OAKLAND, Calif. -- A warm day helped Brandon Moss reach another milestone and it helped Jeff Samardzija enjoy even more run support. Moss hit a grand slam and the Oakland Athletics gave Samardzija more run support than he has had all season in a 13-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Thursday. "I didnt realize it went over the fence," Moss said. "I thought it was going to be a sacrifice fly. Then I saw it bounce around and was shocked. Thats not a home run at night. Being a day game, the ball carries better." Jed Lowrie had three hits and drove in a run for the As, who have the best record (63-38) in baseball and are a season-best 25 games over .500. Chris Carter hit a home run for the Astros, who fell to 2-4 since the All-Star break. Samardzija (2-1) gave up a leadoff single to Jose Altuve and then retired 10 straight before Carters 20th home run put Houston on the board. He did not walk a batter and struck out six. He retired 12 of 13 following Carters blast. Carter was the lone Astro to get past second base against Samardzija, who received a combined 13 runs of support over his final six starts with the Cubs. "I was just trying to get quick innings and not keep the defence out there very long," Samardzija said. "I wanted to keep them in hitting rhythm. When you get a lead like that, you just take a deep breath." Samardzija was 2-7 with the Cubs despite a 2.83 ERA. He entered with the third-lowest run support in the majors at 3.05 runs per outing. "Im having a lot of fun playing here," Samardzija said. "I just attacked the zone and threw a lot of fastballs." Scott Feldman (4-8) lost his straight start, lasting 5 1-3 innings. He allowed six runs and nine hits, walking five and striking out four. "He battled but at the same time they did a tremendous job of hitting with runners in scoring position," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "Thats pretty much what was the difference in the ballgame." Feldman allowed at least six runs for just the third time this season but for the second time in three starts. He has allowed 16 runs and 27 hits over his last 17 2-3 innings. "It was a battle for him all day," Porter said. "Early in the game he really had his breaking ball working, and they started laying off and made him come back into the zone." The As were ahead 4-1 entering the sixth inning when Moss hit his third grand slam of the season. "You want to cash them in with runners on base," Moss said. "It was a situation where the guy had to make a good pitch and I hit it. I had the bases loaded in the at-bat before and ended up hitting a weak grounder to first." Stephen Vogt added a three-run double in the eighth. Josh Reddick, who had two doubles, added a sacrifice fly. Donaldson and Derek Norris, who had three hits, each drove in runs in the third. Sogard scored on a wild pitch. Crisps sacrifice fly in the fourth put the As ahead, 4-1. NOTES: RHP Jim Johnson was designated for assignment before the game, ending a short, tumultuous relationship with the As fans, who have booed him since opening day. ... As OF Yoenis Cespedes (sprained right thumb) could return to the starting lineup on Friday. ... As INF Alberto Callaspo (right hamstring strain) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday. .. RHP Jason Hammel (0-2, 9.00) is scheduled to make his third start for the As against the Rangers in Texas on Friday. ... LHP Dallas Keuchel (9-6, 3.29) starts for the Astros at home against Miami, which begins a 10-day, 10-game homestand, the longest of the season. ... Samardzija improved to 21-3 lifetime when receiving at least three runs of support. Wholesale Nike Shoes China . JOHNS, N. Wholesale Nike Shoes . Patton told The Baltimore Sun that he took an Adderall pill four days before the season finished, trying to improve his short-term focus. "I took one because I was stupid," Patton told The Sun. http://www.nikeshoxcheap.com/ .Y. - Islanders forward Anders Lee has been fined $2,286 by the NHL for elbowing St. Cheap Authentic Nike Shoes Wholesale .Y. - Geno Smith still thinks of himself as the New York Jets starting quarterback. Cheap Nike Shoes Online . Wearing bib No. 1, Maze skied through the gates cleanly to defend her big first-run lead and finish 0.07 seconds ahead of Anna Fenninger of Austria. Defending champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany was third, trailing 0.MELBOURNE, Australia -- Even in a Grand Slam as unpredictable as this years Australian Open, the names in the womens semifinals may still prompt head-scratching among casual followers of tennis. With the three biggest stars of the womens game falling one by one -- top-seeded Serena Williams, followed by Maria Sharapova and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka -- the door has opened for a first-time winner at Melbourne Park. Only fourth-seeded Li Na has won a Grand Slam before -- the 2011 French Open. Fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was the 2012 Wimbledon finalist, but had never been beyond the quarters in Melbourne until she chipped, lobbed and sliced Azarenka off the court in a remarkable display of shot-making on Wednesday. Dominika Cibulkova, a diminutive Slovakian who dispatched Sharapova in the fourth round, has made just one Grand Slam semifinal before, while 19-year-old Eugenie Bouchard is a only playing her fourth major -- she didnt even make it out of qualifying at last years Australian Open. With such a golden opportunity for one of the four to now break through and capture a major, the deciding factor in the semifinals may be who can best handle the pressure. "Of course, a couple seeded (players) are out. Doesnt mean its going to be easier and you have a title right away," Radwanska said. "Its a bit more pressure. This is the semifinal of a Grand Slam." Radwanska should know. The draw opened up similarly at Wimbledon last year when Williams and Sharapova were upset early and Azarenka pulled out with an injury, leaving the Polish player as the highest remaining seed and the favourite to capture her first major. Radwanska, however, crumpled in the semifinals against Sabine Lisicki, blowing a 3-0 lead in the third set. She said its natural to feel nervous in these situations. "I think in the beginning of the match its always a little bit tough, especially its the first semifinal," she said.dddddddddddd "But hopefully after few games Im going to be myself and play my best tennis." Radwanska faces Cibulkova in the semis -- a player shes beaten four times in five matches, including a 6-0, 6-0 drubbing in the Sydney International final last year. Cibulkova knows she doesnt have a great record against Radwanska, but she takes inspiration from Stanislas Wawrinkas upset of four-time mens champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals after 14 consecutive losses to the Serb. "You just want to prove it to yourself that you can do it, and thats what (Wawrinka) did," Cibulkova said. Li, a two-time finalist at the Australian Open, has the most experience of any of the semifinalists playing in the latter stages of slams, but shes also been susceptible to buckling under pressure. Li was up a set in the finals here against Kim Clijsters in 2011 and Azarenka in 2013, only to falter both times. She also nervously wasted four match points in a fourth-round loss to Clijsters in 2012, breaking down in tears afterward. The Chinese star was almost out of this years tournament, as well, saving a match point against Lucie Safarova in the third round. Since then, however, shes appeared more focused on court, dropping just six games in her last two matches. The wild card is Bouchard. Li, who will be 32 next month, is 12 years older than the Canadian and has won their only previous meeting, but Bouchard is a rising talent with nothing to lose. She likes her chances in a tournament as topsy-turvy as this one. "I think some players can still lose on any given day and it still makes it extremely interesting," she said. "Im feeling confident and just excited to play." ' ' '
