needed when it comes to getting up in a game -- and seeing it through to the final buzzer.Its been tough on us of late, said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. The schedule, the way weve lost some games, the frustra

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Every time he found himself in trouble, Athletics pitcher A.J. Griffin tried to channel teammate Bartolo Colon. Having seen Oaklands lone All-Star selection keep his calm all season no matter the circumstances, Griffin simply followed suit. Even when he lost a chance at a complete game. Griffin and Grant Balfour combined on a seven-hitter for Griffins third straight victory and the As beat the Boston Red Sox 3-0 Saturday night. Griffin (8-6) wasnt crisp but still went eight scoreless innings to remain unbeaten in his last five starts. The Oakland right-hander pitched with runners on base in each of the first six innings and twice had to work out of two-on, two-out jams. "I just tried to act like number 40 in situations like that," said Griffin, who walked one and struck out three. "Just not show they have me in a situation or they have the upper hand. Thats something Ive learned a lot just watching Bartolo pitch." That was in stark contrast to Griffins previous start against the Red Sox, when he was shelled for nine runs (seven earned) over four innings on April 22. Hes come a long way since then, particularly since his last loss on June 15. Over Griffins last five starts, he is 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA. "(He) really made some in-game adjustments, then the command was all of a sudden there," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "He was even lobbying for the ninth, but I wasnt going to have him throw 120-plus pitches." Griffin got help from the As defence. Rookie second baseman Grant Green turned an unassisted double play in the second inning after Jarrod Saltalamacchia walked, then shortstop Jed Lowrie made an impressive recovery and throw to get Dustin Pedroia in the eighth after initially bobbling the ball. Balfour pitched the ninth for his 25th save this season and 43rd consecutive save dating to 2012. The As sputtering offence managed only one extra-base hit off Boston starter Jon Lester (8-6) and one reliever, but made them hold up behind Griffins stellar outing. Since opening the season 6-0, Lester has gone 2-6 with a 6.27 ERA over his last 11 starts. "(Lester) just happened to pitch on the wrong day given how effective their guy was," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "We had a number of opportunities. Unfortunately we couldnt get anything going." Derek Norris homered and Yoenis Cespedes added an RBI single to help the division-leading As end a two-game losing streak and maintain their one-game lead over Texas in the West. Oakland reached 55 wins before the All-Star break for the first time since 1975. Shane Victorino singled twice for Boston, which had won four straight. Norris homered off Lester with two outs in the fifth. Cespedes, mired in a 6-for-37 slump, singled in Jed Lowrie in the sixth to make it 2-0. It was Cespedes first RBI this month. Lester beat the As on April 24 when he allowed three runs over 5 2-3 innings and looked sharp early. Bostons left-hander allowed only one runner to second until Norris homered, and faced just three over the minimum through five innings. Coco Crisps RBI single off reliever Junichi Tazawa in the seventh drove in Josh Reddick for the As final run. NOTES: Colon (12-3) will make his final start for Oakland in the series finale. Detroit manager Jim Leyland, who manages the AL, has said he wont use any pitcher who is used on Sunday. ... Reddick has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games. ... Newly acquired Red Sox LHP Matt Thornton arrived in Oakland before the game and was in uniform. ... Boston RHP Brandon Workman will make his first major league start on Sunday. ... The crowd of 36,067 marked the As ninth sellout of the season. ... Umpire CB Bucknor, who was hit in the side of his facemask by a pitch from Oaklands Jarrod Parker on Friday night, did not suffer a concussion but remains hospitalized for observation. Mike Muchlinski was brought in to replace Bucknor.Colorado Rockies Gear . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Colorado Rockies Store . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/ . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Custom Colorado Rockies Jerseys .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Colorado Rockies Pro Shop . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set.EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Oilers four-game losing streak is an example of how fine the lines in hockey truly are.Three of the four losses came in either overtime or the shootout; the one regulation loss of the four saw the Oilers establish 2-0 and 5-3 leads at Philadelphia before giving up a late goal to lose, 6-5.So, you could argue that the Oilers were only a few breaks away from collecting eight out of a possible eight points out of those four games. They ended up with only three.They will try to change the pattern when they host the Winnipeg Jets Sunday night at Rogers Place. The Jets will come in with tired legs, having lost 6-2 at Calgary Saturday night. It was the Jets third loss in a row.Weve got to get the (Calgary loss) out of our mind and focus on tomorrow, and have that fire in our belly, said Jets center Mark Scheifele, who has 27 points in 27 games this season. (The Oilers) are a good team, theyre quick, theyre skilled and weve got to be ready for them.The hottest Oiler is center Leon Draisaitl; he has scored in five of the last six Oilers games, and has nine points over that span. He scored in Fridays 3-2 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild.I think Im pretty confident right now, said Draisaitl. The puck seems to bounce my way a little bit, which didnt happen in the first couple of games.But whats been troubling for the Oilers is they held leads in each of the four straight losses.dddddddddddd If the Oilers want to shake the decade-long pattern of missing the playoffs, the team will have to develop the mental toughness needed when it comes to getting up in a game -- and seeing it through to the final buzzer.Its been tough on us of late, said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. The schedule, the way weve lost some games, the frustration level goes up and, often, when it happens it sucks a lot of energy out of you.But he added that he thought the Oilers 3-2 shootout loss in Minnesota on Friday night saw all of his players come out with strong efforts.Now, the challenge is to turn a strong effort into a winning effort.The Oilers will face a Jets team thats already playing back-to-back games for the sixth time this season. By contrast, the Oilers have played just three back-to-backs this year. The game will be the Jets fifth in seven games.The diabolical schedule has not pleased Jets coach Paul Maurice.I dont like our schedule at all. Ive never seen one like it, Maurice said. It may be the new NHL, we just have to get used to it and deal with it.Maurice said his team will make full use of two days off at home after they head home from Edmonton. ' ' '