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mate of Schaub's in Hous- ton during his highest and lowest moments as a pro. "He's getting his confi- dence back. He's starting to believe in himself again. "He's starting to throw with confidence. Those are things you need to be a successful quarterback. You would be surprised just much a mindset is im- portant in this game. ... The moment you are doubting yourself is the moment you start throwing a lot of in- terceptions and stuff." That's exactly what hap- pened to Schaub last sea- son with the Texans when he set an NFL record by having an interception re- turned for a touchdown in four straight games. Schaub threw 14 inter- ceptions in all while los- ing the starting job to Case Keenum and posting a 73 passer rating that was his lowest in seven seasons as a starter. After starting the sea- son with back-to-back wins, the Texans lost their final 14 games and traded Schaub to the Raiders for a sixth-round draft pick in March. "It was like a snowball effect," Smith said. "A lot of things went wrong early on even though you felt you wereplayingsomegoodball. But you had key things hap- pen to you in key moments. Lost a few games, then ev- erybody starting to panic trying to find something wrong. And then things just get all out of whack." Schaub has put 2013 in the past and is focusing instead on reviving his ca- reer in Oakland where he is enjoying the opportunity to learn a new offense un- der coordinator Greg Olson after spending seven years running Gary Kubiak's sys- tem in Houston. While Schaub lacks the true No. 1 receiver he had in Houston all those years with Andre Johnson, he is excited to work with Oak- land's group that includes James Jones, Rod Streater, Denarius Moore and Andre Holmes. "We're still trying to mold what our offense is going to be and what each guy's role in it will be," Schaub said. "We'll find out what guys do well. What things work, what things we like to do against cer- tain looks and defenses. ... It's an exciting chance to get going with this football team and this organization and climb that mountain." Schaub had success dur- ing his tenure in Houston, making a pair of Pro Bowls during his seven seasons as a starter. In 2009, he led the NFLinyardspassing(4,770), completions (396) and at- tempts (583) and was fifth in touchdown passes (29). In 2012, he threw for 4,008 yards with 22 touch- downs and 12 interceptions to help Houston to its sec- ond straight AFC South ti- tle. Raiders FROMPAGE1 By Antonio Gonzalez TheAssociatedPress SANTA CLARA Brandon Lloyd returned to the San Francisco 49ers to finish what he started. After taking a year off from football, Lloyd said he came back to the team that drafted him in the fourth round in 2003 because no- bodyelsecouldofferwhathe wanted:achanceatredemp- tion and a Super Bowl title. "When I was younger, I was in love with the win- ning attitude and culture that the team had. And when I was finally able to play for the team, no one had that," said Lloyd, whose first stint with the 49ers was from 2003-05. "Now the team does have that, and San Francisco has always held a special place in my heart. And so I didn't explore any other op- tions. I wanted to return to San Francisco and maybe bring a certain amount of closure to my career." Lloyd has been a major addition through the first week of training camp, showing off a smooth route-running ability that teammates call the best among the receivers. He has mostly shied away from talking about his come- back this summer, saying his focus is on making the team — and it still is. But Lloyd finally began to open up about his jour- ney back to the NFL. He said he wants to help men- tor the team's young receiv- ers and cornerbacks while showing he still has what it takes to be an elite wide receiver at age 33. He caught 105 passes for 1,510 yards and 