OAKLAND, Calif. -- A rare full day off turned out to be just what the Pittsburgh Pirates needed to keep Jeff Lockes winning streak going.Getting six hits and six RBI from the bottom four batters in the lineup certainly helped, too.Jody Mercer homered and had an RBI single and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied from three runs down to beat stumbling ace Sonny Gray and the Oakland Athletics 7-3 on Friday night.Matt Joyce added two hits, Josh Harrison drove in two runs while Andrew McCutcheon doubled and scored on a wild pitch to help the Pirates to their first win in their history at the Coliseum and just their second in 13 games between the two franchises.Its kind of what we saw the first two months of the season when we were connecting all dots, top to bottom in the lineup, Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. June was hard. The lineup has played much more consistent . than any other time here.The Pirates beat the As in their first meeting since 2013 by taking advantage of another shaky outing by Gray (3-7).He gave up seven runs, hit a batter and threw two wild pitches in six innings while losing his sixth consecutive decision. The right-hander, third in the 2015 AL Cy Young voting, is winless since April 22.Marcus Semien hit his 17th home run of the season for Oakland.Hell figure it out and hell get better as the year goes on, As manager Bob Melvin said. Theres always going to be a year thats not as good as others. So fa this is the one for him.Pittsburghs 5-6-7 hitters combined for six hits, five RBI and four runs scored. Chris Stewart, the No. 9 hitter, drove in the go-ahead run with a fielders choice grounder in the fifth.Thats what makes our team us, Harrison said. It can be anybody, and thats what we have to get back to.Mercer homered in the third and added an RBI single as part of a two-run fifth.Harrisons two-out, two-run double in the sixth put the Pirates up 7-3.LOCKED INPirates starter Jeff Locke (8-5) also struggled early but retired the final nine batters he faced to win his third straight. He gave up three runs over five innings with three walks and three strikeouts. Three relievers combined to retire the final 12 batters and complete the four-hitter. It was a strong finish, Hurdle said. His fastball wasnt of the quality that we had seen the last two times out . but he stayed in the hunt, made pitches, battled and finished very strong. Thats a sign of maturity.LINEUP SHUFFLEJed Lowrie had decent results while batting leadoff for the first time this season. He drew a walk from Locke in the first before Semien homered on a 3-2 pitch. Oaklands second baseman added an RBI double in the second to make it 3-0.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: Ryan Vogelsong faced hitters while throwing off the mound in the latest step of his recovery after getting hit in the face with a pitch on May 23. Vogelsong, who underwent surgery on June 2 to repair the multiple fractures he suffered, remains on the 60-day disabled list and isnt eligible to return until July 23. . Right-hander Gerrit Cole (triceps strain) also pitched a simulated game prior to the series opener with Oakland. The Pirates are encouraged but havent determined what the next step is. . Francisco Cervelli (broken hamate in left hand) continues to make progress and could catch the next round of sim games for Vogelsgong and Cole.Athletics: Infielder Tyler Ladendorf was recalled from Triple-A Nashville before the game. Left-hander Dillion Overton, the losing pitcher against San Francisco on Thursday, was optioned down. Overton went 1-1 with an 11.42 ERA in two starts.UP NEXTPirates: Right-hander Chad Kuhl (1-0) pitches against Oakland on Saturday in his second career start in the majors after beating Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers in his debut.Athletics: Rich Hill is expected to come off the disabled list to start against Pittsburgh. The left-hander had been out since May 30 with a strained groin. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Cheap Sabres Jerseys . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. http://www.cheapsabresjerseys.com/ . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Wholesale Sabres Jerseys . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. Cheap Sabres Jerseys Authentic . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was ready to see his third-ranked Tigers build momentum for the final regular-season push. He couldnt be happier with their performance against Syracuse.The Tigers (6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) improved to 9-0 for a second straight season, rolling over the Orange for a 54-0 shutout Saturday. Not even seeing Heisman Trophy contending quarterback Deshaun Watson leave the game with an injury in the first half could spoil Swinneys satisfaction over this one.For us, its just trying to stay on course and build some momentum, he said.That was not easy in October as Clemson needed fourth-quarter rallies to defeat No. 5 Louisville (42-36) and No. 19 Florida State (37-34) and sweated out a missed field goal by North Carolina State to escape that one in overtime, 24-17.Watson threw for two touchdowns, including a pretty, arcing 65-yard toss that hit Deon Cain in stride, and ran for a third in the blowout victory.Both Watson and Swinney said the bruised right shoulder was fine and would not prevent him from facing Pitt next week with a chance to clinch the ACC Atlantic Division.Watson finished with 169 yards passing and 39 rushing to keep the Tigers (6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 2 CFP) on track for the ACC title game.November is championship time, Watson said . Its time to set a new standard and set a new tone.Watson, who had a bag of ice on his right shoulder, said he felt fine and couldve kept playing.Syracuse (4-5, 2-3) had hoped to catch Clemson napping after the Tigers dramatic, 37-34 win at Florida State last week. However, any upset chances left once Orange quarterback Eric Dungey was knocked out in the first quarter following a hard hit by linebacker Dorian ODaniel. Dungey, the ACC leader in passing yards and completions per game coming in, returned from the locker room in shorts and a ball cap as backups Austin Wilson and Zack Mahoney finished up.Orange coach Dino Babers said his training staff ruled Dungey out and he had no additional update about the quarterbacks condition or how soon he might return.I do think anytime you lose your starting quarterback in an offense thats designed to pass, its going to be a dramatic change, Babers said.Syracuse was held to 277 yards of offense, including just 172 yards passing -- ttheir second fewest this season.ddddddddddddClemsons Cain had two TD catches and 125 yards on five receptions. He said this game -- Clemson scored 31 points with Watson sidelined -- showed how deep the Tigers are this season. Best is the standard and our standard doesnt change, Cain said. Weve got the best of the best out there all the time.It was Clemsons first ACC shutout since defeating Miami 58-0 last year and the first time Syracuse was held without points since a 56-0 loss to Georgia Tech in 2013.Tigers linebacker Ben Boulware said Syracuses offense was fast-paced and complex so to go out there and get a shutout, thats a difficult thing to do.THE TAKEAWAYSyracuse: The Orange had come off two straight wins, but Babers program is not yet ready to take down teams like Clemson.Clemson: With their toughest regular-season games over, the Tigers are rolling much like they did down the stretch a year ago. Thats a dangerous prospect for their potential ACC title game opponent or for other national title contenders.POLL IMPLICATIONSClemson: Its status quo for the Tigers, barring a major Saturday night surprise . Despite the easy win, Clemson likely wont jump No. 2 Michigan in the Top 25 rankings or No. 1 Alabama in the CFP poll next week -- unless the Crimson Tide stumble. Clemsons path to the end, though, is much less worrisome than its two higher ranked competitors, leaving the Tigers in prime pouncing position if anyone ahead loses.RECORD SETTERSyracuse receiver Amba Etta-Tawo had nine catches, setting the schools single-season record with 75 receptions. He topped Alec Lemons mark of 72 in 2012. Etta-Tawo came into the game leading the ACC in several categories, including total receiving yards and yards per game. Etta-Tawos older brother Etta Etta-Tawo was a rising Clemson defensive lineman whose career ended early in 2006 because of medical issues.UP NEXTSyracuse: The Orange face North Carolina State next Saturday, the first of two straight games at the Carrier Dome.Clemson: The Tigers play their final ACC regular-season home game with Pittsburgh, a team it has not faced since the Panthers joined the league before the 2013 football season. ' ' '