NEWS » t Illinois. Leading 28-

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The entire infield ran to the mound to congratulate Jharel Cotton on a memorable major league debut Wednesday, and he showed the last-place Oakland Athletics a glimpse of a promising future when they beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-1.The 24-year-old right-hander (1-0) looked poised from the moment he stepped on the rubber in the first. Cotton impressed with four pitches, dazzling with his changeup, showing strong command of his fastball and mixing in some solid curveballs and sliders.C.J. Cron homered on a 3-2 pitch leading off the seventh with a drive that tipped off the glove of center fielder Brett Eibner, someone manager Bob Melvin wanted to evaluate at the position.Eibner hit an RBI double and Yonder Alonso and Max Muncy added run-scoring singles to back Cotton.After catcher Stephen Vogt offered an embrace and teammates followed, Cotton jogged off the mound in the seventh and stopped to tip his cap for the sparse crowd on an unseasonably warm September afternoon.Cotton, who became the fourth pitcher in big league history born in the Virgin Islands, allowed one run and two hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking two in a 102-pitch performance. He came to the As from the Dodgers at the trade deadline in a deal that sent Josh Reddick to Los Angeles. He nearly tossed a one-hitter in his second start for Triple-A Nashville on Aug. 4, giving the Oakland front office a preview of his potential at the next level.Ryan Madson, Oaklands third reliever, finished for his 29th save.Alex Meyer (0-2) struck out five but walked four in 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit.He became the 14th different Angels starting pitcher this season.Cotton was the second As starter to make his major league debut in three days, following Raul Alcantaras struggle on Monday.It also marked the second time in Oakland history the As had five starters make their major league debuts in one season, also in 1978. Using the 27th pitcher of the season, the As matched the second-most to appear in a year -- also 1977 and 2009 -- behind 30 in 2015.TRAINERS ROOMAngels: RHP Matt Shoemaker flew home to Southern California from Seattle, three days after taking a line drive to the head and undergoing surgery to stop bleeding on his brain. ... INF Yunel Escobar (left wrist) was scheduled to hit Wednesday. He feels better, manager Mike Scioscia said. Well turn him loose in batting practice and see how he is Friday. ... C Geovany Soto (right knee) continues to progress slowly. Hell be re-evaluated when the Angels return home this weekend.Athletics: With the pitching struggles, the As are looking at going with a six-man rotation. LHP Sean Manaea, who left his Aug. 29 start at Houston with a sore back, has recovered well and is likely to make a start during the teams road trip next week to Kansas City and Texas.UP NEXTAngels: LHP Tyler Skaggs (3-3) starts Friday looking to win his third straight outing on the heels of a three-start skid. He will face Texas for the first time since July 13, 2014.Athletics: After an off day, RHP Daniel Mengden (1-6) starts Friday against the Seattle Mariners trying to snap his 0-5 record at home in the Oakland Coliseum. Roger Clemens Astros Jersey . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. Ken Caminiti Astros Jersey . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. https://www.cheapastros.com/2043o-jack-mayfield-jersey-astros.html . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Jose Altuve Astros Jersey . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Brad Peacock Jersey . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. MADISON, Wis. -- Finally, Wisconsin had a breather.Tested week after week with close games against the Big Tens tougher teams, the seventh-ranked Badgers assumed the role of playoff contender in beating up on one of the leagues weaker squads.Corey Clement ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns, Dare Ogunbowale added 103 yards on seven carries and Wisconsins defense intercepted Illinois quarterback Jeff George Jr. four times in rolling to a 48-3 win on Saturday.The Badgers (8-2, 5-2, No. 7 CFP) led by 18 after the first quarter with two scores from Clement, and 31-3 at the half on a homecoming weekend at Camp Randall Stadium.After playing five top 10 opponents over its first nine games, Wisconsin beat Illinois like it was a non-conference pushover.Its very frustrating when you have to win games by seven or 14, and it kind of gets old, Clement said. I would like to get back to this style of football to where we can close out the game.George had an awful day a week after helping Illinois rally to beat Michigan State. George was 5 of 16 for 79 yards in the first half against Wisconsin before getting pulled for former starter Wes Lunt.That didnt work, either. Illinois (3-7, 2-5) managed just 60 yards and three first downs in the second half.I didnt see much to talk about today. We were dominated by a better team. There was nothing we did that was good out there today, coach Lovie Smith said.Safety Leo Musso had two interceptions for the Badgers, including one on a pass that caromed off cornerback Sojourn Sheltons foot.It was planned. ... Ive been watching a lot of Ronaldo highlights, playing FIFA, said a smiling Shelton, referring to the Portuguese soccer star and the popular video game.It was that kind of afternoon for Wisconsin.THE TAKEAWAYIllinois: Any momentum from the thrilling victory over the Spartans disappeared quickly in the first quarter. A defense allowing 191.9 yards rushing a game coming into Saturday got overwhelmed on the ground. Tackling was poor, allowing the Badgers backs to break free for extra yards. On offfense, the deep passing game needs work.dddddddddddd. George threw two interceptions in the first quarter alone and tended to miss high on long throws down the field.Asked if his team took a step back, Smith said At the end of the season you put it all together. ... Today we didnt get the job done and played bad ball.Illinois managed a few big rushing plays in the first half against the Big Tens best run defense. Kendrick Foster finished with 75 yards on 15 carries.Wisconsin: A laser-like focus on the next game has been a strength for coach Paul Chrysts team through a season in which expectations have grown each week. The Badgers showed no letup against Illinois. Leading 28-3 in the second quarter, Chryst kept players on their toes by calling for a successful fake punt on fourth-and-1 from the Wisconsin 41. Garret Dooley took the direct snap for a five-yard run and a first down.Once again, I thought our defense was really good, Chryst said. It was a good team win, and it didnt just happen. It was a good week of preparation.POLL IMPLICATIONSWith No. 3 Clemson losing to Pittsburgh, the Badgers figure to move up at least a spot when the next AP Top 25 poll is released on Sunday.STARTLING STATSWisconsin dominated Illinois up and down the stat sheet. A few of the more eye-catching ones:First downs: Wisconsin 23, Illinois 12Total yards: Wisconsin 455, Illinois 200Third-down conversions: Wisconsin 7 of 13, Illinois 0 of 9.QUOTABLEThey didnt do anything different than what we practiced. I just made some bad decisions. -- George on his four-interception day.STREAKSWisconsins seventh straight win over Illinois is the longest win streak by either team in the history of the series.UP NEXTIllinois: Wraps up its home schedule by hosting Iowa.Wisconsin: Plays its last road game with a trip to Purdue.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP ' ' '