13 touch- downs in his first three years in the league with San Francisco. That in- cluded leading the team with 48 receptions, 733 yards receiving and five TD catches in 2005. Lloyd then played two seasons with Washington and one in Chicago be- fore stops with Denver, St. Louis and New England. He was cut by the Patriots in March 2013 and didn't join any other team despite catching 74 passes for 911 yards and four touchdowns in 2012. Lloyd signed a one-year contract with San Fran- cisco in April to end his sabbatical, which included starring in a direct-to-DVD zombie movie titled "After Effect." Back on the field for the 49ers, he is learning an offense all over again. Lloyd said his goals dur- ing training are the same as they've always been: not to let the playbook defeat him, give maximum effort every time and make the plays when called upon. "I put the same amount of pressure on myself as I did when I was younger," he said. Teammates on both sides of the ball credit Lloyd's precise routes more than anything. Quarterback Colin Kae- pernick said he can count on Lloyd to create separa- tion — even when it looks like he won't — and be where he's supposed to be on time. "He has pretty easy body language to read," Kaeper- nick said. "And for the most part, he's open by a step or two. So that makes it a lot easier." Lloyd said his skills will just add to the "diver- sity" the 49ers have at re- ceiver with Michael Crab- tree, Anquan Boldin and fellow offseason addition Stevie Johnson. Toss tight end Vernon Davis into the mix, and San Francisco has five players with 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Even still, rookie corner- back Dontae Johnson said Lloyd is the hardest player to cover on the 49ers. He said Lloyd never tips his route in practice, which has helped him learn more about his own position. "I haven't played in the league," Johnson said, "but I can promise you he's probably the best in the league at doing that." NOTES: 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said CBs Tremaine Brock and Chris Culliver and DT Ray McDonald did not par- ticipate in practice because they are nursing minor leg injuries. He also DT Justin Smith also is sitting out be- cause he's still recovering from the shoulder surgery he had this offseason. FOOTBALL 49ers WR Brandon Lloyd enjoying return to NFL THEASSOCIATEDPRESS San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) talks with teammates Frank Gore, le , and Vernon Davis during an NFL football training camp Friday. Scoreboard MLB NATIONALLEAGUE WEST DIVISION W L Pct GB LosAngeles 59 47 .557 _ San Francisco 57 49 .538 2 San Diego 46 59 .438 121/2 Arizona 46 61 .430 131/2 Colorado 43 62 .410 151/2 CENTRAL DIVISION W L Pct GB Milwaukee 59 49 .546 _ St. Louis 56 48 .538 1 Pittsburgh 56 49 .533 11/2 Cincinnati 53 53 .500 5 Chicago 43 61 .413 14 EAST DIVISION W L Pct GB Washington 57 47 .548 _ Atlanta 58 48 .547 _ Miami 53 53 .500 5 New York 51 56 .477 71/2 Philadelphia 47 60 .439 111/2 Monday's games Atlanta 2, San Diego 0 Arizona 2, Cincinnati 1, 15 innings Tampa Bay 2, Milwaukee 1 N.Y. Mets 7, Philadelphia 1 Miami 7, Washington 6 Chicago Cubs 4, Colorado 1 Pittsburgh 5, San Francisco 0 Tuesday's games Cincinnati 3, Arizona 0 Tampa Bay 5, Milwaukee 1 Philadelphia 6, N.Y. Mets 0 Miami 3, Washington 0 Colorado at Chicago Cubs, (n.) Atlanta at L.A. Dodgers, (n.) St. Louis at San Diego, (n.) Pittsburgh at San Francisco, (n.) Wednesday's games Milwaukee (Gallardo 5-5) at Tampa Bay (Price 11-7), 9:10 a.m. Philadelphia (K.Kendrick 5-10) at N.Y. Mets (Za.Wheeler 5-8), 9:10 a.m. Arizona (Miley 6-7) at Cincinnati (Simon 12-5), 9:35 a.m. Washington (Roark 10-6) at Miami (Hand 2-2), 9:40 a.m. Pittsburgh (Morton 5-10) at San Fran- cisco (Lincecum 9-7), 12:45 p.m. Colorado (B.Anderson 1-3) at Chicago Cubs (T.Wood 7-9), 5:05 p.m. Atlanta (A.Wood 7-8) at L.A. Dodgers (Greinke 12-6), 7:10 p.m. St. Louis (J.Kelly 2-1) at San Diego (Hahn 6-2), 7:10 p.m. Thursday's games Colorado at Chicago Cubs, 11:20 a.m. St. Louis at San Diego, 12:40 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 4:05 p.m. Cincinnati at Miami, 4:10 p.m. Pittsburgh at Arizona, 6:40 p.m. Atlanta at L.A. Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST DIVISION W L Pct GB Oakland 66 40 .623 _ Los Angeles 63 42 .600 21/2 Seattle 55 51 .519 11 Houston 43 64 .402 231/2 Texas 42 64 .396 24 CENTRAL DIVISION W L Pct GB Detroit 57 46 .553 _ Kansas City 53 51 .510 41/2 Cleveland 52 54 .491 61/2 Chicago 52 55 .486 7 Minnesota 47 57 .452 101/2 EAST DIVISION W L Pct GB Baltimore 59 46 .562 _ Toronto 58 50 .537 21/2 New York 54 51 .514 5 Tampa Bay 53 54 .495 7 Boston 48 59 .449 12 Monday's games Tampa Bay 2, Milwaukee 1 Toronto 14, Boston 1 Texas 4, N.Y. Yankees 2 Houston 7, Oakland 3 Tuesday's games Baltimore 7, L.A. Angels 6, 12 innings Seattle 5, Cleveland 2 Chicago White Sox 11, Detroit 4 Tampa Bay 5, Milwaukee 1 Toronto 4, Boston 2 Oakland 7, Houston 4 N.Y. Yankees at Texas, (n.) Minnesota at Kansas City, (n.) Wednesday's games Milwaukee (Gallardo 5-5) at Tampa Bay (Price 11-7), 9:10 a.m. Oakland (Hammel 0-3) at Houston (Keuchel 9-7), 11:10 a.m. L.A. Angels (Richards 11-3) at Baltimore (Gausman 4-3), 4:05 p.m. Seattle (F.Hernandez 11-2) at Cleveland (Kluber 10-6), 4:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox (Noesi 5-7) at Detroit (Scherzer 12-3), 4:08 p.m. Toronto (Buehrle 10-7) at Boston (Work- man 1-3), 4:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (Kuroda 7-6) at Texas (Lewis 6-8), 5:05 p.m. Minnesota (P.Hughes 10-7) at Kansas City (Duffy 5-10), 5:10 p.m. Thursday's games Chicago White Sox at Detroit, 10:08 a.m. L.A. Angels at Baltimore, 4:05 p.m. Seattle at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m. Minnesota at Kansas City, 5:10 p.m. Toronto at Houston, 5:10 p.m. Athletics 7, Astros 4 Oakland Houston AB R H B AB R H B Jaso dh 5 1 1 0 Altuve 2b 3 0 1 1 Lowrie ss 3 1 0 0 MGnzlz ss 4 1 1 1 Cespds lf 5 1 3 1 Carter dh 3 0 0 0 Moss rf 5 1 1 1 JCastro c 4 0 1 0 Dnldsn 3b 4 0 1 2 Krauss lf 4 0 0 0 Vogt 1b 4 0 0 0 Hoes lf 0 0 0 0 DNorrs c 4 1 2 0 Singltn 1b 3 1 0 0 Reddck cf 4 2 2 1 MDmn 3b 4 0 0 0 Sogard 2b 3 0 0 0 Grssmn rf 4 1 1 0 Callasp ph 1 0 1 2 KHrndz cf 3 1 2 2 BBurns pr 0 0 0 0 Punto 2b 0 0 0 0 Totals 38 7 11 7 32 4 6 4 Oakland 000 010 006 — 7 Houston 100 020 100 — 4 LOB: Oakland 9, Houston 4; 2B: Cespedes 2 (26), Donaldson (17), Reddick (7), K.Hernandez (4); 3B: K.Hernandez (2); HR: Reddick (6), Ma.Gonzalez (5); SB: Cespedes (3), Grossman (4); CS: Altuve (6). IP H R ER BB SO Oakland Samardzja 62/3 6 4 4 2 7 Otero 1/3 0 0 0 1 0 Scrbnr W,1-0 1 0 0 0 0 2 Dlttle S,16-19 1 0 0 0 0 1 Houston Feldman 7 5 1 1 3 1 Fields 1 0 0 0 0 1 Qualls L,1-2 2/3 4 5 5 1 1 Sipp 0 1 1 1 0 0 Veras 1/3 1 0 0 1 0 Sipp pitched to 1 batter in the 9th. WP: Samardzija, Qualls. Umpires: Home, Doug Eddings, First, Cory Blaser. Second, Jim Joyce. Third, Marvin Hudson. T: 3:15; A: 16,940 (42,060). Tennis WTA BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC RESULTS A U.S. Open Series event Tuesday At The Taube Family Tennis Center Stanford, Calif. Purse: $710,000 (Premier) Surface: Hard-Outdoor Singles First Round Carol Zhao, Canada, def. Yanina Wick- mayer, Belgium, 6-2, 1-0, retired. Monica Puig, Puerto Rico, def. Carla Suarez Navarro (7), Spain, 6-3, 7-5. Garbine Muguruza, Spain, def. Dominika Cibulkova (6), Slovakia, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Ana Ivanovic (5), Serbia, def. Sabine Lisicki, Germany, 7-6 (2), 6-1. Doubles Quarterfinals Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia, and Anasta- sia Rodionova (2), Australia, def. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Croatia, and Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-0. First Round Varvara Lepchenko, United States, and Ajla Tomljanovic, Croatia, def. Mari Osaka, Japan, and Marina Shamayko, Russia, 6-1, 6-0. Caroline Garcia, France, and Shuai Zhang, China, def. Kristie Ahn, United States, and Carol Zhao, Canada, 3-6, 6- 1, 1 2- 10 . CITI OPEN RESULTS A U.S. Open Series event Tuesday At William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center Washington Purse: Men, $1.4 million (WT500); Women, $250,000 (Intl.) Surface: Hard-Outdoor Singles MEN First Round Sam Querrey, United States, def. Mi- chael Russell, United States, 6-4, 6-3. Steve Johnson, United States, def. James Duckworth, Australia, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Dudi Sela, Israel, def. Sam Groth, Austra- lia, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4. Victor Estrella Burgos, Dominican Republic, def. Tobias Kamke, Germany, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (4). Jack Sock, United States, def. Michael Berrer, Germany, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Second Round Denis Istomin (15), Uzbekistan, def. Bernard Tomic, Australia, 6-4, 7-6 (6). Kevin Anderson (7), South Africa, def. Evgeny Donskoy, Russia, 6-3, 6-4. Ivo Karlovic (9), Croatia, def. Benoit Paire, France, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (11), 7-6 (2). Lukas Lacko, Slovakia, def. Yen-hsun Lu (16), Taiwan, 6-1, 6-4. Lleyton Hewitt (14), Australia, def. Marinko Matosevic, Australia, 6-4, 6-3. WOMEN First Round Ekaterina Makarova (2), Russia, def. Magdalena Rybarikova, Slovakia, 6-1, 6-1. Marina Erakovic, New Zealand, def. Kristyna Pliskova, Czech Republic, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Kristina Mladenovic, France, def. Lucie Safarova (1), Czech Republic, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (5), Russia, def. Virginia Razzano, France, 6-2, 6-2. Bo ja na J ov an ov sk i, S er bi a, d ef . O li vi a Rogowska, Australia, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-5. Christina McHale, United States, def. Sloane Stephens (4), United States, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. Doubles MEN First Round Jonathan Erlich, Israel, and Rajev Ram, United States, def. Jamie Murray, Brit- ain, and John Peers, Australia, 6-3, 6-4. WOMEN First Round Irina Falconi and Keri Wong, United States, def. Roxanne and Sierra Ellison, United States, 6-4, 6-1. Jocelyn Rae and Anna Smith, Britain, def. Francoise Abanda, Canada, and Shelby Rogers, United States, 6-2, 6-4. Vania King and Taylor Townsend (3), United States, def. Lena Litvak and Alexandra Mueller, United States, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 10-3. Hiroko Kuwata and Kurumi Nara, Japan, def. Nicola Slater and Emily Welby- Smith, Britain, 6-2, 6-1. Soccer MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER WESTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA Seattle 12 5 2 38 35 27 Salt Lake 8 4 8 32 31 26 Los Angeles 8 4 6 30 29 16 Colorado 8 6 6 30 31 24 FC Dallas 8 7 6 30 34 31 Vancouver 6 4 10 28 31 29 Portland 6 6 9 27 35 35 Chivas USA 6 9 5 23 21 33 San Jose 5 8 5 20 22 20 EASTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA Kansas City 11 5 5 38 31 19 D.C. 10 5 4 34 29 20 Toronto FC 7 6 5 26 27 25 Columbus 6 7 8 26 25 27 New York 5 6 9 24 32 31 Ne w E ng la nd 7 1 1 2 23 2 5 33 Philadelphia 5 8 8 23 33 35 Chicago 3 5 11 20 27 33 Houston 5 11 4 19 22 40 Montreal 3 12 5 14 21 37 Note: Three points for victory, one point for tie. Wednesday's games San Jose 5, Chicago 1 Thursday's games Salt Lake 3, Montreal 1 Friday's games Colorado 3, Chivas USA 0 Saturday's games Kansas City 2, Toronto FC 1 Columbus 2, New England 1 Sunday's games Vancouver 2, FC Dallas 2, tie Portland 3, Montreal 2 Monday's games Los Angeles 3, Seattle FC 0 Wednesday, July 30 Toronto FC at D.C. United, 7 p.m. Colorado at New England, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. New