e first half.During one stretch late in the half, Dom Uhl drove the lane and tossed an alley-oop to Cook for the two-handed slam. Less than a minute later,

SEATTLE -- Felix Hernandez is likely entering the most important offseason of his career. Thunder Jerseys 2020 .Hernandez is confident that King Felix can return in Seattle. But its going to require changes and work in the offseason.The Mariners know it, and from the sounds of it, so does Hernandez.We certainly need him at the top of the rotation. We need him in the rotation, preferably at the top, because he has history of doing that, Seattle manager Scott Servais said. But hes kind of at that point of the career where hes going to need to make a few adjustments to get the results that he wants.Hernandez pitched three innings on Sunday, giving up all three runs as the Oakland Athletics closed out the year with a 3-2 win over the Mariners.The short stint from Hernandez (11-8) was a combination of how he looked on the mound and the emotional toll from Saturdays loss that eliminated Seattle from playoff contention.The Mariners appeared drained after seeing their postseason hopes dashed in that extra-innings loss to the As. Hernandez (11-8) was lifted after the third inning and Guillermo Heredias two-run double in the fifth amounted to all of Seattles offense and the only real threat against Oakland starter Sean Manaea.Hernandez said he nearly left Saturday nights loss early to get prepared for Sundays finale but couldnt pull himself away from Seattles comeback effort that fell short. He was the last one to leave the dugout after watching Seattles postseason hopes crumble for another year.He wasnt the only one feeling the emotional letdown.Last night and the run that weve been on took a lot out of everybody physically and emotionally, Servais said.Hernandez closed out of the most inconsistent season of his career with a brief appearance. He was solid early in the season, but a strained calf muscle that landed him on the disabled list for nearly two months derailed finding a groove. He also fought mechanical issues and finished with a 3.82 ERA, his highest since 2007 when he was 21 and in his second full season.Hernandez lost his final three decisions of the season.I was disappointed for sure. Im the guy that always likes to throw 200 innings and pitch the most games that I can and get the most strikeouts that I can, Hernandez said. It happens. I just have to forget about this and get ready for next year.Hernandez said he intends on playing in the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela and may pick up a game or two of winter ball to help get ready for the year.Im going to go out there and show everybody that dont believe in me that Im going to be King Felix, Hernandez said.Stephen Vogt hit his 14th home run in the first inning on the only pitch that he saw from Hernandez, driving it just beyond the left-field wall. Vogt was lifted for a pinch-hitter in his next at-bat. Marcus Semien and Eric Pinder added RBI singles as Oakland made the three early runs stand up.NEAR MISSThe Mariners were in contention for the second wild card in the American League thanks to a 16-6 stretch. But hopes of playoff baseball returning to the Pacific Northwest for the first time in 15 years ended when Seattle lost 9-8 in 10 innings on Saturday.It was the second time in three years the Mariners went into the final weekend with a shot at the postseason only to fall just short.Seattle made a 10-game improvement from 2015 in Scott Servais first year as a manager at any level of baseball. Seattle was buoyed by huge years from Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager, who combined to hit 112 home runs and drive in 307 runs in the middle of the order.FINAL IMPRESSIONManaea (7-9) threw seven innings, allowing five hits and striking out five. Since coming off the disabled list in mid-September, Manaea allowed three runs in 24 innings, striking out 20 and allowing 15 hits.Oakland finished at 69-93, a one-game improvement over a year ago.UP NEXTAthletics: Oakland opens the 2017 season on April 3 at home against the Los Angeles Angels.Mariners: Seattle opens the 2017 season on April 3 at Houston. Patrick Ewing Jersey . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Slick Watts Jersey . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. https://www.cheapthunder.com/321h-david-...ey-thunder.html . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Peter Jok scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half and Iowa cruised to a 95-67 win over Texas Rio Grande Valley on Sunday.Tyler Cook scored 15 points and Isaiah Moss had a career-high 14 for the Hawkeyes (3-1), who shot 51 percent from the field and scored 41 points off 26 Vaqueros turnovers.Iowa went on a 26-7 run in the middle of the game to pull away from UTRGV -- including a faster start to the second half that coach Fran McCaffery has wanted from his young team.McCaffery watched his Hawkeyes turn a two-point halftime lead into a 53-47 deficit in Thursdays loss against Seton Hall -- an eight-point swing in 4 1/2 minutes. On Sunday, Iowa pushed a 46-33 lead at the break to 20 points in just a few minutes.Im really proud of how aggressively our team came out during the second half and executed, said forward Nicholas Baer, who had eight points and seven rebounds. I think thats something weve been struggling with.Jok, Iowas top scorer and lone returning starter from last season, left a few minutes into the second half after a knee-to-knee collision with a defender during a drive to the rim.Jok -- who 9-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 3-pointers, in 19 minutes -- stayed in to shoot his two free throws, but didnt play after that as a precaution. Jok wanted to go back in the game to test his knee, but McCaffery wasnt having it.The last thing I wanted to do was put him back in there and have something happen to him, McCaffery said.Antonio Green scored 17 points to lead UTRGV (0-4), which out-rebounded Iowa 43-38.Iowas Brady Ellingson scored 11 points.BIG PICTUREIowa:: The Hawkeyes needed this pick-me-up after Thursdays tough loss to Seton Hall. Danny Vranes Jersey. Iowa still struggled from the foul line, hitting 20 of 30 attempts. Its an area the Hawkeyes need to clean up as the competition stiffens.UTRGV: The winless Vaqueros have struggled to find consistent offense this season. Turnovers are a big reason why. UTRGV has averaged 24.3 turnovers in its last three games, including a season-high tying 26 against the Hawkeyes.HIGHLIGHT REELCook, a freshman, continues to show off his athleticism and leaping ability, finishing four big dunks in the first half.During one stretch late in the half, Dom Uhl drove the lane and tossed an alley-oop to Cook for the two-handed slam. Less than a minute later, Christian Williams passed back to Cook in transition for an easy, wide-open dunk.INJURIESIowas Dale Jones did not play after suffering a fractured wrist in Thursdays game against Seton Hall. The backup forward is expected to miss 8-9 weeks.Jones, a senior co-captain who transferred to Iowa from junior college in 2015, played in only six games last year before a knee injury ended his season. He was expected to add depth to the teams frontcourt rotation this season.UP NEXTIowa faces a huge challenge in No. 8 Virginia on Friday in the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida. The Hawkeyes will play either Providence or Memphis on Saturday to wrap up the tournament.UTRGV goes for its first win of the season against Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday. ' ' '