Reports » the Athletics were so eager

OAKLAND, Calif. John Hannah Jersey . -- Jeff Samardzija arrived at the ballpark nearly five hours before making his first start with his new ballclub. The right-hander left having secured a four-game sweep for Oakland with a performance that showed exactly why the Athletics were so eager to get him in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Samardzija pitched seven strong innings to win his Oakland debut and the As beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Sunday. "First impressions are always important," said Samardzija after lowering his overall ERA to 2.74. "Like I said yesterday, they didnt need me here. They were doing just fine without me. I dont want to come in and change anything and change the atmosphere. I just want to come in and add and do my part," he said. He did just that, giving up four hits and one run with five strikeouts and one walk while earning his first win since June 7. With the Cubs, Samardzija was 2-7 despite a 2.83 ERA. He was voted to the NL All-Star team but wont pitch and will spend the game in the AL dugout. "He was excited as you could be," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "It was great to get him off to a good start like that. Terrific performance." Samardzija, acquired a day earlier, received several standing ovations. He was cheered during pregame warmups and again after striking out the side in the seventh. The veteran pitcher was equally excited after receiving some early run support, something that was scarce in Chicago. The Cubs scored two runs or fewer in 11 of his 17 starts in the NL this season. Oakland had no such issue. Jed Lowrie had two hits and scored twice, and leadoff hitter John Jaso added a pair of hits and an RBI for the As, who won their fourth straight after getting swept in three games at Detroit. Stephen Vogt singled and tripled to help the As complete their first series sweep of the Blue Jays since taking a three-game series in 2000. Oakland hadnt swept a four-game series from Toronto since May 22-24, 1981. "It was beautiful, man, that was awesome," Samardzija said. "Just getting one early run as a pitcher is the best thing ever. You can go out and pound the zone and understand if a guy gets on base so be it. And the way (the As) take at-bats is outstanding." Nate Freiman and Craig Gentry also drove in runs for the As. Lowrie doubled and scored in the second, then Oakland added two more in the fourth to extend their majors-leading record to 55-33. Pinch-hitter Derek Norris added an RBI double in the eighth for Oakland. Steve Tolleson had a pinch-hit home run off As closer Sean Doolittle in the ninth for the Blue Jays, who have lost six straight on the road. Doolittle got his 13th save. Toronto got a stellar outing from starter Drew Hutchison but for the fourth straight game had little success offensively. The Blue Jays went 0 for 18 with runners in scoring position during the series. They didnt have many opportunities against Samardzija and two relievers. Toronto managed just four baserunners over the final eight innings and had only two get past first base. "We got shut down big time," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons after his club was outscored 14-4 in the four-game sweep. "Were just not very good right now. Were just not producing." Oakland general manager Billy Beane got Samardzija and pitcher Jason Hammel for a package of prospects that included the two most recent first-round draft picks by the As. Samardzija pitched out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first by getting cleanup hitter Jose Bautista to ground into an inning-ending double play. "That was probably one of the biggest pitches of the game for me," Samardzija said. "It allowed me to relax and then to come out and put a few on the board. I was able to relax and pound the zone." Samardzija retired 13 of the next 14 batters he faced until Jose Reyes singled with one out in the sixth. Munenori Kawasaki followed with a double and Melky Cabreras groundout scored Reyes. Hutchison (6-7) struck out four and walked two in his first career start against the As. The punchless Blue Jays went into the game shorthanded. Edwin Encarnacion strained his right quad legging out an infield grounder on Saturday and was held out of the lineup. The Toronto slugger underwent an MRI before the game, though the results were not disclosed. NOTES: Cole Gillespie went hitless in three at-bats for Toronto after being claimed off waivers. ... Oakland OF Brandon Moss underwent an MRI on his injured left ankle. Results were not immediately known. ... Toronto OF Brad Glenn was designated for assignment. The Blue Jays also claimed OF/DH Nolan Reimould off