaching the playoffs in 2013 (92-71) as an AL wild-card team.“There’s no way around it http://www.piratesfanproshop.com/authentic-bill-mazeroski-jersey , we’ve had a good year,” Cron said. “It’s just that the guys in front of us are having an exceptionally good year. I think most years this (record) would be good enough for a playoff spot.”Diego Castillo worked the first inning for the Rays, then Andrew Kittredge (3-2), Hunter Wood and Jaime Schultz all went two innings apiece.Kittredge also got the win in the Rays’ 7-5 victory Saturday night by retiring his only batter, Mark Canha, on two-out, bases-loaded grounder in the eighth.Matt Olson, who went 2 for 3 with a walk, was the only Oakland player to reach base through seven innings.Cron put Tampa Bay ahead 2-0 on his career-high 27th home, coming two pitches after Lowrie could only get a forceout after bobbling an apparent inning-ending double-play grounder to second by Ji-Man Choi.The Rays went up 5-0 in the seventh on Brandon Lowe’s two-run triple.TWENTY IS STILL SPECIALRays ace Blake Snell (19-5) will be seeking a major league-leading 20th win in the second of a three-game series Tuesday night at Texas. “I think it’s a huge stat for a pitcher,” Cash said. “Sometimes you’re at the mercy of the club Dave Parker Jersey , I understand that, but ultimately if you win 20 ballgames you’re going to put the club on your back and carry a lot of the load. Blake has done that.”TRAINER’S ROOMAthletics: RHP Trevor Cahill (upper back) is nearing a bullpen session and might rejoin the rotation next weekend. “We’ll have a better indication once gets off the mound and really has to extend,” Melvin said. “I think that’s where he was having his troubles.” Cahill is 6-3 in 19 starts.Rays: OF Tommy Pham, playing through groin and right ring finger injuries was rested. … Cash said it is unclear if C Michael Perez (left hamstring) will return this season.UP NEXTAthletics: RHP Liam Hendriks (0-1) will be the opener for the sixth time this month Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Angels.Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (0-4) will face Texas RHP Adrian Sampson (0-1) on Monday night. TORONTO — Aaron Sanchez had wondered if he would pitch again this season after he injured a finger on a suitcase in June.The wondering will be over Saturday afternoon when the right-hander takes the mound at the Rogers Centre to start the second game of a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies (69-59).Sanchez (3-5, 3.52 ERA) will face Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta (7-0, 4.66).Article continues below ...The Blue Jays (59-69) lead the season series 3-1 after winning two of three games in Philadelphia in May and taking the opener of the current series 4-2 on Friday night as Kendrys Morales homered for a career-best fifth game.Sanchez has not pitched since June 21 when he allowed two runs in one inning of an 8-5 loss in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. He could not continue because of what was described as a contusion of the right index finger.“Honestly, I didn’t feel I was going to make it back,” Sanchez said. “I mean, I’ve missed so much time the last few years. Just to be able to be back here, hopefully contribute these last weeks I have. I’m looking forward to it.”Last season, he was limited to 36 innings because of a blister on his right middle finger.This time Josh Harrison Jersey , it was the right middle finger that he injured just before he was to start in Anaheim.“It got stuck up in my suitcase and I didn’t want to say it then because I saw (Kansas City Royals catcher) Salvador Perez go down with the same injury and I didn’t want to get laughed at,” Sanchez said. “And it’s probably none of your business how it happened.”The finger bent awkwardly in the luggage handle as the bag started to fall.He pitched the same day; the first time had pitched in California with his family in attendance.He has pitched in two rehabilitation start — one at Class A Dunedin and the other with Double-A New Hampshire.With New Hampshire on Monday, he allowed three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Fewer than half of his pitches were strikes (42 of 86), but he was deemed ready to start Saturday.“I don’t get attached to numbers in rehab starts,” Sanchez said. “I’m out there to make sure I’m working on what I need to work on. I’m throwing changeups and curveballs in counts I would never throw (them). I got 80 pitches to work on what I needed to work on.”Sanchez has pitched one perfect inning of relief in his career against the Phillies.Pivetta, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, has started once in his career against the Blue Jays. He took the loss May 27 when he allowed two runs, four hits and two walks while striking out seven in five innings.Despite the loss Friday, the Phillies remained three games out of first in the National League because the division-leading Atlanta Braves also lost.“We need to play better, and the Braves need not to play as well http://www.piratesfanproshop.com/authentic-gregory-polanco-jersey ,” said Phillies starter Jake Arrieta, who took the loss Friday. “If those two things happen, we’ll be fine. There’s no need to panic, but we need to stay locked into the game.”The Phillies have lost five of their past six games. They are 28-37 on the road and are 5-13 in their past 18 away games.Phillies catcher Wilson Ramos returned to action Friday after missing three games with a sore left wrist and was 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and a pickoff at first base.The Blue Jays welcomed infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back to the lineup Friday. He was activated from the disabled list, where he had been since July 30 because of a sprained left ankle.He played shortstop and was 1-for-4 with one RBI to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. His streak of 11 straight games with two or more hits ended, however.Infielder Richard Urena was returned to Triple-A Buffalo on option to clear roster space for Gurriel.
