OAKLAND, Calif. Chandler Jones Elite Jersey . -- As if Tommy Milone needed any more pressure on him after the Oakland Athletics lost his first five starts, the team sent struggling Dan Straily to Triple-A Sacramento before the game -- sending a message that he could be next one bumped from the rotation. Milone responded with one of the best outings of his young career. The lefty tossed eight innings of two-hit ball for his first win of the season, and three teammates homered to power the As past the Washington Nationals 8-0 on Friday night. "I think maybe a little bit of a vote of confidence that it wasnt him (sent down)," As manager Bob Melvin said. Brandon Moss homered and had three RBIs, and Yoenis Cespedes and John Jaso each hit a solo shot to back Milones gem. Milone (1-3) struck out seven and walked three, leaving after 108 pitches. Milone said he didnt look at the clubs move to demote Straily instead of him as any kind of boost. Instead, he said he embraced the chance to pitch under pressure. "I think just the energy level, I felt lifted -- just grab the ball, get on the mound and throw it," Milone said. Fernando Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth in his first appearance in the majors since October 2012 after rehabbing from elbow ligament replacement surgery. Moss and Cespedes homered on consecutive pitches in the fifth as the AL West-leading As foiled Doug Fisters season debut. Fister (0-1) allowed nine hits and seven runs in 4 1-3 innings. He struck out two and walked none. "Physically, I felt like I was in the right place," Fister said. "I felt strong. It was lack of execution." The biggest trouble Milone faced came in the seventh, when he struck out Danny Espinosa with runners on first and second to end the inning. It was the first time Milone, who made his major league debut for the Nationals in 2011, completed at least seven innings this season. Milones teammates credited his ability to pitch inside and low in the strike zone. "He was awesome. Thats pretty much all I got," Moss said. "Weve definitely seen that all before from him." Nationals manager Matt Williams was all smiles before the game with Fister back and his rotation finally at full strength. Washington acquired Fister from Detroit during the off-season for left-handers Robbie Ray and Ian Krol and utility man Steve Lombardozzi. The Nationals entered the spring expecting Fister to help fill out the back end of the rotation. But he dealt with elbow inflammation in March and sat out the start of the season because of a strained back muscle. The native of nearby Merced in Californias Central Valley made his Nationals debut in front of several family members at the Coliseum -- though the free-swinging As hitters never allowed him to feel at home. Fister put himself in a jam in the first by overthrowing first baseman Kevin Frandsen on a grounder by Josh Donaldson, who advanced to third on the play -- one of three errors by the Nationals. Moss followed with an RBI single to give the As a 1-0 lead. "When you give them extra outs, youre asking for trouble," Williams said. Most of Oaklands runs, though, came via the long ball: Jaso hit his second home run of the season in the third, Moss hit his sixth homer in the fifth and Cespedes followed with his seventh homer on the next pitch to put the As up 7-0. It was the first time the As hit back-to-back home runs this season. NOTES: An MRI confirmed As CF Coco Crisp has a strained neck, Melvin said. Crisp, who was injured when he crashed into the wall to make a leaping catch in the opener of Wednesdays doubleheader, is day to day. ... The As placed reliever Ryan Cook on the 15-day disabled with a strained right forearm. Cook and Melvin said they dont believe the injury is serious. ... Nationals OF Nate McLouth is expected to start Saturday after cutting his right hand while making a diving catch in foul territory Monday. ... RHP Sonny Gray (4-1, 1.91 ERA) goes for the As on Saturday against Nationals RHP Tanner Roark (2-1, 4.17 ERA). Rob Ninkovich Womens Jersey . Jayson Werth and Denard Span had three hits each for Washington, which had lost 6 of 7. Previously slumping, Washingtons offence has 14 runs and 30 hits in its last two games. Strasburg (4-4) allowed two unearned runs, though his error led to them, and six hits. Stephen Gostkowski Elite Jersey . Five first-round trades were made Tuesday