, Milanovich said. We do believe Chris is one of the best tackles i

BOSTON -- Dustin Pedroia spent the first month of the season just one home run shy of 100 in his career. Pedroia reached the milestone with a little panache, hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning and propelling the Boston Red Sox to a 7-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night. "I was pretty excited to hit a home run. Its been a while," said Pedroia, who had gone 160 at-bats without one. The skid ended when the Red Sox truly needed it, clinging to a 2-1 lead on a night when both clubs were failing to drive in runs. Pedroia drove an 0-2 pitch out to left field in the sixth inning for his second career grand slam and first homer since Sept. 17. "Honestly, I was just trying to drive one run in," Pedroia said. "As a team, weve been scuffling a little bit with guys on." The grand slam put Boston up 6-1 and the cushion was plenty for Clay Buchholz (2-2), who shut down the team with the top record in the American League. Buchholz pitched 6 1-3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out five. He walked three and got himself out of several jams as the As left five on base and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position against Buchholz. "We hit some balls hard. We hit a lot of balls hard, actually -- right at people and then didnt get some hits when we did have some guys on base," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. John Jaso scored Oaklands only run, coming in on a wild pitch after leading off the third with a triple. Boston was having its own struggles with runners on before Pedroia came through in the sixth off of reliever Ryan Cook. Xander Bogaerts and A.J. Pierzynski started the sixth with back-to-back singles off Dan Otero, who began the inning. Otero struck out Will Middlebrooks, then walked Bradley to load the bases with one out. Cook relieved Otero and got Pedroia down 0-2, before he cleared the bases with a shot that just cleared the Green Monster. As manager Bob Melvin challenged whether the ball cleared the yellow line before a fan touched it and lost the appeal. The milestone homer put him in elite Red Sox company as only the second player in franchise history with 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases. Pedroia, who stole his 121st career base in the first inning, joins Carl Yastrzemski (452 home runs, 168 steals). "They told me that after the game. Thats crazy," Pedroia said. "I guess Im getting old. But just having your name anywhere said with his is an accomplishment." Boston hadnt scored since getting a pair of runs in the second inning off starter Dan Straily (1-2). Grady Sizemore led off with a double and scored on Pierzynskis single with one out. Jackie Bradley Jr. added a two-out double to drive in Pierzynski and Boston led 2-0. Straily pitched 4 1-3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked three. "I felt like every single time, every batter I was behind 2-0. Thats just not the way to pitch," Straily said. "Its just a frustrating day." Bradley ended a potential rally for the As in the eighth with a leaping catch at the centre field wall, then hitting Pedroia with a strong relay throw. Pedroia threw to Mike Napoli as Josh Donaldson scrambled to get back after rounding second before seeing Bradley make the catch. Notes: The series continues Saturday afternoon with Boston LHP Jon Lester (2-4) scheduled to face Oakland lefty Tommy Milone (0-2). .. Oakland played its first game in May after tying the franchise record for wins in April at 18-9. ... Buchholz allowed 12 runs on 20 hits over 6 2-3 innings in his first two starts at Fenway Park this season. ... Boston rookie SS Xander Bogaerts has reached safely in 14 straight games. ... Boston C A.J. Pierzynski was played his 1,700th career game behind the plate. ... Pedroia could catch Yastrzemskis steal total of 168, but Yazs 452 homers are probably out of reach for Bostons pesky second baseman. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys .28 mph. Logano will start on the front row next to Penske Ford teammate Brad Keselowski, who came in second Friday at 193.099. The Penske drivers swept the top two spots for the second straight race, reversing their qualifying finish in Phoenix a week ago. Replica Soccer Jerseys . Strasburg (1-1) got 14 consecutive outs in one stretch and allowed only three hits, including Marcell Ozunas homer in the seventh. The right-handers lone walk was to the last batter he faced. Washingtons starter Wednesday, Jordan Zimmermann, left after a career-low 1 2-3 innings, leaving the bullpen "taxed," as manager Matt Williams put it. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan had ideal preparation for the playoffs at the Ford World Curling Championships with a pair of hard-fought wins over tenacious opponents Thursday. Fake Soccer Jerseys . - Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors will coach the Western Conference in the All-Star Game on Feb. Soccer Jerseys Outlet .S. Basketball Writers Association. McDermott, who finished his career at Creighton as college basketballs fifth-leading scorer, accepted the honour from Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson at AT&T Stadium, site of the Final Four.TORONTO - For Scott Milanovich and the Toronto Argonauts, its the most important game of the 2014 season. The Argos (6-9) host their archrivals, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in a crucial contest Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre. The Ticats (7-8) would clinch the season series with a win and further enhance their chances of finishing first or second in the East and securing a home playoff game. Watch the Ticats vs. Argos game live today on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4 and TSN5 at 4pm et/1pm pt. You can also listen to the game live on Newstalk 1010 radio with coverage beginning at 3pm et. Toronto would claim the season series with a win and still control its ability to finish atop the East Division. The Argos would do so by finishing their regular season with victories over Hamilton, Montreal and Ottawa. A loss wouldnt eliminate the Argos from playoff contention but theyd need help to get in. Right now we still control our own destiny, Milanovich said following Fridays walkthrough at Rogers Centre. If we dont win this game, thats no longer the case. I know about the alternative but its not even something weve addressed. As of right now were focused on winning this game and going from there. Were not going to talk about that until we have to. Hamilton head coach/GM Kent Austin said while the contest is important, hes been careful not to over-emphasize that. Our guys understand the importance of this game, they know whats at stake, he said. Toronto does as well. We expect our guys to play well. Theyre pros, they need to be self-directed, self-motivated ... theres a value to finishing well. Not that motivation should be a problem. Motivation for these games is the easiest it gets because its real, they (players) know its real and theres no faking it, Milanovich said. Its usually like the Week 6 game before youre going on a bye where youre trying to find something to get them up for a game that maybe is a little bit harder to do. That wont be a problem (Saturday). The previous Toronto-Hamilton matchups this season have been very close affairs. Hamilton nipped Toronto 13-12 on Sept. 1 in its first-ever game at Tim Hortons Field before the Argos erased a 17-point deficit by outscoring the Ticats 21-3 in the fourth quarter for an exciting 34-33 victory Oct. 10 at Rogers Centre. Ricky Ray threw a 69-yard TD strike to Chad Owens with under a minute remaining in the Argos win. Running back Nic Grigsby, who signed with Hamilton this week after being released by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, will play Saturday. Grigsby is tied for the CFL lead in touchdowns (nine) and is fourth overall in rushing (744 yards). He can run, hes a threat out of the backfield as a receiver, which is important in our offence, and I think hes a better blocker than his reputation was coming to us, Austin said. I think thhe guy is a complete player but hes like everybody else, he has to seize this opportunity and play well.dddddddddddd We need him to play at a high level. Milanovich said Torontos defence must account for Grigsby when hes on the field. I hope hes not too much of a factor but he is a dynamic football player, Milanovich said. If hes playing a lot and getting touches in space our guys are going to have to do a great job of understanding where their help is ... and forcing him into gang tackling because hes a very difficult man to take down one-on-one in the open field. Hamilton will be without defensive tackle Ted Laurent (personal commitment) and slotback Andy Fantuz (hamstring), who has a team-high 62 catches for 639 yards and three TDs. Andy has had, it seems like, big games against us the last two years, Milanovich said. Hopefully hes doing OK but Im not sorry he wont be dressing (Saturday). Ive always respected Ted. If you single-block him and he chooses to just run through you he can really press your guards or centre back into your quarterback, which makes it difficult for a quarterback. Fantuz has 48 catches for 547 yards and two TDs in Hamiltons last six games against Toronto. The Ticats are 2-6 overall without Fantuz in the lineup. Toronto is without right tackle Chris Van Zeyl (thumb), defensive back Evan McCullough (unspecified), safety Matt Black (forearm) and defensive lineman Dexter Davis (foot), all of whom played in last weekends 20-12 loss to Montreal. Running back Curtis Steele (ribs) is doubtful. American Jarriel King replaces Van Zeyl, a native of Fonthill, Ont. But Van Zeyls absence means a Canadian must start elsewhere and Torontos depth chart listed Ivan Brown, a five-year veteran defensive lineman from Saskatchewan, and Thomas Miles, a rookie linebacker from Manitoba, as defensive starters. Jarriel will do the job and do it well, Milanovich said. We do believe Chris is one of the best tackles in the league but hes become a leader and almost a calming influence. Losing him is a bit of a factor because it changes the ratio. On Oct. 10, Hamiltons special teams were dominant with 226 total return yards. Former Argo Terrell Sinkfield had five kickoff returns for 148 yards and two punt returns for 62 yards, including one for 51 yards. Its been a point of emphasis, Milanovich said. Its like a playoff game, right? After turnovers, it comes down to field position and those hidden yards. Its something weve concentrated on. Notes: Toronto signed Black to a contract extension through the 2016 season Friday. Hes in his sixth season with the Argos after being taken in the sixth round of the 08 CFL draft from Saginaw Valley State. The Toronto native was a member of the Argos squad that won the 100th Grey Cup game in November 2012 at Rogers Centre. ' ' '