NEW YORK -- Scott Kazmir has been so good for the Oakland Athletics, manager Bob Melvin wasnt prepared to see his ace flop so badly. Kazmir was tagged for three homers and allowed a season-high seven runs in the As 10-1 loss to the New York Mets and Bartolo Colon on Tuesday night. "Its almost a shock when you see him give up some runs but he just got some balls up, missed locations with a few of them and they didnt miss them," Melvin said. "Usually hes so unpredictable in his pitches that if he does get a ball up sometimes he gets away with it but he didnt today." A first-round draft pick by New York in 2002 but sent to Tampa Bay in a very unpopular trade two years later, Kazmir struggled from the start in his first start ever in Queens. He entered with the ALs best ERA (2.08) and on a four-game winning streak, but was out after just three innings. His ERA rose to 2.66. Kazmir (9-3) gave up consecutive homers to Curtis Granderson and Chris Young in the second inning and a three-run shot to Travis dArnaud in the third. The left-hander went 22 starts without giving up more than one homer in a game since Aug. 18, with the Indians. Kazmir blamed his lack of command on his troubles, not his first outing against the Mets in New York -- he beat the Mets in September in Cleveland. "Ive never played in Shea Stadium. Id never played in Citi Field so its not really coming back for me," Kazmir said. "I think itd be a little bit different if I had actually played at the big league level with the Mets and had a little bit of history in that regard, but it was just going out here today to take care of business." The As second straight loss ended with reliever Jeff Francis striking out. Melvin had Derek Norris and Craig Gentry on the bench but Gentry was given a cortisone shot in a knee. Norris was out of the lineup after being hit by a backswing on Sunday. "I wasnt going to use him in that type of game," Melvin said of Norris. Colon (8-5) shut down the team that didnt want him back this year despite an 18-win season, pitching four-hit ball for eight innings against the AL West leaders. Signed by the Mets 10 days after the As inked Kazmir in December, Colon won his sixth straight decision. He also singled for his second straight game, much to the delight of the 25,751 in attendance. "Just when you think youve got him figured out hes going to throw something that you have no idea hes going to throw and thats just a testament to how good he is," Stephen Vogt said of Colon. "Obviously Im frustrated that we didnt beat him but obviously it was great to see him." Colon only faced trouble in the first when Yoenis Cespedes followed Brandon Moss single with a double to the wall in centre field for the early lead. Colon gave up a hit to Cespedes in the fourth and another single in the fifth to Coco Crisp, but he otherwise cruised through the best run-producing lineup in the majors. "It feels really good in particular because its a team like the Oakland As, which for me right now is the No. 1 team," Colon said through a translator. Slumping Mets outfielder Chris Young also homered off failed closer Jim Johnson in the fifth for only the Mets fifth four-homer game at Citi Field since it opened in 2009, according to STATS. Granderson and David Wright had RBI groundouts, and Daniel Murphy added a run-scoring single for the Mets, who scored at least 10 runs in consecutive games for the first time since June 28-29, 2011, in Detroit. They beat Miami 11-5 on Sunday. The Mets have won a season high-tying three straight. NOTES: The As activated RF Josh Reddick before the game. He was 0 for 2 with a walk. ... Oakland placed 1B Kyle Blanks on the 15-day DL with a left calf strain. ... Wright tied a career high with an RBI in his seventh straight game. ... First base umpire Joe West was hit in the chest by a line drive but he barely flinched. ... Up next: Oakland LHP Brad Mills (0-0) vs. New York RHP Zack Wheeler (3-7). Balenciaga Shoes Sale . So he and his Toronto FC teammates say they will have no problem getting up for their Amway Canadian Championship final against rival Montreal Impact, even if the result doesnt count toward Major League Soccer standings. Wholesale Shoes . -- Craig Anderson has quite a record against his former team, the Florida Panthers. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/under-armour-shoes-sale/ . