PITTSBURGH -- At 40 years old and 16 seasons into his major league career, Bartolo Colon thinks hes having a career season. On Monday night, Coco Crisps speed helped preserve another win for Colon. Colon allowed one run over seven innings to outduel Jeff Locke as the Oakland Athletics won for the ninth time in their past 12 games, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 in a matchup of All-Star starters. Colon (12-3) moved into a tie for second in the majors in victories, and has the second-most wins by a 40-year-old in As history. He allowed seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts. The final pitch Colon threw Monday resulted in Crisp making a diving catch to preserve Oaklands lead. Crisp ran to his right to track down a hard-hit sinking liner headed for the left-centerfield gap from Andrew McCutchen with two men on and two outs. "The game was decided right there, to tell you the truth," said As manager Bob Melvin, who called the catch "the play of the year." Said Colon, through a translator: "I said, three times, Thank you, when we got back to the dugout." Colon shook off a tough-luck 3-1 defeat in his previous start to win for the ninth time in his last 10 outings. "Ive never pitched better than this year," said Colon, the 2005 AL Cy Young winner. "This has been my best season." Locke (8-2) had a personal eight-game winning streak snapped, losing for the first time since his first start of the season April 10. He allowed three hits and three walks in seven innings. "I wouldnt change anything about it," said Locke, selected as an All-Star over the weekend. "Everything I did, Id take it out there the next start." Except, perhaps, a walk of Derek Norris with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh that gave the As a 2-0 lead. The Pirates got runners on second and third with two outs against Ryan Cook in the eighth, but Clint Barmes lined out to left. Grant Balfour remained perfect in 23 save opportunities when he worked a flawless ninth. Jed Lowrie had two of Oaklands three hits and one of its runs. The As (53-37) improved to a season-high 16 games over .500 and held on to first place in the American League West. Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez and Barmes each had two hits for the Pirates (53-35), who have lost five of seven to lose their grip on the majors best record -- and on first place in the NL Central. They trail the St. Louis Cardinals by a half-game. Locke faced one more than the minimum through six innings. Oaklands first run came on Josh Donaldsons sacrifice fly in the fourth. Lowrie had the Athletics first hit of the game, a double off the wall in right-centre. He advanced to third on a wild pitch -- catcher Russell Martins throw beat him, but Alvarezs tag swiped through too early. "Theres nothing I can do there," Alvarez said. "Try to tag him and run into it. Its just, that happens 100 times and 99 out of 100 times Ill tag him, you know? Just one of those plays." The Pirates only run came in the bottom of the inning when Barmes scored on a two-out infield single by Tabata. McCutchen -- an All-Star selection who earlier extended his hitting streak to 10 games -- came up and hit the ball hard into the gap, but Crisp thwarted Pittsburghs chance to tie or take the lead. "Right when I hit it, I knew he was going to catch it," McCutchen said. "Its Coco Crisp and hes fast. I told myself, Im catching that ball too, if Im out there playing. "Off the bat, I knew there was a chance it would fall but there was more of a chance he was going to catch it." NOTES: Oakland is 10-0 all-time against Pittsburgh -- the only team in the majors to have never lost to another team in the majors. ... Pirates 2B Neil Walker sat out his second consecutive game since leaving Saturdays game because of discomfort in his right side. He worked out during batting practice. ... Before the game, the As recalled 2B Grant Green from Triple-A Sacramento. The 2009 first-round pick went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in his major league debut. Oakland designated INF Adam Rosales for assignment. Melvin said Green will regularly be in the lineup. ... Rookie right-handers will face each other during the middle game of the series Tuesday: The Pirates Gerrit Cole (4-1, 3.94) against the As Dan Straily (5-2, 4.52). Straily is 2-0 with an 0.69 ERA and .119 opponents batting average in interleague play this season; Cole won each of his first four starts until losing a 6-4 decision to Philadelphia in his most recent outing Thursday. Vapormax Flyknit Saldi . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Vapormax Flyknit 3 Bianche . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. http://www.scarpevapormaxscontate.it/vapormax-off-white-italia.html . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. Vapormax In Offerta . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Vapormax Flyknit Scontate . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury.Roberto Martinez insists Everton will not allow any of their players to leave before the end of the season. The Goodison Park boss is desperate to retain the squad which has climbed the Premier League table in recent weeks and is pressing for a place in Europe next season. Speculation has been rife over the futures of goalkeeper Tim Howard, 36, and 33-year-old defender Phil Jagielka, with the latter linked with a move to the Chinese Premier League. But speaking at the news briefing ahead of Saturdays home game against West Brom, Martinez said: Another of those rumours. Im sure someone somewhere has come up with a story and people have been following that up, nothing else. I can guarantee nobody is going to leave before the end of the season unless it is going to be a loan move to the Championship. Roberto Martinez We are not in a situation to lose players. Phil is our club captain and has been at a really good level. There is no substance whatsoever in that story. However, Martinez has refused to rule out sending some of his fringe players out on loan to the Championship.At the moment, the only thing we are concentrating on is where we are after the January window, Martinez said. Martinez keen to see Oumar Niasse in action at Goodison We have bought two young players, one is Shani Tarashaj and he has gone back to Grasshoppers, the other is Matty Foulds and he has settled very well into the U21s. Theen the outstanding capture of Oumar Niasse was a fantastic way of finishing the window.ddddddddddddNow I can guarantee nobody is going to leave before the end of the season unless it is going to be a loan move to the Championship, if we feel a player needs a bit of playing time.Any speculation is a waste of time. At the end of the season there is a different window and a different situation. At the moment there is nothing to take focus away from wanting to win games. We need as many points as we can.