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ByDanGelston TheAssociatedPress LONG POND, PA. Kyle Lar- son had one more celebra- tion left during his birthday week, setting a track record of 183.438 mph to win his first career Sprint Cup pole Friday at Pocono Raceway. He broke the mark of 181.415 that Denny Hamlin set in June. Larson, one of the top rookies in NASCAR who is from Elk Grove, turned 22 on Thursday and wants to keep the party going with his first win Sunday. Larson could use a victory to secure a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, though he would make the 16-car field as it stands on points. "I really think a win is coming soon, maybe be- fore the Chase starts," Lar- son said. Joey Logano joined Lar- son on the front row. Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon completed the top five. Gordon followed his fifth Brickyard 400 win with another strong quali- fying run. Logano topped the first two rounds of qualifying and held the top spot un- til Larson bumped him in the third. "I knew we had a shot at the pole after the second round," Larson said. "I was nervous and I hit all three corners about as good as I could, so I was really ex- cited about that." Keselowski is pulling double duty this weekend and will also drive in the Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway. Larson also has a doubleheader with a ride in today's Truck Series race at Pocono. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick completed the top 10. Larson started first this year at Richmond after rain wiped out qualifying and he took the top spot because of his practice time. But it did not count as an official pole. Larson took this one in his No. 42 Chevrolet mo- ments before the skies opened at Pocono, and the threat of rain looms large for Sunday's race. "We've been really fast the last few months, just maybe finding better luck now," Larson said. He qualified for next year's Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway and became NASCAR's first Drive for Diversity graduate to win a Cup pole. Larson's mother is Japanese and his father is of Native American descent. Larson shared a birth- day party Thursday with his manager's 6-year-old daughter. Larson joked the girl was mad at him be- cause he got his girlfriend pregnant, "and she thought she was my girlfriend." Larson made it up to the girl with a dozen roses and candy. Larson's speed was the 15th track qualifying record set in 2014. Logano posted his 17th top-10 start and his Team Penske teammate Ke- selowski has 16 top-10 starts in 21 races this season. "We push them to be better the first round," Lo- gano said. "They push us to be better as we go into the third round. I'm get- ting better. We're able to see what we do differently, which helps us because one is good in one area and one is good in the other, so we can see both of that." NASCAR SPRINT CUP Larson wins 1st pole of his career Rookie from Elk Grove seeks inaugural Cup victory this Sunday at Pocono MATTSLOCUM—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Kyle Larson poses with the pole award a er qualifying in first position Friday for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. JASON O. WATSON — GETTY IMAGES Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning at AT&T Park on June 13, 2012in San Francisco. By Alex Pavlovic Bay Area News Group NEW YORK Matt Cain is listening to his elbow and three respected doctors, and they're all telling him the same thing. It's time to have surgery. While the Giants haven't made a final decision, Cain will likely have the bone chips in his right el- bow removed in the com- ing weeks. The procedure would end Cain's season and sideline him for at least three months. Cain played catch Friday and said he wants to see how his arm feels this weekend, but manager Bruce Bochy conceded that the throw- ing session was not a pre- cursor to Cain trying to get back on the field. "If you're putting odds on it, odds are going to be that he will not pitch," Bo- chy said. "This will give him the weekend to decide who's going to (do the sur- gery) and when." While surgery would keep Cain on the sidelines down the stretch, he did actually end up getting good news this week. Two noted doctors, James An- drews and David Altchek agreed with the evalua- tion by Giants orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki that Cain does not have any ligament damage. Tommy John sur- gery likely would have put Cain out until the 2016 sea- son, but he can have the bone chips removed now and still be back in time for spring training