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics. Wholesale Shoes Website . This has become the Raptors mantra as they embark on a new era with a new regime and, in the not-so-distant future, a new image. Vapormax Sale . Amid a rain of confetti, Shabazz Napier basked in the celebration on the court after being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four following the 60-54 win over Kentucky.PINEHURST, N.C. -- Much to his delight, Martin Kaymer discovered that Pinehurst No. 2 was even more different than he imagined in the U.S. Open. This wasnt the beast of a course that Kaymer and so many other players were expecting. This was a day for scoring. Kaymer made six birdies Thursday afternoon, three on the final five holes, that sent the 29-year-old German to the lowest score in three Opens held at Pinehurst No. 2. He made a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole for a 5-under 65 and a three-shot lead. "It was more playable than I thought," he said. "I think that made a big difference mentally, that you feel like there are actually some birdies out there, not only bogeys." So much was made of the new look at No. 2, which was restored to its old look from more than a half-century ago. There also was plenty of talk that this U.S. Open would be as tough as any U.S. Open. When he finished his final day of practice Wednesday under a broiling sun, Kaymer was asked what it would take to win. "I said plus 8 because the way the golf course played on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday," he said. "But obviously, they softened the conditions a little bit so it was more playable. So hopefully, Im not right with the plus 8. I would be disappointed." Former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell took the conservative route on his way to a 68 that featured 15 pars, one bogey, one birdie and one eagle. He was joined by Kevin Na, Brendon de Jonge and Fran Quinn, a 49-year-old who last played a U.S. Open in 1996, when Tiger Woods was still an amateur. "This was a golf course where I spent the last few days just preparing myself mentally for the challenge, really, knowing that this golf course wasnt going to give much and it was only going to take," McDowell said. "Im assuming they put some water on this place this morning. And we were able to take advantage of that a little bit early on and actually think about getting at some of those flags." Brandt Snedeker, who had a chance at 30 on his front nine, had to settle for being part of a large group at 69 that included 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson. The 15 players to shoot in the 60s were the most for an opening round at the U.S. Open since 24 players did it at rain-softened Olympia Fields in 2003. Phil Mickelson, in his latest quest to win the one major keeping him from the career Grand Slam, shot a 70. He was among the early starters, who received additional help by cloud cover that kept moisture in the greens. Mickelson doesnt expect Pinehurst to be any easier the rest of the week.dddddddddddd "There was some low scoring out there -- some good scoring, I should say," he said. "Anything around par, its usually a good score." Masters champion Bubba Watson was among the exceptions. He shot a 76 and said, "This course is better than me right now." Graeme DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., is already well off the pace after shooting 75. The sun broke through shortly before noon and began to bake the course, though not enough to stop Kaymer. He watched some of the tournament on television in the morning, and he was particularly struck by the sight of Stensons 6-iron into the par-3 15th only rolling out a few feet. Kaymer expected it to roll off the green. "Last night I thought that its going to be very, very firm in the afternoon," he said. "But actually, it was more playable than I thought." Not everyone was able to take advantage. Defending champion Justin Rose had a 72, making his bid a little tougher to become the first repeat winner in 25 years. Adam Scott, the world No. 1 who has been formidable in every major the last two years except the U.S. Open, had a 73. Scott wasnt about to panic. Pinehurst only figures to get more difficult. "You know how its going to be at the end of the week," Scott said. "Were going to be looking at even par, or something around that." Kaymer picked up four birdies with relative ease -- three wedges to inside 3 feet, and a high draw with a 3-wood to about 20 feet on the par-5 fifth for a two-putt birdie. A few longer putts at the end really dressed up the score. He hit a 6-iron at the flag on the 16th hole and made a 12-foot birdie putt, and then hit another 6-iron at the par-3 17th to about 10 feet for birdie. Kaymer tied the course record with a 63 in the opening round when he won The Players Championship last month, ending a drought of some 18 months. That only boosted his confidence, and the 65 on Thursday only adds to it. Even so, he realizes its only one round, and that the course probably wont be so kind or gentle the rest of the way. "I would have never expected myself to shoot such a low round at Pinehurst ... but its a good round of golf," he said. "I wasnt expecting it. Im not freaking out about it. Its the first round of a very, very important tournament. I put myself so far in a good position, but we have three rounds to go. The golf course can change a lot. "If other people want to make more out of it, its fine," he said. "But for me, its a great start into one of the most important weeks of the year." ' ' '