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OAKLAND, Calif. -- No debating this home run by Adam Rosales. After being denied a game-tying homer last week in Cleveland that Major League Baseball said the umpiring crew should have reversed, Rosales hit a go-ahead shot leading off the eighth inning after Josh Donaldson connected one inning earlier in the Oakland Athletics 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. "I think I was pretty sure about that one," Rosales said with an ear-to-ear grin. "It felt good to get over that hump. Every ballfield I went to, they all were saying, Oh, it was a homer, or you talk to family and friends and like, Yeah, it was a homer. So, now theyll be talking about something else. Theyll talk about a real homer." Sean Doolittle (3-0) pitched the eighth for the win in relief of Jarrod Parker to help the reigning AL West champions earn just their third victory in the last 11 games. Oakland finally got to James Shields (2-4) in the late innings, nearly 10 months after he pitched a three-hit shutout here last July 31 for the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander matched his season high with nine strikeouts. In Oaklands 4-3 loss May 8 in Cleveland, umpire Angel Hernandez and his crew didnt give Rosales the home run in the ninth inning after a video review -- MLB executive vice-president Joe Torre said an "improper call" was made. Rosales got over it. "I didnt really have any sting," he said Friday. David Lough hit an RBI double hours after his promotion from the minors, and also made a great throw to get Brandon Moss at second as he tried to stretch a leadoff single in the fourth. Donaldson homered leading off the seventh, tying it at 1. After that drive, Shields struck out the side on called third strikes. Rosales then sent a 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall in the eighth for his second home run. "I knew he put a good charge into it," Parker said. "It was a no-doubter. That was a huge pickup for us." Parker allowed four hits in seven innings, struck out five and walked two in a solid 98-pitch performance. Doolittle yielded Loughs one-out single in the eighth but was aided by an inning-ending double play. Grant Balfour finished with a perfect ninth for his seventh save in seven chances and 25th in a row dating to last season. Parkers strong outing provided a nice lift for the As on a day they learned lefty opening day starter Brett Anderson has a stress fracture in his right foot and could miss up to six weeks. "Parker, just getting him on track, it looked like he was more confident," manager Bob Melvin said. "Hopefully thats a springboard." Salvador Perez hit a one-out double in the third, and Lough knocked him home two batters later. But the Royals did little else in support of Shields. After Lorenzo Cain drew a two-out walk in the fourth, Parker retired his next eight batters in order before Cain drew another free pass in the seventh. "Its a tough loss right there. A real tough loss," Shields said. Lough batted leadoff and played right field after his promotion from Triple-A Omaha to take the spot of centre fielder Jarrod Dyson, placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right ankle. His two-out double in the third put Kansas City ahead. The Royals lead the majors in batting average with two outs. The Royals stumbled in the series opener after taking two of three against the Angels in Anaheim following a three-game sweep at home by the New York Yankees. Shields has had some memorable outings in the Coliseum, most recently that gem last summer for the Rays. That came after he was tagged for a career high-tying 10 runs in four innings -- nine in the fourth frame alone -- in a 13-4 loss here on July 27, 2011, during his 16-win season. He has just one win over his last seven starts with three losses and three no-decisions. This marked just the second outing in Shields first nine that the opponent didnt counter with a former All-Star. "He pitched great and he competes his heart out," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "It was combination of things tonight. Their pitcher and we couldnt get anything going." Royals outfielder Jeff Francoeur, who last year had 20 personal pizzas delivered to a small but animated group of As fans above right field in section 149, stopped by a "Bacon Friday" tailgate outside the ballpark. In 2011, Francoeur tossed a ball wrapped in a $100 bill into the elevated bleacher seats above his outfield spot, instructing fans to use it to buy bacon or beer. NOTES: Oakland OF Chris Young (strained left quadriceps) was removed from his rehab outing Thursday with Triple-A Sacramento after he experienced some cramping. Back in Oakland a day later, he worked with the strength coach on explosive bursts. He could be ready to return Saturday. "We took him out to be proactive," Melvin said. "If everything goes well today, well activate him tomorrow." ... This marked the first of six meetings between the clubs this year. The Royals won the 2012 season series 5-4. ... The Royals used the DL for the first time in season. ... Kansas Citys Eric Hosmer ended an 0-for-10 stretch with a second-inning single. He is a .328 career hitter vs. Oakland. Cheap Basketball NCAA Jerseys . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. Cheap NCAA Jerseys From China . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. http://www.cheapncaajerseys.net/ . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Authentic . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Cheap NCAA Jerseys Football . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. OK, just one, Richard Mandella said. Come on in here.It was Friday afternoon and time for Beholder to leave the Mandella barn for the $2 million Breeders Cup Distaff. It was also the last time Beholder would leave the barn for any race, so feelings were decidedly mixed. There was hard business ahead, with Songbird and Stellar Wind waiting down the road. Beholders blue earplugs and black earmuffs were in place. Her engine was starting to rev.Yet Mandella could not say no when security guard Wanda Johnson asked for one last photo with Beholder. Groom Ruben Mercado held on tight, the trainer forced a genial smile through his nerves, and Johnson stepped in quickly for a picture to remember.Now go on, girl, do your thing, Johnson said as the entourage departed. This is your house.Santa Anita had been Beholders house for five years, from her breakthrough win in the 2012 Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies to her disdainful treatment of Royal Delta and Close Hatches in the 2013 Breeders Cup Distaff to her return earlier this year at 6, determined to prove that age was not an issue.She had held court in the corner stall across from the office, taunting Mandella at his desk with a mischievous sneeze, snorting at the sight of a sucker with a treat and making a mess on the ground of Mercados neatly packed hay net. To maneuver anywhere in the Mandella barn, you first had to deal with Beholder -- kiss the ring, offer a mint. Otherwise, there would be heck to pay.On this day, though, heavy hearts were in fierce competition with the kind of quiet excitement that kids feel on Christmas Eve. Yes, Beholder had lost her past three races, two of them to Stellar Wind. And yes, there was the looming specter of Songbird, with her 11 starts worth of unchallenged perfection, a 3-year-old in name only.I really dont see any change in her, Mandella insisted, even as the skeptics at the windows rendered Beholder third choice in the Distaff betting. I know there are doubters. Ill just have to believe what I see.A few minutes later, after going to the receiving barn for the last time, getting her lip flipped and her shoes checked, then walking through an appreciative gauntlet of fans in the paddock gardens, Beholder threw one of her mini-fits and kicked Mandella in the hand while saddling. The trainer shook it off -- it was a long way from his heart, as Charlie Whittingham would say -- and described once again the nature of the beast.Ninety percent of the time, shes a sweetheart, Mandella said. The other 10 percent, watch out. She can be dynamite.Clearly, the fuse was lit. Watching the Distaff with any degree of neutrality required a certain amount of chilly discipline. Not since Sunday Silence and Easy Goer met in the Breeders Cup Classic for their fourth and final battle of 1989 had the confluence of two outsized talents been so anticipated, and the presence of champion Stellar Wind, second in the race in 2015, added heft to the occasion.Then again, all that was on paper. In the real world, it was unreasonable to predict that the race would be as exciting as the desperate duels of Ginger Punch and Hystericalady in the slop of Monmouth Park, or of Hollywood Wildcat and Paseana, when Eddie Delahoussaye dropped his whip and hollered his filly home, or the drama of 1990, when Bayakoa swatted away four Wayne Lukas fillies to win her second straight.It was downright sacrilegious to even suggest that some day there would be a Breeders Cup Distaff that remotely resembled the 1988 running, when Personal Ensign somehow found that last ounce of will to nod Winning Colors and a much younger Gary Stevens onn the wire in the gloaming of Churchill Downs.ddddddddddddYou OK? Mandella asked his foreman, Jose Vera, who stood near the stairway to the box seats overlooking the finish line, gazing at the jumbo screen image of Beholder warming up.Vera replied with a tight smile and a nod, then headed for the rail, while Mandella settled in with his wife, Randi, and daughter, Andrea. All eight of Mandellas Breeders Cup wins had come at Santa Anita, and if he ever wanted a ninth, it was now.The history of the 2016 Distaff will note that Stellar Wind stood dazed when the gates opened, while Songbird and Beholder burst forth from their inside and outside stalls. Im a Chatterbox, and Florent Geroux elbowed their way into the plot early, chasing Songbird and Mike Smith, and getting a merci from Gary Stevens in the bargain.Of course I liked seeing someone go after Songbird, Stevens said. The last thing I wanted to do was have to take my mare out of her game.As Songbird cruised, Stevens and Beholder began their assault entering the far turn. Forever Unbridled was putting in a strong run as well, which gave Stevens pause.I heard something coming and thought it had to be Stellar Wind, Stevens said. I was ready for it to be the three of us from there. But it wasnt her, and when Forever Unbridled couldnt keep up, it was just us two.The bitter rules of racing dictate that one horse wins and the rest lose. Dead heats are rare as hens teeth and never particularly satisfying unless, like Mandella has before, you train both winners. Neither Stevens nor Smith, with 104 years between them, was ready to go quietly. It was punch counterpunch from the top of the stretch to the wire.You know what amazed me? said Janeen Painter, the former jockey better known as Beholders exercise rider. Songbird had never been headed before. As a rider, I know they can sometimes get confused when it happens for the first time. But she never blinked. Every time Beholder looked like she had her, Songbird came on again.Up in the stands, owner Wayne Hughes was torn. His decision to keep Beholder in training for her 6-year-old season was coming down to a final, frantic stretch run.I wanted to close my eyes, Hughes said. But I didnt dare.As the crowd of more than 45,000 went nuts, Beholder, Songbird and the finish line came together in a blur. Larry Colmus called it for Beholder on NBC, and Stevens agreed, though later, when he was given a print of the official finish, he was heard to go gulp.I knew it was close, Stevens said. I didnt know it was that close.Smith refused to be downhearted. For the first time, Songbird did not celebrate in the winners circle.I treated her just like I do when she wins, Smith said. I patted her and gave her some love. And when I brought her back, the fans were cheering her. She doesnt know she lost, and I dont feel like she did. The other mare won.Storybook endings happen only in storybooks. This was a joyous exception. Beholders record will live on long after she is retired to Spendthrift Farm as the winner of three Breeders Cup events and four Eclipse Award titles. But to an even greater point, the Distaff of Beholder and Songbird literally passed the torch from one generation to another.Coming down the stretch, Winning Colors actually came into my mind, Stevens said. I really didnt want it to end up that way again.But today, with these two, the only thing better would have been a dead heat. I mean that. The money doesnt matter. They both deserved to win. ' ' '