PS3 » m is aiming to win Olympic gold for the fourth

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- John Jaso came up big again as a pinch-hitter with a home run against Los Angeles Angels closer Ernesto Frieri, a year and five days after doing the same thing to Kevin Jepsen at Angel Stadium -- a place where Jaso just loves to hit. Jasos go-ahead, two-run shot in the ninth inning sent the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 victory Monday night. Yoenis Cespedes also went deep for the As, offsetting Albert Pujols 496th home run. Frieri (0-1) was trying to preserve a 2-1 lead for starter Hector Santiago when Josh Donaldson led off the ninth with a single and Cespedes flied out. Jaso batted for Derek Norris and drove a 1-2 pitch deep into the right-field seats for his first homer of the season and the first by an As pinch-hitter. "Donaldson hit that ball hard to start off the inning, and it kind of started there," Jaso said. "I think Cespy just missed a pitch, too, so we definitely had some good swings going and some good momentum against Frieri. "He showed me one changeup earlier in the at-bat and got a strike, so I thought he was going to go back with an off-speed pitch -- especially after I fouled off a couple of his fastballs," Jaso added. "But he came back with another heater and left it out over the plate. My timing was a little bit better on that particular pitch, and it looked really good to hit." Jaso has six homers and 21 RBIs at Angel Stadium along with a .424 average, the highest by any player with at least 75 plate appearances at the "Big A." "He got a really good pitch to hit and the ball went out," Frieri said. "In that situation, hes looking for something middle-in to drive in the air -- especially when they have a man on base. He hit a mistake pitch. Dont get me wrong, he made good contact, but I was trying to go down and away." It appeared Frieri needed more consoling from Santiago than vice versa. "I closed in 2012, so I know how it is, man. Youve got to have a short memory and forget about it," Santiago said. "Hes going to close more games than he blows. He said Sorry to me, but I told him: No, dont worry about it, man. Were all out here battling. I could have given up a two-run homer and given up the lead in the seventh." Santiago allowed a run and five hits while striking out three in his fourth start for the Angels after spending his three previous big league seasons with the Chicago White Sox. A two-out homer by Cespedes in the fourth was Oaklands only run against the left-hander. The Angels lost a replay challenge in the ninth after Howie Kendrick was ruled out by first base umpire Chris Segal on a grounder in the hole that second baseman Nick Punto bobbled before throwing to Daric Barton. Jim Johnson (1-2) got the victory with a scoreless eighth, and Luke Gregerson earned his second save. Jesse Chavez allowed two runs -- one earned -- and four hits in seven innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. Oaklands starting pitchers have yielded three earned runs or fewer in every game so far, the second-longest streak by an As rotation at the beginning of a season since a 16-game stretch in 1981, when manager Billy Martins starters were Mike Norris, Rick Langford, Matt Keough, Steve McCatty and Brian Kingman. "It certainly hurts to lose two important guys like (Jarrod) Parker and (A.J.) Griffin," manager Bob Melvin said. "But when you have guys like Jesse Chavez and Tommy Milone that are going to step in and hold the fort down and compete at a high level, thats what we expect from those guys. So we have the depth." Pujols, closing in on 500 homers, a celebrated milestone achieved by 25 players in major league history, has four homers and eight RBIs in his last six games after driving in only one run in 30 at-bats over his first seven games. The three-time NL MVP also had an RBI single in the opener of a 19-game season series between the AL West rivals, who have combined to win 11 division titles over the past 14 years. The two-time Gold Glove first baseman frustrated the As in the eighth by starting a slick double play on Jed Lowries grounder. NOTES: Oakland CF and leadoff hitter Coco Crisp didnt play because of tightness in his left hamstring. ... Los Angeles 3B David Freese was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. He has five hits and 13 Ks in his first 43 at-bats with the Angels. Custom New Orleans Saints Jerseys . On Wednesday, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas hit back. In a passionate defence of himself and the London clubs medical staff, the Portuguese coach rebuked the "incompetent people" who have attacked Tottenham for allowing Lloris to continue playing after being briefly knocked unconscious against Everton on Sunday. Sam Mills Jersey . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Sheldon-Rankins-Jersey/ . Bring on Freddy Garcia. The well-travelled 36-year-old right-hander earned his second NL victory since 2007, and his first since he joined the Atlanta Braves last month, pitching six innings to help beat Miami 6-1 Thursday. Erik McCoy Jersey . Louis Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract. Morten Andersen Youth Jersey . -- Arizona coach Sean Miller rose from his seat every time Roberto Nelson touched the ball and yelled "Shooter!" He could have been talking about his own team, too. CALGARY -- With less than two months to go until the Sochi Olympics, Kevin Dineen will have to hit the ground running as the new head coach of the Canadian womens hockey team. Dineen was named to the post Tuesday, just a few days after Dan Churchs surprise resignation. Dineen was signed for the remainder of the season and will guide the defending champions at the Feb. 7-23 Winter Games. "This has been a whirlwind few days but when this opportunity presented itself I immediately jumped at it," Dineen said at a news conference. Its the first international coaching job for Dineen, who served as head coach of the NHLs Florida Panthers for parts of three seasons until he was fired last month. He previously served as head coach of the AHLs Portland Pirates for six seasons (2005-11). "Were very excited that Kevin will join the coaching staff of Canadas national womens team and bring his unique perspective to the dressing room," Hockey Canada chief operating officer Scott Smith said in a statement. "Kevin has had success in both the AHL and NHL, and were looking forward to him being a part of the staff for the final push towards Sochi." Dineen, a 50-year-old who was born in Quebec City and raised in Toronto, also played in 1,188 NHL regular-season games, scoring 355 goals and adding 405 assists. He succeeds Church, who unexpectedly stepped down last week. Church said he felt there was a lack of confidence in his ability to coach Canada to a gold medal at the Games. Assistants Lisa Haley and Danielle Goyette handled the coaching duties in Canadas 5-1 loss to the archrival United States in an exhibition ggame last Thursday in Calgary.dddddddddddd The two womens hockey powers meet again Friday in an exhibition game in Grand Forks, N.D. As a player, Dineen represented Canada on six occasions. He made four appearances at the IIHF world hockey championship, winning silver in 1985 and 1989. He won a Canada Cup in 1987 and just missed the podium at the 1984 Winter Games, when Canada settled for a fourth-place finish at Sarajevo. "I am a product of Hockey Canada," Dineen said. "Ive had the opportunity to represent my country on the international stage. I may have a little unfinished business from my Olympic experience." The Canadian womens team is aiming to win Olympic gold for the fourth straight time. "This is a critical time for Canadas national womens team with the start of the Olympics less than two months away, and we feel Kevin is a terrific fit with our staff as we get ready for Sochi," said general manager Melody Davidson. "His experience, both on the ice and behind the bench, will be invaluable over the coming weeks." Dineen, Goyette, Haley and Davidson will work together to finalize Canadas roster for Sochi over the coming weeks. "Things are happening pretty quickly," Dineen said. "I know Im hopping on a moving train here and will rely heavily on the whole coaching staff, and Lisa and Danielle, to help this initial stage for a couple of weeks." Twenty-four players remain in centralization, including three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 14 forwards. Canadas final roster for the Sochi Games will include 21 players, including three goaltenders. ' ' '