Jamroom » fresh for game days. Mason is an inc

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- John Jaso came up big again as a pinch-hitter with a home run against Los Angeles Angels closer Ernesto Frieri, a year and five days after doing the same thing to Kevin Jepsen at Angel Stadium -- a place where Jaso just loves to hit. Jasos go-ahead, two-run shot in the ninth inning sent the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 victory Monday night. Yoenis Cespedes also went deep for the As, offsetting Albert Pujols 496th home run. Frieri (0-1) was trying to preserve a 2-1 lead for starter Hector Santiago when Josh Donaldson led off the ninth with a single and Cespedes flied out. Jaso batted for Derek Norris and drove a 1-2 pitch deep into the right-field seats for his first homer of the season and the first by an As pinch-hitter. "Donaldson hit that ball hard to start off the inning, and it kind of started there," Jaso said. "I think Cespy just missed a pitch, too, so we definitely had some good swings going and some good momentum against Frieri. "He showed me one changeup earlier in the at-bat and got a strike, so I thought he was going to go back with an off-speed pitch -- especially after I fouled off a couple of his fastballs," Jaso added. "But he came back with another heater and left it out over the plate. My timing was a little bit better on that particular pitch, and it looked really good to hit." Jaso has six homers and 21 RBIs at Angel Stadium along with a .424 average, the highest by any player with at least 75 plate appearances at the "Big A." "He got a really good pitch to hit and the ball went out," Frieri said. "In that situation, hes looking for something middle-in to drive in the air -- especially when they have a man on base. He hit a mistake pitch. Dont get me wrong, he made good contact, but I was trying to go down and away." It appeared Frieri needed more consoling from Santiago than vice versa. "I closed in 2012, so I know how it is, man. Youve got to have a short memory and forget about it," Santiago said. "Hes going to close more games than he blows. He said Sorry to me, but I told him: No, dont worry about it, man. Were all out here battling. I could have given up a two-run homer and given up the lead in the seventh." Santiago allowed a run and five hits while striking out three in his fourth start for the Angels after spending his three previous big league seasons with the Chicago White Sox. A two-out homer by Cespedes in the fourth was Oaklands only run against the left-hander. The Angels lost a replay challenge in the ninth after Howie Kendrick was ruled out by first base umpire Chris Segal on a grounder in the hole that second baseman Nick Punto bobbled before throwing to Daric Barton. Jim Johnson (1-2) got the victory with a scoreless eighth, and Luke Gregerson earned his second save. Jesse Chavez allowed two runs -- one earned -- and four hits in seven innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. Oaklands starting pitchers have yielded three earned runs or fewer in every game so far, the second-longest streak by an As rotation at the beginning of a season since a 16-game stretch in 1981, when manager Billy Martins starters were Mike Norris, Rick Langford, Matt Keough, Steve McCatty and Brian Kingman. "It certainly hurts to lose two important guys like (Jarrod) Parker and (A.J.) Griffin," manager Bob Melvin said. "But when you have guys like Jesse Chavez and Tommy Milone that are going to step in and hold the fort down and compete at a high level, thats what we expect from those guys. So we have the depth." Pujols, closing in on 500 homers, a celebrated milestone achieved by 25 players in major league history, has four homers and eight RBIs in his last six games after driving in only one run in 30 at-bats over his first seven games. The three-time NL MVP also had an RBI single in the opener of a 19-game season series between the AL West rivals, who have combined to win 11 division titles over the past 14 years. The two-time Gold Glove first baseman frustrated the As in the eighth by starting a slick double play on Jed Lowries grounder. NOTES: Oakland CF and leadoff hitter Coco Crisp didnt play because of tightness in his left hamstring. ... Los Angeles 3B David Freese was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. He has five hits and 13 Ks in his first 43 at-bats with the Angels. Cheap Indiana Pacers Jerseys . - Their offence is underperforming. Domantas Sabonis Jersey . They know how difficult it is to beat the San Antonio Spurs. George scored 28 points and Indiana defeated San Antonio 111-100 on Saturday night, snapping an 11-game skid against the Spurs. http://www.cheappacersjerseys.com/.Under the agreement announced Monday, the Cuban defector is guaranteed $68.5 million over six seasons.Tomas gets a $14 million signing bonus that is payable within 30 days of the deals approval by Major League Baseball, and then salaries of $2 million next year, $4 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017 and $10 million in 2018. Darren Collison Jersey . Erik Logan, president of the network, said Friday that the postponement was made after meetings with the St. Louis Rams. Al Jefferson Jersey . -- Rodney Stuckey scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks for the first time in eight meetings, 92-86 on Tuesday night.ST. LOUIS - Zac Stacy made his mark as a fifth-round pick last year, falling just shy of 1,000 yards. Now, the running back must prove his worth all over again. The St. Louis Rams sent a message in this years draft, taking Heisman Trophy finalist Tre Mason in the third round. And though theyve released Daryl Richardson, undrafted rookie Benny Cunningham was impressive last season and former second-rounder Isaiah Pead remains in the mix. Theres always going to be someone gunning for the job. "Oh absolutely, theres going to be competition," Stacy said. "Theres no doubt about that." Stacy has the advantage heading into training camp because he knows the routine, has a better grasp of the playbook and knows firsthand about the pounding that must be absorbed. "You know what to expect, you know whats going on," Stacy said. "Last year, as rookies we were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Its been great so far." Mason was the SEC offensive player of the year and the first non-quarterback to lead Auburn in total offence since Bo Jackson in 1985, running for 1,816 yards with 23 touchdowns and setting school single-season records for all-purpose yards and rushing TDs. Given Mason shredded Missouri for 304 yards and four TDs in the SEC championship game, he arrived at Rams Park a well-known commodity. He wont be satisfied as a change-of-pace option, coach Jeff Fishers initial assessment. "Not sure how it starts out, and you never know what can happen in the future," Mason said. "Im here to do what they ask of me." Stacys rookie season is a good example. The first four games, he was inactive twice and totalled 4 yards on a single carry. Stacy is Vanderbilts career leading rusher. Mason was a much bigger star in the SEC for Auburns national championship runners-up and deemed a premium pick. "Im happy for Tre or whatnot," Stacy said. "Obviously, with him being one of the top college running backs last yyear, we know the things he can do, and its all about the adjustment to the playbook.dddddddddddd." Stacy aims to make everything come naturally on the field, so hes not taking the teams OTA sessions lightly "Very important, very important," Stacy said. "Treating every rep like its a game rep." Richardson was the starter entering training camp last summer, coming off an effective rookie season as the Steven Jacksons understudy, but was dogged by foot injuries. Stacy got the starting job in Week 5 and didnt let go. Hes not wasting time fretting about settling for 973 yards when the 49ers held him to 15 yards on 15 carries in the finale. "My mentality is to go out and be productive," he said. "Being consistent with my play, I think the yards and stats and accolades will come." Stacy is a compact 5-foot-9 and 224 pounds, runs low to the ground, hits the hole quickly and can bounce off tacklers. The Rams rested him most or all of practice weeks, allowing him to recover from the punishment and stay fresh for game days. Mason is an inch shorter and 20 pounds lighter but was extremely durable at Auburn, and big in the big games. He followed up his signature game against Missouri with 195 yards rushing in the national championship game against Florida State. Hes still running behind college teammate and close friend Greg Robinson, the second overall pick of the draft, wholl begin his career at left guard. "Ive got to do it to learn it," Mason said. "Im the type of guy whos hands-on." Cunningham, 5-foot-10 and 217 pounds, was undrafted out of Middle Tennessee. Both he and Stacy had 100-yard games against the Bears in Week 12, and he totalled 261 yards in limited duty with a 5.6-yard average. Pead had 21 yards on seven carries, all in the first two games of the season, plus 11 receptions with a 7.1-yard average. He reportedly was shopped during the draft. ___ Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '