MINNEAPOLIS -- With Josh Reddick back and hitting home runs, the Oakland Athletics are bringing some more muscle and a bigger lead into a crucial weekend series. Reddick homered and had three RBIs, A.J. Griffin allowed just two hits in seven innings, and the As beat the Minnesota Twins 8-2 Thursday afternoon to increase their division lead to 3 1/2 games over idle Texas in the American League West. It is Oaklands largest lead over the Rangers since Aug. 3. The teams are to scheduled play a three-game series this weekend in the Lone Star State. "We know its an important series, but were not going to sweat about it," Reddick said. "We know we can beat those guys." Reinstated from the 15-day disabled list Wednesday after missing time with a sprained right wrist, Reddick hit an eighth-inning pitch from Brian Duensing into the right field seats for an 8-1 Oakland lead. It was his 11th homer of the season in his 99th game. He hit 32 in 156 games last year. "Being able to hit it hard ... without my wrist hurting really felt good," said Reddick, who was also on the disabled list May 7-30 with the same injury. "Watching these guys the last two weeks it kind of stung not being able to be a part of it, but I was just hoping to come back and just jump on board and not screw up the rhythm. Hopefully, more days like this are coming." Adding Reddick to a lineup that already has 26 home runs from Brandon Moss, 22 from Yoenis Cespedes, 21 from Josh Donaldson and 19 from Coco Crisp makes things much easier for manager Bob Melvin. "Weve got a lot of options right now, a lot of guys that are heating up offensively," Melvin said. In winning his fourth straight start, Griffin (14-9) struck out eight and walked just one batter. "I was working well, I was working quick, I had a good rhythm," he said. Griffin struck out six of the first nine batters he faced, including four straight, and lowered his opponents batting average to .165 the first time through the lineup, the lowest mark in the majors among pitchers with at least 130 innings pitched. Other than allowing Oswaldo Arcias home run in the seventh, Griffin, who has served up a major league leading 34 home runs, didnt have many problems the rest of the way. "I feel like I can throw any pitch in any count and throw them effectively. Its a lot more fun when thats going on," Griffin said. Minnesota had two runners on with one out in the fourth, but Arcia lined out to second baseman Alberto Callaspo and Brian Dozier was doubled off first. Dozier had walked. Making his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester, Minnesota starter Scott Diamond (5-11) lasted just 4 2-3 innings. He allowed five runs -- four earned -- on six hits while striking out one. Before the game, Gardenhire said that Diamond appears to be a much more confident pitcher than he was before his Aug. 1 demotion. In six minor league starts, Diamond was 4-0 with a 2.41 ERA. The left-hander barely broke a sweat in retiring the As in order in the first two innings before the Oakland hitters forced Diamond deep into counts. "I wasnt able to put anybody away. I think that was the story behind my game today," he said. One day after scoring 18 runs against the Twins, Oakland used some two-out hitting to take a 4-0 lead in the third inning. Derek Norris led off with a one-out double and scored two batters later when Crisp hit into a fielders choice. After a walk to Donaldson, Jed Lowrie had an RBI single leading to a mound visit by Minnesota pitching coach Rick Anderson. Cespedes then tripled off the wall in centerfield to plate two more runs. Donaldson added an RBI single in the fifth and Reddicks sacrifice fly in the sixth scored Chris Young, who tripled to lead off the inning, to make it 6-0. NOTES: Gardenhire said C Joe Mauer, out since Aug. 20 with a concussion, did a workout Thursday and left the ballpark "feeling good." ... The As and Twins are scheduled to play a four-game series in Oakland starting next Thursday. ... Cespedes has driven in a run in a career-best six straight games. ... Dan Straily (9-7, 4.15) is to get the ball for Oakland Friday when it begins its three-game series at Texas. Derek Holland (9-8, 3.17) will pitch for the Rangers. ... Minnesotas Kevin Correia (9-11, 4.30) is scheduled to face Tampa Bays Chris Archer (8-7, 3.19) when the teams open a three-game series Friday at Target Field. Nike Shoes From China Online . The 18-time champions, who havent won the title since 1990, moved two points behind Arsenal after the leaders were stunned 6-3 at Manchester City on Saturday. Defending champion Manchester United trails Arsenal by 10 points after winning 3-0 at Aston Villa to avoid a third successive league loss. Nike Shoes From China Outlet .com) - The Miami Heat will try to close out the Charlotte Bobcats Monday night in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first round series. https://www.nikeshoeschina.us/.com) - Intrastate rivals collide Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference battle at Frank Erwin Center. Clearance Nike Shoes From China .5 million, two-year contract that runs through 2015. Venable, the son of former big leaguer Max Venable, will make $4. Nike Shoes From China . Louis Blues, having added Ryan Miller and Steve Ott from Buffalo, remain the No. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Manager Joe Girardi will have an extra day to contemplate ways to ignite the Yankees lineup. New Yorks game Monday night against the Kansas City Royals was postponed about two hours before the scheduled first pitch because of rain. The game will be made up on Aug. 25 at a time to be determined. Now, the Bronx Bombers will take their slingshot offence to Seattle and Oakland to continue what has already been a disappointing trip. The Yankees won the opener against Kansas City 4-2, but then struggled again to score runs in an 8-4 loss on Saturday and a 2-1 defeat Sunday. "The one thing you cant do is you cant necessarily change everything," Girardi said. "You look at what guys have done in the past, you look at what guys are doing this year, and you try to piece together what you feel is the best lineup every day. "Weve struggled the last three or four weeks scoring runs. We know we need to score more," he continued, "but guys are going through a time. You just have to ride it out a little bit." The Yankees, in the bottom half of the league in several offensive categories, have failed to score more than four runs each of their past 10 games, winning just three times in that stretch. "You are usually not as bad as you look when things are going bad," said Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who was 0 for 4 on Sunday. "Its like youre usually not as good as you look when things are going good. But weve got to turn it around." Dazzling import Masahiro Tanaka flew ahead to Seattle in anticipation of starting Tuesday, but Girardi said he plans to push everybody in his rotation back a day. That means left-hander Vidal Nuno will start the opener against the Mariners and Tanaka will pitch Wednesday. Royals manager Ned Yost also plans to slide his rotation back one day.ddddddddddddLeft-hander Jason Vargas will now start the opener of a two-game series Tuesday against Cleveland, with right-hander Yordano Ventura on the mound Wednesday. The Royals are off on Thursday. If theres any team that can commiserate with the Yankees popgun offence, it just may be the Royals, who are in the bottom third of the league in scoring and last in home runs. There have been signs the last couple weeks that Kansas City is starting to come out of its early season funk, though, and that resurgence has roughly coincided with some changes to the coaching staff when the team was in Toronto. Pedro Grifol was removed as the hitting coach and the job given to Dale Sveum, who once helped to tutor Milwaukees young power hitters. "Theyve done a better job with their approach, getting pitches up, putting good swings on them. When you have a team you believe in theres a point where its going to click somewhere," Yost said. "Maybe it clicked in Toronto, I dont know." Since leaving Toronto, the Royals have won five of their last seven games. Twice theyve piled up eight runs, which matched the third-most theyve scored in any game all season. NOTES: The Royals optioned RHP Wilking Rodriguez to Triple-A Omaha and recalled LHP Donnie Joseph, who spent time with the club in April but did not appear in a game. ... Girardi had planned to give CF Jacoby Ellsbury the day off after he reported some soreness in his hip. But the manager expected Ellsbury to play in Seattle. "Were not concerned about it," Girardi said. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira was penciled into the lineup before the rainout. He was held out of the lineup Sunday because of a sore wrist but pinch hit in the ninth inning. ' ' '