Reiseplan » first FBS school to ever feature a 3,000-yard passer

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Less than eight months after finishing third in voting for the AL Cy Young award, Athletics ace Sonny Gray is mired in the longest slump of his career.There is little indication that things are going to get better any time soon, either.Gray lost his sixth consecutive decision after blowing an early three-run lead and the Athletics offense was held to one hit over the final seven innings of a 7-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.This hasnt been his best year and hell figure it out and hell get better as the year goes on, As manager Bob Melvin said. Theres always going to be a year thats as not good as other years. So far this is the one for him. Hes been good for us.Gray was coming off two fairly decent starts before blowing up against Pittsburgh in the Pirates first trip to the Oakland Coliseum since June 27, 2010.Gray (3-7) gave up seven runs, hit a batter and threw two wild pitches in six innings while losing his sixth consecutive decision. The right-hander, third in the 2015 AL Cy Young voting, is winless since April 22.Once I got to two outs, I just wasnt able to get them out, Gray said. There were times, like in the sixth where I got two quick outs, I have to be able to shut that inning down and get back out there for the seventh . and not hit a guy and walk another. It just escalated from there.Jody Mercer homered and had an RBI single to help Pittsburgh rally from three runs down to beat. Matt Joyce added two hits, Josh Harrison drove in two runs while Andrew McCutcheon doubled and scored on a wild pitch to help the Pirates to their first win in their history at the Coliseum and just their second in 13 games between the two franchises.They did it by taking advantage of another shaky outing by Gray (3-7).We just stayed the course, Harrison said. We just put together some good at-bats as a team and it wasnt easy on him.Marcus Semien hit his 17th home run of the season for Oakland.Pirates starter Jeff Locke (8-5) also struggled early but retired the final nine batters he faced to win his third straight. He gave up three runs over five innings with three walks and three strikeouts.Three relievers combined to retire the final 12 batters and complete the four-hitter.Mercer homered in the third and added an RBI single as part of a two-run fifth.Harrisons two-out, two-run double in the sixth put the Pirates up 7-3.ALL-STAR PUSHSemiens home run was his fifth in nine games, padding his AL-leading total among shortstops. Melvin thinks Semiens offensive surge should be good enough to earn the young shortstop a trip to the All-Star game in San Diego later this month. Hopefully that merits some consideration going forward, Melvin said. You cant ignore the numbers. Not only is he doing it all offensively, he doing defensively too. He just maturing.LINEUP SHUFFLEJed Lowrie had decent results while batting leadoff for the first time this season. He drew a walk from Locke in the first before Semien homered on a 3-2 pitch. Oaklands second baseman added an RBI double in the second to make it 3-0.TRAINERS ROOMAthletics: Infielder Tyler Ladendorf was recalled from Triple-A Nashville before the game. Left-hander Dillion Overton, the losing pitcher against San Francisco on Thursday, was optioned down. Overton went 1-1 with an 11.42 ERA in two starts.UP NEXTPirates: Right-hander Chad Kuhl (1-0) pitches against Oakland on Saturday in his second career start in the majors after beating Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers in his debut.Athletics: Rich Hill is expected to come off the disabled list to start against Pittsburgh. The left-hander had been out since May 30 with a strained groin. Adrian Wilson Jersey . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. Adrian Wilson Womens Jersey . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. http://www.nflcardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Haason-Reddick-Jersey/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Byron Murphy Jersey . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. Byron Murphy Womens Jersey . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. MIAMI -- Dane Evans and Tulsa put up huge numbers all season, and did it again at the Miami Beach Bowl.Evans passed for 304 yards and five touchdowns in his final college game, three of those scoring throws going to Keevan Lucas, and Tulsa rolled past Central Michigan 55-10 on Monday afternoon at Marlins Park.Evans completed 28 of 38 passes for the Golden Hurricane (10-3), who finished with six wins in the seasons final seven games. It capped a record-setting career for Evans, who became Tulsas leader with 84 touchdown throws and -- as a big baseball fan -- said it was a thrill to play in a big-league park.If anyone knows me, they know I dont go into a game hoping I get 300 and five touchdowns, said Evans, also the school leader in passing yards. I just want to win.Tulsas offense got points on its first eight possessions, plus another touchdown when Jesse Brubaker ran an interception back 66 yards for a score. The Golden Hurricane -- who werent stopped with Evans on the field -- turned it over on downs in their final two drives, the second of those a merciful kneel-down with 1:44 left at the Central Michigan 5.Tulsa finished the season averaging 42.5 points and 527 yards per game. The Golden Hurricane outgained Central Michigan 581-355.Weve had a really good season and this is a really good football team, Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said. I dont know if weve gotten the respect across the country that we deserve.Cooper Rush was 24 for 49 passing for 241 yards for Central Michigan (6-7), throwing three interceptions in his final game with the Chippewas. Jahray Hayes ran for Central Michigans lone touchdown.We certainly felt like we matched up a little better than what we demonstrated today, Central Michigan coach John Bonamego said. We just didnt execute at a fundamental level.DAngelo Brewer rushed for 105 yards, and James Flanders ran for another 100 and a score for Tulsa. Josh Atkinson and Chris Minter also caught scoring passes for the Golden Hurricane.I just wanted the win tooday and Im glad that we got that, Lucas said.dddddddddddd Three touchdowns, thats just how it happened.THE TAKEAWAYCentral Michigan: Rush finished with 12,894 yards -- 11 shy of matching Dan LeFevours Mid-American Conference record of 12,905. His last attempt as time expired would have given him the record, but fell incomplete. I was trying to get completions, Rush said. ... The Chippewas went 1-5 in their final six games, and 3-7 after a 3-0 start. ... This was the third straight bowl trip for Central Michigan, but the Chippewas went 0-3 in them.Tulsa: This wasnt even Tulsas biggest bowl win. It topped Bowling Green 63-7 at the GMAC Bowl to close the 2007 season. ... Tulsa went 10 for 15 on third downs, and never punted.HURRICANE HISTORY, TULSA VARIETYAtkinson went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season. That made Tulsa the first FBS school to ever feature a 3,000-yard passer (Evans), two 1,000-yard rushers (Brewer and Flanders) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Lucas and Atkinson). Evans gave Montgomery all the credit, noting Tulsa had five wins in the two seasons before the coach arrived and has 16 in two years since. Shows you what that man means, Evans said.HURRICANE HISTORY, MIAMI VARIETYMarlins Park is built basically on the same site as the famed Orange Bowl -- the home field for the Miami Hurricanes for many years -- stood before it was demolished. One of the replay officials Monday was Terry Porter, who threw the infamous late-arriving flag in the Fiesta Bowl that decided the 2002 national title. Porter made a still-debated call that extended the game in overtime, and Miami lost to Ohio State in double OT.UP NEXTCentral Michigan: Its time to find Rushs replacement. The 2017 season starts Aug. 31 at home against Rhode Island.Tulsa: Like the Chippewas, the Golden Hurricane also need a new quarterback. Next season starts Sept. 2 at Oklahoma State. ' ' '