OAKLAND, Calif. -- Yoenis Cespedes is gone to Boston and the Oakland Athletics are slumping without their former slugger. Josh Reddick is a bright spot in the lineup and continues a recent tear, getting a two-run double in the ninth inning of a 7-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday that cost the AL West leaders a sweep. "We couldnt get anything going. Our lineup continues to struggle," Reddick said. "We know we have a good lineup with or without Cespedes. We miss him. Someone has to step up. We havent done that yet. We have to keep grinding." The As acquired ace Jon Lester in last Thursdays trade deadline deal that sent Cespedes out of town, and the pitcher starts again Thursday. The Rays handed reigning AL Pitcher of the Month Sonny Gray (12-5) his second straight defeat following a 5-0 July in which he had a 1.03 ERA. This is the second time Gray has lost consecutive outings in his first full major league season, also to Baltimore and the Yankees on June 7 and 13. "When you put your team in a hole like that, youre putting a lot of pressure on the offence," said Gray, tagged for a career-high 10 hits. "Thats tough to climb out of." Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run homer to help Jeremy Hellickson end a six-start winless stretch for his first victory in 11 months. Hellickson (1-1) allowed two hits and one run in seven innings, struck out three and walked none. He hadnt reached five innings in any of his previous three starts this year or in five outings dating to the end of the 2013 season. The 2011 AL Rookie of the Year returned late last month following rehab for the January elbow operation. Kiermaiers first-pitch homer in the fourth was just the ninth surrendered this year by Gray, who came into Wednesday with a 1-0 record and 0.61 ERA in two career starts against the Rays. Hellickson retired the first nine As hitters in order before Coco Crisps leadoff single in the fourth, then the right-hander recorded seven more outs in a row. "That looked like the Rookie of the Year Hellickson," manager Joe Maddon said. "My thought is now that hes done it once he can really take off." Eric Sogard broke that up with a sixth-inning homer, snapping a career-high 110-game homerless streak dating to July 21, 2013. Josh Reddick added a two-run double in the ninth off former As closer Grant Balfour. Gray plunked Kiermaier in the fifth to load the bases and Desmond Jennings followed with a two-run single to chase the right-hander after a season-low 4 1-3 innings. Jesse Chavez, moved to the bullpen when Lester arrived, worked 3 2-3 innings. Oaklands No. 3-4 hitters of Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss went a combined 1 for 7. "Weve seen a stretch where we scored double-digit runs," manager Bob Melvin said. "Were not doing that right now. Were not getting consistent at bats like weve been getting." MOSS FUNK Moss is mired in an 0-for-17 funk that matches the longest hitless streak of his career, also done in September 2010. "If we keep getting guys on base, were going to do what we do," Reddick said. "Weve got to get out of our rut." COLISEUM LEASE The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority approved the Athletics 10-year lease deal that keeps the club in Oakland for now -- a formality in the deal reached last month. TRAINERS ROOM Rays: Catcher Jose Molina took a foul tip on his right arm in the third but stayed in the game. Athletics: Melvin said shortstop Jed Lowrie could be back from a bruised right index finger for Thursdays series opener with the Twins. UP NEXT Rays: After an off-day in Chicago, RHP Chris Archer (7-6, 3.42 ERA) pitches Fridays opener of a weekend series at Wrigley Field to close out interleague play. Athletics: LHP Lester (11-7, 2.59) is 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA over nine starts since a June 7 loss at Detroit. Fake Vapormax .Johnny there, who knew he had that speed? teammate Tommy Wingels said.Scott and Matt Irwin were unlikely goal-scorers Tuesday night as the previously stingy San Jose Sharks finally sprung a leak or two, blowing a pair of three-goal leads before coming away with a 6-5 shootout victory over the Washington Capitals. Wholesale Vapormax .com) - The Denver Nuggets snapped a losing streak last time out and will try to carry that momentum Saturday night when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Pepsi Center. https://www.cheapvapormaxoutlet.com/ . UCI President Brian Cookson said Wednesday the commission will investigate allegations "that the UCI has been involved in wrongdoing in the past -- allegations which have done so much to hurt the credibility of the UCI and our sport. Vapormax From China . The injury could land Machado on the 15-day disabled list, but its not as serious as it looked on Monday night, when the third baseman crumpled in a heap at the plate after taking an awkward swing