ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jason Vargas final start at home this season demonstrated why the Los Angeles Angels traded for him during the winter, and gave them even more to look forward to from him in 2014. Vargas earned his second shutout of the year with a four-hitter and Howie Kendrick homered, leading the Angels to a 3-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night. Vargas (9-7) threw 110 pitches, retiring 15 consecutive batters at one point and striking out five en route to his fifth shutout and 10th complete game in 153 career starts. The As, who clinched their second straight division title Sunday, remain a game behind the Red Sox for the best record in the majors following Bostons 8-3 loss at Colorado. "I think anytime you go up against a team that won the division, you want to pitch well and give it your best," Vargas said. "It was definitely a better game than the last one. I was able to control counts and was able to throw fastballs and curve balls. That made the changeup more effective." The left-hander, who was acquired from Seattle for slugger Kendrys Morales, is 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA in his last nine outings after missing almost two months because of a blood clot near his armpit. "That tells you a lot about how hard he worked to come back, and the professional that he is," pitching coach Mike Butcher said. "Hes pitched great baseball for us. We definitely missed him in the rotation those two months he was gone, because hes going to give you a chance to win every time he takes the ball. He definitely knows how to go out there and compete, and hes picked us up these last nine starts." Vargas becomes a free agent after the season and is hoping to be back with the Angels. "I didnt put any more importance on this one than any other start, regardless of the fact that I was (on the disabled list) or not," he said. "I was throwing good before that. And when you come back from something like that, youve got to make do with what youve got and let the chips fall. I definitely want to go out and pitch well every time out, but thats not going to happen." A.J. Griffin (14-10) gave up three runs and five hits over five innings. The 25-year-old right-hander was 4-0 in his previous five outings, including a no-decision last Wednesday against the Angels when he retired 17 of his final 18 batters and allowed one hit over six innings -- a two-run homer by Mike Trout. "A.J.s been consistent all year," manager Bob Melvin said. "Like anybody, hes had a rough stretch or two. But if you look at the overall body of work, its been a pretty consistent year for him and something to be proud of. Based on the way he pitched last year, this is about what we expected -- to be consistent and keep his team in games and win his share of them. And hes done all that." Griffin finished his first full big league campaign with a 3.83 ERA, 171 strikeouts in 200 innings, and a major league-worst 36 home runs allowed. The Oakland single-season record in that department is held by Catfish Hunter, who gave up 39 in 1973 and still won 21 games. "I feel pretty good about the season Ive had," Griffin said. "Its just about being competitive, pounding the strike zone and getting ahead of guys. Home runs happen, but its just part of baseball. Im just trying to contribute here. Weve got a great thing going on with this club and I look forward to being a part of it and doing great things here." For the second straight night, Kendrick homered his first time up after not hitting one in his previous 30 games. The Angels increased the margin to 3-0 in the third on Josh Hamiltons two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded. NOTES: The advance sale for Wednesdays home finale will easily put the Angels over the 3 million mark in attendance for the 11th straight season. They are 16,721 shy. ... 1B umpire John Hirshbeck called Yoenis Cespedes safe and then out on a bang-bang play in the seventh as second baseman Kendrick fielded the ground ball up the middle and completed an inning-ending double play. ... Vargas other shutout this season was a three-hitter against Baltimore on May 3 in Anaheim. ... Kendrick homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season, including July 5-6 against Boston. ... Trout, who was presented with the Gene Autry Trophy before the game as the teams MVP for the second straight year, hasnt homered in his last 15 home games and 52 at-bats at Angel Stadium since going deep in back-to-back games against Texas Aug. 6-7. ... Josh Donaldson made his 153rd start at 3B, the most by an As player at that position since Sal Bando in 1976 (155). Cheap Jerseys From China . 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Cheap New England Patriots Jersey .C. -- John Morris is now just one game away from bringing British Columbia their fifth Canadian mens curling championship, after handing Albertas Kevin Koe his second loss of the day Friday.LOS ANGELES -- B.J. Denker figured Southern California would come out sizzling for its new coach. He figured if Arizona could survive that early surge, the Wildcats could rally to ruin Ed Orgerons debut. Denker was right about how Thursday night went down. The Wildcats just waited a few minutes too long to get going. Nelson Agholor caught seven passes for 161 yards, Javorius Allen rushed for two touchdowns and USC got off to an impressive start under interim coach Orgeron with a 38-31 victory. Denker passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns for the Wildcats (3-2, 0-2) in their second straight loss. Although Arizona outscored USC 28-10 from the final minute of the first half onward, Denker couldnt lead the Wildcats out of their early 25-point hole. "It was 100 per cent tempo," said Denker, who went 28 for 44. "If we had the tempo and pace in the first and second quarters that we had late in the third and the fourth, it would have been a different game." KaDeem Carey rushed for 138 yards in his eighth straight 100-yard game for Arizona, while Nate Phillips and David Richards also caught touchdown passes. Once the Wildcats recovered from the USC offences biggest plays early on, they controlled much of the second half. "We waited too late to get going," Arizona linebacker Marquis Flowers said. "We waited too long to try to execute, and we ran out of time. We made mistakes, and they saw the mistakes we made." Cody Kessler passed for 297 yards and two TDs as the revitalized Trojans (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) survived Arizonas second-half rally to win for the stalwart defensive line coach who replaced the fired Lane Kiffin on Sept. 29. Orgeron set a familial mood from the moment USC entered the Coliseum, gathering the players in a circle at midfield for an emotional pep talk and prayer. "We love Coach O like a dad," linebacker Hayes Pullard said. "We look up to him. Thats a great feeling. Thats the bond you want to have with your family." Agholor caught a 62-yard touchdown pass and Tre Madden had a 63-yard TD catch in the first quarter for the Trojans, who had the Coliseum rocking as they roared to a 25-point lead in the first half. After Garic Wharton caught his second TD pass for Arizona with 4:18 to play, Silas Redd punctuated his season debut for USC with seven consecutive clock-draining runs for 43 yards in a drive that began at the Trojans 4, allowing USC to ensure a sideline shower for Orgeron and frustration for Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez.dddddddddddd "Everyone knew they were going to run the ball," Rodriguez said. "They were running to the short side with great success all game. We didnt get off blocks, and we didnt tackle. But give them credit ... and give Lane Kiffin credit. Lane recruited these guys, and theyre talented, and they played hard. But we didnt execute at times, missed some coverages and some opportunities. I know well be sick when we watch the film." Nearly 12 days after Kiffins stormy four-year tenure ended in a dark airport parking lot, the Trojans played with passion and excitement for Orgeron, who promised to return fun to a season dominated by drudgery. The Coliseum crowd that booed frequently last month amid chants of "Fire Kiffin!" gave several standing ovations to their Trojans in a rare Thursday night game at the historic stadium. Clay Helton, the Trojans new play-caller in Kiffins absence, dialed up an aggressive game plan that succeeded even without star receiver Marqise Lee, who sat out with a sprained knee. Justin Davis also rushed for a score for the Trojans, who racked up 546 total yards. Although USC had just two healthy scholarship receivers, Helton regularly called long, daring pass plays -- something the notoriously conservative Kiffin rarely tried. USC managed just one pass play longer than 60 yards under Kiffin this season, but the Trojans had two TD catches longer than that in the first 10 minutes against the Wildcats. Kessler threw a long pass down the middle on the Trojans first play of their second series. Agholor, the speedy sophomore who replaced Robert Woods in this seasons starting lineup, sprinted to make a fingertip catch just 3:39 in, stunning a crowd starved for exciting football. Madden caught a midrange pass over the middle a few minutes later and romped through the Arizona secondary. Davis scored from 11 yards out in the second quarter before Allen made a high dive into the end zone for a 28-3 lead. Phillips slipped behind USCs defence for a 57-yard touchdown catch 56 seconds before halftime. Richards caught a 9-yard TD pass with 6:48 to play, and Wharton pulled the Wildcats within seven points before Redd ran out the clock with a 10-yard run on third-and-8 with 1:38 left. Redd, the Penn State transfer who led USC in rushing last season, had 80 yards on the ground after missing the first five games of this season with a persistent knee injury. wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china Cheap NFL Jerseys cheap authentic jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china ' ' '