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HOUSTON -- When the Houston Astros brought up Jonathan Villar from Triple-A they raved about his ability to make things happen when he gets on base. In just his second major league game, Villar showed exactly what they were talking about. Villar scored the winning run from second base in the ninth inning when catcher Derek Norris had a passed ball and then made a bad throw to first base on the same play to give the Astros a 5-4 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night. "Im running hard every time," said Villar, a speedy shortstop who stole 31 bases in Triple-A this season. Houston ended a 10-game losing streak against the As this season and a six-game skid overall. The Astros trailed 4-2 entering the ninth before Matt Dominguez hit a two-run homer off closer Grant Balfour (0-2) to tie it. "It got a little bit ugly, and I didnt make good pitches," Balfour said. "I should have never put the team in that situation. Im better than that." The home run ended a franchise-record streak of 44 saves for Balfour, the sixth longest run in major league history. It was his first blown save since April 29, 2012. "It was a good run," Balfour said. "I should have had more, but I guess 44 is a remarkable number, so you cant be too upset about it. Were starting all over again. To me, its just a number, but Im happy I did it." Justin Maxwell hit an infield single to start the ninth and advanced to second when Balfour attempted to make a throw to first from his knees and bounced it in the dirt for an error. The homer by Dominguez bounced off the wall in left-centre as Coco Crisp desperately tried to climb to grab it. Villar, who finished with three hits, doubled with one out, and Jose Altuve walked before the defensive miscue ended it. "It speaks to the resilience of that group in there," Houston manager Bo Porter said of the rally. "Every once in a while good things like this happen because you put yourself in position when you just keep fighting." Brandon Moss put Oakland on top 4-2 with a two-run homer in the eighth inning. Josh Fields (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win. The game was tied 2-2 when reliever Jose Cisnero plunked Josh Donaldson with two outs. Moss then sent a 95 mph fastball into the second deck in right field for his 17th homer. Houston starter Jarred Cosart, yielded seven hits and two runs -- one earned -- in seven innings in his second major league start after being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Cosart, Houstons top pitching prospect, grew up in the Houston suburb of League City. He left more than 60 tickets for friends and family to see his first major league game in Houston. "I couldnt feel any part of my body in the first inning," Cosart said. "There was a lot pressure, no matter what anyone says. Pitching in front of 30-something thousand, and I feel like I know half of them." Oakland starter Jarrod Parker allowed five hits and one earned run in seven innings. The Athletics took a 1-0 lead when Moss reached on an error by third baseman Dominguez that allowed Jed Lowrie to score in the first inning. Villar got things going for Houston with a double in the first. The Astros tied it 1-1 with back-to-back singles by Altuve and Jason Castro. The bases were loaded in the third when Moss grounded into a double play that Crisp scored on to put Oakland up 2-1. The 23-year-old Cosart took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and got the win in his debut against Tampa Bay just before the break, allowing two hits and no runs in eight-plus innings. He was sent to Oklahoma City after that game. He wasnt as sharp early on Tuesday, but starting rolling in the fourth, pitching a 1-2-3 inning. Crisp singled with one out in the fifth, but Cosart faced the minimum in that inning after Houston turned a double play. Donaldson hit a one-out double in the sixth before Cosart retired the next two batters to end the threat. Pinch-hitter Yoenis Cespedes grounded into a double play in the seventh to erase a leadoff walk by Chris Young. Eric Sogard doubled, but Cosart finished his night by battling Crisp on a seven-pitch at-bat before he struck him out looking, leaving Crisp angrily shaking his head at the plate. Barnes robbed Young of a hit with a nifty diving catch in centre field in the fourth inning. NOTES: The series wraps up on Wednesday when Oaklands A.J. Griffin opposes Bud Norris ... CF Barnes left before the seventh with a mild left calf strain. ... Cespedes, the Home Run Derby champ, was out of the starting lineup for the fifth straight game because of a sore left wrist. ... As LHP Brett Anderson, on the disabled list since May 1 with a stress fracture in his right foot, is scheduled to throw 45 pitches in a bullpen session on Wednesday. He felt good after throwing 35 pitches on Monday. ... Longtime former Astros announcer Milo Hamilton, who had the memorable call on Henry Aarons 715th home run, said Tuesday that he is giving up on his quest to call a game from his 60th ballpark because he is no longer able to fly because of poor health. Though he retired at the end of last season, he had hoped to travel to Target Field in Minnesota so he could reach the milestone. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy for treatment of a chronic form of leukemia he has had since the 1970s, but says he is feeling good. Eddy Pineiro Jersey . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. Adam Podlesh Jersey . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. http://www.custombearsjersey.com/ . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Mike Tomczak Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Jeff Fisher Jersey . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Ivy League will use an experimental rule this season to move kickoffs to the 40-yard line and touchbacks to the 20-yard line in an effort to reduce concussions and further promote the safety and welfare of its student-athletes.The league announced the rule change Wednesday.The goal of the experimental rule is to limit kickoff returns, which account for 23.4 percent of concussions during games despite representing only 5.8 percent of overall plays. The Ivy League will evaluate the concussion and kickoff return data after the season.The request was made to the NCAA as a part of the Ivy Leagues overall review of concussions, which began with football in 2010 and has included eight other sports to date (mens and womens lacrosse, mens and womens ice hockey, mens and womens soccer, wrestling, rugbyy).dddddddddddd.It will be used only in conference games.This experimental rule change is another example of The Ivy League leading the nation in concussion prevention, Robin Harris, the leagues executive director, said in a statement. Our data showed us that kickoffs result in a disproportionate number of concussions and this rule will allow us to assess whether limiting kickoff returns will reduce the incidence of concussions.The league adopted another policy originating with the eight head football coaches to eliminate to-the-ground (live) tackling in practices during the regular season, which will also go into effect this year. Changing practice rules does not require NCAA approval. ' ' '