Sonstiges » o starts ago, the well-traveled Jackson, 33, m

TORONTO -- Aaron Sanchez was supposed to be in the Blue Jays bullpen by now. Instead, the All-Star right-hander will start against the Texas Rangers on Sunday night, hoping to pitch Toronto into the AL Championship Series.When the 24-year-old Sanchez cracked Torontos starting rotation after a solid performance in spring training, the team said it planned to move him to a relief role at some point to limit his workload. The thinking was a full season of starting would be too much for a pitcher whose previous career high was 133 1/3 innings, reached at three levels in 2014.We were all set that he was going to eventually end up in the bullpen, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said as both teams worked out Saturday for Game 3 of the AL Division Series. That was the plan in spring training.Those plans went out the window as Sanchez pitched like an ace, earned an All-Star berth, and led the AL with a 3.00 ERA.We thought it would be crazy to take him out of that role, Gibbons said. Hes been so good, one of the best pitchers in baseball.Sanchez got extra rest between starts over the final two months, even spending 10 days in the minor leagues, in order to stay fresh. Toronto also acquired left-hander Francisco Liriano at the trade deadline and briefly used a six-man rotation to spread the work out even more.Neither the extended rest, nor the 10 days he spent at Class A Dunedin, were any kind of issue to Sanchez.I knew we had something special with this club and I wanted to be a part of it, he said. To be here to pitch in a game like (Game 3), Im just blessed with the opportunity to go out there and compete.Sanchez hasnt pitched since allowing one run in seven innings to beat Boston on the final day of the regular season, a victory that ensured Toronto would host the AL wild-card game.Sanchez made one start against the Rangers this season, and it want his best. He allowed six earned runs, matching a season worst, and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 7-6 loss on May 15. That game also featured a brawl between Rangers infielder Rougned Odor and Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, an incident that happened after Sanchez had already left the game.With Texas facing elimination after losing the first two games at home, Sanchez presents a tough test in an even tougher situation. Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said the key is to stay aggressive at the plate.Hes a power pitcher and we know hes going to try and establish himself and his pitch early, Andrus said. Dont let him get comfortable. When you face guys like him, the last thing you want is them to feel comfortable on the mound.Right-hander Colby Lewis, who is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA in nine career postseason games, will start for the Rangers.He can definitely be our stopper, Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said.Texas has not been swept in a playoff series since back-to-back ALDS losses to the New York Yankees in 1998 and 1999. Dating to 2015, the Rangers have lost five straight postseason games, all to Toronto.Theres no panic in this club, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.Liriano, who has made two relief appearances this postseason, sustained a concussion when he was struck in the back of the head by Carlos Gomezs line drive in Torontos 5-3 win in Game 2 on Friday.Trainer George Poulis said Liriano felt good after undergoing tests Saturday but said there is no timetable for Lirianos return.The symptoms were very good, Poulis said. Were going to examine him each day and just go from there.Players who sustain a concussion must be cleared by Major League Baseball before returning.Liriano and Gomez were teammates in Minnesota and remain good friends. Gomez said he spoke to Liriano on the phone Friday night and was relieved to hear his friend was not seriously hurt.I slept better knowing he didnt have any problems, Gomez said, adding that he and Liriano had discussed going for dinner together on Saturday night.So, did Gomez plan on picking up the check after nailing his pal in the head?Were both rich, so it doesnt matter, he joked.Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis, who was scratched from Game 2 with a sore right knee, had an MRI Saturday morning. He is day-to-day with a bone bruise but has no structural damage, Poulis said. Gary Payton Jersey . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. Detlef Schrempf Jersey .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. https://www.cheapthunder.com/901h-paul-westphal-jersey-thunder.html .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Xavier McDaniel Jersey . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Mark Radford Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies will try to build on their walk-off win Friday night and clinch their series with the San Diego Padres on Saturday.The Rockies scored three runs in the ninth inning against Padres closer Brandon Maurer for an 8-7 victory. The winning hit was a pinch-single off the center-field wall by Daniel Descalso.The veteran infielders playing time has increased dramatically in the wake of shortstop Trevor Storys season-ending thumb injury on July 30. Descalso, who turns 30 next month, is in the final season of a two-year, $3.6 million contract after four full seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals.With St. Louis, Descalso played in 44 postseason games -- 25 more than the Rockies in their history -- including nine World Series games.Hes a winning player, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. Thats why we brought him in. One of the few guys in (the clubhouse) thats played in World Series.Descalso hit just .205 with a .607 OPS in 101 games and 185 at-bats last year. But this season, he has made 55 starts and has 206 at-bats in 85 games and is hitting .272 with an .820 OPS. With runners in scoring position this season, Descalso is hitting .415 (22-for-53) with 32 RBI.Descalso said he spent time in the offseason studying the swings of several players, including Josh Donaldson, the reigning Most Valuable Player in the American League, Mookie Betts and former Cardinals teammate Matt Carpenter, and talking with former Cardinals teammate Jon Jay, now a member of the Padres.I just found a swing that I can repeat and that I feel confident in, said Descalso, whose swing is more rhythmic because he begins it after some motion with his hands that he lacked last year. It has just allowed me to simplify my at-bats and just worry about getting good pitches to hit and putting good swings on it instead of worrying about whats wrong with my swing and my timing. Its just put me in a simpler mind set and simpler approach.Jon Gray, who is 9-8 with a 4.69 ERA, will start for the Rockies. He lost his last start on Sept. 10 in San Diego, giving up six runs (five earned) in four innings.Weiss said after that outing, Gray and pitching coach Steve Foster and bullpen coach Darren Holmes worked on some minor mechanical things.ddddddddddddOts more about timing issues over the rubber, Weiss said. Thats one of the things Jon has to really be in tune with. That affects his slider. When he doesnt have his slider, it makes it tough for him.His sliders a wipeout pitch, but its been inconsistent at times this year. When he has that pitch, everything else kind of falls in place for him and he can be dominant. So, hopefully, we got that rectified.Gray is 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA in four starts against the Padres this year, including a June outing at Coors Field where he allowed three runs (one earned) in seven innings. Gray is 6-2 with a 4.82 ERA in 13 starts at Coors Field this season.Edwin Jackson will start for the Padres. Hes 4-5 with a 5.32 ERA in 18 games, including 10 starts.Two starts ago, the well-traveled Jackson, 33, made a mechanical adjustment to the end of his delivery. He then worked seven scoreless innings against Boston on Sept. 5, striking out 11, the most by a Padres pitcher this season, and allowing four hits and two walks while getting the victory in San Diegos 2-1 win.On Sept. 11, Jackson allowed two runs in six innings against the Rockies but wasnt involved in the decision as the Padres lost 3-2 in 10 innings.Padres first baseman Wil Myers hit his 25th homer on Friday, a two-run shot in the first inning. Myers joined Mike Trout as the only major leaguers with at least 25 doubles, 25 homers and 25 stolen bases this year. Myers, who has 26 doubles and 25 stolen bases, is the first Padres first baseman to reach those three milestones.Its something thats definitely pretty cool, Myers said. I definitely didnt have that goal in mind when I started the season. But as I learned more about stealing bases, it kind of became one.Myers also became the third first baseman in major league history to have 25 or more doubles, homers and stolen bases in a season. Jeff Bagwell and Joe Carter are the others. ' ' '