waivers from Baltimore. ... As RHP Jesse Chavez will pitch the series opener against San Francisco on Monday. ... Blue Jays LHP JA Happ (7-4) takes the hill in the opener against the Angels. Custom New England Patriots Jerseys . -- During Kansas shootaround on Wednesday before the Jayhawks faced Oklahoma, coach Bill Self told Wayne Selden Jr. Steve Grogan Youth Jersey . These days, just about anyone can get a taste of the friendship that has blossomed between All-Star Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City Thunder teammate James Harden, most famous in the past two weeks or so for the elbow to the head he took from the Los Angeles Lakers Metta World Peace. https://www.patriotssportsgoods.com/Womens-Jarrett-Stidham-Inverted-Jersey/ . -- Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera has a broken bone below his right eye after being struck by a bad-hop grounder, sidelining the star slugger for at least a week with opening day on deck.CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls fans chanted "MVP" when Joakim Noah made big plays. Noah doesnt like the attention. "Thats not whats important to me," Noah said. "Its just all about this team right now. Weve been through so much. Its not about individual accolades." Noah turned in another MVP-type performance on Saturday night, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds in the Bulls 94-87 victory over the Sacramento Kings. "First thing is his game is through the roof right now. His confidence is through the roof," teammate Taj Gibson said. But Noah would rather focus the attention on the team and how it withstood the Kings comeback. Gibson scored seven of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Mike Dunleavy added 16 and DJ Augustin had 12 for the Bulls (37-29), who are fourth in the Eastern Conference and improved to 3-2 on their six-game homestand. "It was very physical out there tonight," said Noah, who added eight assists, five blocked shots and three steals to his 33rd double-double. "That was a good win. We didnt let frustration get to us. We stuck with it." Isaiah Thomas led the Kings with 26 and DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 14 rebounds. The Kings (23-43) won the rebounding battle 55-40, but committed 16 turnovers and were 23 of 37 at the free-throw line. "Thats a lot of points to be left on the court," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "The reality is were just not good enough to not take advantage of all of those free throws." Both teams struggled on offence, with the Bulls shooting 40 per cent and the Kings 37 per cent. "The fact that we allowed a team that does not score a lot in transition score 20 fast-break points, obviously that wasnt part of our game plan," Malone said. The Kings are 2-4 on their seven-game road trip. Cousins hit a layup with 1:01 left to cut the Bulls llead to 88-85. Jarrett Stidham Patriots Jersey. Gibson responded with a jumper with 42.2 seconds left, and the Bulls made four of six free throws to seal the win. The Bulls led 48-43 at halftime before the Kings outscored them 20-16 in the third to pull within one. The Bulls have won four straight at home against the Kings, the only team below .500 to visit during the homestand. Noah had 17 points and five rebounds and Rudy Gay led the Kings with 10 points at halftime. Noah scored 12 points in the first quarter, which ended 23-23. "Noah is an incredible player. I say hes the heart and soul of that Bulls team," Cousins said. The game was more competitive than the teams previous meeting. The Kings routed the Bulls 99-70 at Sleep Train Arena on Feb. 3, when the Bulls finished with season lows in points and shooting percentage (28.2). "Thats a good team even though their record is not too well," Gibson said. "They tend to play well at times. It was a battle tonight." NOTES: Dunleavys right eye was black and blue and he wore tape above it. He received 10 stitches after he caught an elbow when he drew a charge Thursday in the Bulls 111-87 win over Houston. ... Evans started at power forward for the Kings to match up against the Bulls front line. Malone said the Kings will decide who plays the position based on each games matchup. Derrick Williams has played both forward positions. ... Malone was impressed with G Jimmer Fredette, who played 41 games with the Kings this season before he signed with the Bulls on March 2. "He was always in the gym, even on off days, committed to getting his work in," Malone said. "Even when he was not playing and part of the rotation, he never dropped his head, kept on working, kept on supporting his teammates. Thats why I think the Bulls at some point will be able to use him." ... The Kings are 10-24 on the road. ' ' '