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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Sure, its the Texas Rangers in town. The very team the Oakland Athletics rallied to beat in Game No. 162 last October for a stunning sweep to steal away the AL West crown from the two-time reigning AL champions. The opponent hardly mattered Monday night. Oakland needed to bounce back and win. Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss hit consecutive home runs in the third inning, A.J. Griffin matched his season high with eight strikeouts and the As beat the Rangers 5-1 to start an important stretch on the heels of a really rough one. This marks Texas first trip to Oakland since losing those final three games of the 2012 regular season to give away the division title to the surprising As, whose latest victory ran their home winning streak in the rivalry to five. "It was big. It was welcomed," said manager Bob Melvin, sporting a bright yellow Golden State Warriors T-shirt under his uniform. "It just felt like we were back in sync." Back home, Oakland looked refreshed after losing six of seven on a 3-7 road trip through New York, Cleveland and Seattle. The As avoided dropping a season-low two games below .500 for the first time since Game 2 on April 2. Griffin (4-3) went seven innings and didnt walk a batter for the first time this season, earning his second victory in six outings since he won back-to-back appearances to start the year. Mitch Moreland homered to give the Rangers the lead in the second, then Eric Sogard and John Jaso hit RBI singles for the As in the bottom half. Griffin faced either the minimum or one more batter in each of his final five innings, helped by a pair of double plays. He improved to 3-0 in four starts against division opponents. "Its the best start command-wise Ive had in the pros, in the major leagues," he said. The right-hander got a scare when he ducked out of the way of Adrian Beltres sharp single up the middle leading off the seventh, and the pitcher patted his hand on his pounding heart once back on his feet. "He was keeping the fastball down and making good pitches," Texas Elvis Andrus said. "There was nothing more we could do. His breaking ball is really slow and its not that easy to adjust to so many mph lower than his fastball." Next, Sean Doolittle came in and struck out the side in order on 12 pitches in the eighth. Cespedes hit an 0-1 pitch just over the centre-field wall above leaping Leonys Martin in the third. But the Cuban slugger came out of the game in the top of the fifth with a stomach bug. "It came on during the game," Melvin said. "He threw up a couple times in the bathroom. Theyre calling it a stomach ailment, they dont think its a stomach virus. They think he should be in good shape to play tomorrow." The Rangers (24-14) arrived in the Bay Area having won seven of nine and began the day with the best record in the majors, but again ran into their division nemesis. Oakland became the first team in major league history to win a division or pennant after trailing by five games with fewer than 10 to play, beating the Rangers in the regular-season finale. Oakland trailed by 13 games on June 30. "Were not in here for any revenge," Rangers manager Ron Washington said before the game. "They beat us, we understand that, but theres nothing we can do about that. ... Im not coming up in here thinking about what happened in the past. Learn from that, but that certainly isnt fueling us. Whats fueling us is were healthy and were playing good baseball, thats it." The Rangers had their four-game winning streak snapped. They havent won five in a row since June 26-30 last year. Texas righty Justin Grimm (2-3) lost his third straight after receiving one extra day of rest between outings. He gave way to Joseph Ortiz after plunking Daric Barton to begin the sixth. Ortiz immediately allowed Derek Norris double. Moss struck out on four pitches to start the second after fanning four times on 14 total pitches in a 6-1 loss at Seattle. Then, he connected for his sixth home run with a drive to nearly the same spot as Cespedes moments before. It marked the second time this season the As hit back-to-back homers, also done by Jed Lowrie and Chris Young on April 3 against Seattle. Moss homer was the 7,000th in Oakland history. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson hit the first on April 10, 1968. NOTES: Rangers RHP Colby Lewis, a former As prospect who had surgery last July to repair a torn flexor tendon, was examined by team doctor Keith Meister in Texas and diagnosed with mild tendinitis in his triceps. He is scheduled to throw again this weekend in Arlington and pitch his next rehab outing for Double-A Frisco as soon as Monday. ... Oakland Gold Glove RF Josh Reddick is yet to swing a bat to test his injured right wrist, but hopes to do so soon. There is no tear, so he is encouraged he can avoid surgery, which he had on the left wrist two years ago. ... As CF Coco Crisp (strained left hamstring) ran, hit and shagged flies. If all goes well, he will be activated from the disabled list Wednesday. Fellow OF Chris Young (strained left quadriceps) went 1 for 5 with a home run in an extended spring training game, but didnt feel that good. He is set to play again Tuesday. ... Announced attendance was just 11,030, a far cry from those lively sellouts to end last season. Mike Singletary Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Walter Payton Jersey .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. http://www.chicagobearfootballauthentic.com/authentic-dan-hampton-bears-jersey/ . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Mitchell Trubisky Youth Jersey . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Mike Ditka Youth Jersey . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. Tom Brady?wanted a call from officials that would have extended the game. So did Rob Gronkowski, who was seen insisting he was held by Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor.But a pass-interference penalty wasnt called on Chancellor -- on fourth-and-goal from the 1 on the Patriots final offensive play -- handing New England its second loss of the season and creating more controversy over NFL officials judgment calls.I mean, it didnt get called. It is what it is, Gronkowski said. If its not a PI to the refs, then its not a PI to the refs.The play is what it is. You cant really change it.Gronkowski said he hadnt been trying to initiate contact but that it just happened.He was playing off me a little bit, pretty far, farther than usual, Gronkowski said. You usually dont see that, and it was a fake, so I had to go up to him and make a little move.?The Seahawks said they had practiced defending the play in the final sequence of the last practice before the game.I was on Marcus Lucas, and he did the same exact route and we both fell and hit the ground just like that, Chancellor said of the Seahawks tight end. But I actually got my hand on the ball in that one. But he didnt push me. So, you know, just a little different.Chancellor had returned Sunday after being sidelined for a month with an injured groin.Gronks a great competitor, man, said Chancellor about his fellow four-time Pro Bowler. And with us two on the field, why not end it like that, you know what Im saying? Give both of us a chance. Give him a chance and let me go out and cover him.It certainly wont make up for their Super Bowl loss two seasons ago, but the Seahawks goal-line stand lifted them to a?31-24 victory as New England failed four times from inside the 2 in the dying moments.I just went up to him and just tried to get on top of his toes, Gronkowski said. Thats what youre taught, to get on top of the toes, make a little move and release outside. I just got up on his toes a little too much, obviously. I wasnt trying to make contact. I was just trying to make a move and get outside and catch a fade ball.Gronkowsski, who finished with three catches for 56 yards, reiterated he has often faced notable challenges with officials on such plays.ddddddddddddIve had problems in the past with that, last year and a couple times this year, Gronkowski said. But Im not here to make excuses and say that was a [penalty]. I just want to -- we just lost a game -- I want to give credit to the Seahawks. They played a good game. It was a well-fought 60-minute game on both sides of the ball, but I mean, Im not trying to get into that discussion right now.Brady said he didnt see the end of the play, which harkened back to how the Seahawks lost Super Bowl XLIX when?Malcolm Butlers?interception at the goal line sealed the title for the Patriots.I mean, there was a lot of -- theres always a lot of contact with that team, Brady said. Sometimes you get the call; sometimes you dont. So certainly, it looks like it came down to one play, but there were a lot of plays in this game that we could have done a better job of.Theyre a good team. We knew that going in, and we have to play better than the way we played. We were just too careless with the ball. They werent. The turnovers were a big factor. We had our chances. We just didnt make enough plays.Rest assured, coach Bill Belichick saw it the same way the Patriots tight end and quarterback did.It was a really competitive play, Belichick said. I thought the game was well-officiated. They did a good job of letting the players play. I mean they called some things they had to call. I focus really on our team, what we can do. Thats what we need to do.Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said there aint nothing like it in football, referring to the goal-line stand.Its one of the great challenges that a team and a defense gets, Carroll said. And our guys just came through and hung in there and just fought for every inch and let us walk away with the win.Information from ESPN staff writer Mike Reiss and The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '