Chat » The only thing on the line for the Islander

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Even after every momentum swing, dramatic hit and terrible relief performance in an 11-inning game, the Oakland Athletics still were unshakably confident somebody would pull them through. Josh Donaldson and Jim Johnson stepped up and got it done. Donaldson drove in Jed Lowrie with an 11th-inning double, and the As overcame Mike Trouts tying homer in the ninth for a 10-9 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. The AL-leading As have won four straight and eight of nine largely because of their strength in tough situations, a product of back-to-back playoff appearances. Even Trouts dramatic two-run shot off Sean Doolittle didnt shake Oaklands belief. "It seemed like it was only a matter of time before we put a run across and figured out how to get a win," Doolittle said. "Weve been playing great this whole road trip, and we scrapped and clawed and came from behind. Theres a sense in this clubhouse that if the game is close or tied, were going to figure out a way to get it done. Whos it going to be this time?" Lowrie led off the 11th with a single against Yoslan Herrera (0-1), and Donaldson hit a sharp grounder inside third base. Johnson (2-2) pitched two gritty innings for Oakland, getting Howie Kendrick on a groundout with Trout and Albert Pujols in scoring position to end the As 15th win in 21 games at Angel Stadium. "It was one of the first times all year that our starting pitching struggled," Donaldson said. "The ninth inning happened, but we were able to come back and get it. Our pitching and defence have been doing really well this year, and tonight it was our offence picking them up." Both teams erased late three-run deficits during two dismal bullpen performances. The Angels trailed 9-6 in the eighth after leading 6-3 heading to the seventh. "It felt like three different games," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "We got behind early and came roaring back again, but give them credit. The momentum shifts go back and forth, and it comes down to will." Brandon Moss, Alberto Callaspo and pinch-hitter Derek Norris had RBI singles during a four-run eighth for the As. One night after Angels closer Ernesto Frieri blew a one-run lead, newcomer Joe Smith squandered a 6-5 advantage by giving up four runs, three hits and two walks without getting an out. "I was absolutely terrible out there," Smith said. "Theres no other way to say it. Thats as bad as Ive ever performed. Weve got to get some stuff figured out, as far as the late innings go in the bullpen. I mean, its no secret right now. Me and Ernie, weve got to win those games — especially against this team." The Angels third loss in four games came with more bad news: Leadoff hitter Kole Calhoun is headed to the disabled list after turning his right ankle while running out a grounder in the 11th inning. Smith even blamed himself for Calhouns injury. "When one of your guys goes down in the late innings, where if you just do your job, the game is over and he doesnt get hurt, and we have one more guy healthy, thats what hurts the worst," he said. David Freese had an RBI single in the eighth for Los Angeles, and Calhoun led off the ninth with a double off Doolittle. Trout, who had three hits and drove in three runs, tied it with a no-doubt shot to left, his fifth homer of the season and the Angels major league-best 23rd of the year. Chris Iannetta had a two-run double for the Angels, who chased Dan Straily in the fourth inning before the bullpen gave it all back. Straily was the first As starter to give up more than three earned runs all season, yielding seven hits and six runs. The right-hander gave up more than three runs for the first time in nine starts since last Aug. 28. Garrett Richards pitched seven innings of eight-hit ball for the Angels, but Smiths meltdown denied him his third victory. NOTES: Pujols went 0 for 5, snapping his 10-game hitting streak. ... Iannetta stole his first base since Sept. 4, 2012, on a botched pitchout by Oakland. ... Manager Mike Scioscia said hitting coach Don Baylor could be back with the Angels in a limited pregame capacity when they return from a lengthy road trip later this month. Baylor broke his leg on opening day and isnt likely to be in the dugout during games for several weeks. Michael Deiter Jersey . Now he can be had by any team willing to pay his salary. According to a report from ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are shopping the veteran CB and plan on releasing him Wednesday if they cant find a trade partner. Christian Wilkins Jersey . After the loss, White refused to make good on the bet, instead offering Hoyt tickets to a Bears game. http://www.authenticdolphinspro.com/Mike-gesicki-dolphins-jersey/ . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Ryan Fitzpatrick Dolphins Jersey . LOUIS - Two-thirds of the St. Kenny Stills Youth Jersey . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday.BUFFALO, N.Y. - New York Islanders coach Jack Capuano had no choice but to have faith in younger players after star forward John Tavares was lost to a season-ending knee injury. Brock Nelson and fellow rookies delivered down the stretch and provided a glimpse at a brighter future for the Islanders, who head into the off-season after missing the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years. Nelson scored with 3:44 remaining to force overtime, and then netted the lone shootout goal in a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night in a season-ending matchup of non-playoff teams. The Islanders (34-37-11) won by rallying from a 2-0 deficit and closed the season by winning three straight and eight of 12 (8-2-2). "These kids have played extremely hard, and Im proud of what theyve done not only in the last month and a half, but these last three games," Capuano said. "They really stuck together." The future looks even better after Capuano reiterated that Tavares is on track in his recovery from a left knee injury and should be ready to begin training in the summer. There is much more work to do in Buffalo. Torrey Mitchell, Jamie McBain and Matt Ellis scored for the Sabres (21-51-10), who had already clinched the NHLs worst record. The Sabres went 0-6-1 in their final seven games. With 150 goals scored, Buffalo set the NHL-low in the leagues post-expansion era that began in 1967. The previous low was 151 by Tampa Bay in 1997-98. "The standard has to be set a little bit higher than it was," Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. "Well address that starting with the meetings (Monday)." Nelson, an Islanders first-round pick in the 2010 draft, was eager to show what potential the teams youngsters possess. "We knew we had a young group and a lot of rookies," said Nelson, who topped the Islanders rookie class with 14 goals and 26 points. "We wanted to go out there and give it everything we had every night. I think we were able to do that." Nelson scored the lone shootout goal on the Islanders second shot. He snapped a shot that rookie Connor Knapp got a piece of with his stick. But there was enough backspin ffor the puck to dribble in.dddddddddddd. Anders Nilsson stopped 36 shots through overtime and all three he faced in the shootout. Nilsson clinched the victory by using his glove to sweep away a puck that got away from Ville Leino as he drove to the net. Anders Lee, a recent call up, scored twice in a game the Islanders never led until the final score. The Sabres bookended their season with long droughts. Buffalo got off to a 2-13-1 start, and ended with a 2-16-2 skid. "This is our job and we failed. So its definitely salt in the wound," forward Marcus Foligno said. "I guess when it rains it pours, and you really just got to keep putting your head down and moving forward." Though both teams rosters were depleted by injuries, the Islanders fill-ins proved to be better. Down 2-0, Lee scored both his goals in a span of 3:40, bridging the second intermission, to tie it 17 seconds into the third period. Mitchell put the Sabres ahead by deflecting in Rasmus Ristolainens shot 10:09 into the third, before Nelson scored the equalizer. Using Ristolainen as a screen, Nelson snapped in 40-foot shot over Knapps left shoulder. The only thing on the line for the Islanders was where they would finish in the overall standings. The win pushed them into 26th place, two points ahead of Calgary. There is a Sabres tie-in for the Islanders connected to a trade in which Buffalo sent Thomas Vanek to New York for Matt Moulson and a first-round draft pick in one of the next two drafts. The Islanders have until June 1 to determine whether to give up their selection this year or hold off. NOTES: The Sabres 21 wins are the fewest in an 80-plus-game season, and rank second fewest behind Buffalos 16-43-19 finish in 1971-72. Buffalo matched the 21 wins it had in the lockout-shortened season last year. Their 51 regulation losses are the most ever. ... The Islanders went 21-18-2 on the road for their best finish since going 21-15-3-2 in 2001-02. ... The Sabres were forced to call up G Andrey Makarov, D Mark Pysyk and LW Nicolas Deslauriers from AHL Rochester after the team lost five players to injuries at Boston on Saturday. ' ' '