OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jon Lester got a rousing ovation the first time he pitched in an Oakland uniform. His second start for the Athletics ended with his name being chanted by the crowd at O.Co Coliseum. Lester pitched a three-hitter for his fourth career shutout, and the As beat the Minnesota Twins 3-0 on Thursday night. The All-Star left-hander struck out eight, walked two and only allowed two runners past first base in the 11th complete game of his career. He pitched out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth but was otherwise stellar. Lester (12-7) was making second start since being acquired at the trade deadline as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes to Boston. The deal rankled many Oakland fans. Others welcomed the trade and showed their approval with chants of "Lester! Lester!" when the veteran pitcher came out to pitch the ninth inning. "We all know what Cespedes did for this organization and how well hes liked," Lester said. "Just coming over here, you dont want to (mess) that up. You want to make the trade look like it had a purpose and it was good." Lester retired the first 15 batters while allowing only three balls out of the infield. Former As catcher Kurt Suzuki ended the bid for perfection with a leadoff single in the sixth. The former Boston ace improved to 6-0 with 1.21 ERA over his last 10 starts. "You could see from the onset that he was going to be tough to score on," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "Not only is he able to pitch that type of game but hes also a guy that gives the bullpen a rest. Thats exactly what he did tonight." Stephen Vogt homered and Derek Norris hit an RBI double to help Oakland become the first team in the majors to reach 70 wins. Melvin became the eighth active manager in the majors and 76th overall to reach 800 career victories. Two of them have come with Lester on the mound, showing why general manager Billy Beane made the deal with the Red Sox. Chris Colabello and Oswaldo Arcia had the other hits for Minnesota, which has lost 10 straight to Oakland. "Lester was the story of the night," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He has all the pitches. He can do all those things." Vogt snapped an 0-for-23 skid with his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot off Yohan Pino (1-4) in the third. Back-to-back doubles by Brandon Moss and Derek Norris in the fourth made it 3-0. EAGER FULD JUMPS THE GUN Melvin wanted Jonny Gomes to pinch-hit in the eighth inning and had Sam Fuld ready to run if Gomes got on base. But Fuld got overanxious and ran out to first base to run for Alberto Callaspo before being called back to the dugout. "He was just a tad eager," Melvin said. "He probably has a games (played) clause in his contract." DOZIERS NEAR-MISS Twins second baseman Brian Dozier just missed hitting a tying three-run home run in the sixth inning when his ball curved just wide of the left-field foul pole. "Even when it landed I still thought it was fair," Dozier said. "You go from a very high to a very low in a short time." TRAINERS ROOM Twins: First baseman Joe Mauer (strained right oblique) was given the day off after going 1 for 6 in his first two rehab starts with Single-A Cedar Rapids. There still is no timetable for Mauers return to the big league club. Athletics: Shortstop Jed Lowrie was held out of the starting lineup with a bruised right index finger. He pinch-hit with two on in the sixth and flew out to right. Melvin indicated Lowrie would most likely start Friday. ... First baseman Kyle Blanks (calf) ran the bases for the second time and could begin a rehab assignment this weekend. UP NEXT Twins: Right-hander Kyle Gibson (10-8) has pitched extremely well against the AL West, winning four of six starts this season while crafting a 2.50 ERA. He gets the ball Friday night against the As. Athletics: Left-hander Scott Kazmir (12-4) has a 1.92 ERA in 10 starts at the Coliseum this season. He beat the Twins in Minnesota on April 7 when he allowed three runs over six innings. China Shoes Wholesale . "It was awesome," he said. Coming off an ugly three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, Toronto found itself in a deep hole early after the Reds put an eight spot up on starter Liam Hendriks (six runs in 1 2/3 innings pitched) and Todd Redmond in the second. Yeezy From China . According to Dave Stubbs of The Montreal Gazette, preliminary talks have begun between Markov - an unrestricted free agent this summer - and general manager Marc Bergevin. https://www.chinashoes.us/.com) - The Vancouver Canucks recovered from a fluke goal early last time out to knock off one of the top teams in the league. China Shoes Store .The law passed on Friday, in a 128-62 vote in the lower chamber of parliament, was prompted by FIFA bribery scandals in recent years.Switzerland-based sports leaders such as FIFA President Sepp Blatter and IOC President Thomas Bach are now classed as politically exposed persons in wider legislation covering money-laundering. China Shoes To USA . LOUIS -- Russell Martin wanted a better fate for his starting pitcher and helped deliver a happier ending.On the eve of the 85th All-Star game at Target Field in Minneapolis, I was digging around in my basement and came across a complete copy of the Toronto Star from July 10, 1991. That was the day after the Blue Jays hosted their one and only All -Star Classic at what was then Skydome. I have so many memories of that week, but really just a fragment of what came flooding back when I re-read that edition of the Star. I was fortunate to be able to work the National League dugout during the "Legends" game on the Monday afternoon, so I was right there when Bill Mazeroski -- the man who hit the first World Series winning walk-off homer vs the Yankees in 1960 -- hit a shot to left in this game 31 years later. To speak with him right after this homerun was one of the greatest thrills Ive ever had as a broadcaster. Then there was the incredible display of power hitting Cal Ripken Jr. put on in the homerun derby. He smashed 12 homers and including a number of titanic shots that wowed the crowd. Cal wasnt done there, though. In the bottom of the third on Tuesday night, he slugged the game-winning three run homer off the Expos; Dennis Martinez. That would ultimately propel the American League to a 4-2 victory in the 62nd All-Star game and made Ripken the games MVP. By a twist of fate, the Blue Jays Jimmy Key got the win. In the second inning, the Twins Jack Morris (a Blue Jay a year later) got hit on the foot with a line drive through the box. He left the game after the second and fortunately for him and the Twins, who would go on to win the World Series that year, Morris suffered only a bruise. Ripken slugged the homer right after Key had worked the top of the third, for his only inning of the night. This game had an element of controversy too. Julio Franco, who was the All Star game MVP the year before at Wrigley Field in Chicago, was upset when Roberto Alomar was named the starting second baseman over him. How did that work out? Well American League skipper Tony La Russa made Alomar the only position player in his lineup to play the entire game. Franco did not get inserted into the lineup at all, though Robbie went (0-4) that must have been satisfying. George Bell, then of the Chicago Cubs, was back in his old stomping grounds pinch hitting in the 9th, facing Dennis Eckersley. "Eck" struck him out and then was more than a little surprised, when he received the bulk of the cheers and Bell was booed. Another special moment I had completely forgotten -- Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk has a bloop single in his 12th All-Star game. Not only was it his first hit in the mid-summer classic since 1981, at 43 it made him the oldest All-Star ever to get a hit. We rarely got to see the National League in those days and the two members of the Senior Circuit squad who impressed me be the most were lefty Tom Glavine and reliever Rob Dibble. Glavine started and pitched two shutout innings, striking out three, while Dibble was throwing "seven kinds of smoke" in his one inning of relief. There were out events that made this game special. A Canadian "Hall of Famer" Fergie Jenkins got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Before the game, two of the games immortals -- Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio, were honoured at home platte for their incredible feats, 50 years earlier, when Joe "D" ran up his incredible 56 game hit streak for the Yankees and Teddy Ballgame" became the last man to bat over .dddddddddddd400 for a season. " Home run King Hank Aaron was the honourary captain for the National League and Rod Carew one of the games great pure hitters for the American. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and U.S President George Bush even attended and sat together talkng politics for part of the game. A Skydome record crowd 52,383 gave us all a taste of what it would be like to host a World Series, which of course the Blue Jays did a year later against Atlanta. One more trivia note on that 1991 All-Star game. Ken Griffey Jr.. at 21. was playing in his second All-Star game, but the year before at Wrigley he went (0-2). In 91, at Skydome he got his first two All-Star hits. Something else about that All-Star break; the Blue Jays had won 15 of 18 games going into it, and had a five-and-a-half game lead in the Division. They went on to win the East with a (91-71) record and finished seven games ahead of Detroit and Boston. However, they lost the ALCS to Minnesota in five games, losing the last three at home. There are all kinds of trade rumours surrounding the All-Star break and 1991 was no exception. The hot one involving the Blue Jays had them getting Dennis Martinez from the Expos. It never happened and "El Presidente" went on to lead the National League in ERA with a 2,39 mark. I guess the real purpose in all of this All-Star storytelling was to ultimately wonder when the game will return to Toronto. Cincinnati will host the "Big Game" next year and Commisioner Bud Selig said a few weeks ago that Baltimore had the inside track for 2016. That would have marked the 25th Anniversary of the game being played in Toronto, and would have been the perfect opportunity to schedule a sequel. With Minnesota hosting this years event, only two other American League teams have gone longer without hosting the All-Star game. Oakland hasnt since 1987 and Tampa Bay never has. After the Reds do the honours next year, only 4 National League teams will have waited long than the Jays -- the Dodgers (1980), the Cubs (1990), Washington (1969) and Miami ( never). The 1991 All-Star game was special. Its high time the Blue Jays had the chance to host it again! The Orioles hit the All-Star break with a solid four-game lead on the Blue Jays and a five game lead on the Yankees. The last time the 0s won the division was 1997. That year, they had quite a Blue Jays connection. Pat Gillick was the GM, and there were four players who either had been or would be Blue Jays. The four included Jimmy Key, who won 16 games that season, lefty Randy Myers who be the Blue Jays closer for part of the following season, Roberto Alomar and Geronimo Berroa. Joe Carter would join the Orioles in 1998. In the Wild Card Race, the Blue Jays are in a virtual tie with Kansas City -- two-and-a-half games back of Seattle and that second Wild Card slot. Considering all of that, the Blue Jays final seven games, all at Rogers Centre, include four with Seattle followed by three versus Baltimore. It will be an incredible finish providing they are all meaningful games. ' ' '