OAKLAND, Calif. -- Sonny Gray spent the past few days with Oakland pitching coach Curt Young, making subtle adjustments to his delivery. Grey wont reveal exactly what he and Young worked on. Suffice to say, the Athletics young staff ace is pleased with the results. Brandon Moss hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the fifth inning, and Gray bounced back from two sub-par outings to lead Oakland over the Texas Rangers 4-2 Wednesday, giving the Athletics (44-28) the best record in the majors. "Overall it was a pretty good outing," said Gray, who had won just two of eight starts before going seven innings against Texas and striking out seven. "I dont think there really is a difference other than I was able to make pitches," he said. "Thats probably it. People sometimes forget that baseball is a pretty hard game and theres going to be some rough patches that youre going to go through." Grey (7-3) bounced back nicely from his recent rough stretch. The right-hander needed only 31 pitches to get through the first three innings, then struck out Brad Snyder on a high 95 mph fastball to end the fourth with runners at second and third. Grey also got help from left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who made a leaping catch at the warning track to rob Adrian Beltre of extra bases two batters before Snyder struck out. His lone mistake came in the fifth when Texas loaded the bases with two outs. Gray walked two and gave up an infield single before Shin-Soo Choos two-run single made it 2-2. "Its just balance for him," As manager Bob Melvin said. "He knows his delivery (and) his mechanics pretty well, and Curts terrific at pointing out subtle things. There are a couple things hes been working on." Cespedes and Josh Donaldson each had two hits for the As. Oakland has won four of five and is a season-high 16 games over .500. Their record is one game better than cross-bay rival San Francisco. "Anytime in the season that you can say you have the best record in baseball, its satisfying," Melvin said. "But theres a lot of baseball yet to be played. At least for the time being it feels good." Luke Gregerson pitched the eighth, and Sean Doolittle worked the ninth for his ninth save. Nick Tepesch (2-3) went five innings for Texas. Choo drove in both runs for the Rangers. "We have to get more than five innings out of our starting pitching and we have to have a shutdown inning after we score runs," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "Somehow that (Oakland) lineup is always functioning. Somebody is always having a good day." Melvin shuffled his lineup and didnt start centre fielder Coco Crisp and second baseman Eric Sogard. Oaklands offence didnt miss a beat. John Jaso replaced Crisp in the leadoff spot and knocked in the As first run with a double in the third. Craig Gentry, who filled in at centre field, added two hits and scored a run. Second baseman Alberto Callaspo also had two hits. That was enough for Gray, who gave up two runs and six hits. He improved to 8-2 with a 1.90 ERA in 13 career starts against teams from within the As division. "He was keeping us off balance," said outfielder Alex Rios, who doubled off Gray in the fourth. "He managed his slider well. and his fastball had good velocity. He was locating it well." Cespedes scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning. He singled off Tepesch and scored on Moss double to right, barely beating the throw home with a headfirst slide. After Donaldson singled Moss to third, Stephen Vogt hit a short sacrifice fly to left to put Oakland up 4-2. Tepesch remained winless since May 26. He allowed nine hits over five innings with two walks and one strikeout. NOTES: Doolittle hasnt allowed a run in 22 1/3 innings, the longest active streak in the AL. ... Crisp was given a normal day off. ... Sogard pinch-ran after Callaspo singled in the ninth. ... Rangers 3B Luis Sardinas singled in the third to extend his career-best hitting streak to seven games. ... Texas LHP Joe Saunders (0-2), who will pitch the opener against the Angels on Friday, has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four starts since coming off the DL. ... Oakland LHP Scott Kazmir (8-2), who opens the series against Boston on Thursday, has a 0.95 ERA over his previous four starts. Cheap Bears Jerseys Authentic . LOUIS -- To stay a step ahead of goaltenders, T. Wholesale Chicago Bears Jerseys .ca MLB Power Rankings, the third consecutive week that the As have held top spot and the third straight week that they have been one ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays. http://www.cheapbearsjerseysauthentic.co...ard-dent-jersey. Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Devin Hester Jersey . - IndyCar racing officials expressed confidence on Monday that the NOLA Motorsports Park will be able to complete more $4. Dick Butkus Jersey . -- Billy Donovans bench came up big, bailing out top-seeded Florida in a tight game against what was supposed to be an overmatched opponent.WASHINGTON -- Washington Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon knew he was a triple short of the cycle late in the game. It didnt mean he was going to change his approach. Rendon singled in a run, hit a three-run homer, and doubled in his first three at-bats before grounding out and flying out in the Nationals 11-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night. "I heard people in the stands, get the triple, get the triple. I didnt want that, means Ive got to run more. Ill stop at second base," Rendon said with a smile. He drove in four runs to back Jordan Zimmermanns seven shutout innings. "I think it set the tone with Anthony in the first inning," manager Matt Williams said of the offence. "Youve got a 3-1 pitch and he doesnt get too big. He simply stayed with the approach of what he needed to have happen there and he ended up getting a base hit." The Nationals hitters had been struggling in the nine games since Ryan Zimmerman went on the disabled list. Saturday they had 14 hits, including two apiece by Denard Span, Asdrubal Cabrera and Wilson Ramos. Every Nationals starter, including Zimmermann, hit safely. Zimmermann (7-5) held the Phillies to five singles and struck eight without a walk for his 50th career win, and first since June 30th. He retired the last 11 batters he faced and left after throwing 97 pitches. Marlon Byrd had two hits for Philadelphia, which had won the first two games of the series 10-4 and 2-1. Phillies starter A.J. Burnett (6-11) and manager Ryne Sandberg didnt last long. Both were ultimately ejected when Burnett motioned and yelled toward home plate umpire Chris Guccione during Washingtons four-run second inning. Washington loaded the bases on two walks and an error. After Span drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Rendon connected on a 3-1 pitch from Burnett for his 14th home run, making it 5-0. Rendons blast snapped a nine-game homerless streak for the Nationals, the longest in team history (2005-present)..dddddddddddd Burnett, who had two walks in the inning, then intentionally threw ball one to Jayson Werth and motioned toward Guccione. "I did ask him twice in the first and second if that was out or that was down," Burnett said of Guccione. "Yeah, it was out, it was down, okay. And the one I threw purposefully out, I said the same thing, but I said it more of a statement than a question. I said Thats out. That was it, pretty quick trigger." After Burnett was tossed, Sandberg raced out and heatedly argued with Guccione near home plate, and was soon ejected. Burnett allowed five runs, one was earned, in losing his third straight decision. TRAINERS ROOM: Phillies: Sandberg said outfielder Domonic Brown, suffering from strep throat, is day-to-day, and that Byrd has been playing with a bruised right foot for four or five days. ON DECK: Phillies: Cole Hamels (6-5, 2.55) has won four straight decisions. He makes his 30th career start against Washington Sunday. Hes 15-6 with a 2.63 ERA versus the Nationals. Nationals: Stephen Strasburg (7-9, 3.55) is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in three home starts against the Phillies dating back to last season. WILLIAMS SAYS SWING AWAY In addition to experimenting with his batting stance recently, Bryce Harper has also on occasion attempted to bunt for a hit. Williams would generally prefer Harper swing away. "Depends on the situation," Williams said. "It depends on a lot of things, health, how his thumb is feeling. It depends on what the situation dictates for that particular game. More often than not, I would like to see him swing the bat. Because he just has the opportunity to do something special. "If he feels like the guys playing him back far enough that he can do that and get on base, given the right situation, okay. But then again, theres times where I want him to swing, too," said Williams, adding he and Harper have talked about it. Harper is enjoying more success recently, and is 7-for-his-last-23. 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