OAKLAND, Calif. DeMarcus Ware Womens Jersey . -- James Shields pitched quite a gem for Kansas City. It certainly helped that Oakland abandoned its usual patient approach at the plate. Shields pitched eight sharp innings for his first win in nearly a month, and the Royals beat the Athletics 4-2 on Sunday. "This team was a free-hacking team today, which is not really their game," Shields said. "They have a bunch of hitters over there that were being aggressive and I was able to execute my pitches early in the count." Shields retired his first 15 batters before Josh Reddick hit a leadoff homer in the sixth. Alberto Callaspo then had a one-out single before Sam Fuld lined into a double play. The 32-year-old Shields (10-6) allowed two runs and four hits. He walked none for the fifth time this season. "You watch the way that hes pitching, its like, OK boys, lets just give him a couple runs and hell take it from there," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "A good indicator for him was he was managing his pitch count." Shields threw 102 pitches while helping the Royals to their ninth win in 12 games. "As far as Im concerned we can match up with anyone, any team, any starting rotation," Shields said. "As long as we go toe to toe with those guys were going to be in every game." Reddick homered twice, getting to Shields again in the eighth. The As have the best record in baseball at 67-43, but have sputtered offensively since trading cleanup hitter Yoenis Cespedes to Boston on Thursday in a deal for ace Jon Lester. They lead the stacked AL West by one game over the Los Angeles Angels, who beat Tampa Bay 7-5 on Sunday. Oakland was without injured leadoff hitter Coco Crisp, though it hardly mattered the way Shields was pitching. Shields allowed only three balls out of the infield through the first five innings. One of them was a deep fly to centre by Josh Donaldson in the first, the closest Oakland came to getting a man on base before Reddicks home run. "We just havent been our best offensively here," As manager Bob Melvin said. "Shields was using all his pitches, going to the change, to the cutter, and he had good command." Shields got his first win since he beat his former team, Tampa Bay, on July 7. Greg Holland pitched the ninth for his AL-leading 31st save. Nori Aokis RBI single in the fifth gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead. Omar Infante followed with a two-run double and later scored on a single by Salvador Perez. All the runs came against Scott Kazmir (12-4). Reddick has four home runs since coming off the disabled list July 22. Its the sixth multihomer game of his career and second this season. KAZMIRS STREAK AT HOME ENDS Kazmir lost at the Oakland Coliseum for just the second time this season. Its also the first time since June 24 that the left-hander allowed more than two earned runs. CLOSING IN ON 800 It was Yosts 798th win as a manager, moving him one ahead of Melvin for 76th on the career list. TRAINERS ROOM Athletics: Infielder Nick Punto was placed on the 15-day disabled list after he strained a hamstring rounding third base on Saturday. ... Crisp (neck) took swings in the batting cage but there is still no timetable for his return. Crisp has not played since July 26. ON DECK Royals: Left-hander Danny Duffy (5-10) pitches the series opener in Arizona on Tuesday. Duffys 2.42 ERA is the fourth-lowest in the AL among pitchers with at least 100 innings. Athletics: Right-hander Jeff Samardzija (2-1), who has allowed at least one home run in each of his previous four outings, starts against Tampa Bay on Monday. Custom Denver Broncos Jerseys . But that changed when he committed a five-minute major penalty and helped pave the way for a comeback by the Philadelphia Flyers. Vincent Lecavalier scored at 2:45 of overtime and the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 5-4 victory on Sunday. Tom Jackson Youth Jersey . You can watch coverage on TSN, TSN2 and CTV beginning today at 3pm et/Noon pt. The championships will feature approximately 250 of Canadas best figure skaters in senior, junior and novice as they vie for spots on the national team, international assignments and will act as the final step in the 2014 Olympic qualification process. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-Demarcus-Ware-Broncos-Jerseys/ . According to a report from ESPN, the veteran safety has signed another one-year deal with the team Raiders, the team that drafted him, and who he returned to last year after a long stint with the Green Bay Packers.VOORHEES, N.J. -- Steve Mason kept the Philadelphia Flyers afloat when they struggled early in the season. Now they may have to start the playoffs without their No. 1 goalie. Mason practiced for 15 minutes before leaving the ice Tuesday, three days after he sustained an upper-body injury during a collision against Pittsburgh. Coach Craig Berube was uncertain whether Mason will play against the New York Rangers on Thursday night in Game 1 of their playoff series. "I thought he looked decent," Berube said, adding that Masons brief appearance at practice was planned. "He came out there for a little bit and got some work in, and I thought he looked pretty good." General manager Paul Holmgren refused to discuss specifics about Masons injury. He also declined to rule out whether it was a concussion. "Were at a critical time of our season and I dont feel I need to divulge whats wrong with a player," Holmgren said. Mason was 33-18-7 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .917 save percentage this season. He helped the Flyers overcome a 1-7 start and coaching change to make the playoffs. The former NHL Rookie of the Year solidified a position thats been a major problem area for the Flyers, especially in the playoffs. They started two goalies during their run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010 and dumped Ilya Bryzgalov last summer just two seasons into a $51 million, nine-year deal. Mason didnt speak to reporters after practice because he was having treatment for his injury. "I feel better each day and well see how I feel tomorrow," Mason told the public relations staff in a text. If Mason cant play, Ray Emery will start. Emery was 9-12-2 withh a 2. Terrell Davis Jersey. 96 goals-against average and .903 save percentage this season. He was 17-1 as a backup for the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks last year. Asked how much confidence he has in Emery, Berube turned the question around. "How confident did I look all year with him?" Berube said. Mason has played in only one career playoff series as a rookie for Columbus in 2009. He allowed 17 goals and the Blue Jackets were swept by Detroit in four games. Meanwhile, the Rangers have eight-time All-Star and former Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist in net. Lundqvist is 27-13-3 in his career against Philadelphia. But the Flyers are up for the challenge. "This time of year you want to be playing and playing your best," captain Claude Giroux said. "Were a young team with a lot of energy and attitude. We have to bring that to New York. We had momentum at the end of the season and feeling good about our game. Were aware that New York is a really good team, one of the best in the league. If were going to win the series, we have to bring our best game." NOTES: The Flyers signed defenceman Andrew MacDonald to a six-year contract reportedly worth $30 million. MacDonald was acquired from the New York Islanders before the trade deadline and wouldve become an unrestricted free agent after the season. "Before I got traded here, I had identified this as a place that I would like to look into if I went to free agency," MacDonald said. "The Flyers are a team that will always compete and spend the money. They go for it every year. That is important to any player. You want to be competitive and try to win it all every year." ' ' '