Dein erstes Forum » got a bit of justice when Donaldson hit

HOUSTON -- Jed Lowrie had plenty to say about the Houston Astros after he was hit by a pitch that led to the ejection of Paul Clemens in Oaklands 10-1 win on Thursday night. The Astros were swept by the As in a three-game series in Oakland last week and there still seemed to be some animosity between the teams from an 11-3 loss in the first game of that series. In that game, Clemens appeared to try to hit Lowrie with a pitch in the third inning after Lowrie had attempted a bunt in the first with Oakland up by seven runs. Houston manager Bo Porter came out of the dugout to scream at Lowrie after he hit a fly out after two inside pitches. On Thursday night, Clemens was tossed after hitting Lowrie on the backside with the first pitch of the at-bat with Oakland leading 8-1. Lowrie had doubled off of him in the fifth. "Its flat-out embarrassing," Lowrie said of the incident. "Theres no other way to say it. Every perspective, every angle you look at it its embarrassing. That kind of conduct shouldnt be condoned." The Astros denied that Lowrie was hit intentionally. "There was no carry-over on my end," Clemens said. "What happened in Oakland was squashed in Oakland. Bad pitch there. It just so happened I cut a fastball. We wanted to go inside on him." Lowrie got a bit of justice when Donaldson hit his second home run after the plunking. "I love it. I love it," Lowrie repeated when asked about the homer. Porter was evasive when asked if Clemens hit Lowrie on purpose. "I think the game of baseball takes care of itself," he said. "George Springer got hit tonight and its part of the game." Lowrie said hes never seen anything like this and that he holds Porter responsible for what happened. "At the end of the day the buck stops with him so if you look at it that way, yes, hes the one thats responsible for players conduct," he said. Josh Donaldson hit a pair of two-run homers to help Athletics cruise to the victory. It was the first career multihomer game for Donaldson, who connected in the first inning and pushed the lead to 10-1 with a second shot in the seventh. Alberto Callaspo added a two-run homer in the third and Lowrie had three hits for the As, who improved to 24-5 against Houston, which joined the American League before the start of last season. Scott Kazmir is off to a 3-0 start for the first time in his career after allowing five hits and a run with seven strikeouts in six innings. He lowered his ERA to 1.62. The Athletics jumped on Houston starter Brett Oberholtzer (0-4) early and tagged him for a career-high six runs on and eight hits, which tied a career-high, in just 3 2-3 innings. Houstons only run came on a bases-loaded walk in the first inning and they had trouble stringing any hits together. They had a terrible night on defence, committing five errors after entering the night leading the majors with a .992 fielding percentage and just seven errors. Donaldsons towering 389-foot homer, which clanged high off the foul pole in left field, gave Oakland a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Houston cut it to 2-1 when Chris Carter drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the inning. The trouble continued for Oberholtzer in the second inning when Craig Gentry doubled with one out. He then plunked Brandon Moss before a two-out RBI bloop single by Coco Crisp. Crisp advanced to second on an error by Springer on the play. Donaldson hit a leadoff double in the third and scored on a single by Derek Norris with one out to make it 4-1. Callaspo followed with his two-run home run to the Crawford Boxes in left field to push the lead to 6-1. Gentry ended up on second base after a fielding error and a throwing error by Matt Dominguez on the same play. Moss added an RBI single in the fifth inning and Lowrie had a run-scoring double later in the inning to push the lead to 8-1. NOTES: As left fielder Yoenis Cespedes left the game in the seventh inning with a strained left hamstring and manager Bob Melvin said he expects him to be out a couple of days. ... Athletics RHP Jesse Chavez opposes RHP Brad Peacock in the second game of the series on Friday night. ... Oakland RHP A.J. Griffin, sidelined since the start of the season with an elbow injury, will visit Dr. Thomas Mehlhoff in Houston on Tuesday for a second opinion. ... Houston reliever Matt Albers wasnt available for a third straight game on Thursday because of tightness in his right shoulder. Porter said he doesnt think the problem is serious. Discount MLB Jerseys . -- The taxing preseason, which included two games in China, is finally over. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys . Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Allen Craig on the 15-day disabled list with a right knee contusion on Sunday. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ .J. -- John Elway says Peyton Manning cannot stamp himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history even if he wins the Super Bowl on Sunday. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Fellow Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain also had a brace for Napoli. And Samuel Etoo scored for his fourth different team. On a night of standout individual performances Wednesday, Schalke goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand had a game hell want to forget. Wholesale Nike MLB Jerseys . -- Nick Bjugstad snapped out of his scoring slump and spoiled Drew MacIntyres first NHL start.METAIRIE, La. - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. "Listen, I get compensated very well. I dont take that for granted for one second," Brees said Monday, referring to the five-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2012. "But I play this game because I love this game, I love this locker room and I love the opportunity to win a championship. "If they want to come to me and extend me even further, thatd be great," Brees said. "Whatever helps this team win and puts the best team on the field." With Sean Payton returning from his bounty suspension, the Saints improved their regular-season record from 7-9 to 11-5, then won the franchises first road playoff game in six tries, beating the Eagles in Philadelphia in the wild card round before falling at top-seeded Seattle, 23-15 on Saturday. Brees eclipsed 5,000 yards passing for a third straight season to go with 39 touchdowns. Meanwhile, New Orleans defence went from worst in the league a year ago to fourth in total defence under first-year co-ordinator Rob Ryan. And that improvement came despite a rash of injuries. All in all, it looks as if the Saints arent far off from Super Bowl contention — if they can find the salary cap space to keep some top free agents such as tight end Jimmy Graham, who led New Orleans with 1,215 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns. Brees contract calls for him to have a base salary of $10.75 million next season, which along with his pro-rated $37 million signing bonus will put his 2014 salary cap figure above $18 million. Graham has said his preference would be to remain with Brees in New Orleans. The Saints can secure Graham for at least another year by placing the franchise tag on the four-year veteran, but players and teams generally prefer to avoid that route and seek long-term extensions instead. Other starters entering free agency include free safety Malcolm Jenkins, right tackle Zach Strief and centre Brian de la Puente. Strief, who has spent his entire eight-year career in New Orleans, said he wants to be back, but would clean his locker out entirely for the first time, knowing the Saints might not match other offers in what he views as his last, best chance to sign a new contract.dddddddddddd "Obviously this organizations been a big part of my life and I feel like Ive been part of the success here and you dont want to leave that," Strief said. "The reality of the situation is I think theres going to be other possible outcomes, and theres other teams, possibly, and you prepare for that — not because its what you want but because its the reality." Jenkins, a five-year veteran, said he, too, wants to return, but understands "it doesnt always work out that way." Still, he emphasized he was proud to be part of a defence that made enormous progress this season. "Theres not a group of guys that Id rather play with," Jenkins said. "Weve come a long way, obviously night and day from last year." One problem for New Orleans is that its existing contracts would likely place the club more than $10 million above the 2014 salary cap, which has not yet been set, but is expected to be in the range of $125 million. One way teams seek salary cap relief is by renegotiating with, or releasing, veteran players with the largest base salaries. In New Orleans case, those players could include outside linebacker Will Smith, left guard Ben Grubbs, cornerback Jabari Greer, defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley, safety Roman Harper and receiver Lance Moore. Smith spent the season on injured reserve after tearing a knee ligament in the preseason. Greer had season-ending torn ligaments in his knee in November. Yet the injuries also provided opportunities for younger players, many of whom demonstrated significant growth and will remain under contracts less burdensome to the club. Those included rookie left tackle Terron Armstead, who took over as starter in Week 16, second-year defensive end Akiem Hicks, fourth-year outside linebacker Junior Galette, as well as rookie receiver Kenny Stills and rookie running back Khiry Robinson. Payton refused to address potential personnel moves, but confidently brushed aside questions about New Orleans impending salary cap constraints. "Were going to be in good shape," Payton said. "Obviously when theres change from season to season, theres attrition. Theres the younger players that are coming in and the players eventually that have been here that are no longer on the team. I think thats pretty normal, and well be ready for the challenge." ' ' '