Sonstiges » ago, after the roster was complete

TORONTO -- With one big inning and another strong start from J.A. Happ, the Blue Jays moved into the AL East lead.Happ won his eighth straight decision, Devon Travis homered and Toronto used a seven-run fifth to beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-1 Saturday, taking sole possession of first place for the first time since early April.Theres still a lot of baseball left, but I feel were starting to play good ball, Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin said.Toronto, which won for the 16th time in 22 games, had not been alone atop its division since a 2-0 start. The Blue Jays have scored seven or more runs in an inning three times this season.Kevin Pillar had two hits and drove in four runs to match his career high. Major league RBI leader Edwin Encarnacion drove in his 89th run.Pedro Alvarez hit a solo homer for the Orioles, who matched a season-high by losing their fifth straight and fell a half-game behind the Blue Jays.Obviously, were not playing the way were capable of right now, Baltimore pitcher Yovani Gallardo said.Happ (14-3) allowed one run and three hits in seven-plus innings.He hit his spots pretty well today, Baltimores Mark Trumbo said. There wont a whole lot to hit.Happ walked three and matched his season-high with 11 strikeouts in what manager John Gibbons called a dominating outing. Happ struck out a career-high 12 against Baltimore on Aug. 7, 2014.He was on today, Martin said. His fastball was just exploding toward the plate.Josh Donaldson had two singles and walked twice before being replaced by pinch-runner Darwin Barney in the eighth. Gibbons said Donaldson had tightness in his hamstring.We dont think its a big deal, Gibbons said.Alvarez connected on an 0-2 pitch with two out in the second, his 13th.Travis tied it with a line-drive homer off Gallardo (3-3) in the fifth. Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson walked, Encarnacion hit an RBI double and Michael Saunders was intentionally walked.I just wasnt able to get ahead of guys like I was doing early in the game, Gallardo said.Mychal Givens walked Troy Tulowitzki, then gave up two-run doubles to Russell Martin and Kevin Pillar.Showalter said Givens had a flat breaking ball.Theyre a good offensive team, they make you pay for mistakes, Showalter said.Gallardo (3-3) lost for the first time in five career meetings with the Blue Jays, including the opener of last years AL Division Series. He allowed five runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings.Baltimore chased Happ in the eighth and loaded the bases against Joe Biagini with no outs but couldnt score. Jonathan Schoop grounded into a fielders choice, Manny Machado flied out and Brett Cecil came on to strike out Chris Davis.We know were going to have to score more than one but Happ didnt make that possible, Showalter said.TAKE THAT, BAT!Torontos Melvin Upton Jr. broke his bat over a thigh after striking out in the fifth.MOVING MONEYToronto agreed to pay $325,137 to Seattle as part of Tuesdays trade that sent RHP Drew Storen to the Mariners for RHP Joaquin Benoit.CROOKED NUMBERSTorontos biggest inning of the season was an eight-run sixth in a 17-1 win over Cleveland on July 3.UP NEXTRHP Chris Tillman (14-3), Baltimores scheduled starter Sunday, allowed six runs and nine hits in five innings in a 6-3 loss to Colorado in his last outing. Toronto RHP Aaron Sanchez (11-1) has won his past 10 decisions. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap Authentic NFL Jerseys . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. http://www.wholesalejerseysforcheapchina.com/ . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. Jerseys NFL Wholesale . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Cheap NFL Jerseys . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. TORONTO -- It was only 10 months ago when people were openly questioning?Sidney Crosbys status as the best player in the NHL.A slow start to last season opened the door for a narrative that now seems so ridiculous -- that at 28 years old, perhaps the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar had begun his descent from owning the sport.Hockeys a young mans game, the refrain went, and perhaps he has passed his peak.Or perhaps not.I think people can put that all to rest, Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky said with a hearty laugh Sunday morning. Hes proven over and over that hes the best player in the game today. And it seems like the more important the game, the more impact that he makes on a game. Hes a tremendous player, and great leaders are the guys who come through in the clutch -- and he comes through in the clutch quite a bit.Fresh off owning the Stanley Cup playoffs and picking up the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, Crosby -- who turned 29 last month -- went to work Saturday night in Canadas World Cup opener and absolutely willed the Czech Republic into submission with a three-point, plus-4 performance that was as impactful at both ends of the ice.Hes an unbelievable player. Hes a world-class player for a reason, said Team Canada netminder Carey Price after the 6-0 crush job of the Czechs. He plays the game hard. He plays the game with a lot of pride. Thats the type of player that if youre a young kid watching how to play hockey, thats the way you do it. Thats all I have to say about that.Everyone will remember his play leading to three goals on this night, including his beauty of a bank shot to open the scoring. But for me, his first-period back check -- in which Crosby thwarted a Czech breakaway -- was just as memorable.That back check he had. ... For me, that was his best play of the night, which is pretty crazy because he made so many great plays, Team Canada forward Matt Duchene said Sunday. Hes not a guy who wins Selke Trophies, but he easily could be. I think that part of his game kind of goes under the radar.Just three months ago, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks were slashing and cross-checking away on No. 87 in a Cup finals that went Crosbys way in six games.On Saturday night, Crosby set up both Thornton and Burns for goals, and his backhand pass across to Jumbo Joe was absolutely sick.He was great. He was a leader, Burns said of Crosby after the game. Hes the best player in the world and he dominated tonight. That line was great, they were buzzing, they were working. Not just offensively, but defensively too. I mean, you have to do that to be the best in the world and thats why he is.Crosbys three-point output in the opener matched his entire production in six games during the Olympics in Sochi.Well, lets not get carried away.dddddddddddd He was a star in Sochi. He was a star in Vancouver, said Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock after Saturdays win. What you saw tonight, though, is that he got points. I mean, everyone likes to get points.Canada had a whole different approach on the bigger ice in Sochi, where it focused on a defensive philosophy that was meant to keep the puck away from its opponents and play a low-risk game. Crosby was just as effective doing that too, which is what Babcock is saying when referencing that a player cant just be judged on offensive contributions.That two-way, monster game is also why Crosby deservedly won the Conn Smythe this past spring.Because of that very short summer and the intense minutes he played on the way to winning his second Cup that one wondered perhaps if fatigue would be a factor for Crosby at the World Cup. Instead, its as if he just kept his season going from June, and Saturday night was Game No. 25 of his postseason.I feel good, said Crosby. The fact that I played late into June and then stepped into this level, I think that helps kind of with adjusting. I think finding chemistry with us as a line really has helped. But with our team weve got so much speed, so much depth, that if we get things rolling everyone kind of helps each other.His line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand has been a thing of beauty since the first day of camp. Babcock decided months?ago, after the roster was completed, that he would put those three together.That old storyline from back-to-back Olympics -- of Babcock struggling to find linemates for Crosby -- appears to be a thing of the past. The line has looked unreal.I think the chemistry clicked right away, the three of us from day one, said Bergeron. Im just trying to read off what hes going to do, and hes usually always a step ahead of everyone, so its about reading that, and making sure Im in position to help him.For Crosby, this is a chance to add one more title to a trophy cabinet busting out. Theres still lots of hockey to be played, but a World Cup of Hockey championship would fit in nicely with his world junior gold, mens world championship gold, Olympic gold and Stanley Cup titles. The final check mark, if you will.And about that slu