scatter shots

Roy Oswalt made his first appearance since Sept. 9 on Monday night and contributed to a big win for Texas. The right-hander from Weir and Holmes Community College threw two clean innings of middle relief as the Rangers rallied to beat Oakland, their closest pursuer in the American League West, by a 5-4 count. Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland had two hits and an RBI for Texas, now 5 games up on the A’s. … Jackson native Donnie Veal notched his first career save as the Chicago White Sox stopped a five-game skid with a 5-4 win over Cleveland. The ChiSox remain a game up on Detroit in the AL Central. Veal has a 0.75 ERA in 21 appearances. The big left-hander, drafted out of an Arizona junior college by the Cubs, passed through Trustmark Park in Pearl with Tennessee back in 2007 and ’08. … Lance Lynn worked seven strong, fanning nine, in St. Louis’ 6-1 victory over Houston. The former Ole Miss star is 17-7, 3-0 in three starts since returning to the rotation. “I see him with a whole different demeanor,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheney told mlb.com. St. Louis is 3½ games clear of the field in the battle for the second National League wild card. … Atlanta, with former Mississippi Braves pitcher and rising star Kris Medlen (8-0 as a starter this year) on the mound tonight, can clinch at least a wild card berth with a win over Miami. … Itawamba Community College alumnus Desmond Jennings, now with Tampa Bay, and Taylorsville High product Billy Hamilton, a Cincinnati minor leaguer who broke the stolen base record this summer, are among the featured players in Sports Illustrated’s most recent issue (Sept. 24), which was devoted to speed. Not mentioned was one of the fastest players currently in MLB, Jarrod Dyson, the ex-Southwest Mississippi CC standout who stole his 29th bag on Monday.