night as well as another involving an early second-round selection. HOUSTON -- Dwight Howard doesnt have any hard feelings toward Dallas owner Mark Cuban for saying he made a mistake in joining the Houston Rockets. While Howard wasnt mad, Cuban couldnt have been happy about Howards decision to pick Houston instead of Dallas after watching the Rockets beat the Mavericks 113-105 on Friday night. James Harden scored 34 points and Howard had 13 points and 16 rebounds for Houston. Cuban addressed Howards decision Thursday. "Obviously, he made a mistake in judgment," Cuban said. "Do I blame him? No, thats what young kids do. They make mistakes in judgment." Howard said the two talked before the game, but that he was never upset about his comments. "What would you want him to say? Hes taking up for his team," Howard said after the game. "I would do the same thing if somebody didnt want to play with me. I would think they made a bad decision ... if I would have went to his team he would have been happy." The Mavericks scored eight straight points, with five from Monta Ellis, to get to 91-83 with eight minutes left. But Dallas lost its star and momentum a couple minutes later when Dirk Nowitzki fouled out on Hardens fast-break layup. "I guess Ive just got to get out of the way," Nowitzki said. "Hes so great at creating contact, so Ive just got to run to the locker room and let him lay it in." Harden made the free throw as Nowitzki angrily took a seat on the bench. Houston made three more layups after Hardens basket to extend the lead to 16 at 99-83. Nowitzki had 22 points to lead the Mavericks, and Ellis added 20. "We didnt deserve to win tonight," Nowitzki said. "We werent good defensively and we shot 38 per cent." Harden also had four steals, three assists and four rebounds. Jeremy Lin added 14 points for Houston. Lin was back in the starting lineup at point guard with Patrick Beverley out 10 days to two weeks with a torn muscle in his midsection. Nowitzki had scored six straight points for Dallas when he drew his fifth foul by knocking Harden down on a driving layup with 2:18 left in the third quarter. Harden hit the shot as he crashed to the court and into people sittting courtside. Tedy Bruschi Jersey. Nowitzki went to the bench and Harden made the free throw to leave Houston up 81-70. The Mavericks got within eight points after back-to-back baskets by Shawn Marion. Houston answered with a 9-4 spurt to push it to 73-60 with about five minutes left in the third quarter. Harden made a long 3 at the end of it and bobbed his head and smiled as he ran down the court. Houston attempted 51 free throws in part because the Mavericks employed a Hack-a-Howard approach in the third quarter. Howard went to the line 10 times in that quarter alone. Howard said that defence against him slows the game down for both teams. "Ive just got to make them," he said about the free throws. Howard missed his first six free throws before finally making one soon after that, causing some of the loudest cheers of the night from the crowd. He made his next two attempts before disappointing the fans with another miss. Houston was up by 13 with about nine minutes left in the first half before using an 11-2 run to extend the lead to 53-31 about four minutes later. The Rockets capped that drive with a 3-point play by Harden followed by a steal by him and a reverse layup by Lin. Dallas got going after that, outscoring Houston 19-8 the rest of the quarter, to cut the lead to 61-50 at halftime. Ellis scored four points in the last 30 seconds of the half after hitting a layup before making two free throws after a flagrant 1 foul by Francisco Garcia. Garcia knocked Ellis to the floor on a fast break after a steal by Samuel Dalembert. The Rockets built a 38-22 lead in the first quarter thanks to 12 points by Harden and eight points by Omri Casspi. But Casspi collected three fouls in the first period and didnt play in the second quarter. "We have to play better at the start of the game," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Our play in the first quarter put us in such a hole that we could never get back over the hump." NOTES: Houstons D-League team the Rio Grande Valley Vipers selected James Johnson with the second overall pick in the D-League draft Friday night and chose Dario Hunt with the 16th pick. ... The Rockets outrebounded Dallas 51-43. ' ' '
