PITTSBURGH -- Dan Straily knew before he went to work on Tuesday night his next start wouldnt be in the majors. The All-Star break and a quirk in the Oakland Athletics schedule means the AL West leaders wont need a fifth starter for a couple of weeks. Before hopping a plane for Triple-A Sacramento, the rookie right-hander left a little something to remember him by. Straily (6-2) allowed two hits over 6 1-3 innings, striking out seven and walking three to win his fifth straight decision. "I could have thrown a perfect game and I was going to get optioned out," Straily said. "Its nothing personal. Its the situation were in. It is what it is." The As called up right-hander Sonny Gray to take Strailys spot, hoping the 2011 first-round draft pick can get some work out of the bullpen over the next couple of weeks. That apparently wasnt an option for Straily. Oakland manager Bob Melvin called having someone at the back end of the rotation with Strailys talent a "luxury," one the team can apparently live without until later in the month. "Thats the life of a fifth starter," Melvin said. Even if Straily isnt exactly pitching like one at the moment for the As, who have won 10 of 13. He tossed seven shutout innings in a victory over the Chicago Cubs in his previous start, then backed it up by silencing the quickly cooling Pirates. Straily credited a much-improved curveball for keeping the Pirates off balance. "(Pitching coach) Curt (Young) said in passing in my last bullpen that he thought my curve was good and that I should use it more in games," Straily said. "Its something Ive worked on a lot and youre always trying to get better, but last year I put the curve on the shelf because I was working on the changeup so much." Straily threw just one changeup against the Pirates, and Pedro Alvarez sent it 448 feet to centre in the second for Pittsburghs lone run. "I didnt throw another one after that, so the curveball gave me a third option," Straily said. Grant Balfour worked the ninth to remain perfect in 24 save chances this season. Brandon Moss slammed a two-run homer in the fourth off Gerrit Cole (4-2) to supply all the offence Oakland required. Moss spent parts of three seasons with the Pirates between 2008-10, with Pittsburgh hoping his raw left-handed power would help him pound balls off -- or over -- the Clemente Wall in right field. It never really happened. Moss hit all of 13 homers in 195 games for the Pirates before eventually making his way to Oakland, where hes become a key cog in one of baseballs biggest surprises. Moss provided a glimpse of what could have been in Pittsburgh in the fourth when Cole wobbled for the briefest of moments. The right-hander had retired nine straight when John Jaso doubled with two outs. Moss followed with his 16th home run of the season, though he hardly viewed it as some sort of revenge. "I had a lot of opportunities here and I didnt do anything with them," Moss said. "Its my fault that Im not here anymore." Pittsburgh had hoped to break loose against Straily, who has struggled starting on four days rest during his brief major league career. Straily came in 0-3 with a 7.16 ERA when not given at least five days between starts. Yet he had no issues dealing with Pittsburghs suddenly punchless offence. The Pirates have scored just six runs during a 2-6 slump that has dropped them behind first-place St. Louis in the heated NL Central race. Alvarez provided Pittsburghs lone run with his drive to the bushes in centre leading off the second. The home run made him the third player in team history to reach 23 homers before the All-Star break, joining Ralph Kiner and Willie Stargell. The Pirates didnt get a runner to third base over the final six innings. Their best chance to tie the game came in the seventh when Alvarez led off with a walk and moved to second on Russell Martins sacrifice bunt. Oakland reliever Sean Doolittle replaced Straily and struck out pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez before getting Jordy Mercer to pop up to first. Jose Tabata led off the ninth with a single off Balfour, but Andrew McCutchen and Alvarez struck out before Martin grounded out meekly to first as Balfour extended his club record for consecutive save chances converted to 42, dating to last season. NOTES: The start of the game was pushed back due to the potential of inclement weather. While lightning flashed several times during the 1:42 delay, it never actually rained. ... Oakland LF Yoenis Cespedes was selected to the American League team for the Home Run Derby next Monday night in New York. Cespedes, who has 15 home runs this season, is the first As player to be chosen for the Home Run Derby since Jason Giambi in 2001. ... McCutchen went 0 for 3, ending his 10-game hitting streak. ... The series wraps up Wednesday when Pittsburgh LHP Francisco Liriano (8-3, 2.20 ERA) faces Oakland LHP Tommy Milone (8-7, 4.11). ... Hall of Fame golfer Arnold Palmer, who grew up in Latrobe, about 45 minutes east of Pittsburgh, was in attendance. Nike VaporMax Anti-fur . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Nike Vapormax Flyknit Donna .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. http://www.vapormaxoffwhite.it/51-aq-vapormax-kpu-donna/ . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Nike Vapormax Flyknit Uomo . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Nike Air Vapormax 2018 Uomo . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. RIO DE JANEIRO -- U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte apologized Friday for his behavior surrounding an incident at a Rio de Janeiro gas station, saying he should have been more careful and candid about how he described what happened after a night of partying with his teammates.But he didnt explain why he embellished details of an encounter with armed security guards and called it a robbery, and why he omitted to say that he and three teammates had vandalized a gas station restroom.Regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that am sorry, Lochte said in a lengthy post on his Instagram account. This was a situation that could and should have been avoided. I accept responsibility for my role in this happening and have learned some valuable lessons.Whatever they were, for now, hes keeping them to himself.The situation raises questions about the future for Lochte, who is planning to take time off from swimming but wants to return to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Usually known for his party boy image and love of the limelight, he now is facing a line of nervous sponsors, the possibility of legal charges in Brazil and sanctions from USA Swimming and the International Olympic Committee.The robbery flap deeply hurt Brazilians, who were eager to prove they could get street crime under control and host a safe Olympics. And it overshadowed the efforts of U.S. Olympians, who have dominated the medal count. Swimmers alone piled up 16 golds and 33 medals total at the games.Known for his outsized personality and regular `bro behavior, Lochte has always been about having fun. This is the guy who gleefully admitted eating McDonalds three times a day while winning four medals at the 2008 Beijing Games. For Rio, he dyed his dark hair white, not realizing the pools chlorine would turn it light green.His memorable props -- diamond grills on his teeth on the medal podium, crazily colored high-tops, sunglasses bearing his favorite made-up expression of Jeah! -- and easygoing, goofy nature has made him a popular and relatable star with the public and his teammates.I think that is why I do so many different things with the hair, the grills, the crazy shoes, he said in Rio, Its just my personality coming out there.Lochtes success led to his own 2013 reality TV show called What Would Ryan Lochte Do? It had a short run and left some viewers with the impression that its star was nothing more than a good-looking dim bulb. Still, lines for his autograph sessions at meets routinely stretch longer than anyone elses.As hard as he plays, Lochte works hard, too. His 12 Olympic medals are second only to Michael Phelps among U.S. male Olympians.This time Lochte was only a small part of the show. He finished fifth in his only individual event and swam on the victorious 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Instead, the biggest memory of the 32-year-old swimmer in Rio will be the grainy security video of him and teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen exiting the gas station restroom and sitting on the ground, some with hands up.Like other pro swimmers, Lochte is reliant on sponsors to foot his bills so he can focus on year-round training and travel to meets without having to hold a regular job.His sponsors, including Speedo, Ralph Lauren andd airweave premium bedding, have been in no hurry to cut ties with him, though have said they are monitoring the situation.ddddddddddddhe incident feeds a lot of American cliches of the bad-boy athlete, and while it was relatively minor, it is unsavory, says Thomas Ordahl, chief strategy officer at the brand consulting firm Landor.Ordahl believes its probably a good idea for companies to hold off on making decisions until the issue surrounding the dispute is sorted out. But he suspects that eventually, sponsors will probably drop Lochte.The truth is that there are enough celebrities to be attached to without bringing that kind of baggage with you, said Robert Passikoff, president and founder of the research firm Brand Keys.USA Swimming is expected to convene its executive board to discuss likely punishment, as it did when Michael Phelps was arrested for a second DUI two years ago. Technically, the four could be fined, suspended or expelled. In the Phelps case, the board announced a week after the arrest that it was suspending the sports biggest star for six months, banning him from competing in the 2015 world championships and taking away six months of his funding stipend.For Phelps, it was his third strike.This is Lochtes first major gaffe, and whatever sanctions the national governing body passes down could have little effect on the professional swimmer. Hes already said he plans to take the first extensive break of his career following the Olympics and move from North Carolina to California. A suspension could keep him out of next years world championships -- often bereft of big stars following an Olympic year -- and the Arena Pro Swim Series, a five-meet circuit in the U.S. But that would hardly impact Lochte should he decide to resume training for the 2020 games.As for the other three, Feigen has indicated he would retire after Rio and the 26-year-old is looking forward to attending law school somewhere in Texas. He made a $10,800 payment to a Rio charity that teaches martial arts to poor children after the incident, and his passport was returned. He left Brazil Friday night.Bentz and Conger stumbled just as they were getting started on the international stage, so the repercussions could linger longest with the Olympic rookies. They, along with Feigen, swam in preliminary heats, and earned gold medals when their teammates won relays in the finals.They returned home to the U.S. Friday.Bentz will be a 20-year-old junior majoring in business at Georgia this fall and Conger will be a 21-year-old senior majoring in corporate communication at Texas. They remain amateurs and presumably will continue their NCAA careers with their respective programs, which also could hand out punishment.What may take longer for everyone to forget is how the four stole the spotlight.While we are thankful our athletes are safe, we do not condone the lapse in judgment and conduct that led us to this point, USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus said. It is not representative of what is expected as Olympians, as Americans, as swimmers and as individuals.---AP Retail Writer Anne DInnocenzio in New York and AP Sports Writer Stephen Wilson in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report. ' ' '