Kritik und Lob » MRI. Skaggs had Tommy John surgery in 2

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The only thing Bartolo Colon cares about is staying healthy and helping his team win. He simply has no idea how to answer the constant questions about how hes doing both. Colon tossed eight innings of one-run ball to win his eighth straight start, powering the Oakland Athletics past the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 on Friday night to tie the best streak of his career. "I dont even know what I can say," Colon said. "Thank you, God." Colon (11-2) controlled the game with an efficient fastball the way he has so many others this season, burnishing his All-Star credentials and confounding critics who wonder how the 40-year-old continues to dominate. He allowed six hits, struck out five and walked one to match Max Scherzer of Detroit for the most wins in the AL this season. Stephen Vogt stole some of the spotlight from Colons latest gem when he homered to end an 0-for-32 stretch to start his career, and four players drove in runs during the second inning to chase Shelby Miller (8-6) and help Oakland win its third straight game. Colon hugged his catcher in the dugout when he came out after the eighth and whispered in Vogts ear: "Thank you, Poppy." Vogts line-drive homer against reliever Joe Kelly in the fourth ended the longest hitless streak to start a career by a non-pitcher since Chris Carter began 0 for 33 with the As in 2010. "I cant imagine anything better," Vogt said. The Cardinals (48-31) dropped a game behind Pittsburgh for the best record in the majors -- and the NL Central lead. Kelly, who last pitched on June 21, allowed just the one run and three hits in 5 1-3 innings of relief in one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals, who couldnt solve Colons deceptive fastballs. "He has a different kind of movement and throws harder than what the gun reads," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. Dan Otero pitched a scoreless ninth to finish off the best first half of the season for Oakland (47-34) since 1992, when the club started 48-33. The As remain a half-game behind Texas for the AL West lead, and the reigning division champions owe much of it to the big, burly pitcher on the mound. The As are 13-3 in Colons starts. "Do the math," As manager Bob Melvin said. "Its halfway through the season and hes got 11 wins." Colon tied his career high with eight consecutive wins -- which he did in 2005, when he won a career-best 21 games for the Angels and captured the AL Cy Young Award -- and hasnt lost since May 9 at Cleveland. Hes the first As pitcher since Barry Zito in 2005 to win eight in a row. The right-hander also is the first pitcher to win his first seven starts since turning 40, according to information from the Elias Sports Bureau provided by the As. But with every win, Colon also brings more attention and more scrutiny -- fair or not -- about how he is finding so much success at this stage of his career. Colon is among more than a dozen players who have been connected to a now-closed Miami anti-aging clinic under investigation by Major League Baseball for performance-enhancing drugs. The right-hander also missed the end of last season when he was suspended 50 games for testing positive for synthetic testosterone. The As and Colon have brushed off any clouds that come the pitchers way with the motto Melvin has instilled with everything else about his team: focus on the days task and nothing else. Colon carried a perfect game into the fifth, when Matt Holliday walked with one out. Matt Adams added a short fly that dropped in front of a diving Coco Crisp in centre field for the first hit off Colon, and David Freese followed with an RBI single for the Cardinals lone run. With Colon in complete control again, the As sent 10 batters to the plate and forced Miller to throw 51 pitches in the second inning. It was the most thrown in an inning by one pitcher this season, topping the 50 tossed by Arizonas Ian Kennedy against the Cardinals on June 6. "I just struggled. I wasnt throwing strikes and when I did throw strikes, they were right down the middle," Miller said. Vogt, filling in for the injured John Jaso, added his first career hit in the fourth and teammates initially acted as if nothing happened when he jogged back in the dugout. Then, everybody charged him at once. Vogt got the ball back from a 5-year-old in the stands. The youngster was given another ball and team memorabilia in exchange. NOTES: Members of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum presented Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo with his induction plaque in the dugout before the game. "Its a great honour and great privilege," said Oquendo, who batted .256 in 12 seasons and earned the nickname "The Secret Weapon" for playing every position during his career. ... As manager Bob Melvin said Jaso (injured left hand) might not start over the weekend but is available off the bench. ... San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was in the stands and wearing an As cap. ... The Cardinals send Adam Wainwright (10-5, 2.31) to the mound against Jarrod Parker (6-6, 4.27 ERA) on Saturday. Calgary Flames Store . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. Flames Jerseys China . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. https://www.cheapflames.com/ . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Flames Jerseys 2021 . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Calgary Flames Shirts . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The last time Taijuan Walker faced the Los Angeles Angels, he had one of his worst starts of the season.He made some changes to his mechanics, and on Tuesday night he had one of his best outings -- of his career.Walker pitched a three-hitter for his first career shutout as the Seattle Mariners beat the Angels 8-0 to win their season-high seventh straight.It starts with Taijuan Walker and ends with Taijuan Walker, Mariners manager Scott Servais said. He looked like a guy out there who had a fear of no one.Walker (6-10) was perfect through 5 2/3 innings before Kaleb Cowart hit a grounder to shortstop Ketel Marte, who threw wild to Daniel Vogelbach at first base. Vogelbach couldnt pick the low throw and Cowart reached safely on an error charged to Marte.Kole Calhoun ended Walkers no-hit bid with a leadoff single through the right side in the seventh inning. Only two balls left the infield until Calhouns single. Walker matched a career high with 11 strikeouts -- the fifth time hes reached that mark. It was his first complete game since July 31, 2015.My legs were getting heavy, my stomach was starting to tingle, Walker said. The game was so long, it was taking forever. The offense was going out there every single inning and getting hits and I was just like, `Ugh, this is getting longer. But right after I went out there and gave up the hit I felt really good. I got a chance to go from the stretch and I feel really good going from the stretch.In his last start against Los Angeles on Sept 3, Walker gave up five earned runs in only two-thirds of an inning, his shortest start of the season. It was then that Seattle pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre approached Walker with the idea to change his mechanics for the last month of the season.It was night and day the way we faced him up in Seattle a couple weeks ago, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. He had good stuff, good command. He pitched a good game for them.The results of his altered mechanics were best illustrated by his success against Mike Trout. The MVP candidate was hitting .818 with three home runss and six RBI against him coming into the game.ddddddddddddrout struck out in all three at-bats.With three weeks left in the season, its kind of weird to change mechanics, Walker said. But weve been out there and really trying to hammer it home and get it down.Nelson Cruz and Norichika Aoki hit home runs and Seth Smith hit a grand slam to close the scoring. Cruz was a triple away from the cycle when Mike Freeman pinch-hit for him in the ninth.They said, Its going to be hard to get a triple, Cruz said. But they need at bats. Ill let the kid hit.Angels rookie Alex Meyer (0-3) gave up four earned runs and five hits over four innings in his fourth major league appearance.Smiths grand slam, his second this season, came off of reliever Mike Morin with two outs in the sixth. He drove Morins 1-1 off-speed offering over the scoreboard and into the right field stands.The Mariners hit Meyer -- acquired from Minnesota along with Ricky Nolasco at the trade deadline -- hard from the beginning. Cruz launched a massive two-run shot that nearly reached the concourse in left field in the first inning and Leonys Martin scored on sac fly in the second before Aokis home run, making the score 4-0.TRAINERS ROOMAngels: SS Andrelton Simmons remained out of the lineup for the second straight day with a bruised right hand. Simmons injured the hand in Sundays series finale against the Rangers and is day-to-day. . LHP Tyler Skaggs will miss his start with left forearm soreness and will undergo an MRI. Skaggs had Tommy John surgery in 2014 and was slated to make his 10th start.UP NEXTMariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma will take the mound in the series finale. Iwakuma has lost his last two straight starts against Los Angeles but is 8-5 with a 2.90 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) against the Angels.Angels: RHP Jhoulys Chacin will take Skaggs place in the rotation. Chacin will come out of the bullpen to make his 14th start of the season. Hes 3-6 with a 6.54 ERA as a starter. ' ' '