NEWS » ended 28-day ban and a potential fur

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Rangers impressive stretch of scoreless innings by the pitching staff ended with an emphatic thud Sunday.More importantly, manager Jeff Bannisters ballclub missed a chance to hang onto its lead in the race for home-field advantage in the playoffs.Not that theres much concern in Texas clubhouse.With their final six games at Globe Life Park -- where they own the second-best home record in the AL -- the Rangers are still confident heading into the final stretch of the regular season.Its crucial, Bannister said after Oakland rookie Jharel Cotton pitched seven crisp innings to beat Rangers 7-1. We need to go home and play clean baseball. We were able to get some guys rest, get some guys off their legs today, so they should be fresh going into tomorrow.The Rangers, who clinched the AL West on Friday, fell into a tie with the Boston Red Sox for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Texas (92-64) holds a slight tiebreaking advantage based on division record and will close out the regular season with a pair of three-game series against Milwaukee and Tampa Bay.Things might not have been so tight had the Rangers been able to do anything against Cotton.Adrian Beltre drove in the only run for Texas with his team-leading 32nd home run in the seventh. It was the 445th career home run for Beltre. The 37-year-old also singled to move past home run king Barry Bonds on the career hits list with 2,937.Beyond that, the Rangers had just two singles and a double.Thats the first time weve seen (Cotton), Bannister said. Hes got a special changeup . something we had not seen. When hes got that working for him it does present a challenge when its the first time these guys have seen him.Ryon Healy had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Stephen Vogt drove in three runs to help the As win after being shut out in back-to-back games.Oakland will be sitting out the postseason and had lost the first five games on this homestand, but ended it on an encouraging note behind Cotton (2-0). The rookie right-hander allowed one run, struck out five and faced two over the minimum while quieting the Rangers potent offense.Cotton became the first As pitcher since at least 1913 to start his career with four consecutive starts of five innings or longer while allowing one earned run or less.I feel like it was a Sunday game and they wanted to get away, Cotton said of the Rangers hitters. I was on the mound like, `Thank you. Just keep swinging. That was good for me.Sean Doolittle and Ryan Dull pitched one inning apiece to complete the five-hitter.The As did all of their scoring in the second to chase starter Colby Lewis (6-4).Bruce Maxwell blooped an RBI single just past the outstretched glove of shortstop Hanser Alberto. Marcus Semien scored on a groundout and Vogt lined a three-run double to right before Healys 12th home run, a towering shot that put Oakland up 7-0.That ended a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings by Texas pitchers.LEWIS BEATEN BUT ENCOURAGEDLewis, who had won four consecutive games at the Coliseum, lasted just 1 1/3 innings and allowed a season-high seven runs and seven hits. The right-hander has lost four consecutive decisions, three since a two-month stint on the disabled list.I felt great, the best Ive felt in a long time, Lewis said. Thats the way it goes. I feel like I made a lot of good pitches. They just were able to drop balls in where our defenders werent. Thats about it.TRAINERS ROOMAthletics: Sonny Gray will come off the disabled list to make his first start in nearly two months against the Angels on Wednesday. Gray has not pitched in a game since Aug. 6 because of a forearm strain.UP NEXTRangers: LHP Martin Perez (10-10) faces the Brewers on Monday when Texas begins its final homestand of the regular season. Perez owns a 2.65 ERA at home, tied for the lowest in the AL among qualifying pitchers.Athletics: Sean Manaea (6-9) starts against the Angels in Anaheim on Monday. The left-handed rookie has not allowed a run in 11 consecutive innings since missing more than two weeks with a sore back. Ecco Schuhe Schweiz Günstig .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Ecco Schuhe Schweiz China . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. http://www.eccoschweiz.ch/ . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Ecco Schuhe Schweiz Sale . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. Ecco Schweiz Online .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. LONDON -- Nick Kyrgios will miss the rest of the season after being suspended by the mens tour and fined an additional $25,000 on Monday for tanking a match and insulting fans in the mercurial Australians latest run-in with tennis authorities.The ATP said Kyrgios was sanctioned for conduct contrary to the integrity of the game following an investigation into his behavior during a second-round loss to German qualifier Mischa Zverev last week at the Shanghai Masters.Kyrgios gave little effort during the 6-3, 6-1 defeat, even patting easy serves over the net and turning away before his opponents serve had crossed the net.The 21-year-old Australian had already been fined a total of $16,500 for failing to give a full effort, unsportsmanlike conduct and verbal abuse of a spectator.The ATP said Monday that, in addition to the extra $25,000 fine, Kyrgios was handed an eight-week suspension lasting through Jan. 15 -- a day before the start of the Australian Open, the years first Grand Slam tournament.However, the tour said the suspension will be reduced to three weeks if Kyrgios agrees to enter a plan of care under the direction of a sports psychologist or an equivalent plan approved by the ATP. That means he would eligible to return on Nov. 7.There are no regular tournaments on the schedule after Nov. 7. The only event in November is the ATP finals in London from Nov. 13-20. The 12th-ranked Kyrgios has not qualified for the eight-player finals, so he will have to wait until next year in any case to return to the tour.Kyrgios issued a statement Monday offering another apology for his conduct in Shanghai and saying he will be back in 2017. He did not say whether he would enter the treatment program mandated by the ATP.I regret that my year is ending this way and that I will not have a chance to continue chasing the ATP finals, Kyrgios said. This was an important goal for me. I do understand and respect the decision by the ATP and I will use this time off to improve on and off the court. I am truly sorry and look forward to returning in 2017.Kyrgios outburst in Shanghai came only days after he had won his third title of the season in Tokyo.During the match, Kyrgios was cautioned by the chair umpire about his conduct as a professional and booed and jeered by the crowd. Her responded angrily to the taunt of a fan by shouting, You waant to come here and play?In a post-match interview, Kyrgios said he didnt care about the crowd reaction because he didnt owe them anything.dddddddddddd It was a day after his opening win, when he said he was tired and bored and didnt really get time to savor his title-winning run in Tokyo over the weekend.After the loss, Kyrgios posted an apology of sorts on Twitter: Not good enough today on many levels, Im better than that. I can go on about excuses but there are none. Sorry (hash)StillAWorkInProgress.In his statement Monday, Kyrgios offered further contrition.The season has been a long one as I battled several injuries and other challenges towards the end of the summer, he said. The Asian circuit was particularly tough after the long week and win in Tokyo and with the travel throughout the continent, my body finally just gave out in Shanghai both physically and mentally.This is no excuse, and I know very well that I need to apologize to the fans in Shanghai and in other parts of the world ... I of course know how important the fans are to the success of our sport and I personally love the interaction with fans in the many different cities throughout the world on the tennis circuit.Its not the first time that Kyrgios has run into trouble with tennis authorities. Last year, he insulted Stan Wawrinka with crude remarks during a match in Montreal. He received $12,500 in fines, as well as a suspended 28-day ban and a potential further $25,000 fine if he picked up any other major offenses over the following six months. His probation for that ended in February.Kyrgios attracted criticism for his performances at Wimbledon and at the U.S. Open, for deciding not to play at the Olympics because of a spat with an Australian team official, and for firing back at retired players who have offered advice.Tennis Australia said it supported the ATP sanction, and would also continue to support Kyrgios.Nicks health and wellbeing is a priority and the ATP has offered a reduced penalty on the provision that he seeks appropriate professional advice, which he has agreed to do, the Tennis Australia statement said. Nick understands the gravity of his actions, has shown remorse and expressed a willingness to improve. ' ' '