next year. The 29-year-old Cain said he has pitched through bone chips for 10 years and that "there is a good bit of" loose frag- ments in his elbow. They finally became too much of an impediment, and the Giants put Cain on the dis- abled list July 21. "They've always been there," Cain said of the bone chips. "It's just that now they're mad and they're letting me know about it. For some reason, they got in a different spot and they got aggravated." Cain is a three-time All- Star and two-time World Series champion. He has 95 career wins and a 3.39 ERA in 10 years in the big leagues, but his num- bers tailed off this sea- son. Cain had a 4.18 ERA in 15 starts with a dimin- ished strikeout rate and in- creased walk rate. The Gi- ants will miss his ability to soak up innings and per- form on the game's biggest stage. Cain has a 2.10 ERA in eight career postseason appearances. Bochy said Cain's injury is a big blow to the team, but quickly added: "Fortunately, Jake Peavy was available to help soften that." The Giants traded for Peavy when it became clear that Cain likely would not pitch again this season. They're hoping they won't need a fill-in in future years. Cain is owed $20 million in each of the next three seasons and the club holds a $21 million op- tion for the 2018 season. General manager Brian Sabean said he expects to have a healthy Cain in the fold when he approaches the upcoming offseason. "Off the top of my head, I would say it probably wouldn't (alter the offsea- son plan)," Sabean said. "But again, nothing has happened yet." Cain to shut down season for surgery Needs bone chips in right elbow removed in coming weeks GIANTS By Rick Eymer The Associated Press SANTA CLARA Although Blaine Gabbert may be fairly new in the locker room, he's had plenty of time to familiarize him- self with the San Francisco 49ers' playbook. The latest addition to the quarterback group comes with solid creden- tials, though without much NFL success despite start- ing 27 games for the Jack- sonville Jaguars the past three years. "The biggest thing is a lot of talent on the offen- sive side of the ball," Gab- bert said Friday. "That makes the quarterback's job easy." Gabbert, drafted in the first round, the 10th pick overall out of Missouri, of the 2011 draft was handed the job in Jacksonville without much preparation and without much of an of- fensive line. The Jaguars are still re- building. And the early struggles cost Gabbert his starting job and he was tradedtothe49ersinMarch for a sixth-round draft pick. "Blaine is very smart and he knows the plays," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. "He's showing all the signs of developing quite rapidly and executing very well." With Colin Kaepernick, drafted in the second round in 2011, entrenched as the starter, Gabbert is the leading candidate to take over the backup spot. Josh Johnson and McLeod Bethel-Thompson are also candidates. "We're all pretty com- fortable," Gabbert said of the QB group. "The only thing I have to do is mas- ter the playbook. Kaep has been a good sounding pad to bounce questions off." Harbaugh is pleased with Gabbert's progress so far and has indicated he's willing to give Gab- bert time to develop and understand the system. "Colin is farther ahead; he's at the high- est level," Harbaugh said. "It's great, with a capi- tal 'G,' and Blaine is com- ing along. I've always said, six months later you're go- ing to be very far along in this system, but not as far along as you will be after a year, and after two years you'll most likely be an ex- pert in this system." Gabbert has the added bonus of having three coaches with extensive quarterbacking experience in Harbaugh, Geep Chryst and intern George Whit- field Jr. 49ERS TRAINING CAMP Gabbert learning system with team Backup quarterback started 27 games for Jaguars before trade By John Hickey Bay Area News Group OAKLAND Bob Melvin said the A's roster overhaul of the last 36 hours "was a lot to digest." Left-handed starter Jon Lester tried to make it easy for his new manager. So did left fielder Jonny Gomes. The two former Boston players, coming to Oakland in the deal that sent Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox, made their appearance in green and gold Friday and did their best to fit in as if this had always been the game plan. "I'm going to go out here and perform for these guys and do the best I can to bring a championship here," Lester said. He's a two-time winner of a World Series ring and now the front man for a deep starting rotation, coming in with a 10-7 re- cord and 2.52 ERA. "I've got