in a game against the New York Yankees. Cheap Vapormax . Harrison Barnes had 15 points and Reggie Bullock scored 11 for the Tar Heels (17-3, 4-1 ACC), who took the court for the first time without starter Dexter Strickland. The junior guard tore his right ACL last Thursday at Virginia Tech and will miss the rest of the season.LOS ANGELES -- Once they got Matt Cain out of the game, Yasiel Puig and the Los Angeles Dodgers roughed up the San Francisco Giants stellar bullpen. Dee Gordon and Puig broke open a tie game with consecutive RBI doubles in the seventh, Matt Kemp homered in the eighth and the Dodgers beat the NL West-leading Giants 6-2 on Saturday. "Cain pitched a good game and pounded the zone," Kemp said. "He threw strikes, mixed his pitches up well and got them over the plate. We couldnt really get anything off of him. But we waited him out, got him out of there, got to their bullpen and scored some runs at the end for the W." Zack Greinke (6-1) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out eight and walking three. The right-hander extended his streak to 20 consecutive starts in which hes allowed fewer than three runs -- the longest by any pitcher since the "dead ball" era. "Its always a luxury to have two Cy Young winners at the top of your rotation like Zack and Clayton Kershaw. Thats a plus for our team," Kemp said. "Hopefully theyll continue to stay healthy and keep doing what theyre doing. But we have to do our job as hitters and drive in runs for those guys." The Dodgers took the lead in the seventh against reliever Jeremy Affeldt (0-1) when Drew Butera doubled and scored on Gordons hit inside third base with Pablo Sandoval playing in on the grass with the Dodgers speedy leadoff hitter at bat. Puig then greeted Jean Machi with a ground-rule double into the left field corner. "Thats a bad break," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Pablo had to cover the bunt with two outs. Gordon hit it in a good spot, and the ball just bounced by him." The four runs charged to the Giants bullpen was in sharp contracts to the major league-best 1.75 ERA they brought into the game. Affeldt had pitched 10 2-3 scoreless innings in his 10 previous appearances since coming off the DL on April 16. "They got nicked up a little, but they had been so good and really solid all year," Bochy said. "Its going to happen." Former Giants closer Brian Wilson escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, retiring Hunter Pence on a foul pop to Butera behind the plate after a visit from pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. The Dodggers tacked on two more runs in the bottom half on Kemps leadoff homer against Juan Gutierrez and Buteras sacrifice fly.dddddddddddd Cain was charged with two runs, three hits and four walks over five-plus innings in his first start off the disabled list. The three-time All-Star hadnt pitched since April 23 and missed two turns in the rotation because of a cut on the tip of his index finger. He was hurt in the clubhouse kitchen at AT&T Park when he tried to catch a knife that fell out of his hand. Affeldt came on in the sixth with the bases loaded and none out after Cain gave up two walks around a towering single by Puig. Gordon scored on a double-play grounder by Adrian Gonzalez and Kemp followed with an RBI single that tied it 2-all. "It kind of got out of hand in the sixth," Cain said. "I let that inning get away from us and that ended up being a turning point." Greinke escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first by fanning Sandoval, who hasnt driven home a run in 20 games and 68 at-bats since his RBI single against the Dodgers on April 16. He has only two hits in his last 26 at-bats with men in scoring position. The Giants loaded the bases again in the second with none out, and managed to scratch out two runs. Hunter Pence drove in Angel Pagan with a sacrifice fly to centre and Brandon Hicks scored on Buster Poseys single. Less than 24 hours after Dodgers left-hander Paul Maholm broke the left thumb of Giants first baseman Brandon Belt with a pitch, Cain plunked Hanley Ramirez above the left elbow on a 1-2 pitch after Gordon led off the first inning with a single and stole two bases. But Cain escaped the jam, striking out Gonzalez and retiring Kemp on a flyball. NOTES: Dodgers 3B Juan Uribe missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring -- and for the second straight game his replacement committed a throwing error. Friday it was Justin Turner, and this time it was Chone Figgins. ... Gonzalez is 2 for 31 over his last eight games following a 16-game hitting streak. ... The Dodgers lead the majors with 44 stolen bases, including 24 by Gordon in 27 attempts -- also the most in both leagues. The last time a Dodgers player led the NL in steals was 1976, when current first base coach Davey Lopes won his second straight stolen base crown. ' ' '