my head up and keep working. Thats all I got to do." It wa

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Just when it looked like the Oakland Athletics had turned things around with consecutive wins in Seattle, they put together one of their sloppiest performances of the year. Scott Kazmir allowed a two-run homer to Jake Smolinski, and shortstop Jed Lowrie made an error that led to a pair of unearned runs as the As lost 6-3 to the last-place Texas Rangers on Tuesday night. "I feel like that was a game that just doesnt happen in September in a race to make the playoffs," Kazmir said. "You just dont play like that. ... To be honest, Ive never seen anything like that before at a major league level." Oakland made two errors, threw two wild pitches and got another rough outing from Kazmir (14-9) to lose for the 15th time in 22 games. The As remained one game ahead of Kansas City for the top wild-card spot. The Mariners are a game behind the Royals for the second berth. "We just didnt look like we were ready to play tonight for whatever reason defensively," manager Bob Melvin said. "We got beat all the way around, unfortunately. I thought wed come ready to play." Nick Tepesch (5-10) allowed three runs in six innings to beat the As for the first time in six career appearances. The Rangers have won four straight for the first time since April. Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances. Smolinski provided the big offensive blow when he hit his first career home run in his first game against live pitching since breaking a bone in his left foot while fouling off a pitch on July 21. "Thats one I wont forget," Smolinski said. "It was kind of cool. It was nice to get that first hit back out of the way." The Rangers added another run in the fourth when Rougned Odor reached on a grounder to Lowrie and scored from first on Daniel Robertsons single to right. Josh Reddick threw Robertson out at second, but Odor never stopped running on the play and scored. After the As scored twice in the bottom half, the Rangers broke it open with three runs in the fifth after Lowries miscue. Lowrie threw high to first on Ryan Ruas grounder for a two-base error that allowed Adrian Beltre to score. Robinson Chirinos and Odor added RBI singles to make it 6-2. Kazmir allowed six runs -- four earned -- in 4 1-3 innings and is 0-4 with an 8.22 ERA over his past five starts. TRAINERS ROOM Rangers: OF Michael Choice will be sidelined six to eight weeks with a strained left hamstring, and GM Jon Daniels said it was unlikely Choice will play winter ball as originally planned. ... OF Shin-Soo Choo, already out for the season with an elbow injury, will have surgery on his left ankle that shouldnt impact his availability for next season. Athletics: C Stephen Vogt (sprained left ankle) hit before the game and could be available as a pinch-hitter Tuesday. UP NEXT Rangers: LHP Derek Holland (1-0) will make his fourth start of the season. The Rangers said he is the first pitcher since at least 1900 to pitch at least seven innings, allow one or fewer runs and no walks in his first three starts of a season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Athletics: RHP Jeff Samardzija (6-12) will face the Rangers for the first time in his career. MAULING MOSS After going 39 straight games without a homer, Brandon Moss connected for the second straight game for Oakland in one of the few bright spots of the day. "Ive been feeling a lot better lately," Moss said. "Its just a matter of swinging at good pitches and not missing good pitches." STAT OF THE DAY Kazmir retired all three batters he faced with a runner in scoring position and two outs. For the season, Kazmir has allowed just four hits in 56 at-bats (.071 batting average) in those situations. That would beat Jack Morris .082 batting average against in 1987 as the best mark in the majors since at least 1974. John Lynch Jersey .com) - Nicklas Backstrom scored a pair of goals and Alex Ovechkin notched a highlight-reel tally, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at the Prudential Center. Anthony Nelson Jersey .com) - Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson lost an appeal to have his indefinite suspension overturned, the NFL announced Friday. http://www.cheapbuccaneersjerseysauthentic.com/ . The Blueshirts hope to stay alive once again when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Sundays Game 6 battle at Madison Square Garden. Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys China . They have watched it from afar. And now they have seen it for themselves. Wholesale Buccaneers Jerseys . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, it doesnt appear the offer was warmly received by the team. Blue Jackets director of hockey operations John Davidson and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said on Wednesday the team has made offers of $6 million for two years, $32 million for six and $46 million over eight years but each one was refused by the restricted free agent centre and agent Kurt Overhardt.WASHINGTON -- Denard Span will take the five hits, of course, especially with three of them coming off Johnny Cueto. Hell take greater satisfaction in the way he was able to create havoc the way a leadoff hitter should, using his speed to get the Cincinnati Reds to commit a pair of errors in the Washington Nationals 9-4 win Tuesday night. "I got more gratification just disrupting them and getting them to throw the ball away," Span said. "For me thats how I have to take over a game." And take over, he did. He finished 5 for 5 with two runs, two doubles, two RBIs and a stolen base as he and the Nationals accomplished a first for 2014: They made Cueto (4-3) look mortal. The Reds ace allowed more than two runs, more than five hits and failed to pitch at least seven innings -- all for the first time this season. His final line: 5 1-3 innings, six hits, eight runs (six earned), six strikeouts. He also hit two batters in the same inning -- the seven-run sixth when the Nationals blew the game open. "They played really well. And you know what? Im human. Im human," Cueto said through an interpreter. "I just got to keep my head up and keep working. Thats all I got to do." It was Cuetos shortest start since Sept. 16, 2013, and his most runs allowed since Sept. 22, 2010. His ERA rose from 1.25 to 1.86. He wasnt helped by a Reds defence that committed four errors -- twice as many as in any previous game this season. "He wasnt just the groundball machine, strikeout machine that hes been to this point," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Its just the law of averages caught up with us today." Doug Fister (1-1), making his home Nationals debut, allowed two runs and six hits over seven innings with good movement on his fastball. He had a streak of 12 retired batters in a row, and he worked out of a jam in the sixth with the help of a diving stop by third baseman Anthony Rendon and a tiptoe stretch by first baseman Tyler Moore that turned Rendons throw into the third out. Above all, Span was the unstoppable agitator, and it paid off in the Reds calamitous third and sixth innings. Fister led off the third by reaching on an error when first basemann Todd Frazier couldnt backhand a grounder.dddddddddddd Span then tried to bunt his way on and did even better, laying one down that prompted a wide throw from third baseman Ramon Santiago. Fister scored all the way from first, and Span ended up on third and scored on Rendons sacrifice fly to give the Nationals a 2-1 lead. In the sixth, Span led off with a single, then stole second and went to third when catcher Brayan Penas throw went into centre field. Span scored on Jayson Werths RBI single and eventually came around to bat again in the inning, bringing home two more runs with a double off lefty reliever Sean Marshall. "Thats a good sign. I hit a lefty like that, a breaking-ball lefty," Span said. "Stay back and drive the ball like that. I havent done that in a while." The evenings work raised Spans batting average from.239 to .263. Before the game, manager Matt Williams said he was sticking with Span when asked about a possible change in the leadoff spot. The big night might be the turning point that justifies Williams patience. "Looking back at last year, he started a really good streak in the second half," Williams said, "so certainly it can get him going." NOTES: Spans five hits tied a career high. ... The Reds have committed six errors thus far in two-game series -- they had only 13 all season before arriving in D.C. ... Cincinnati 1B Joey Votto missed his fifth straight game with a strained left quadriceps. Price said he hopes Votto will return when the Reds open a homestand Friday. "We just remain optimistic that Joeys going to be ready to play when we get back." ... Cincinnati RHP Mat Latos (left knee, right elbow) threw the equivalent of two innings in a simulated game and could be slotted for a minor league rehab start Sunday. ... Reds OF Jay Bruce (left knee) is eligible to return from the disabled list Wednesday. ... Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman (right thumb fracture) saw an occupational therapist to get a splint and that will allow him to start throwing the ball. Theres still no timetable for his return. ... Reds RHP Alfredo Simon faces RHP Tanner Roark in Wednesdays series finale. 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