Pirate Galaxy » they took me away/i can see their hu

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The only thing Bartolo Colon cares about is staying healthy and helping his team win. He simply has no idea how to answer the constant questions about how hes doing both. Colon tossed eight innings of one-run ball to win his eighth straight start, powering the Oakland Athletics past the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 on Friday night to tie the best streak of his career. "I dont even know what I can say," Colon said. "Thank you, God." Colon (11-2) controlled the game with an efficient fastball the way he has so many others this season, burnishing his All-Star credentials and confounding critics who wonder how the 40-year-old continues to dominate. He allowed six hits, struck out five and walked one to match Max Scherzer of Detroit for the most wins in the AL this season. Stephen Vogt stole some of the spotlight from Colons latest gem when he homered to end an 0-for-32 stretch to start his career, and four players drove in runs during the second inning to chase Shelby Miller (8-6) and help Oakland win its third straight game. Colon hugged his catcher in the dugout when he came out after the eighth and whispered in Vogts ear: "Thank you, Poppy." Vogts line-drive homer against reliever Joe Kelly in the fourth ended the longest hitless streak to start a career by a non-pitcher since Chris Carter began 0 for 33 with the As in 2010. "I cant imagine anything better," Vogt said. The Cardinals (48-31) dropped a game behind Pittsburgh for the best record in the majors -- and the NL Central lead. Kelly, who last pitched on June 21, allowed just the one run and three hits in 5 1-3 innings of relief in one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals, who couldnt solve Colons deceptive fastballs. "He has a different kind of movement and throws harder than what the gun reads," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. Dan Otero pitched a scoreless ninth to finish off the best first half of the season for Oakland (47-34) since 1992, when the club started 48-33. The As remain a half-game behind Texas for the AL West lead, and the reigning division champions owe much of it to the big, burly pitcher on the mound. The As are 13-3 in Colons starts. "Do the math," As manager Bob Melvin said. "Its halfway through the season and hes got 11 wins." Colon tied his career high with eight consecutive wins -- which he did in 2005, when he won a career-best 21 games for the Angels and captured the AL Cy Young Award -- and hasnt lost since May 9 at Cleveland. Hes the first As pitcher since Barry Zito in 2005 to win eight in a row. The right-hander also is the first pitcher to win his first seven starts since turning 40, according to information from the Elias Sports Bureau provided by the As. But with every win, Colon also brings more attention and more scrutiny -- fair or not -- about how he is finding so much success at this stage of his career. Colon is among more than a dozen players who have been connected to a now-closed Miami anti-aging clinic under investigation by Major League Baseball for performance-enhancing drugs. The right-hander also missed the end of last season when he was suspended 50 games for testing positive for synthetic testosterone. The As and Colon have brushed off any clouds that come the pitchers way with the motto Melvin has instilled with everything else about his team: focus on the days task and nothing else. Colon carried a perfect game into the fifth, when Matt Holliday walked with one out. Matt Adams added a short fly that dropped in front of a diving Coco Crisp in centre field for the first hit off Colon, and David Freese followed with an RBI single for the Cardinals lone run. With Colon in complete control again, the As sent 10 batters to the plate and forced Miller to throw 51 pitches in the second inning. It was the most thrown in an inning by one pitcher this season, topping the 50 tossed by Arizonas Ian Kennedy against the Cardinals on June 6. "I just struggled. I wasnt throwing strikes and when I did throw strikes, they were right down the middle," Miller said. Vogt, filling in for the injured John Jaso, added his first career hit in the fourth and teammates initially acted as if nothing happened when he jogged back in the dugout. Then, everybody charged him at once. Vogt got the ball back from a 5-year-old in the stands. The youngster was given another ball and team memorabilia in exchange. NOTES: Members of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum presented Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo with his induction plaque in the dugout before the game. "Its a great honour and great privilege," said Oquendo, who batted .256 in 12 seasons and earned the nickname "The Secret Weapon" for playing every position during his career. ... As manager Bob Melvin said Jaso (injured left hand) might not start over the weekend but is available off the bench. ... San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was in the stands and wearing an As cap. ... The Cardinals send Adam Wainwright (10-5, 2.31) to the mound against Jarrod Parker (6-6, 4.27 ERA) on Saturday. Kevin Durant Shoes For Sale . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Lebron James Shoes Deal . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. http://www.cheapkdshoesclearance.com/cheap-kevin-durant.html .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Cheap Nike Kd .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. KD 8 Sale . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. After?Karolina Pliskova defeated?Serena Williams on Thursday night,?knocking Williams out of her bid for a 23rd major title at the US Open and losing her No. 1 spot, Baltimore musician Sonne Riley was inspired to write a poem.?LISTEN? or WATCH?For Serena Williams?9/11 1999 serena won her first one/9/11 1999 me n mom got evicted again/well here comes aunty in her station wagon/in the driver seat where father should have been/she said you dont have much/but youll always have us/wen theres nothin else/not much i can comprehend/cept mom n aunty love got no end/shall i find peril later down in life/i remember their every sacrifice/n all the strength it took/to fight everytime the devil wagered waraunty taught me how to conquer like serena/momma taught me to beat my match like serena/n if this match i dont win/this game aint over Im coming back again/aunty taught me to be strong like serena/momma taught me not to quit like serena/n if this match i dont win/this game aint over Im coming back again/might not had a daddy/might not had a home/still i was never alonehad 2 black queens fight for me strong/like serena williamsmomma had her flaws of course/but even the best nets rip on the best tennis courts/even best thhe players sometimes fall short/that dont mean that its over that your done for/aunty spent her nights wit a bible under a lamp/praying god pass a blessing by a back hand/that one day she might see me again/when they took me away/i can see their hurt inside/no matter how strong those woman were/they couldnt stand losing one of theirs/but even without em i survived/all cuz the lessons i learned on 9/11 1999aunty taught me how to conquer like serena/momma taught me to beat my match like serena/n if this match i dont win/this game aint over Im coming back again/aunty taught me to be strong like serena/momma taught me not to quit like serena/n if this match i dont win/this game aint over Im coming back again/might not had a daddy/might not had a home/still i was never alonehad 2 black queens fight for me strong/like serena williamsBaltimore native singer and songwriter Sonne Riley new video for Want Love explores the topic saliently without soap boxing, while the raw emotion of his vocals punctuates the message in just the right way.dddddddddddd. Follow him on Twitter: ?@sonneriley. ' ' '