the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief work. "Any way we ge

HOUSTON -- In at least one category, Dallas Keuchel is Clayton Kershaws equal. For at least one three-game series, Houston was better than Oakland. Keuchel pitched a four-hitter and Robbie Grossman homered to cap a six-run first inning that sent the Astros past the Athletics 8-1 Wednesday. Keuchel (10-7) pitched his fourth complete game of the season, tying Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for the major league lead. And the Astros, 20 games under .500, won the series from the AL West-leading Athletics. "(The As) do a lot of things well," Keuchel said. "To get a complete game and get a win is something special in its own right." Marc Krauss beat out Oaklands try for a double play in the first, and the Astros went on to match a season high for runs in an inning. Keuchel struck out five and walked three. Manager Bo Porter lauded Keuchels "plus-command" and willingness to use his secondary pitches. As he mixed his pitches up, Kuechel kept he As guessing and forcing the type of contact that can make for a good day. Josh Donaldson hit his 23rd homer for Oaklands only run. Jason Hammel (0-4) remained winless in four starts since the As acquired him with pitcher Jeff Samardzija from the Cubs earlier this month. Hammel was 8-5 before the trade. Krauss hustled for an RBI grounder that kept the first inning going. After Jonathan Singleton walked, Matt Dominguez singled home a run, and another scored when centre fielder Billy Burns bobbled the ball. "Ill tell you, I think the biggest play of the game was Jason Castro going hard into second base and Marc Krauss absolutely giving the effort in which he gave getting down the line," Porter said. "Thats the way the game is supposed to be played. To both of those guys credit, they did a tremendous job in that situation." Carlos Corporan added an RBI single and Grossman, a late addition for the ill Chris Carter, homered into the right-field seats. Hammels day ended in the fifth when Singleton hit his eighth home run. "He had trouble getting the ball down again and in the next couple of innings when he got the ball down he was effective," As manager Bob Melvin said. "Thats where the movement takes over, the downhill plane and everything that makes him successful. And he had a tough time finishing guys off when he was ahead." TRAINERS ROOM Athletics: Outfielder Coco Crisp missed his fourth game in a row with a neck strain. Melvin said the club will know more about his condition when it returns home, but said Crisp wouldnt play Friday. Astros: Reliever Josh Zeid is scheduled to have surgeries on both feet in the next six weeks that will end his 2014 season. Carter was out with a stomach illness. ALTUVE EXTENDS STREAK, CESPEDES ENDS With his line drive single in the sixth inning Jose Altuve ran his hitting streak to 12 games tying his season high. Yoenis Cespedes was unable to continue his streak of games with an RBI, going 0 for 4 and ending his run six. DONALDSON PUNISHES ASTROS Donaldsons second inning home run was his fifth against the Astros this season. . ON DECK Athletics: Following an off-day Thursday, the As will start Sonny Gray at home against Kansas City. He will go for his 13th win and build on his 2.65 ERA Astros: Jarred Cosart (9-7, 4.41) will start Friday night at home against Toronto. Stitched Penguins Jerseys . The 30-year-old Kottaras served as Kansas Citys backup catcher last season after being claimed off waivers from Oakland in January. Fake Penguins Jerseys . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/ . - Olympic champion Marielle Thompson accomplished her mission of defending her skicross World Cup title at Nakiska Ski Area on Saturday. Pittsburgh Penguins Store . Cabrera is hitting .218 with three homers and 16 RBI in 80 games this season. The Padres recalled second baseman Brooks Conrad from Triple-A El Paso to replace Cabrera on the roster. Pittsburgh Penguins Gear . Bale has had a successful debut season in Spain, and Ancelotti appears ready to reward him with a starting role on Saturday. Ancelotti says "Gareth had some problems at the beginning (of the season) but when he found good physical condition he scored a lot of goals, he had a good impact on the team.As their Subway Series shifts to Citi Field, the New York Yankees and New York Mets will both turn to rookies on Wednesday evening with differing expectations. Watch the action on TSN2 and TSN GO at 7pm et/4pm pt. After dropping a pair of games to the Mets in the Bronx, the Yankees losing streak in this series has reached six in a row. They also have lost a season- high four straight overall and hope that Masahiro Tanaka can stop the bleeding in the first of two straight in Flushing. The right-handed Tanaka has yet to lose as a Major League pitcher, going 5-0 with a 2.57 earned run average through seven starts. However, dating back to his time in Nippon Professional Baseball, the Japanese hurler is unbeaten in his past 41 regular-season starts, going 33-0 since Aug. 19, 2012. Tanaka has won two straight starts and is coming off a 5-3 victory at Milwaukee on Friday. He gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven. He has won all three of his road starts this season while posting a 2.61 ERA. The 25-year-old also is the first Yankees rookie to begin his career 5-0 as a starter since Whitey Ford went 9-0 over 12 starts in 1950. The Mets have decided to give their future a shot on Wednesday night as 23- year-old Rafael Montero will make his MLB debut. Hell take the place of fellow righty Jenrry Mejia, who shifts to the bullpen. Montero is regarded as the Mets second-best pitching prospect behind Noah Syndergaard and went 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA in eight starts this season with Triple-A Las Vegas. In 24 starts at that level over the last two seasons, he is 9-5 with a 3.25 ERA while striking out 119 batters over 130 1/3 innings. And while the Yankees are looking for Tanaka to get them back on track, the Mets are simply ready to see what Montero can bring to the table. "We think hes ready now," Mets general manager Saandy Alderson told his clubs website of Montero.dddddddddddd "I think everybody in our system thought that he was ready. That doesnt mean hell have a positive result on Wednesday, but were confident that Montero is somebody who can be successful long term." Though the Mets have allowed 14 runs over the first two games of this extended series, they have gotten plenty of offense themselves in winning both games at Yankee Stadium. They jumped out to a quick lead on Tuesday night and rolled to a 12-7 win. Former Yankee Curtis Granderson and Daniel Murphy both hit three-run homers, with Murphy driving in four runs in total and David Wright adding three hits with two RBI to the Mets third straight win. Zack Wheeler gave up five runs on seven hits and six walks in 4 1/3 innings for the Mets and Daisuke Matsuzaka earned the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief work. "Any way we get wins is good, especially when we come up against a very tough team like the Yankees and to do it in their ballpark is obviously big," said Granderson. "It puts us in a position now to win the series but it definitely isnt done yet because we know the Yankees arent going to quit." The Mets have won the past six meetings in this series after having gone 3-9 against the Yankees in 2011-12. Vidal Nuno gave up seven runs -- five earned -- on four hits and four walks in just 3 1/3 innings to suffer the loss. The leftys ERA climbed nearly a full point to 6.43. "He just got some balls in the middle of the plate today," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "Hes a guy who has to live on the edges and they made it hurt." Brian McCann hit a two-run homer and Yangervis Solarte added a solo shot for the Yankees, who have lost nine of their past 13 games overall. McCann finished with three hits and three RBI. ' ' '