The Blue Jays had some pressing needs in the off-season, including two starting pitchers and possibly a second baseman. Xavier Ouellet Jersey . They decided to put their faith in Ryan Goins at second and either through budgetary constraints or trades that fell through were unable to get the needed arms. Still youve got to give Alex Anthopoulos credit for some of his bargain basement pick-ups that have shored up the Jays in a couple of areas. Lets start with Juan Francisco, who was picked up on waivers from Milwaukee in April. Though not nearly the third baseman Brett Lawrie is, his presence and bat have allowed skipper John Gibbons to shift Lawrie to second, at least for the short term, to give the Jays a stronger all-round lineup. Francisco is hitting .292 and is nearly halfway to his career high of 18 homers of last season. Hes slugged eight so far with 19 runs batted in. Hes also insurance at 1B and DH if Adam Linds back acts up again. Steve Tolleson was signed as a free agent back in December to provide some middle infield depth. On the days, Lawrie is at third (mainly against lefties), Tolleson has done a solid job at second, and even showed a flare for pitching in that 15-4 blow-out loss to Cleveland last week. His presence also allows for more developement time for Goins in Buffalo. Dioner Navarro has been a big upgrade behind the plate over J.P. Arencibia and has developed a great chemistry with lefty Mark Buehrle, whos off to the best start of his career at 7-1 with a 2.11 ERA. Navarro, who was signed as a free agent in December, has also knocked in 17 runs. Erik Kratz, who shares the back-up catching role at least for now with Josh Thole, helped guide Drew Hutchison through the best start of his career Friday night at Arlington in a complete game 2-0 victory over the Rangers. Kratz, who came over from the Phillies along with reliever Rob Rasmussen for reliever Brad Lincoln, keyed a two-run rally against Texas with a bunt single. Hes also shown a little pop in his limited role with two home runs. Another bargain pick-up who might have an impact is 25-year-old Australian-born righthander Liam Hendriks. With Marcus Stroman returning to Buffalo to hone his abilities as a starter, Hendriks is the odds-on favourite to be called up and fill the vacant spot in the rotation on Saturday against Oakland. Hendriks, who went 2-13 with a 6.10 ERA in brief stints with Minnesota, went through a whirlwind two months in the off-season. He was claimed by the Cubs from Minnesota, then by the Orioles and finally in February, the Blue Jays picked him on waivers. He has been off the charts good with the Bisons, going 5-0 with a league-leading 1.48 ERA. Hes also walked just three batters in just over 48 innings. Hes also pitched into the seventh inning three times in his seven starts. So as disappointing as the Blue Jays off-season was in terms of a lack of big-name pick-ups, it clearly wasnt a total loss. Update From The Minors The immortal Cy Young pitched well into his 40s and when he ultimately retired, he said it was nothing to do with his arm. He said he had plenty of pitches left. It was his legs that wouldnt take the rigors of pitching anymore. The same thing may be happening with the beleaguered Ricky Romero, who had stem cells injected into both of his knees back in October. But he told the Buffalo News he still has good days and bad days with his knees and, although he wasnt making excuses, that might explain why his control is getting worse instead of better. On Friday, Romero walked a Bisons franchise record of nine in just two-2/3rds innings in what became a 4-1 loss to Gwinnett at Buffalos Coca Cola Field. In his last four starts, Ricky has walked 24 batters. Hes leaving the team for a few days to go back to California for his younger brothers college graduation at Long Beach State. Hes hoping to rejoin the Bisons this weekend in Louisville, but hoping to is the operative phrase. Anthopoulos told the Buffalo News that numerous options are being concidered, including sending Ricky to Double A New Hampshire, or maybe even extended spring training in Dunedin, or possibly even putting him on the disabled list to deal with his knee issues. Kyle Drabek hasnt exactly turned it around at Buffalo, either. He also pitched in that doubleheader on Friday ande didnt walk anyone, but gave up eight runs, six earned on 11 hits in five innings in a 9-3 loss in the second game of the twinbill. Lefty Sean Nolin, who pitched briefly with the Blue Jays last season, might have been a call-up candidate, but hes on the disabled list with a groin strain retroactive to May 14th. Not Missing a Beat You might have thought the Tigers might stumble a bit this season in the wake of the retirement of skipper Jim Leyland and the Prince Fielder trade to Texas. Not at all. Theyve won six in a row and have the largest division lead in the Majors at 6.5 games over Kansas City. They just finished sweeping a three-game series at Fenway and havent missed a beat under new skipper Brad Ausmus. Ian Kinsler, who came over from Texas in the Fielder trade, is doing a stellar job out of the lead-off spot and is hitting .315. He went 4-for-5 Sunday against Boston. An unsung hero for Detroit is suddenly heathy as DH Victor Martinez is hitting .331 with 10 homers and 25 runs batted in. Hes hitting clean-up right behind Miguel Cabrera and helping Detroit to the best road record in the Majors. All About Timing The Blue Jays might be hitting Boston Tuesday at just the right time. The defending World Series champions have dropped four in a row and have fallen to 20-23, fourth in the AL East, two games back of the Blue Jays. An odd stat, no team in the American League East has a winning record at home, heading into Week 8 of the season. The first-place Yankees have the best mark and they are only 11-11. To take that a little