OAKLAND, Calif. Puma Online Sale Australia . -- 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. Puma Shoes Australia Sale . The league announced Thursday that Tom Higgins is leaving that post effective immediately. Puma Outlet Store Australia .com) - Australian Open champion Li Na, former Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and former world No. http://www.pumaaustraliawholesale.com/ .The Toronto Raptors guard, who will represent the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game in New Orleans on Sunday, says he doesnt complain in the face of adversity "because I know this little girl is just happy for anything.Within moments after winning the Rose Bowl for a spot in the national championship, the T-shirts were up on Oregons website. Won Not Done, the shirts read. The sentiment - also on tees made for opponent Ohio State - was perfect for the Ducks, who are a win away from proving once and for all that they belong among the nations elite. Its a position theyve been in once before, when they faced Auburn for the national title to cap the 2010 season and came up short. Weve still got to finish this. Were one step closer to achieving everything we ever worked for, everything we ever wanted, senior linebacker Derrick Malone Jr. said. Oregon has never won a national championship. The Buckeyes have seven national titles dating back to 1942. Just a decade ago, the Ducks finished the season 5-6 but theyd flirted with national prominence in 2001 when quarterback Joey Harrington helped lead Oregon to the Fiesta Bowl. Then Chip Kelly arrived in Eugene in 2007 and reworked Oregons offence into a distinctive high-flying spread. Since then, the speedy Ducks have been consistently ranked. Kelly was promoted from offensive co-ordinator to head coach before the 2009 season and the next year the Ducks went 12-1 and first played for the title. Oregon fell to Auburn 22-19 on Wes Bynums 19-yard field goal as time expired. Afterward Kelly vowed, Well be back. Kellys successor, Mark Helfrich, made good on the promise: Here the second-seeded Ducks are, following a 59-20 victory over Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State defeated Alabama 42-35 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans later Thursday night. The loss in college footballs first-ever playoffs snapped a 29-game winning streak by the third-seeded Seminoles, and Oregon emphasized its dominance by piling up the most pointts ever scored in a Rose Bowl game. Cheap Puma Shoes Online Australia. It was quarterback Jameis Winstons first -- and maybe only, if he decides to go to the NFL -- college loss. They were undefeated the last two years, and I mean just that in itself says a lot about what theyve been able to do. Coming in, we didnt focus on that, quarterback Marcus Mariota said. We just wanted to focus on ourselves and really just trying to execute to the best of our abilities. But in the midst of the game, Oregon also took a huge step in changing the national perception of the Ducks -- shoving aside the image of a gimmicky team with a multitude of uniforms that could never stand up to the defending national champion. I hope they keep saying they (the Ducks) are soft, because it just motivates our guys, offensive co-ordinator Scott Frost said. Mariota is the personification of Oregons ascent, becoming the first Duck to win the Heisman Trophy. He has an ongoing conference record with 40 touchdown passes this season. Hes also passed for a touchdown in each of his 40 games of his college career -- the longest streak in FBS history. The junior from Hawaii, who opted at the end of last season to stay at Oregon, has 56 total touchdowns this season. Along with his 40 via pass, hes also run for 15 scores and caught a TD pass. Hes the first FBS-level player to pass for 40 and run for 15. Never one to put the focus on himself, Mariota was grateful for the opportunity to add to the teams legacy with a shot at the title. All the hard work, all the stuff that we put into it during the off-season and for it to kind of pay off and allow us to be a part of this game, its a great feeling, he said. Were very fortunate to be a part of it, and were excited to get going and get prepared for it. ' ' '