York at Salt Lake, 9 p.m. Basketball WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB x-Phoenix 21 3 .875 — x-Minnesota 20 6 .769 2 San Antonio 13 14 .481 91/2 Sparks 12 14 .462 10 Tulsa 10 17 .370 121/2 Seattle 9 19 .321 14 EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Atlanta 16 9 .640 — Washington 13 14 .481 4 Indiana 12 14 .462 41/2 New York 11 14 .440 5 Chicago 10 16 .385 61/2 Connecticut 10 17 .370 7 x-clinched playoff spot Monday's games Sparks 77, Indiana 73 Tuesday's games Atlanta 89, Connecticut 80 New York 80, Washington 76, OT San Antonio 92, Chicago 74 Tulsa 80, Seattle 74 Sparks at Phoenix, (n.) Wednesday's games No games scheduled Thursday's games New York at Chicago, 5 p.m. Phoenix at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Atlanta at Tulsa, 5 p.m. Indiana at Seattle, 7 p.m. Arena Football First Round Saturday, Aug. 2 National Conference Spokane at San Jose, 4 p.m. American Conference Philadelphia at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 National Conference Portland at Arizona, 3 p.m. American Conference Pittsburgh at Orlando, 11 a.m. Conference Championships Aug. 9 or 10 National Conference Portland-Arizona winner vs. Spokane- San Jose winner American Conference Philadelphia-Cleveland winner vs. Pittsburgh-Orlando winner ArenaBowl At Orlando, Fla. Saturday, Aug. 23 American champion vs. National cham- pion, 5 p.m. Odds GLANTZ-CULVER LINE For July 30 Major League Baseball NATIONAL LEAGUE Favorite Line Underdog at New York -145/+135 Philadelphia at Cincinnati -120/+110 Arizona Washington -140/+130 at Miami at San Francisco -115/+105 Pittsburgh Colorado -120/+110 at Chicago at Los Angeles -150/+140 Atlanta at San Diego -130/+120 St. Louis AMERICAN LEAGUE Oakland -160/+150 at Houston Seattle -125/+115 at Cleveland Los Angeles -120/+110 at Baltimore at Detroit -220/+200 Chicago at Boston -115/+105 Toronto New York -150/+140 at Texas at Kansas City -160/+150 Minnesota INTERLEAGUE at Tampa Bay -180/+170 Milwaukee NFL SUNDAY Hall of Fame Game At Canton, Ohio Favorite Today (O/U) Underdog Buffalo 11/2 (321/2) N.Y. Giants AUG. 7 at N.Y. Jets 21/2 (351/2) Indianapolis at Washington 11/2 (37) New England at Baltimore Pk (35) San Francisco at Kansas City 2 (341/2) Cincinnati at Denver 11/2 (37) Seattle at San Diego 21/2 (361/2) Dallas AUG. 8 at Atlanta 21/2 (361/2) Miami at Carolina 1 (341/2) Buffalo at Jacksonville Pk (351/2) Tampa Bay at St. Louis 21/2 (371/2) New Orleans at Chicago 11/2 (381/2) Philadelphia at Minnesota 21/2 (361/2) Oakland AUG. 9 at Detroit 21/2 (371/2) Cleveland at N.Y. Giants 3 (35) Pittsburgh at Tennessee 1 (37) Green Bay at Arizona 21/2 (37) Houston Transactions BASEBALL American League Kansas City Royals: Recalled INF Chris- tian Colon from Omaha (PCL). Oakland Athletics: Designated OF Kenny Wilson for assignment. Toronto Blue Jays: Optioned LHP Rob Rasmussen to Buffalo (IL). National League Arizona Diamondbacks: Recalled RHP Bo Schultz from Reno (PCL). Optioned OF Alfredo Marte to Reno. Chicago Cubs: Placed RHP Neil Ramirez on the 15-day DL. Recalled RHP Blake Parker from Iowa (PCL). Cincinnati Reds: Placed OF Jay Bruce on the bereavement list. Recalled RHP Curtis Partch from Louisville (IL). Colorado Rockies: Activated 1B Justin Morneau and LHP Boone Logan from the DL. Recalled INF Cristhian Adames from Colorado Springs (PCL). Optioned INF Ben Paulsen, RHP Brooks Brown and RHP Chad Bettis to Colorado Springs. San Diego Padres: Reinstated SS Everth Cabrera from the 15-day DL. Designated LHP Jason Lane for assignment. American Association Amarillo Sox: Released RHP Adam Maxon. Can-Am League New Jersey Jackals: Signed INF Ryan Adams. Frontier League Evansville Otters: Released RHP Mike DeLong. Frontier Greys: Signed INF Steve Rogers. Lake Erie Crushers: Traded RHP Mickey Jannis to Southern Maryland for a player to be named. River City Rascals: Released RHP Ethan Carter. Traverse City Beach Bums: Signed LHP Corey Alexander. BASKETBALL National Basketball Association NBApa: Named Michele Roberts execu- tive director. Memphis Grizzlies: Promoted interim general manager Chris Wallace to general manager and signed him to a multiyear contract. Named Ed Stefan- ski executive vice president of player personnel. Milwaukee Bucks: Named Patrick McDonough chief financial officer, Bob Cook vice president of business affairs and John Steinmiller executive vice president of community affairs and social responsibility. FOOTBALL National Football League Carolina Panthers: Announced the retirement of OL Travelle Wharton. Chicago Bears: Signed WR Dale Moss to a one-year contract. Minnesota Vikings: Retained Roberta Kaplan and Ted Wells as counsel. Seattle Seahawks: Placed WR Taylor Price on injured reserve. Released CB Chandler Fenner and G Bronson Irwin. Signed WR Randall Carroll, CB Terrell Thomas and OT Eric Winston. HO CK EY National Hockey League Toronto Maple Leafs: Agreed to terms with D Jake Gardiner. Winnipeg Jets: Agreed to terms with F Michael Frolik on a one-year contract. American Hockey League Charlotte Checkers: Signed F Chad LaRose. Hamilton Bulldogs: Signed D Joe Finley to a one-year contract. Peoria Rivermen: Re-signed G Kyle Rank and C Bubba Larsen to one-year contracts. Worcester Sharks: Named Ryan Mouge- nel assistant coach. ECHL Elmira Jackals: Signed Gs Josh Robinson and Travis Fullerton to one-year contracts. Gwinnett Gladiators: Named D Daniel Spivak. Idaho Steelheads: Agreed to terms with F Jason Bast. LACROSSE National Lacrosse League Buffalo Bandits: Tagged F Mark Steen- huis as franchise player. MOTORSPORTS NASCAR: Suspended Denny Hamlin's crew chief Darian Grubb and car chief Wesley Sherrill for six races for a failed post-race inspection at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fined Grubb $125,000 and docked Hamlin and team owner Joe Gibbs 75 points in the driver and owner standings. OLYMPIC SPORTS USA Gymnastics: Announced the resignation of trampoline and tumbling director Susan Jacobson. SOCCER Major League Soccer Los Angeles Galaxy: Traded D Kofi Opare, a 2015 second-round draft pick and an allocation ranking to D.C. United for an allocation ranking. Montreal Impact: Traded MF Sanna Nyassi to Chicago for MF Dilly Duka. LITTLELEAGUEBASEBALL Big League World Series, championship: 3:30 p.m., ESPN2. MLB BASEBALL Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco Giants: 12:30p.m., CSNBA. Los Angeles Angels at Baltimore Orioles: 4 p.m., ESPN. MLS SOCCER New York at Salt Lake: 6p.m., ESPN2. On the air an RBI double in seventh to give the Astros the 4-1 lead. Astros starter Scott Feld- man allowed one run and five hits in seven innings. He re- boundedafteroneofhisworst outingsoftheseasonThursday atOaklandinwhichhegaveup six runs in 5 1-3 innings. A's starter Jeff Sa- mardzija gave up four runs and six hits with seven strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings. Trainer'sroom Athletics: Outfielder Coco Crisp, who has missed the last two games with a neck strain, had an MRI done on his neck Mon- day. The exam showed no changes, A's manager Bob Melvin said. Astros: Outfielder George Springer, who has been on the disabled list since July 20 with a right quad strain, took batting practice Tuesday. "It's big to be out here and just to get some swings," Springer said. On deck Right-hander Jason Hammel will try to get his first win with the A's after going 0-3 with a 7.11 ERA in his first three starts since being acquired July 5 from the Cubs. Houston lefty Dallas Keuchel, who is 9-7 with a 3.11 ERA, will try to follow up a solid outing in a 2-0 loss to Miami in the fi- nal game of the three-game series Wednesday. A's FROM PAGE 1 | SPORTS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 2 B