farther, only two teams in the other two divisions have losing records at home: Seattle and Houston. Miami has the strangest home/road splits. They have a Major League best 17-5 record at home, and a Major League worst 6-17 record on the road, for a total record of 23-22, the same as the Blue Jays. Doug Harvey Jersey . The Pope greeted Klose at his general audience Wednesday and the pair had a long chat. Klose is German like the pope, although he was born in Poland. In Sundays derby, Lazio took the lead in the seventh minute after Maarten Stekelenburg brought down Klose, resulting in the Roma goalkeeper being sent off and a penalty that Hernanes converted. Max Domi Jersey . - Skiing far more aggressively than in her season debut a day earlier, Lindsey Vonn was in provisional 10th place after the first 45 skiers in a World Cup downhill on Saturday. http://www.officialcanadiensfanstore.com/authentic-noah-juulsen-canadiens-jersey/ .5 million, two-year contract that runs through 2015. Venable, the son of former big leaguer Max Venable, will make $4.TORONTO - R.A. Dickey learned many things in his first season with the Blue Jays, not the least of which is managing his own expectations, those of an organization which acquired him by trading promising youth and those of a fan base aware of that price and starved for a winner. "I won a Cy Young last year and I did not live up to what that year was last year," said Dickey. "So I have to do a good job, myself, of not putting so much pressure on myself. Its going to come. There was a big trade made, a lot of pieces were given up for me so theres an expectation that comes with that. I take that very seriously. I have to do a good job of making sure that I hold it in the right perspective as well." Dickey finishes 2013 with a 14-13 record, the second-highest win total of his career. His ERA of 4.21 is the highest since he became a full-time starting pitcher three years ago. Dickey pitched 224 2/3 innings, which will lead the club. He struck out 7.1 hitters per nine innings and walked 2.8 hitters per nine innings - averages that regressed from his Cy Young season with the Mets. "A snapshot of the season, for me, is a tad above average," said Dickey. "I ended up with but 14 wins and if thats a down year then Ill take a down year from time to time. I have a lot to improve upon and feel like Ive done a pretty good job of growing over the season as far as trying to identify what can make me better for next season. Ive got a lot of stuff written down. (Pitching coach) Pete (Walker) and I have got a list going and Im very optimistic about next year." Despite a comfortably seasonal night in Toronto, the roof was closed for Dickeys final start. The knuckleballer denied having direct involvement in the decision to have the game played indoors but its been clear, for a while, that both Dickey and the club are looking for ways to maximize the conditions for his special pitch. Make no mistake, its not an excuse, the knuckleball is affected by climate – specifically humidity – and wind. Dickeys Rogers Centre splits look like this: Roof closed – 5-2, 3.58 ERA, seven home runs allowed; Roof open – 3-4, 5.73 ERA, 17 home runs allowed. Bottom line, Dickey gives up more than two extra runs per start when the roof is rolled back. Each of Dickeys 10 starts at home between May 4 and August 11 was outdoors. "In truth, I need to be to pitch well no matter what the rooof is," said Dickey. David Schlemko Jersey. "It at least gives us a good sample size to be able to see, if we do have a day thats marginal, we can make a decision based on what the statistics show us." Dickey faced his share of adversity this season. He pitched through neck and upper back pain for most of the first three months of the season, an injury he described on Saturday as a torn rhomboid muscle. While he pitched through the discomfort, he was robbed of the ability to throw his high-velocity knuckleball. Complicating matters further, Dickey was tipping his fastball early in the season, which allowed hitters to sit on the pitch. After identifying the problem on video, he quickly corrected it. Dickey is pleased with the decrease in his walks total from about mid-June. He hasnt issued more than three free passes in a game since June 15. He blames the neck injury, in part, for an early season lack of control. "I remember having a conversation with you guys earlier in the year that it was a struggle to take speed off of it like I needed to to be able to pitch and throw strikes like Im used to throwing," he said. Dickey credits Josh Thole, who was recalled from Buffalo after Henry Blanco was designated for assignment in mid-June, with being a calming influence on him. Cynical and jaded Blue Jays fans, who view the season through a lens of frustration and disappointment, may not want to hear Dickey preach hope for 2014 so soon. The scars of this year havent healed yet. But Dickey is resolute in his confidence, both in himself and in the team, as he looks ahead to spring training in February. "Ive learned an awful lot having come from the NL East to the AL East and been able to identify the guys that I need to mix in my sequences a little better and work on that on the side," said Dickey. "Ive paid attention to who hits me well and who doesnt and what I need to do from a pitching standpoint to give myself the best chance to win. "Weve played a year together," Dickey said of the team. "Thats a big deal, guys. Like having all these pieces come into the fold at once that havent played together. Weve played together for a year now. Now we know what to expect out of each other. We know how to challenge each other. We know a little bit more about how to hold each other accountable. All of those things are very important on a team as you well know." cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '