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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jason Vargas final start at home this season demonstrated why the Los Angeles Angels traded for him during the winter, and gave them even more to look forward to from him in 2014. Vargas earned his second shutout of the year with a four-hitter and Howie Kendrick homered, leading the Angels to a 3-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night. Vargas (9-7) threw 110 pitches, retiring 15 consecutive batters at one point and striking out five en route to his fifth shutout and 10th complete game in 153 career starts. The As, who clinched their second straight division title Sunday, remain a game behind the Red Sox for the best record in the majors following Bostons 8-3 loss at Colorado. "I think anytime you go up against a team that won the division, you want to pitch well and give it your best," Vargas said. "It was definitely a better game than the last one. I was able to control counts and was able to throw fastballs and curve balls. That made the changeup more effective." The left-hander, who was acquired from Seattle for slugger Kendrys Morales, is 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA in his last nine outings after missing almost two months because of a blood clot near his armpit. "That tells you a lot about how hard he worked to come back, and the professional that he is," pitching coach Mike Butcher said. "Hes pitched great baseball for us. We definitely missed him in the rotation those two months he was gone, because hes going to give you a chance to win every time he takes the ball. He definitely knows how to go out there and compete, and hes picked us up these last nine starts." Vargas becomes a free agent after the season and is hoping to be back with the Angels. "I didnt put any more importance on this one than any other start, regardless of the fact that I was (on the disabled list) or not," he said. "I was throwing good before that. And when you come back from something like that, youve got to make do with what youve got and let the chips fall. I definitely want to go out and pitch well every time out, but thats not going to happen." A.J. Griffin (14-10) gave up three runs and five hits over five innings. The 25-year-old right-hander was 4-0 in his previous five outings, including a no-decision last Wednesday against the Angels when he retired 17 of his final 18 batters and allowed one hit over six innings -- a two-run homer by Mike Trout. "A.J.s been consistent all year," manager Bob Melvin said. "Like anybody, hes had a rough stretch or two. But if you look at the overall body of work, its been a pretty consistent year for him and something to be proud of. Based on the way he pitched last year, this is about what we expected -- to be consistent and keep his team in games and win his share of them. And hes done all that." Griffin finished his first full big league campaign with a 3.83 ERA, 171 strikeouts in 200 innings, and a major league-worst 36 home runs allowed. The Oakland single-season record in that department is held by Catfish Hunter, who gave up 39 in 1973 and still won 21 games. "I feel pretty good about the season Ive had," Griffin said. "Its just about being competitive, pounding the strike zone and getting ahead of guys. Home runs happen, but its just part of baseball. Im just trying to contribute here. Weve got a great thing going on with this club and I look forward to being a part of it and doing great things here." For the second straight night, Kendrick homered his first time up after not hitting one in his previous 30 games. The Angels increased the margin to 3-0 in the third on Josh Hamiltons two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded. NOTES: The advance sale for Wednesdays home finale will easily put the Angels over the 3 million mark in attendance for the 11th straight season. They are 16,721 shy. ... 1B umpire John Hirshbeck called Yoenis Cespedes safe and then out on a bang-bang play in the seventh as second baseman Kendrick fielded the ground ball up the middle and completed an inning-ending double play. ... Vargas other shutout this season was a three-hitter against Baltimore on May 3 in Anaheim. ... Kendrick homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season, including July 5-6 against Boston. ... Trout, who was presented with the Gene Autry Trophy before the game as the teams MVP for the second straight year, hasnt homered in his last 15 home games and 52 at-bats at Angel Stadium since going deep in back-to-back games against Texas Aug. 6-7. ... Josh Donaldson made his 153rd start at 3B, the most by an As player at that position since Sal Bando in 1976 (155). Nicholas Castellanos Jersey . As they are wont to do, the Spurs made things real easy. The Spurs signed Parker to a multi-year contract extension on Friday, ensuring that the six-time All-Star point guard will be in the fold whether Duncan and Ginobili are able to continue their careers or not. Rowan Wick Jersey . In a matchup of teams battling head-to-head for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccers Western Conference, the Whitecaps run to the post-season took a hard hit when FC Dallas blew open a tie game with two goals in the final minutes for a 3-1 victory Saturday night. https://www.cheapcubs.com/1910t-koji-uehara-jersey-cubs.html. Greece was on the wrong end of a 3-0 rout to Colombia in its first game of the tournament. They surrendered a goal in just the sixth minute of the contest, and despite some promising attacking play, failed to crawl back into the match. Japan, on the other hand, struck first in its match with Ivory Coast, with Keisuke Honda putting his side into the lead in the 16th minute. Rowan Wick Cubs Jersey . TSN was honoured with several awards, with Rod Smith and James Duthie sharing the win for Best Sports Host for SportsCentre and the NHL: Season On The Brink coverage, respectively. Dennis Eckersley Cubs Jersey .ca. Kerry, In Mondays Habs/Bruins game, there were three questionable/brutal calls against the Habs late in the game - Tomas Plekanec, then Douglas Murray, then Brendan Gallagher.The Montreal Canadiens announced Friday that forward Brandon Prust will be out of the lineup for the teams remaining regular season games with an upper-body injury. On Tuesday, Prust left the game against the Colorado Avalanche for a few minutes during the first period but returned before the period ended. He scored a goal and added an assist, buut seemed to play in pain.dddddddddddd He practiced with the club on Thursday but only skated for 10 minutes before leaving the ice. The 30-year-old was not in the lineup for Thursdays 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets and on Friday, head coach Michel Therrien said he will be re-evaluated before the playoffs begin in mid-April. ' ' '