to see a few of these guys pitch against us from the other side and do really well. Obviously the numbers speak for them- selves. I hope I can just fill my spot and do my job and get some innings and give these guys a chance to swing some bats and score some runs." Gomes, a right-hander who was the spiritual leader of a 2012 A's team that ran down the Texas Rangers in the second half of the sea- son, said he wasn't coming back "to be the new sheriff in town." "These guys have done an unbelievable job last year and this year without me," he said. "I'm here to add on to what this team has done. Six of them were in the All- Star game this year, and I haven't been to one. These guys are trumping me now. But I'll be ready when Bob Melvin calls on me." Lester will slot into the rotation Saturday, mean- ing Melvin will be able to go right-left-left-right-right with his rotation: Sonny Gray, Lester, Scott Kazmir, then Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, who is the No. 5 man now with Jesse Chavez moving into the bullpen. Gomes owes part of his 2013 World Series ring to Lester, who went 4-1 in the post-season for the Red Sox, including 2-0 while allow- ing just one run in the 15.1 World Series innings, an 0.59 ERA. "He's well-decorated and climbing the totem pole of left-handers in the game and in the post-sea- son," Gomes said of Les- ter. "That's what (the me- dia) sees. You don't get to see the work ethic of what goes into it, what goes into his championship pedigree. I didn't see it on the other side. "It's something to know that the best pitcher on the team is the hardest-work- ing guy on the team. This is a pretty big piece to add to a ball club. I've been blessed to play behind him, and I couldn't think of a better guy to toe the rubber in a big situation." The A's already had a starting rotation with a 46- 27 record and a 3.32 ERA that is the best of any club in the American League. Numbers are one thing. Melvin said that the addi- tion of someone like Lester is a major step forward. "(The rotation now) is pretty impressive," Melvin said. "I was pretty happy with our club before. To being in another guy like this, who's used to being the No. 1 guy, it's pretty signifi- cant. It's exciting to be able to run out each and every day a guy your team feels will give you a great chance to win." To move Lester in at the top, Melvin and pitching coach Curt Young had to make a move at the other end. Jason Hammel, who has lost all four of his starts since being traded from the Cubs a month ago, remains in the ro- tation with Jesse Chavez moving into the bullpen, where he was effective for the A's last year. Gomes and Lester are big news in the A's clubhouse. When they walked in the clubhouse at about 3:40 p.m., right fielder Josh Red- dick who is one of Gomes's disciples, had John Philips Sousa's Washington Post March — the kind of mu- sic you might hear on fire- works night — cued up and blaring out of the clubhouse speakers. "This is a big deal, excit- ing," Reddick said. "This is a major move for us." Sam Fuld, the cen- ter fielder picked up from the Twins Thursday in a smaller deal that sent pitcher Tommy Milone to Minnesota, came in ear- lier in the day to less fan- fare but with the club wel- coming back a player who had made a positive im- pression with the club in spring training and the first month of the sea- son before a roster crunch wound up with him playing for the Twins. "It's exciting. It's why any of us play the game," Fuld said of playing for a team with a solid shot at going deep into the post-season. "Especially more so as your career extends. I've had a taste. There's nothing that compares to that. "I feel like I played well individually in Minnesota, but it feels like there was something lacking. The longer we were playing, the further out we got, and it's a little disheartening. Every player dreams of being in a playoff place like this." BASEBALL A's introduce Lester, the latest ace Recent roster overhaul gives team good chance GEORGE NIKITIN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS New Oakland Athletics acquisition Jon Lester smiles at a news conference Friday in Oakland. www.tehamafamilyfitness.com Tehama Family Fitness Center 2498SouthMainSt.RedBluff•528-8656 Want tolose weight, build muscle, or just feel better? Youneedtovisit Tehama Nutrition Center LocatedinTehamaFamilyFitnessCenter Offering ~Fruit Smoothies ~Protein Shakes ~Meal Replacement Shakes ~Sports Nutrition Supplements ~Weight Loss Supplements ~Healthy Snacks SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | SPORTS | 3 B