Das Ponyforum » OF Domonic Brown was scratched from the starting lineup

OAKLAND, Calif. Tim Horton Jersey . -- Jon Lester rediscovered his curveball last year, and it has been a helpful addition to an already impressive repertoire. Coco Crisp had two hits and drove in a run, supporting another strong outing by Lester, and the Oakland Athletics defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 on Friday night to regain the top spot in the chase for AL wild cards. "Its been a solid pitch for me all year," Lester said of the curve. "It has been in the past but I lost it. During the second half last year I kind of figured out how it works and have been able to drop it in there." Derek Norris and Eric Sogard also drove in runs for Oakland, which moved a half-game ahead of the Kansas City Royals, who were beaten by the Detroit Tigers earlier Friday. Ryan Howard hit a home run for the Phillies, who have lost five of six. Lester (16-10) allowed one run and five hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out seven en route to his third consecutive win. Sean Doolittle, who blew a save on Wednesday, pitched the ninth for his 22nd save. "When you have something like that happen you want to get back out there as soon as possible and get back to feeling good," Doolittle said. "It was so bad last time out, it was easy to throw it out." Lester has pitched at least six innings in his past 18 games, including all 10 with the As. He hasnt allowed more than three earned runs during that span. "He pitches with a lot of emotion," Doolittle said. "Guys pick up on that and feed on that. They see how committed he is to what he does." Phillies starter David Buchanan (6-8) gave up three runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings. He walked two and struck out six. "He got on a pretty good roll. His aggressiveness was really evident," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Hes shown very good improvement. Hes really making the most of this opportunity. Hes come a long way in a lot of ways." Buchanan had allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his previous six starts. Howard jumped on Lesters first pitch of the fourth inning for his 22nd homer, a blast that sailed well over the centre field fence. TRAINERS TABLE: Phillies: INF Jimmy Rollins is getting closer to returning to action after missing nearly two weeks with a left hamstring strain. Rollins needs to show he can run sprints as a final test. ... OF Domonic Brown was scratched from the starting lineup, though no reason was provided. Grady Sizemore replaced him in left field. Athletics: OF Josh Reddick missed his second game because of a sore neck, sustained when he tripped over first base on Wednesday. As manager Bob Melvin thinks he will be ready to play on Saturday. ... INF Stephen Vogt (hamstring strain) returned to the lineup after missing 11 games. NEXT UP: Phillies: Jerome Williams (3-2, 2.84) will make his fifth appearance -- and second start -- against the Athletics this year on Saturday. He is 5-5 vs. the As in 17 games, including 10 starts. Athletics: Drew Pomeranz (5-4, 2.53) makes his first start since a spot outing Aug. 27 at Houston when the As used a sixth starter to line up their pitchers for a series at the Angels. He is in the rotation for the first time since June 16, when he fractured his right hand. Pomeranz is taking Jason Hammels spot in the rotation and will be facing the Phillies for the first time since 2012. HIT BY FOUL: An Oakland security guard was hit in the head by a batted ball during Athletics batting practice. Stationed near the centre field gate, he wobbled after being hit and then sank to the ground. He was carried off the field on a cart and taken to a hospital, where he received several stitches. As coach Ariel Prieto handed him a ball as he was carried off and exchanged a few words with him. Bruce Boudreau Jersey . Here at TSN.ca we will take a look back at the season by bringing together a panel of experts to help pick the best 50 players of the season. Curtis McElhinney Jersey . - Even with a new coach, the Denver Nuggets still love to push the basketball. http://www.leafsauthority.com/authentic-garret-sparks-maple-leafs-jersey/ . LOUIS -- The St.PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Jerome Samson scored twice, including the winner in the third period, to lift the St. Johns IceCaps over the Providence Bruins 5-4 in American Hockey League action on Friday night. Carl Klingberg added two for the visiting IceCaps (21-16-3) and Austen Brassard scored the other. Samson scored his 12th of the season at 19:01 of the first period, and added a power-play goal — St. Johns only goal in four cchances with the man advantage — at 10:02 in the third to make it 5-3. Ron Hainsey Jersey. Craig Cunningham scored two for the Bruins (21-15-6), including a last-second goal to pull Providence within one. Jared Knight and Andrew Cherniwchan also scored and Ben Youds recorded two assists. Michael Hutchinson made 32 saves for the IceCaps. His Bruins counterpart Niklas Svedberg stopped 27 shots in the losing effort. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Hockey Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys China Wholesale Baseball Jerseys China Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Near Me Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic MLB Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Throwback Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '