Blue Jays show no mercy in sweeping Red Sox

As his winless streak stretched toward a third month and his earned-run average continued to climb, Mark Buehrle began to have doubts.

At 36, was he at the end of what had been a steady major-league career? Would he eventually snap out of the slump and contribute to Toronto's surge in the American League East? Would he ever even win another game?

"I guess the older you get, you get a little bit concerned," he said after earning his first victory in 10 starts since June 1, beating the Boston Red Sox 6-1 on Wednesday night.

"I didn't pitch good and I didn't want anyone giving up on me. ... There's a thought in the back of your mind: 'Am I done? Maybe it's just myself thinking and driving myself crazy.' But it definitely feels good [to win]."

Buehrle (11-7) allowed one run on six hits and a walk, striking out two in 6 2/3 innings to snap a six-game losing streak that matched the longest of his MLB career. Dioner Navarro had three hits and three runs batted in to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to their fifth consecutive victory and complete a sweep of the slumping Red Sox.

Toronto has won eight of its last nine and trails first-place Baltimore by 2 1/2 games. And they finally got a contribution from Buehrle, who had won nine in a row to improve to 10-1 before falling into his skid just four wins short of 200 in his career.

"That 11th win was tough to get," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He needed that.

"I don't care how good he's been, how long he's been in the game."

Brandon Workman (1-4) fell behind quickly after being called up from triple-A to replace trade bait Jon Lester. Lester was originally scheduled to start for Boston, but he was scratched while his name is bandied about ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

As the Red Sox went down in the ninth, fans remaining from the sellout crowd chanted, "Jonny Lester!" Red Sox manager John Farrell said Lester — and the rest of the team — heard it in the dugout

"We were well aware of it and wouldn't expect anything less from this fan base that's fully behind us when we're doing good or bad," Farrell said, adding that he had no update on the trade talks.

Workman said the team called him at about 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday to let him know he would be starting.

"I had heard it might happen with all the rumours and stuff," he said, adding that it was a bit of a strange night, "but I kept my mind on throwing."

The game marked a milestone in Boston's woeful World Series title defence, coming a day before the trade deadline and in the middle of a streak in which the Red Sox have lost eight of nine games, fallen into last place and dropped 13 games behind the AL East-leading Orioles.

After shipping Jake Peavy to San Francisco on Saturday, the Red Sox sent demoted starter Felix Doubront to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Lester, who is due to be a free agent, could follow him; so could John Lackey, who is scheduled to make the minimum next season.

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Trainer's room

Red Sox: Mike Napoli was back in the lineup at designated hitter after sitting out on Tuesday night with a swollen ring finger on his left hand. David Ortiz got the night off.

Blue Jays: Infielder Brett Lawrie, on the disabled list since late June with a broken right index finger, could start rehab games this weekend.

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On deck

Red Sox: Off Thursday before opening a three-game series with the Yankees. By the time New York gets to town, Boston could be without four-fifths of the starting rotation it started the season with.

Blue Jays: Open a four-game series in Houston, with Drew Hutchinson (7-9) facing Jarred Cosart (9-7).

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Kicking it around

The Blue Jays scored three unearned runs in the fifth inning, thanks to errors by Workman and third baseman Xander Bogaerts.

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Stinky sequel

The Red Sox could be just the third team in the World Series era to finish last the following season, according to baseballreference.com. The 2012 San Francisco Giants fell to fifth place in the National League West last year and the only other team to plummet so far so quickly was the 1998 Florida Marlins, who sold off their best starters after winning it all in 1997.

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Red Sox trade Lester to Athletics: reports

The Boston Red Sox have traded ace right-hander Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes to the Oakland Athletics for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, according to reports.

Lester, who can become a free agent at the end of the season, had been the subject of trade rumours leading up to Thursday's 4 p.m. ET deadline to deal players without having to pass them through waivers.

With Boston fading from post-season contention, he was pulled from his scheduled start Wednesday night against Toronto.

Lester, 30, was Boston's only All-Star this year. He's 10-7 with a 2.52 ERA and is striking out more than a batter an inning for the first time since 2010.

He joins a stellar Oakland rotation that includes All-Stars Scott Kazmir and Jeff Samardzija, who was acquired from the Cubs earlier this year, and ascending youngster Sonny Gray.

The A's gave up a fine power hitter in Cespedes, a 28-year-old Cuban who's in his third big-league season. He hit 49 homers over his first two campaigns and has another 17 this year. Cespedes's career on-base percentage (.318) is not great, but his contract is reasonable: he's in the third year of a four-year, $36-million US contract.

Gomes was a useful part on Boston's World Series-winning team a year ago but is just a .244 career hitter.

With a surplus of arms on their hands, the A's reportedly traded lefty starter Tommy Millone to Minnesota for outfielder Sam Fuld.

Millone had asked to be moved after being sent to the minors following Oakland's acquisition of Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Cubs.

In 16 big-league starts this year, Millone is 6-3 with a 3.55 ERA.

Fuld has a strong .370 on-base percentage in 195 plate appearances.

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Jays eye sweep in Boston as Lester trade rumours swirl

Boston's Jon Lester and Toronto's Mark Buehrle have taken entirely different paths to identical records.

It's Lester who has been far better of late, and the Blue Jays are likely happy his outstanding recent run with the Red Sox has led to his being scratched from Wednesday's meeting (7:10 p.m. ET) as trade rumors swirl.

Buehrle has been anything but impressive, and given Lester's recent success, Blue Jays hitters should prefer replacement Brandon Workman as they go for a second straight three-game sweep at Fenway Park.

The Boston ace has done nothing but increase his value in recent starts, leading the Red Sox (48-59) to announce after Tuesday's 4-2 loss that Lester wouldn't make his scheduled turn in the rotation with Thursday's trade deadline looming.

"In light of all the uncertainty surrounding Jon Lester, it's probably in everyone's best interest that he does not make that start," manager John Farrell said.

The decision might have been made easier with the Red Sox having now lost seven of eight by a 50-17 margin.

"Obviously we're not in the position that we want to be in," Dustin Pedroia said. "We haven't played very well and our record shows that."

Workman (1-3, 4.13 earned-run average), who will be recalled from triple-A Pawtucket, lost his last three big league starts before being sent down on July 8. He's 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in eight starts this season and has only faced Toronto in a 2013 relief appearance.

'I don't feel like I've thrown [bad enough] not to get a win in the last two months.'- Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle, who starts Wednesday

While Lester's 10-7 record includes a 4-0 mark and 1.07 ERA in eight starts since last being tagged with a loss on June 7, Buehrle (10-7, 3.19) has gone nearly two months without a victory after a 10-1 start.

Since last winning on June 1, the left-hander is 0-6 with a 4.83 ERA in nine outings. His latest was unquestionably his worst of the year, as Buehrle surrendered six runs and nine hits with a pair of home runs in just three innings of Friday's 6-4 road loss to the New York Yankees.

"I don't feel like I've thrown [bad enough] not to get a win in the last two months," Buehrle told MLB's official website. "Obviously these last couple of outings, I have, I've pretty much tanked. But before that, I felt like I was throwing pretty good.

"I think the ball's not going to guys, it's finding holes now. When you're going lucky, when you're going good, those balls go to your defensive guys."

The one loss he suffered during his impressive start was to Boston on April 25. He's 1-1 with a 5.84 ERA in two starts against the Red Sox this season. At Fenway Park, he's 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in four starts since joining Toronto prior to the 2013 season.

Pedroia is 15-for-40 (.375) against Buehrle while David Ortiz is 25-for-79 (.316) with 13 extra-base hits.

The Blue Jays (58-50) have owned the season series, winning five straight, all five contests in Boston and nine of 12 overall. They're also 9-3 since the all-star break with four straight wins to get within 2 1/2 games of Baltimore for the American League East lead.

Despite the absence of Brett Lawrie, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind, Toronto has had no shortage of offence with a .324 average and 6.18 runs per game over its last 11.

Melky Cabrera is batting .388 in 12 games against Boston this season while Jose Bautista isn't far behind at .362.

Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli was out of the lineup Tuesday due to swelling on the ring finger of his left hand.

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Marcus Stroman, Blue Jays mow down Red Sox

Marcus Stroman was so good against the Boston Red Sox last week that he went with the same plan Tuesday night.

And the result was his second solid start in five days in leading the Toronto Blue Bays over the Red Sox, 4-2.

"To be honest, no, just execute pitches," Stroman said when asked if he changed.

Lester leaving Boston?

A year after bolstering their pitching rotation at the trade deadline, it looks as if the Boston Red Sox are exploring the market
again. This time, though, they are likely sellers.

Jon Lester is sitting out his start Wednesday. a move indicating Boston is seriously considering offers for the ace before Thursday's non-waiver trade deadline.

Although no deal is imminent, a trade sending Lester (10-7, 2.52 ERA) to a contender seems much more likely and has done nothing to lift the spirits in the Red Sox clubhouse.

"Obviously we're not in the position that we want to be in," Red Sox infielder Dustin Pedroia said. "We haven't played very well and our record shows that.

"That's why you hear all those rumours. It's something you don't like going through.

"It makes you feel worse. We don't want to be in this position."

"I didn't change my approach at all. I didn't feel like I needed to change. We attacked them exactly like we wanted to attack them and had success."

Colby Rasmus hit a solo home run and Anthony Gose had a tiebreaking two-run double for the Blue Jays, who won for the ninth time in 11 games and improved to 9-3 against the Red Sox this season.

"He's on some kind of roll right now," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Stroman.

"The kid's good. He believes in himself. He's got all the confidence in the world and he's got the stuff for it, too."

Xander Bogaerts homered and Dustin Pedroia added a run-scoring double for Boston, which has dropped all five games in Fenway Park against Toronto.

The Red Sox lost for the seventh time in eight games.

"Obviously, we're not in the position that we want to be in," Pedroia said. "We haven't played very well and our record shows that."

Stroman (7-2) held Boston to one run and six hits in seven innings, striking out eight and walking two. He took a no-hitter into the seventh last Thursday before giving up Shane Victorino's leadoff single for his only hit allowed in seven innings.

Casey Janssen got the final three outs for his 17th save, despite giving up Bogaerts' homer.

Rubby De La Rosa (3-4) gave up three runs on nine hits in six innings.

"I thought he gave us a solid effort," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "We had probably three opportunities when we had multiple men on base and the timely hit was elusive."

Gose's two-out, two-run double snapped a 1-1 tie and pushed the Blue Jays ahead in the fourth. Juan Francisco and Rasmus singled before advancing on Munenori Kawasaki's sacrifice bunt.

Rasmus' homer into the centre-field bleachers gave Toronto a 1-0 lead in the second, but Boston tied it on Pedroia's RBI double.

On deck

Red Sox: Left-hander Jon Lester (10-7, 2.52 ERA) was scheduled to pitch Wednesday, but Farrell said after the game the club decided to go with right-hander Brandon Workman. Lester's name has been circulating in a number of trade rumours the past few days.

"In light of all the uncertainty surrounding Jon Lester, it's probably in everyone's best interest that he does not make that start," Farrell said.

Blue Jays: Mark Buehrle (10-7, 3.19 ERA) goes in the series finale on Wednesday, trying to snap his six-game losing streak since his last win on June 1. He's 1-1 against the Red Sox this season, beating them in Fenway on May 22, when he allowed two runs in seven innings. He gave up seven runs — six earned — in the loss at home on April 25.

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Words of wisdom

Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker visited Stroman before he faced David Ortiz with two runners on and two outs in the fifth. He got Ortiz to bounce to second.

"He just said be careful," Stroman said. "You've got to make your pitches.

"Luckily, I made a good pitch on 2-0 and got him to roll over. That was a big point in the game."

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Help from bottom

Gose drove in two runs from the nine-hole with the timely hit.

"That's the difference [from 2013]," Gibbons said. "We couldn't get the run in with one out and he gets a hit there."

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Trainer's room

Blue Jays: Infielder Brett Lawrie, on the disabled list since late June with a broken right index finger, began hitting off a tee late last week. On Monday, the team acquired Danny Valencia from Kansas City for a pair of players to give them depth at third while Lawrie works his way back. Gibbons said Valencia will face "a lot of lefties."

Red Sox: First baseman Mike Napoli had what Farrell called a "down day," due to swelling on the ring finger of his left hand.

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Hot-hitting Blue Jays seek 4th straight victory

The Toronto Blue Jays have rediscovered the offensive form that carried them to the top of the American League East last month.

That doesn't bode well for the Boston Red Sox heading into a matchup with a right-hander who stymied them last week.

The visiting Blue Jays will try to keep pushing across runs for rookie Marcus Stroman as they go for a ninth win in 11 games Tuesday against the last-place Red Sox (7:10 p.m. ET).

Toronto (57-50) averaged 5.1 runs and hit 89 home runs on the way to a 38-24 start and a six-game lead in the division, before several key injuries slowed that attack while the team dropped 24 of the next 35.

'The all-star break did him some good.'- Jays manager John Gibbons on hot-hitting OF Melky Cabrera

Although Brett Lawrie, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind remain sidelined, the Blue Jays have gotten their offence back on track by averaging 6.4 runs and hitting .323 with 12 homers in their last 10 games.

Melky Cabrera homered twice and drove in five runs Monday and Ryan Goins set career highs with four hits and four runs batted in as Toronto matched its season high run total in a 14-1 victory to open this three-game set.

Cabrera has gone 18-for-40 with three home runs and 13 RBIs over his last 10 contests.

''The all-star break did him some good,'' manager John Gibbons said. ''From the looks of it right now, I think the all-star break did us all some good.''

Toronto, seeking its fourth straight win, isn't likely to need a ton of scoring with Stroman (6-2, 3.21 earned-run average) on the mound.

The 23-year-old is looking to extend a 14-inning scoreless streak as he faces the Red Sox for the second consecutive start. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning Thursday before allowing one hit over seven with seven strikeouts in an 8-0 victory.

The 2012 first-round draft pick is 5-2 with a 2.21 ERA since joining the rotation in late May,

"He's pitching like a veteran who has been around a long time," Gibbons told MLB's official website. "He has the great arm, he has the pitches and all that, but the big thing about him is that he is a great competitor."

Boston's Brock Holt may not be looking forward to facing Stroman again since he fanned three times in as many at-bats against him last week. The rookie outfielder is also 1-for-23 with eight strikeouts in his last six games.

After posting 15 runs and hitting .159 with runners in scoring position while dropping six of seven, the Red Sox (48-58) are hoping to generate some offense for scheduled starter Rubby De La Rosa (3-3, 3.54).

The right-hander had a dismal outing opposite Stroman on Thursday, surrendering a career-high seven runs and nine hits over four-plus innings at Rogers Centre.

Toronto's Juan Francisco hit a home run and a triple off De La Rosa in that contest.

De La Rosa, however, has been at his best at Fenway Park with a 3-0 record and a 1.38 ERA in four starts.

"It's a stark contrast," manager John Farrell said. "Clearly, he feels comfortable on the mound at Fenway and is able to channel the emotion and adrenaline inside Fenway Park."

The Blue Jays made a move to bolster their short-handed infield on Monday, acquiring Danny Valencia from Kansas City. The 29-year-old, who spent time with Boston in 2012, is batting .282 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 36 games.

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Blue Jays bats boom in Boston

Melky Cabrera's second home run sailed over the left-field wall and smashed a car window across the street, just a little extra damage in a game when the Toronto Blue Jays hammered the Boston Red Sox.

Cabrera homered from both sides of the plate and drove in five runs, R.A. Dickey pitched three-hit ball for seven innings and the Blue Jays won 14-1 on Monday night.

"He didn't know" his three-run homer in a nine-run sixth inning had cracked the windshield, Cabrera said through a translator. "He saw that after the game."

Dickey's knuckleball was so good, he could have done without some of those runs.

"I kind of wish they could divide them up over, like, three starts," he said. "Almost kind of wish we'd have only scored two runs because I felt like I had that kind of knuckleball tonight and saved this outing for when I gave up five, but I'll take it."

The Blue Jays won for the sixth time in seven games, while the Red Sox lost one day after stopping a five-game slide that began in Toronto with three losses.

Cabrera homered into Boston's bullpen in right field after Jose Reyes led off the game with a walk. Cabrera made it 9-0 in the sixth with his 14th homer of the season.

Ryan Goins had four hits and four runs batted in for Toronto.

Dickey (9-10) had a season-high 10 strikeouts, allowed a run and walked one as he won for the third time in 10 starts. Against the Red Sox, he's 3-0 with 21 strikeouts and two walks this season.

Clay Buchholz (5-7) left the game after allowing the first three batters to reach in the sixth with one run scoring on a double by Goins.

"They hit the pitches I was missing with," Buchholz said.

Felix Doubront came in and faced 10 batters, allowing six runs, six hits and two walks. He got his only outs on a sacrifice fly and a forceout.

Everyone in the Blue Jays lineup except Reyes scored in the sixth and Munenori Kawasaki scored twice. Toronto's 14 runs matched its season-high against Cincinnati on June 20.

Goins had given the Blue Jays a 4-0 lead with a two-run double in the fourth.

Dickey retired the first six batters and struck out at least one in each of his seven innings. He allowed a double in the third to Stephen Drew, an infield single in the fifth to Shane Victorino and an RBI single in the sixth by David Ortiz that made it 13-1.

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Trainer's room

Blue Jays: With first baseman Edwin Encarnacion having a setback in rehabbing his strained right quadriceps, the Blue Jays obtained third baseman Danny Valencia from the Kansas City Royals for right-hander Liam Hendriks and catcher Erik Kratz. Toronto's regular third baseman, Juan Francisco, has been filling in at first.

Red Sox: Catcher David Ross hobbled home on a painful right heel on Ortiz's single in the sixth. Ross believes the pain is caused by plantar fasciitis.

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On deck 

Blue Jays: Marcus Stroman (6-2) pitches for the Blue Jays on Tuesday night and will have a tough time matching his performance against Boston last Thursday in Toronto. He allowed his only hit when Victorino led off the seventh with a single in Toronto's 8-0 win. Stroman left after that inning.

Red Sox: Rubby De La Rosa (3-3) makes his second consecutive start against Stroman.

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All-star surge

Cabrera had his sixth multi-hit game and Toronto improved to 8-3 since the all-star break. "The all-star break did him some good," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "From the looks of it right now, I think the all-star break did us all some good."

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No relief

Doubront has complained about being moved to the bullpen after going 2-4 with a 5.19 ERA in 10 starts. In seven relief appearances, he's allowed 11 earned runs in nine innings. "If the role is not sitting well and affecting his pitching, there needs to be a different focus in realizing his potential and focus," Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

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Munenori Kawasaki makes basket catch

You Gotta See This!

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman flashes Gold Glove form in field

CBC Sports Posted: Jul 27, 2014 4:19 PM ET Last Updated: Jul 27, 2014 4:19 PM ET

Until they find a full-time second baseman with clout, the Toronto Blue Jays know they can count on utility man Munenori Kawasaki.

Kawasaki, beloved in Toronto for his perma-smile and effervescent personality, is a role player at best at this stage of his career. 

But the energetic infielder brings a solid skill set and infectious enthusiasm to the ballpark each and every day, not to mention an occasional flair for the dramatic:

Kawasaki followed up that slick fielding play with a pair of singles and an eighth-inning sacrifice fly to left that plated Toronto's fourth run in 5-4 victory over New York Yankees.

It was Toronto's second straight win at Yankee Stadium after losing 17 games in a row there. 

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Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey tries to keep baffling Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox admitted last week that R.A. Dickey's knuckleballer can be tough to decipher.

An exception this year has been Xander Bogaerts, who was just given a rest as he works through some issues with his swing.

Dickey tries again to baffle the Red Sox, who will likely have Bogaerts back in the lineup Monday at home against the Toronto Blue Jays (7:10 p.m. ET).

'That knuckleball is so unpredictable. We had it going early then he kind of shut us down.'- Red Sox 1B Mike Napoli on facing Jays SP R.A. Dickey last week

Toronto (56-50) took three of four from Boston last week to improve to 7-3 in the season series, with Dickey (8-10, 4.04 earned-run average) beating Clay Buchholz in last Wednesday's 6-4 victory. Those two starters will meet again in the opener of this three-game set.

Dickey allowed a three-run homer in the first inning to David Ortiz before yielding one run over his final five innings to improve to 2-0 with a 3.65 ERA in two starts against the Red Sox (48-57) this year. He has one walk and 11 strikeouts in those outings.

"That knuckleball is so unpredictable," said Boston first baseman Mike Napoli, who is 2-for-6 off Dickey this year. "We had it going early then he kind of shut us down."

Ortiz is 5-for-15 in his career against Dickey, who has started at Fenway Park once, a complete game in a 5-2 loss Sept. 22. But Ortiz is 1-for-3 against the right-hander this year, which pales in comparison to how Bogaerts has gone 4-for-6 with two doubles.

Boston manager John Farrell gave Bogaerts the day off from Sunday's 3-2 win at Tampa Bay. The third baseman is hitting .142 over his last 28 games.

"[He's] trying to keep some momentum going with the adjustments he's continuing to work on daily," Farrell told MLB's official website. "We've seen it gain a little traction inside of a given game, but occasionally there's some reversion back to him being a little bit quick to the front side, some of the same challenges that he's been facing for some time now."

Bogaerts's .333 career average against Toronto is his highest against any American League club.

Buchholz (5-6, 5.50) looks to recover after he lost for the first time in three starts Wednesday, allowing five runs in six innings. He walked four and struck out one.

"I let that lead go," Buchholz said. "I'll take the blame for this one, for sure."

The Blue Jays have won the last five times he has started against them at Fenway, with the right-hander going 0-3 with a 4.18 ERA in that span. Buchholz is 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA in three outings against Toronto this year.

It's unclear if Blue Jays first baseman Adam Lind, out since July 7 with a broken foot, will be activated. He's a .348 hitter off Buchholz.

Jose Reyes is 13-for-39 in his last nine games, scoring one run in each of his last six.

The Blue Jays took the final two games of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium, winning 5-4 on Sunday. The Red Sox ended a five-game slide Sunday, as Ortiz homered for the fifth time in seven games.

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Baseball Hall of Fame inductees

A look at National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Joe Torre, Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox prior to Sunday's induction ceremonies at Cooperstown, N.Y.

FRANK THOMAS

Born May 27, 1968, in Columbus, Ga. ... Nicknamed "The Big Hurt" ... Hit .301 in 19-year major-league career with 521 home runs and 1,704 runs batted in, mostly with the Chicago White Sox ... Only player in MLB history to log seven straight seasons with a .300 average, 20 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 walks ... Was unanimous American League MVP in 1994; won award next season, too ... Holds White Sox franchise record for homers (448), doubles (447), RBIs (1,465), runs (1,327), extra-base hits (906), walks (1,466), total bases (3,949), slugging percentage (.568) and on-base percentage (.427) ... five-time all-star ... First Hall of Famer who spent the majority of his career as a designated hitter ... At 6-foot-5, was a tight end at Auburn, catching three passes for 45 yards ... Batted .359 with a school-record 21 homers in his first season at Auburn, made All-SEC in his second season and chosen SEC MVP the following year ... Selected by White Sox with the seventh pick in 1989 draft ... Debuted with White Sox in August 1990 and hit .330 with 21 extra-base hits and a team-high .529 slugging mark ... In 1991 split time at first base and DH and hit .318 with 32 homers and 109 RBIs. Also led the AL with 138 walks. ... In 1992 hit .323 and tied for the league lead with 46 doubles ... Batted .317 with 41 homers and 128 RBIs in 1993. Had a .729 slugging average, 109 walks and 106 runs to go with 38 homers, 101 RBIs and .353 average in strike-shortened 1994 season ... Led AL in 1997 with a .347 average and .456 on-base percentage ... Became full-time DH in 1998 ... Broke ankle for second time in 2005 as White Sox won the World Series with him on bench ... Signed with Oakland Athletics as free agent prior to 2006 season and had 39 homers, 114 RBIs, .545 slugging average and .381 on-base percentage ... Became free agent and signed two-year deal with Toronto in November 2006 ... Led Blue Jays with 26 homers, 95 RBIs, 81 walks, and a .377 on-base average in 2007 ... Released by Toronto in April 2008 ... Prior to spring training in 2010, signed a one-day contract with White Sox to announce his retirement.

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GREG MADDUX

Born April 14, 1966, in San Angelo, Texas ... Nicknamed "Mad Dog" ... Went 355-227 in 23 seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers and ranks eighth on career wins list ... Won four straight Cy Young Awards (1992-95), leading National League in innings each season ... Won 15 or more games for 17 straight seasons and had a career earned-run average of 3.16 ... Posted 1.56 ERA in 1994, followed up with 1.63 ERA the next year ... Known for pinpoint control, walked 999 in 5,008 1/3 innings ... 10th in strikeouts with 3,371 ... Also a sharp fielder, won 18 Gold Gloves ... eight-time all-star ... Joined Tom Glavine and John Smoltz as mainstays of Braves staff, helping Atlanta win 14 division titles in a row ... Received votes on 97.2 per cent of writers ballots, eighth-highest total in Hall of Fame history.

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TOM GLAVINE

Born March 25, 1966, in Concord, Mass. ... Drafted by Braves in 1984 and also taken by the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL draft that year ... Went 305-203 in 22 MLB seasons, 17 with Atlanta and five with New York Mets ... Ranks 21st on career wins list, fourth-most for a left-hander ... 1991 and 1998 NL Cy Young Award winner and also finished second twice in voting ... 10-time all-star ... five 20-win seasons ... Led NL in starts six times ... A control pitcher with a nasty change-up, had 2,607 strikeouts ... Will forever be remembered in Atlanta for pitching one-hit ball over eight innings to beat the Cleveland Indians in decisive Game 6 of 1995 World Series, the Braves' only championship during their run of 14 straight division titles ... Went 20-11 in 1991 to help Atlanta go from worst to first, the first of three straight 20-win seasons. ... four-time Silver Slugger as top hitting pitcher in NL, registering 246 hits, 90 RBIs and 101 walks in his career.

———

JOE TORRE

Born July 18, 1940, in Brooklyn, N.Y. ... Ranks No. 5 on managerial wins list with 2,326 victories in 29 years ... Finished career as only player to amass more than 2,000 hits (2,342) and win more than 2,000 games as a manager, according to STATS ... Well-respected as a catcher, third baseman and first baseman, hitting .297 with 252 homers and 1,185 RBIs as a player ... Won 1971 NL MVP, batting .363 with 230 hits, 24 HRs and 137 RBIs ... Three teams he played for hired him as manager, with the Mets giving him the first chance as a player-manager in 1977 ... Won a division title with Atlanta in 1982, but Braves were beaten by the St. Louis Cardinals in five games ... Fired by Atlanta in 1984 and worked as a California Angels broadcaster until St. Louis hired him as manager late in the 1990 season ... Fired by Cardinals in 1995 despite winning records in his three full seasons ... Despite a pedestrian managerial record of 894-1,003, took over New York Yankees in 1996 and restored team to dominance, winning 1,173 games against only 767 losses, making 12 trips to the playoffs in 12 years, winning 10 division titles, six AL pennants, and four World Series, including three in a row (1998-2000) ... In 1998 guided the Yankees to a then-AL record 114 regular-season wins ... In 2001, deftly led the Yankees through the post-season in a city shaken by the Sept. 11 terror attacks, leading the club in a champagne toast after winning the AL Championship Series rather than allowing an all-out celebration ... Lost 2001 World Series in seven games to the Arizona Diamondbacks when Mariano Rivera gave up Luis Gonzalez's broken-bat hit in the ninth ... Lost 2004 ALCS after leading the Boston Red Sox, 3-0 ... Took over Dodgers in 2008 and won two division titles in three years, finishing a 50-year career with trips to the playoffs in 14 of his final 15 years ... Retired from on-field duties in 2010.

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TONY LA RUSSA

Born Oct. 4, 1944, in Tampa, Fla. ... Ranks third in career victories as a manager, behind only Connie Mack and John McGraw, with 2,728 wins against 2,365 losses ... Chosen manager of the year in 1983, 1988, 1992 and 2002 ... Won 12 division titles, six pennants and World Series titles in 1989, 2006 and 2011. The Cardinals' Game 7 win over Texas in 2011 marked La Russa's final game in the dugout. ... Signed by Kansas City Athletics in 1962 and also played for Oakland, Atlanta and Cubs in a six-year major-league career as an infielder ... Batted .199 with 35 hits in 176 major league at-bats with no home runs and 7 RBIs in 132 games ... After earning law degree at Florida State University and giving managing a try in the minor leagues was elevated to manage the White Sox in 1979... Won one division title before being fired by White Sox during 1986 season ... Hired by Oakland weeks later and from 1988-92 led the team to four AL West titles, three AL pennants and 1989 World Series title ... Took over St. Louis from 1996-2011 and averaged 88 wins a year, capturing seven NL Central titles, three NL pennants and two World Series titles.

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BOBBY COX 

Born May 21, 1941, in Tulsa, Okla. ... Retired after 2010 season with 2,504 victories, fourth all-time behind only Connie Mack, John McGraw and Tony La Russa ... Guided Braves to unprecedented 14 straight division titles and 15 playoff appearances ... four-time manager of the year (three in NL) ... Light-hitting infielder who appeared in 220 games for the Yankees in 1968-69, batting .225 with nine homers and 58 RBIs ... Rare highlight as a player came in 1968 when his throw across the diamond to first baseman Mickey Mantle completed a triple play ... Landed first MLB managing job with Braves in 1978, lasting four years with only winning season before being fired ... Guided Blue Jays to AL East title in 1985 ... Lured back to Atlanta as general manager and oversaw a dismal era in late 1980s, including a 106-loss season ... Returned to the dugout and guided the Braves from worst to first in 1991, losing seven-game World Series to Minnesota ... Behind aces Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, Atlanta captured the 1995 World Series .... Holds MLB record of 161 career ejections.

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Blue Jays hand ball to J.A. Happ in New York

After ending a lengthy losing streak at Yankee Stadium, the Toronto Blue Jays will look to accomplish something else that's proven elusive there in recent years: win a series.

Toronto takes on the New York Yankees on Sunday seeking just a second series victory in its last 12 tries in the Bronx.

The Blue Jays (55-50) had dropped 17 straight road games versus New York prior to Saturday's 6-4 victory, which pulled them back into a second-place tie in the American League East Division with the Yankees. Their last victory in the Bronx, two years ago, was part of their only series win in their last 11 sets at Yankee Stadium.

Reimold in, Rogers out

Outfielder Nolan Reimold was activated Sunday from the 15-day disabled list by the Blue Jays.

Toronto designated right-handed pitcher Esmil Rogers to triple-A Buffalo to make space for Reimold on the roster.

Reimold was hurt running the bases in an 8-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on July 11.

Toronto claimed Reimold off waivers on July 6.

He has played in just 56 major-league games since 2012 after a second spine-fusion operation.

He has a .333 batting average in four games with the Blue Jays.

Rogers has a 6.97 earned-run average with 21 strikeouts over 20.2 innings of relief for Toronto this season.

Dan Johnson drove in four runs Saturday, three of them on a ninth-inning home run, his first since Oct. 3, 2012, when he went deep three times for the White Sox at Cleveland.

"We were trying anything," Johnson said of the Blue Jays, who skipped batting practice before each of the past two games.

"Just to, kind of, change the feeling, the mojo here."

Toronto, which had plated four runs or fewer in each of its previous 14 games at Yankee Stadium, is batting .323 while averaging 6.2 runs over a 4-1 stretch. Jose Bautista, who hit his 20th double Saturday, is 9 for 17 in that span, while Melky Cabrera and Dioner Navarro are each 8 for 20.

J.A. Happ (8-5, 4.55 ERA) will try to nail down the series after shutting Boston out for six innings in a 7-3 victory on Tuesday.

"It might have been his best outing of the year," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said.

The left-hander owns a 7.52 ERA over his last six road games and is 2-2 with a 5.22 ERA in seven career starts versus the Yankees, though he held them to one run and four hits over seven-plus innings without a decision in a 4-3 loss on Sept. 18.

Carlos Beltran, who homered for the second straight game Saturday, is 7 for 20 off Happ with three homers. Derek Jeter, batting .353 during an eight-game hitting streak versus Toronto, is 6 for 11 off Happ.

The Yankees (54-49) will be turning to rookie Shane Greene (2-1, 2.79) after a rough performance in his first career home start Monday. Greene limited Cleveland and Baltimore to a combined two runs over 13 1/3 innings in his first two starts, but committed three errors and needed 113 pitches to get through 5 2/3 innings while giving up four runs in a 4-2 loss to Texas. He threw seven fewer pitchers over 7 1/3 innings in his previous outing at Baltimore.

"I think I was just rushing a little bit," Greene told MLB's official website.

"I wasn't exactly making the pitches I wanted to make and they took advantage of it."

Rookies are 5-3 with a 4.89 ERA in 10 starts against Toronto this year. New York's Masahiro Tanaka and Chase Whitley accounted for three of those victories.

The Blue Jays haven't won consecutive road games since a six-game winning streak from May 20-June 5. They've since gone 6-16 away from Toronto.

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Blue Jays lose 17th straight at Yankee Stadium

Derek Jeter stood on the dugout steps, stone-faced as a statue, when Ichiro Suzuki approached after rounding with the bases with his first home run since last August.

Only when the Japanese star was inches away did the New York Yankees captain crack a wide smile and offer a fist bump.

Suzuki hit a go-ahead, three-run drive in the third inning against Mark Buehrle, and the Yankees overcame an early deficit to beat the Blue Jays 6-4 Friday night for their 17th straight home win against Toronto.

"I was kind of expecting that," Suzuki said through a translator, referring to Jeter's reaction. "During batting practice, he always tells me, 'Can't leave,' which means the ball doesn't leave the ballpark."

This time, Jeter altered his comment slightly — or so Suzuki thought.

"I think he said, 'Can leave,"' Suzuki said before laughing.

After months of injuries and mediocre play, the Yankees find themselves back in playoff position and in a much better frame of mind. New York won for the seventh time in eight games since the All-Star break and moved one game in front of the third-place Blue Jays in the AL East.

"It's better than the alternative, but it really doesn't mean a whole lot with 60 games to go," manager Joe Girardi said.

Jose Bautista homered twice to reach 20 for the fifth straight season. He also doubled and drove in four runs, but Buehrle couldn't hold leads of 3-0 and 4-2. The All-Star left-hander dropped to 1-12 against the Yankees, including 10 straight losses over the past decade.

New York is 26-10 against Toronto since September 2012. The bottom four batters in the Yankees' lineup combined to go 7 for 14 with four RBIs.

"You walk in this stadium, you feel energy. It's hard to really describe why, but it's there," said third baseman Chase Headley, acquired from San Diego on Tuesday.

Hiroki Kuroda (7-6) shrugged off a shaky start and allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. David Robertson pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 28 chances, completing the bullpen's two-hit, scoreless night.

"With the stuff I had, I was struggling all day. But at the same time, I tried to hang in there," Kuroda said through a translator.

Buehrle (10-7) started the season 10-1 but dropped to 0-6 with a 4.83 ERA in nine starts since beating Kansas City on June 1. He gave up six runs and nine hits in three innings, his shortest outing since June 6, 2010, for the Chicago White Sox against Cleveland.

"That's just frustrating," Buehrle said. "A big game like this, we needed to come out and try and make a point."

Toronto manager John Gibbons called off pregame batting practice, hoping to change his team's luck in the Bronx. And it seemed to work at first when Bautista hit a three-run homer over the left-field scoreboard on a 3-0 pitch in the first.

But New York closed in the second on Brian Roberts' bases-loaded infield hit on a bouncer to third and Brett Gardner's sacrifice fly. Bautista hit a solo drive in the third — he's 4 for 16 against Kuroda with four home runs.

Carlos Beltran's solo drive and Suzuki's first home run since Aug. 30 off Baltimore's Miguel Gonzalez put the Yankees ahead. The homerless streak of 294 at-bats was the third-longest of Suzuki's major league career. The 40-year-old entered in a 6-for-41 (.146) slide overall but is hitting .431 in his career against Buehrle (25 for 58).

Toronto's Yankee Stadium skid, which started in September 2012, is the longest for a team at one opponent since Tampa Bay lost 18 in a row in Cleveland from September 2005 to July 2010, according to STATS.

Suzuki was happy to have any kind of positive number in his home run column.

"Now that's it's not a 0, maybe Michael Kay will be easy on me," he said playfully, referring to a Yankees broadcaster.

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Hall of Fame inductees

A look at National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Joe Torre, Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox prior to Sunday's induction ceremonies at Cooperstown, N.Y.

FRANK THOMAS

Born May 27, 1968, in Columbus, Ga. ... Nicknamed "The Big Hurt" ... Hit .301 in 19-year major-league career with 521 home runs and 1,704 runs batted in, mostly with the Chicago White Sox ... Only player in MLB history to log seven straight seasons with a .300 average, 20 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 walks ... Was unanimous American League MVP in 1994; won award next season, too ... Holds White Sox franchise record for homers (448), doubles (447), RBIs (1,465), runs (1,327), extra-base hits (906), walks (1,466), total bases (3,949), slugging percentage (.568) and on-base percentage (.427) ... five-time all-star ... First Hall of Famer who spent the majority of his career as a designated hitter ... At 6-foot-5, was a tight end at Auburn, catching three passes for 45 yards ... Batted .359 with a school-record 21 homers in his first season at Auburn, made All-SEC in his second season and chosen SEC MVP the following year ... Selected by White Sox with the seventh pick in 1989 draft ... Debuted with White Sox in August 1990 and hit .330 with 21 extra-base hits and a team-high .529 slugging mark ... In 1991 split time at first base and DH and hit .318 with 32 homers and 109 RBIs. Also led the AL with 138 walks. ... In 1992 hit .323 and tied for the league lead with 46 doubles ... Batted .317 with 41 homers and 128 RBIs in 1993. Had a .729 slugging average, 109 walks and 106 runs to go with 38 homers, 101 RBIs and .353 average in strike-shortened 1994 season ... Led AL in 1997 with a .347 average and .456 on-base percentage ... Became full-time DH in 1998 ... Broke ankle for second time in 2005 as White Sox won the World Series with him on bench ... Signed with Oakland Athletics as free agent prior to 2006 season and had 39 homers, 114 RBIs, .545 slugging average and .381 on-base percentage ... Became free agent and signed two-year deal with Toronto in November 2006 ... Led Blue Jays with 26 homers, 95 RBIs, 81 walks, and a .377 on-base average in 2007 ... Released by Toronto in April 2008 ... Prior to spring training in 2010, signed a one-day contract with White Sox to announce his retirement.

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GREG MADDUX

Born April 14, 1966, in San Angelo, Texas ... Nicknamed "Mad Dog" ... Went 355-227 in 23 seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers and ranks eighth on career wins list ... Won four straight Cy Young Awards (1992-95), leading National League in innings each season ... Won 15 or more games for 17 straight seasons and had a career earned-run average of 3.16 ... Posted 1.56 ERA in 1994, followed up with 1.63 ERA the next year ... Known for pinpoint control, walked 999 in 5,008 1/3 innings ... 10th in strikeouts with 3,371 ... Also a sharp fielder, won 18 Gold Gloves ... eight-time all-star ... Joined Tom Glavine and John Smoltz as mainstays of Braves staff, helping Atlanta win 14 division titles in a row ... Received votes on 97.2 per cent of writers ballots, eighth-highest total in Hall of Fame history.

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TOM GLAVINE

Born March 25, 1966, in Concord, Mass. ... Drafted by Braves in 1984 and also taken by the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL draft that year ... Went 305-203 in 22 MLB seasons, 17 with Atlanta and five with New York Mets ... Ranks 21st on career wins list, fourth-most for a left-hander ... 1991 and 1998 NL Cy Young Award winner and also finished second twice in voting ... 10-time all-star ... five 20-win seasons ... Led NL in starts six times ... A control pitcher with a nasty change-up, had 2,607 strikeouts ... Will forever be remembered in Atlanta for pitching one-hit ball over eight innings to beat the Cleveland Indians in decisive Game 6 of 1995 World Series, the Braves' only championship during their run of 14 straight division titles ... Went 20-11 in 1991 to help Atlanta go from worst to first, the first of three straight 20-win seasons. ... four-time Silver Slugger as top hitting pitcher in NL, registering 246 hits, 90 RBIs and 101 walks in his career.

———

JOE TORRE

Born July 18, 1940, in Brooklyn, N.Y. ... Ranks No. 5 on managerial wins list with 2,326 victories in 29 years ... Finished career as only player to amass more than 2,000 hits (2,342) and win more than 2,000 games as a manager, according to STATS ... Well-respected as a catcher, third baseman and first baseman, hitting .297 with 252 homers and 1,185 RBIs as a player ... Won 1971 NL MVP, batting .363 with 230 hits, 24 HRs and 137 RBIs ... Three teams he played for hired him as manager, with the Mets giving him the first chance as a player-manager in 1977 ... Won a division title with Atlanta in 1982, but Braves were beaten by the St. Louis Cardinals in five games ... Fired by Atlanta in 1984 and worked as a California Angels broadcaster until St. Louis hired him as manager late in the 1990 season ... Fired by Cardinals in 1995 despite winning records in his three full seasons ... Despite a pedestrian managerial record of 894-1,003, took over New York Yankees in 1996 and restored team to dominance, winning 1,173 games against only 767 losses, making 12 trips to the playoffs in 12 years, winning 10 division titles, six AL pennants, and four World Series, including three in a row (1998-2000) ... In 1998 guided the Yankees to a then-AL record 114 regular-season wins ... In 2001, deftly led the Yankees through the post-season in a city shaken by the Sept. 11 terror attacks, leading the club in a champagne toast after winning the AL Championship Series rather than allowing an all-out celebration ... Lost 2001 World Series in seven games to the Arizona Diamondbacks when Mariano Rivera gave up Luis Gonzalez's broken-bat hit in the ninth ... Lost 2004 ALCS after leading the Boston Red Sox, 3-0 ... Took over Dodgers in 2008 and won two division titles in three years, finishing a 50-year career with trips to the playoffs in 14 of his final 15 years ... Retired from on-field duties in 2010.

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TONY LA RUSSA

Born Oct. 4, 1944, in Tampa, Fla. ... Ranks third in career victories as a manager, behind only Connie Mack and John McGraw, with 2,728 wins against 2,365 losses ... Chosen manager of the year in 1983, 1988, 1992 and 2002 ... Won 12 division titles, six pennants and World Series titles in 1989, 2006 and 2011. The Cardinals' Game 7 win over Texas in 2011 marked La Russa's final game in the dugout. ... Signed by Kansas City Athletics in 1962 and also played for Oakland, Atlanta and Cubs in a six-year major-league career as an infielder ... Batted .199 with 35 hits in 176 major league at-bats with no home runs and 7 RBIs in 132 games ... After earning law degree at Florida State University and giving managing a try in the minor leagues was elevated to manage the White Sox in 1979... Won one division title before being fired by White Sox during 1986 season ... Hired by Oakland weeks later and from 1988-92 led the team to four AL West titles, three AL pennants and 1989 World Series title ... Took over St. Louis from 1996-2011 and averaged 88 wins a year, capturing seven NL Central titles, three NL pennants and two World Series titles.

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BOBBY COX 

Born May 21, 1941, in Tulsa, Okla. ... Retired after 2010 season with 2,504 victories, fourth all-time behind only Connie Mack, John McGraw and Tony La Russa ... Guided Braves to unprecedented 14 straight division titles and 15 playoff appearances ... four-time manager of the year (three in NL) ... Light-hitting infielder who appeared in 220 games for the Yankees in 1968-69, batting .225 with nine homers and 58 RBIs ... Rare highlight as a player came in 1968 when his throw across the diamond to first baseman Mickey Mantle completed a triple play ... Landed first MLB managing job with Braves in 1978, lasting four years with only winning season before being fired ... Guided Blue Jays to AL East title in 1985 ... Lured back to Atlanta as general manager and oversaw a dismal era in late 1980s, including a 106-loss season ... Returned to the dugout and guided the Braves from worst to first in 1991, losing seven-game World Series to Minnesota ... Behind aces Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, Atlanta captured the 1995 World Series .... Holds MLB record of 161 career ejections.

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Blue Jays aim to snap 16-game road skid vs. Yankees

The New York Yankees have a decided edge over the Toronto Blue Jays in this matchup for second place in the AL East.

The Yankees have captured 16 straight home meetings against the Blue Jays and haven't lost to Toronto starter Mark Buehrle in over 10 years heading into Friday night's opener of a three-game series (7 p.m. ET).

These teams are in a virtual tie for second behind Baltimore, and New York has plenty of advantages to start this series on a winning note.

A victory would give the Yankees (53-48) the fourth-longest home win streak by one team over another since divisional play began in 1969. The longest such run is Milwaukee's 22-game streak over Pittsburgh from May 4, 2007-April 26, 2010.

New York is seemingly facing the right pitcher. Buehrle is 1-11 with a 5.81 ERA in 18 starts against the Yankees.

That record matches Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo's regular-season mark against St. Louis as the worst among active pitchers against one team. It ties the sixth-worst record against the Yankees since 1914 for pitchers with at least 10 decisions.

Buehrle is 0-9 with a 6.93 ERA in 14 outings against New York since winning April 10, 2004, in the old Yankee Stadium. He's 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in two matchups this year and his teams have lost all seven outings he has pitched at the current Yankee Stadium, with the left-hander going 0-5 with a 5.18 ERA.

Ichiro Suzuki is a .421 hitter off Buehrle (10-6, 2.86) and Brett Gardner is 11 for 24 - 4 for 7 this year.

Buehrle was the majors' first 10-game winner during a 10-1 start before he went 0-5 with a 4.06 ERA in his last eight outings. He gave up five runs over six innings Sunday in a 9-6 win over Texas.

"It's too bad he hasn't had a win in so long," manager John Gibbons said. "He's definitely pitched well enough to have a few more under his belt. There's no justice in this business."

Making matters worse for the Blue Jays (54-49) is that New York's Hiroki Kuroda (6-6, 3.88) is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three career home starts against them, including two wins over Buehrle.

The right-hander's major nemesis figures to be Jose Reyes, who's 11 for 23 against him and is hitting .396 over his last 12 games.

Both teams have played well since the All-Star break. New York has won six of seven and Toronto five of seven with both on three-game win streaks entering Friday.

"Hopefully it just continues to give us confidence and we build on it and we keep playing extremely well because it's important because the teams in our division are all playing well right now and we need to keep that up," manager Joe Girardi said.

Gardner is hitting .387 in the season series and Jacoby Ellsbury .385 for the Yankees, winners of six of nine over Toronto.

Former Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera is 12 for 23 in his last six games for Toronto, which could be close to activating injured sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind.

The Blue Jays are 3-13 on the road since June 17 for baseball's third-worst mark.

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Jose Canseco apologizes repeatedly on Twitter to Mark McGwire

Jose Canseco took to Twitter on Wednesday night to apologize to Mark McGwire, again, and beg for his forgiveness.

Canseco also challenged his former Oakland Athletics teammate to a home run derby.

McGwire, who now serves as the hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was having none of it. 

"It's too late. I don't care to ever speak to him again," McGwire told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Wednesday. "What he did was wrong."

McGwire remains upset that Canseco named him in his 2005 book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, which offered details on baseball players who used performance enhancing drugs. Canseco admitted to using steroids in the book.

In 2010, McGwire acknowledged he used PEDs as well during his career.

Over the weekend, the Oakland Athletics held celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of their 1989 World Series win.

McGwire didn't attend, but sent a taped message in his absence.

Canseco was at the event and apologized to McGwire when talking to reporters at the ceremony.

"It haunts me till this day that I said those things about him, even though obviously they were true," Canseco told reports. "I could have gone about it a different way and gotten my point across."

Canseco has apologized before to McGwire, including in 2012 when he showed up at a Dodgers game wearing a T-shirt that said: "Sorry for everything, Mark."

Should Mark McGwire forgive Jose Canseco?

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Jays' Sanchez makes perfect debut in win over Red Sox

Aaron Sanchez didn't know which Boston Red Sox hitters he'd be facing, and he didn't know the score.

Making his major league debut against Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Mike Napoli protecting a one-run lead, the Toronto Blue Jays' top prospect just tried to pretend no one was in the batter's box.

"My mentality out there was just me and the catcher," Sanchez said.

With 35,696 fans watching, Sanchez did just about the best he could do, working two perfect innings to help preserve Toronto's 6-4 victory over the Red Sox on Thursday night at Rogers Centre.

"To be in that kind of ball game, that's what you dream of when you get to the big leagues," the 22-year-old said. "Maybe not your first one, but I'm here to help the team win."

On his second day in the majors, Sanchez debated asking bullpen catcher Alex Andreopoulos who he'd be facing. Once he finally did, Andreopoulos told him it didn't matter.

Sanchez, considered one of the top young arms in baseball, used a mix of a fastball that topped out at 99 mph and an effective curveball to get Pedroia, Ortiz and Napoli to each fly out. Starter R.A. Dickey (8-10), who got the win by allowing four runs in six innings, watched from the clubhouse and came away impressed with how Sanchez dealt with the pressure.

"He's coming in against the 2-3-4 hitters of the Boston Red Sox with a two-run lead as a 22-year-old young man," Dickey said. "I thought he handled himself with great poise and hopefully that's a microcosm of what he's going to become."

When Jose Bautista added to his impressive night (2-for-4 with two RBI) with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh, Sanchez did a little fist pump in the dugout knowing he had just a little more breathing room to work with. He didn't need it.

Sanchez caught Daniel Nava looking for his first major league strikeout, got Xander Bogaerts to ground out and struck out Stephen Drew to make it through his second inning perfect. Of his 25 pitches, 16 were strikes.

"You see different guys over the years and young kids that come up, they can look a little rattled," manager John Gibbons said. "I don't know how you can do it any better than that. But he look like he belonged."

On the mound, Sanchez tried to calm his nerves, remembering what his triple-A debut was like. He managed to keep from thinking about the moment until after his outing was done.

"I think at the end when Gibby told me that I was done and he gave me a big smile and he said, 'It's OK to smile,' I think that's when kind of everything hit me that I'd just pitched in the big leagues for the first time," Sanchez said.

The Blue Jays (53-49) are sure glad he did. Barring a complete game or close to it by Dickey, Gibbons knew Sanchez was going to pitch Wednesday night because of how beaten up the bullpen was.

When Dickey gave up a three-run home run to Ortiz in the first before even recording an out, it looked like it could be a long night for the knuckleballer. Instead, the Blue Jays tied the score in the bottom of the inning and settled down.

"The better thing was the way the team responded after falling behind 3-0," Gibbons said. "That's key. They throw up a goose egg there, the emotions of the game, you don't know where it goes from there. Of course we turn around and score, it evens things out again."

Dickey kept the Red Sox (47-54) off the board until Nava and Bogaerts hit back-to-back doubles in the fifth to make it 4-3. But in the sixth a triple by second baseman Ryan Goins tied it, and an error by Bogaerts at third on what would've been an inning-ending groundout by Reyes gave the Blue Jays the lead.

That was the situation Sanchez faced, with his parents in attendance and major league career in front of him. Catcher Josh Thole said his fastball "felt like 130" after Dickey's knuckleball, but the rookie did everything else like a seasoned veteran.

"It was nice to see him get in the ball game and be calm and just real even-keel when he was out there, not breathing heavy, there was no anxiety I felt," Thole said. "He commanded all of his pitches really well, even threw a couple change-ups that I thought he was commanding well. Any time you're throwing 98 and you've got a breaking ball like that, it makes it easy back there to call a game for him."

Under any circumstances, it would've been a special night for Sanchez. But Gibbons was glad for the contribution the right-hander made in an important victory.

"To give us two easy, shut-down innings was huge for the ballclub. He'll always remember that," Gibbons said. "We brought him here for a reason: Not just to debut, we brought him here to help us and that was a good start."

Gibbons joked at the start of his news conference that he wanted to focus on team accomplishments before individuals because the Blue Jays are in a pennant race, chasing down the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles. But in the scope of history, Dickey hopes Sanchez's debut is remembered as something special.

"I think he was fantastic, and hopefully that's a glimpse kind of through the window of what might be," Dickey said. "I think it's pretty neat to see something like that unfold."

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Marcus Stroman, Jays try to dump Red Sox in matinee finale

Manager John Gibbons has been impressed with Marcus Stroman since the rookie was called up to join Toronto's bullpen in early May.

Now shining as a starter — especially at home — Stroman takes the ball Thursday looking to help the Blue Jays win a third straight to close this four-game set with the visiting Boston Red Sox (12:37 p.m. ET).

Stroman (5-2, 3.58 ERA) made his major league debut May 4 and was used five times as a reliever before joining the rotation May 31. He's gone 4-2 with a 2.50 ERA in nine starts and was solid Saturday after a nine-day layoff, allowing four hits in seven scoreless innings of a 4-1 win over Texas.

The 23-year-old right-hander improved to 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA in six home outings.

"Since he's been here, he's been really good, especially for a young kid," Gibbons said. "He's a lot more polished than I thought he was going to be."

Stroman has yet to face the Red Sox (47-54), who are last in the AL East and have lost two straight after winning eight of nine. David Ortiz hit a three-run homer in the first inning Wednesday before Boston let the lead slip away in a 6-4 defeat.

Ortiz is 5 for 14 with four homers and eight RBIs in the series and hit his 37th home run at Rogers Centre, the most of any visiting opponent. He's looking to homer in four straight games for the first time since Aug. 9-12, 2001, while with Minnesota.

Stroman also must contend with rookie Brock Holt, who was held out of Boston's lineup Wednesday after playing 59 straight since being called up. Manager John Farrell said Holt, hitting .321 with three homers and 23 RBIs, will start the series finale.

"You never like to take any player out that's doing extremely well," Farrell told MLB's official website. "You feel like he's played every inning since sometime back in May. He's deserving of a day off."

The Blue Jays (53-49) have won four of five after Jose Bautista had two hits for the second straight night, delivering an RBI double and a solo homer.

It marked the first homer in 16 games for the AL captain of the Home Run Derby and the first time he had multiple hits in back-to-back contests since June 4 and 5.

"He's due to heat up in the home run department," Gibbons said.

Toronto has averaged 5.4 runs over its last five, and now Red Sox starter Rubby De La Rosa will look to hold its lineup in check.

De La Rosa (3-2, 2.64) allowed one run and five hits in 14 innings over his final two starts before being sent to the minors June 28. He was dominant again Saturday to win his second start since being recalled July 9, giving up a run and five hits through seven innings of Saturday's 2-1 victory over Kansas City.

"He projects a great mound presence," Farrell said. "He has all the abilities to be an upper-end rotation pitcher. Through consistent performance, that should play out, but he's in a pretty good place right now."

The right-hander, though, is 0-2 with a 4.42 ERA in three road starts compared to 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in four starts at Fenway Park.

De La Rosa will be making his first start against the Blue Jays, who have won six of the last seven meetings.

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Blue Jays answer back by dumping Red Sox

J.A. Happ faced pressure before he even stepped on to the mound Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

A night after the Blue Jays got blown out of the dome by the Red Sox, they needed a strong performance from the next starter. Happ gave them that with six shutout innings and Toronto hitters woke up to rebound and beat Boston 7-3.

"Everybody knows, especially after last night, that demolition, we knew we got to come through today," catcher Dioner Navarro said. "We were expecting J.A. Happ to give us a shot and he did a great job and the offence came through."

Happ (8-5) dominated in what manager John Gibbons called the lefty's best start of the season. He allowed five hits and struck out four while throwing 68 of his 103 pitches for strikes.

But what Happ did particularly well Tuesday night was work out of trouble. He got an inning-ending double play in the third, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, stranded a runner at third in the fifth and was masterful in getting a double play and then a final strikeout in the sixth.

"I was trying to just take a breath and make a pitch," said Happ, who never looked fazed when runners were in scoring position. "It's a confidence-builder, gives you more confidence as you keep going out there and try to execute pitches."

Given the jams he got himself into, Happ was far from flawless. He also got some help defensively, like when third baseman Munenori Kawasaki sprinted into foul territory to make an over-the-shoulder catch to end the second.

But unlike Monday's starter, Drew Hutchison, Happ didn't make any mistakes that proved costly. Locating his curveball so effectively played a major role.

"He established it, he used it quite a bit," Gibbons said. "He had a good curveball tonight that he was throwing over the plate and a good change-up. That was big."

Happ operated with a razor-thin margin for error most of the night. Outfielder Anthony Gose manufactured the Blue Jays' first run in the third by drawing a walk, stealing second and scoring when Melky Cabrera's line drive hit Jake Peavy and the pitcher's throw to first got away from Mike Napoli.

That gave the Blue Jays a one-run lead, but the offence didn't explode until the sixth.

That inning proved to be Peavy's undoing. Jose Reyes led off with a solo shot, and then Navarro drove in two more runs with his seventh home run of the season.

"That's awesome," Happ said of the Blue Jays' sixth-inning showing. "What we're trying to do is let these guys get in the dugout and try to continue to go to work against a tough pitcher in Peavy, and we eventually got to him."

Peavy finished with five earned runs on eight hits against him to drop to 1-9 this season.

"I've got to be better," he said. "That's all there is to it."

David Ortiz hit his 23rd home run of the season off Blue Jays reliever Dustin McGowan in the eighth to break up the shutout. But the offensive muscle the Red Sox flexed Monday night in a 14-1 stomping never quite materialized.

"There's no bank that we can take runs and put them in and take a loan out the next day, unfortunately," manager John Farrell said. "It would have been nice to be able to do that today."

But that didn't stop Boston from making things interesting. And after some small ball by the Blue Jays (52-49) got it to 7-1, closer Casey Janssen ran into some problems in the ninth.

Janssen, who had previously been bothered by a stomach illness, gave up a two-run home run to Stephen Drew and had two runners on and two outs when Gibbons went to lefty Brett Cecil to face Oritz.

"I made some bad pitches and they hit them and made some good pitches and was able to get a little bit of success," said Janssen, who brushed off concerns about his health.

Cecil needed only two pitches to get Ortiz to ground out and pick up his fourth save of the season and help the Blue Jays put Monday's blowout loss behind them.

With two games left against the Red Sox (47-53) and the Blue Jays still within striking distance of the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles, Happ was glad he was able to help Toronto get back on track.

"I think the good thing is, whatever you want to say about last night is it counts as one and tonight counts as one, so we're even," he said. "As bad as it may have seemed, we kind of came back, and as far as wins and losses they count the same."

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Blue Jays call up pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez

Losers of 10 of their past 14 games, including a 14-1 rout Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays made some changes to their roster that included calling up top pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez.

Sanchez and right-handed pitcher Esmil Rogers had their contracts selected from triple A-Buffalo and shortstop Ryan Goins was recalled from the Bisons. To make room, left-handed reliever Brad Mills was designated for assignment and catcher Erik Kratz and outfielder Darin Mastroianni were optioned to the minors.

"You hope [to get a spark]," manager John Gibbons said. "That wasn't the purpose of it, but we could use a little bit of that, so we'll see. It'd bring a lot more excitement if we could get results on the field."

The 22-year-old Sanchez's addition is the most intriguing, even as Gibbons said he'll be used exclusively out of the bullpen. Sanchez was a first round pick of the Blue Jays in 2010 and is considered one of the top 50 prospects in baseball.

"He's got an overpowering, live fastball," Gibbons said. "He gets a lot of ground balls. He's got a nice curveball. When he's on, he's a tough at-bat."

Sanchez is a starter, but with 100 minor league innings under his belt already this season, the Blue Jays want to limit him to about 130.

"We plan on using him," Gibbons said. "We're not going to baby him but we'll keep an eye on him."

Sanchez said his first call upon learning he was going to the majors was made wearing just a towel in the visiting clubhouse Monday night in Allentown, Pa., where the Bisons were playing the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. The Bristow, Calif., native then rode up to Toronto on Tuesday.

"This has been an unbelievable 24 hours for me," he said.

It has been a forgettable 24 hours for the Blue Jays after getting smacked by the Boston Red Sox in the series opener at Rogers Centre. Mills, who gave up eight earned runs — including two home runs to David Ortiz — was the first victim and got designated for assignment because Toronto needed someone who could eat up innings Tuesday and beyond.

That'll be Rogers's job for now.

"After last night, if something happens early in this game or it went extra innings we had no length out of anybody out there," Gibbons said. "[Rogers had] been pitching much better down there, too."

Goins will "play a lot" at second base, according to Gibbons, who wouldn't go so far as to say he was the de facto starter there. With Brett Lawrie still injured, Munenori Kawasaki could see more time at third base, with Juan Fransisco shifting to first.

Kratz was sent down, Gibbons said, because the Blue Jays don't need a right-handed-hitting catcher this week. They still have switch-hitting Dioner Navarro and lefty Josh Thole on the roster.

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David Ortiz leads Red Sox’s destruction of Blue Jays

When Drew Hutchison got to the dugout after striking out David Ortiz to end an easy first inning, the Blue Jays starter had nine strikes on 10 pitches and every reason to believe he had his best stuff.

Some of his worst followed.

Hutchison unravelled quickly from there as he and his Toronto teammates got shelled by the Boston Red Sox in a 14-1 loss Monday night at Rogers Centre.

"Just, I guess you could say, one of those nights," Hutchison said. "It wasn't good, it was bad. It was probably more than bad."

Not only was it bad, it was the Blue Jays' worst loss of the season and one that dropped them 3 ½ games back of the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles, who played on the West Coast against the Los Angeles Angels. The Blue Jays' defeat, their 10th in 14 games, snapped their brief winning streak at two.

Hutchison (6-9) allowed six earned runs in less than three innings of work, including a three-run homer by Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew. Meanwhile, the meek offence mustered only three hits, reliever Brad Mills gave up two home runs to Ortiz and little else went right for the Blue Jays (51-49).

"Best thing about it is it's over with," manager John Gibbons said.

Red Sox starter John Lackey allowed one run on two hits in seven innings to pick up the victory, his 11th of the season. Third baseman Juan Francisco drove in Toronto's only run off Lackey with a double in the third, and the Blue Jays at one point went 19 straight batters without a base runner.

"There's no at-bats off, pitches off," said catcher Erik Kratz, who scored after breaking up Lackey's perfect game with a double in the third. "You can't just go up there and just swing to swing. I hope that's not what anybody on this team does, I know it's not what I do, it's not what the guys I see in our lineup doing."

Gibbons understood that falling so far behind made it difficult on his hitters to do much against Lackey, who finished with just 76 pitches.

Hutchison threw almost that many in his 2 1/3 innings of work.

"I put us in a terrible position and didn't really give us a chance to win," the right-hander said. "Just a lack of execution and not getting the job done."

For a fleeting few minutes, Hutchison was in control. In 10 first-inning pitches he threw nine strikes and sat down Brock Holt, Dustin Pedroia and Ortiz with ease.

In the second, Hutchison went off the rails. Within his first 10 pitches he allowed three hits and a run and gave up another to make it 2-0 Red Sox before the inning was over.

If he were able to stop the bleeding there, the Blue Jays might've had a puncher's chance against Lackey. Instead, Hutchison came one strike away from getting out of the third inning before falling apart.

Boston first baseman Mike Napoli, who started the second-inning rally as well, singled to mark the beginning of the end of Hutchison's outing. Drew's three-run shot, a single by Xander Bogaerts and an RBI double by Jackie Bradley Jr. chased Hutchison with two outs in the third.

"It's hard to look out and see your pitcher struggling, see him throwing strikes, seeing him getting ahead and not putting guys away," Kratz said. "That's very frustrating."

Gibbons pointed to Hutchison being unable to get his slider over for strikes as a reason the Red Sox knocked him around the park.

"I thought Hutch looked really good and then from there on they didn't miss him," Gibbons said. "He really had a tough time getting anything going with his breaking ball, spiking a lot of them, yanking a lot of them."

By giving up six runs on nine hits — each stat a career high — Hutchison's earned run average rose from 4.16 to 4.54. His home ERA reached 7.71 in his eighth start at Rogers Centre in 2014.

"He's really struggled at home for whatever reason," Gibbons said. "That's a mystery."

Mills managed to get a fly out from Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez to end the third. By the time he returned to the mound, the Blue Jays had broken up Lackey's perfect game with back-to-back doubles from Kratz and Francisco but couldn't string anything else together.

And by the time Gibbons took the ball from his hand in the fifth, Mills actually fared worse than Hutchison.

The lefty long man gave up a two-run homer to Ortiz in the fourth that tied the Red Sox slugger with Carl Yastrzemski for 36th on Major League Baseball's all-time list. An inning later Ortiz hit another off Mills for No. 22 of the season and No. 453 of his career to take sole possession of the 36th spot.

Ortiz, who on Sunday said he was about to get "hotter than Jamaica in the middle of August" did just that.

"Put it down like this: I'm on my way to Jamaica," he said.

Ortiz's second blast made the Blue Jays' deficit 12 runs at 13-1. Napoli, who finished a triple short of the cycle, hit a solo shot to make it 14-1.

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Blue Jays call up pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez: reports

Toronto also reportedly calls up Ryan Goins

CBC Sports Posted: Jul 22, 2014 9:55 AM ET Last Updated: Jul 22, 2014 9:57 AM ET

Toronto Blue Jays fans are closer to getting their first look at top prospect Aaron Sanchez, as the club has reportedly called up the right-handed pitcher from triple-A Buffalo.

The reports also suggest Ryan Goins will be joining him ahead of Tuesday night's home game against the Boston Red Sox. 

Sanchez, 22, will likely be used in the bullpen, the reports say. He has struggled in Buffalo this season, going 0-3 with a 4.19 earned-run-average after starting his campaign in double-A New Hampshire. 

Goins will be making a reappearance in the Jays dugout, after struggling to a .150 average in April in 24 games. 

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Colby Lewis upset by Colby Rasmus's bunt

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS

Blue Jays outfielder bunted against shift vs. Rangers Saturday

By Rod Perry, CBC Sports Posted: Jul 20, 2014 12:02 PM ET Last Updated: Jul 20, 2014 12:11 PM ET

...And on the next episode of Colby vs. Colby, Colby Rasmus drops down a bunt and hilarity ensues. Stay tuned for more...

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Colby Lewis wasn't exactly a fan of Blue Jays outfielder Rasmus's decision to beat a shift by lowering his bat for a bunt on Saturday in the Rangers' 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays.

Rasmus then beat out Lewis's throw to first.

With Texas down 2-0 in the fifth inning, Lewis appeared visibly perplexed at the audacity of the Jays slugger's antics. Watch the MLB.com video by clicking here and see for yourself.

Those who are well versed in the ancient art of lip reading may be able to make out the words "swing the bat," which appear to be uttered by the struggling starter (6.37 ERA, 2.84 WHIP).

Lewis also told MLB.com he "didn't appreciate" the move by Rasmus and implied it was bad baseball etiquette, which some people thought was, well, a stretch.

What do you think? Was Rasmus wrong to bunt against the shift? Or was Lewis wrong to get upset? 

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Blue Jays eyeing 5th straight win over Red Sox

John Lackey has endured some woes while facing the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Boston Red Sox starter hasn't faced Melky Cabrera much in recent years but figures to be challenged this time against the player who is second in the majors in hits.

Cabrera wielded a hot bat over the weekend and will try to help the Blue Jays defeat the Red Sox for a fifth straight time Monday night in Toronto (7 p.m. ET).

Lackey (10-6, 3.79 ERA) is 5-8 with a 5.43 ERA in 20 starts against Toronto (51-48) for his second-worst ERA against any AL club. Cabrera has faced him more than any Toronto hitter, going 10 for 31 although he's just 0 for 2 off the right-hander over the last two years.

The left fielder went 7 for 13 as the Blue Jays took two of three at home from Texas this past weekend. He turned in his second straight three-hit effort in Sunday's 9-6 victory, ending a 24-game homerless drought with a seventh-inning solo shot.

Cabrera, who has 124 hits to trail only Houston's Jose Altuve, had three RBIs Sunday to match his total from his previous 17 games.

''The All-Star break did him wonders,'' manager John Gibbons said. ''He just needed to refresh a little bit. His hand speed, bat speed looks a little bit better.''

Cabrera is hitting .342 during a nine-game streak against Boston, going 8 for 17 with two homers, three doubles, six runs scored and four RBIs in the last four meetings.

The Red Sox (46-52) should be confident heading into this four-game series as winners of four straight and seven of eight.

Brock Holt is 14 for 28 over his last six games for Boston and entered Sunday as one of baseball's best two-strike hitters with a .265 average. He went 5 for 9 in the last series against Toronto between May 20-22.

The Red Sox capped a three-game home sweep against Kansas City with Sunday's 6-0 victory. The sweep came despite limited production from Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz.

Pedroia was 1 for 12 and left eight runners on base while Ortiz, who has a team-high 64 RBIs, was limited to a double in 13 at-bats.

Ortiz has gone 16 straight at-bats without a hit against Toronto, and he's 0 for 6 against Drew Hutchison (6-8, 4.16), who starts Monday.

Hutchison, who is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox, has surrendered nine runs over 11 innings in consecutive defeats.

The right-hander is 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA in seven home starts.

Boston's Mike Napoli and Xander Bogaerts figure to return to the lineup after they got Sunday off. Napoli is third on the team with 35 RBIs and Bogaerts is seventh with 24.

Manager John Farrell said he will be careful with players on this seven-game trip exclusively on artificial turf. That means he plans to not use Shane Victorino in the outfield at some point after the 33-year old returned Saturday for his first action since May 23 since he was out due to a right hamstring injury.

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Blue Jays' Casey Janssen sick after Dominican trip

Closer had either food poisoning or virus

The Canadian Press Posted: Jul 19, 2014 9:36 PM ET Last Updated: Jul 19, 2014 9:38 PM ET

Casey Janssen will not remember the all-star break fondly.

The Blue Jays closer fell victim to either food poisoning or a virus during a trip to the Dominican Republic.

"It got me pretty good the other night," said Janssen, still looking a little pale. "I'm feeling a little better today. Still a little weak."

The six-foot four 205-pound Janssen required IVs after losing seven-plus pounds "in a matter of about 10 hours."

"So just go ahead and think what that was like," he said wryly. "But I'm starting to get down a little bit more food."

Aaron Loup pitched the ninth in place of Janssen as the Jays downed the Texas Rangers 4-1 Saturday.

"It eats you up when you can't help and compete. Obviously Loup did a great job (today) and we were able to get the win. But I think we need all hands on deck to try and make this second half special," said Janssen, who converted 14 of 16 save opportunities in the first half of the season.

"I hope to be in the middle of it and be a big part of it."

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Blue Jays' Mark Buehrle trying to snap winless skid

The Toronto Blue Jays' Mark Buehrle made the AL All-Star team following a terrific first half, but things didn't exactly go his way down the stretch.

Buehrle tries to snap a seven-start winless drought in Sunday's series finale against the visiting Texas Rangers.

After opening 10-1 with a 2.10 ERA, Buehrle (10-6, 2.64 ERA) has gone 0-5 with a 3.60 ERA since June 7. The veteran left-hander was removed after laboring through a season-low five innings in his final appearance before the break, yielding two runs and nine hits last Friday in an 8-5 win at Tampa Bay. 

'I'm frustrated with myself. To go five innings, that's not really called for. I'm upset with it. ... I put the bullpen in a tough situation. I need to go deeper into games to give us a chance to win.'- Blue Jays' Mark Buehrle

"I'm frustrated with myself. To go five innings, that's not really called for," Buehrle said after throwing 93 pitches. "I'm upset with it. ... I put the bullpen in a tough situation. I need to go deeper into games to give us a chance to win."

Buehrle is 13-5 with a 3.12 ERA against the Rangers, including 2-0 with a 1.95 mark in his last four matchups. He surrendered two runs over 6 2-3 innings but didn't receive a decision in a 4-2 win at Texas on May 17.

Geovany Soto and Elvis Andrus are a combined 4 for 39 against Buehrle while Alex Rios is 5 for 28. However, Rios isn't expected to be in the lineup after leaving Saturday's 4-1 defeat with a sprained right ankle.

"It's not bad, but I'm going to keep him off that turf," manager Ron Washington said. "Hopefully he'll be ready to go when we get to New York (on Monday)."

Texas (39-58), which won 5-1 the night before to snap an eight-game skid, has posted a 4-23 record since June 17. The major league-worst Rangers are hitting .205 with runners in scoring position over that time, including Saturday's 1-for-8 display.

Shin-Soo Choo, hitless in his last 21 at-bats with 11 strikeouts, is expected to get the day off Sunday. Leonys Martin is also struggling, going 3 for his last 21.

The Blue Jays (50-48) had dropped three straight and nine of 11 before bouncing back. Melky Cabrera went 3 for 4 with a run scored and Dan Johnson drove in two.

All-Star right fielder Jose Bautista, mired in a 6-for-32 funk, missed time with a hamstring issue late last month and was the team's designated hitter Saturday.

"Bautista is still guarding (his hamstring) a little bit, but I don't think he's far from (being 100 percent)," manager John Gibbons told the Blue Jays' official website. "We've got him DHing to give him a breather, but we still need him out there."

Bautista will try to break out against Nick Tepesch (3-5, 4.31). The right-hander is on the verge of losing a career-worst third straight start after yielding three runs over six-plus innings in last Friday's 3-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels.

Tepesch has gone 0-3 with a 6.52 ERA in his last four road outings while receiving a combined three runs of support. He allowed six runs over seven innings in his only appearance against Toronto, a 6-1 road loss last June 7.

Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen was unavailable Saturday due to an illness, leaving his status for this game in question.

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Marcus Stroman, Blue Jays try to right ship vs. Rangers

The Texas Rangers are one of only two major league teams to win 90 games in each of the past four seasons.

It seems a pretty safe bet that run won't be extended.

Consecutive wins have been rare for the Rangers, who will turn to a pitcher coming off perhaps the worst start in franchise history Saturday as they seek a second straight win over the Toronto Blue Jays (1:07 p.m. ET).

Texas had World Series aspirations this season after failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in four years in 2013 despite winning 91 games. A 15-9 start appeared to signal the Rangers (39-57) would again be in the postseason mix, but they've gone 24-48 since and now find themselves with the worst record in the majors. 

'We have to play good for a few weeks, consistently. We need to do that. We're still in this thing. It can go one way or another.'- Blue Jays manager John Gibbons

A playoff spot is all but out of the question for Texas, which joined Tampa Bay as the only 90-win teams the last four seasons.

The Rangers opened the second half Friday with a rare victory, ending their second eight-game losing streak of the past month with a 5-1 win at Toronto. J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run homer against his former team and Adrian Beltre added a solo shot as Texas won for the fourth time in 26 games.

"It was a solid game all the way around," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "We made all the plays. That's the way we have to continue to play."

Friday's loss was the third straight and ninth in 11 games for Toronto (49-48), which fell into a second-place tie with the Yankees in the AL East.

"We have to play good for a few weeks, consistently," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told MLB's official website. "We need to do that. We're still in this thing. It can go one way or another."

Yu Darvish proved too much for the slumping Blue Jays, who have totaled 29 runs and batted .171 with runners in scoring position during that 11-game span.

Colby Rasmus' seventh-inning homer was Toronto's first in five contests, its longest drought of the season.

Beltre remains a big bright spot in an otherwise dreadful season for the Rangers. The All-Star third baseman is batting .425 with six homers and 17 RBIs in his last 22 games.

There's nowhere to go but up for Texas' Colby Lewis (6-6, 6.54 ERA), who endured a dreadful outing his last time out. He was charged with a club-record 13 runs - 11 earned - over 2 1-3 innings in a 15-6 loss to the Angels on July 10. The righty also gave up a career-worst 13 hits, while his ERA increased by more than a full run.

"I never got the opportunity to make pitches," Lewis said. "It all happened so quickly. My game has always been to attack hitters, get ahead in the count and get outs. It was one of those days. I got beat, plain and simple."

Facing the Blue Jays doesn't seem an ideal way for Lewis to bounce back since he's compiled a 7.58 ERA in eight career starts against them.

Jose Bautista is 4 for 11 with a pair of homers off Lewis.

Also coming off an outing he'd rather forget is Marcus Stroman (4-2, 4.05), who was tagged for six runs and eight hits over 3 2-3 innings July 9 against the Angels, but escaped without a decision in an 8-7 loss.

That performance was in stark contrast to the rookie's first seven starts, a stretch in which he posted a 2.08 ERA while completing at least six innings six times.

Stroman is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in five home starts, walking five and striking out 30.

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Angels land All-Star closer Huston Street from Padres

The Los Angeles Angels acquired All-Star closer Huston Street and prospect Trevor Gott from the San Diego Padres for minor leaguers Taylor Lindsey, R.J. Alvarez, Jose Rondon and Elliot Morris in a trade on Friday night.

Street (1-0) has 24 saves in 25 opportunities and a 1.09 ERA in 33 games this season.

"Were it not for the fact that we had the ability to control Huston for a year and two months, it would have been far more difficult to justify giving up the type of package that we gave up to get him," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "We had to get a guy like Trevor Gott included in the deal to replace some of that lost value.

"Huston's 30 years old, and arguably having his best season as a major leaguer," Dipoto added. "He's been one of the more consistent closers in baseball over time and one of the highest percentage conversion guys in the league for a number of years. I feel really strong about his character and what he brings to the clubhouse. It really deepens the back end of our bullpen and it gives us the opportunity to make games shorter."

Street was unavailable to the Padres during their 5-4 home loss to the New York Mets on Friday night. San Diego (41-55) is in third place in the NL West, 12 games off the pace.

"Losing is a miserable experience," Street said before the game. "I believe in the Padres' ownership. They want to win and they are not content with status quo.

"I blame the players for what's happened here."

In 10 major league seasons with Oakland (2005-08), Colorado (2009-11) and San Diego (2012-14), Street is 35-27 with 258 saves and a 2.87 ERA.

He has converted 109 of his last 117 save chances, the best mark in the majors in that span.

Street, fifth on the active list in saves and 31st overall, said the Padres were upfront with him regarding the trade talks.

"I asked questions and they gave me direct answers," said Street, who was acquired by the Padres after the 2011 season. "They were extremely honest, said they were fielding offers, and asked me to not be offended."

Gott, 21, has split this season between Single-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio. In 39 combined relief outings, he is 2-4 with 16 saves and a 3.56 ERA.

He was chosen as a mid-season California League All-Star.

Lindsey, a 22-year-old second baseman, was the No. 37 pick by the Angels in the 2010 draft. In four-plus minor league seasons campaigns, he has batted .289 with 43 home runs and 209 RBI.

He was rated as the Angels' top prospect by Baseball America.

Alvarez, 23, has gone 7-4 with five saves in two-plus minor league seasons.

The 20-year-old Rondon was signed as an international free agent in January 2011. The Venezuelan infielder has played in 245 minor league games, batting .300 with 146 runs and 116 RBI.

Morris, 22, has appeared in 28 games — 18 starts — in the Angels system, going 7-6 with a 3.43 ERA.

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Blue Jays look to knuckle down behind R.A. Dickey

Once owners of a sizable lead in the American League East, the Toronto Blue Jays now must make up a significant deficit and likely won't have slugger Edwin Encarnacion for the rest of July.

Things are even worse for the Texas Rangers, who try to avoid their longest skid in 11 seasons in Friday night's series opener at Toronto.

The Blue Jays were 38-24 and six games ahead in the AL East on June 6, but are now four games behind Baltimore after losing 23 of their last 34. A rash of injuries near the end of the first half could hinder Toronto's chances of closing that gap with Encarnacion's strained right quad among the most significant.

Encarnacion remains third in the majors with 26 home runs, despite going on the disabled list July 7. Adam Lind is expected to miss at least another five weeks with a fractured right foot, while Brett Lawrie (finger), Maicer Izturis (knee) and Nolan Reimold (calf) are among the other hitters on the shelf for Toronto (49-47).

"Everybody wants to pick up the slack, especially when you lose Lawrie, Lind and Encarnacion, all big cogs in the engine of our offence," said Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey, Friday's scheduled starter.

"Hopefully, when the second half rolls around, we'll be able to take a deep breath and whatever it is we have to offer individually, we'll bring that."

Dickey (7-9, 3.82 ERA) experienced some of the effects of that injury-plagued lineup Sunday. He gave up two runs in six innings in Tampa Ba,y but suffered a 3-0 defeat. The Blue Jays have plated two runs or fewer in six of their final 10 games before the all-star break after being held to two or less in one of their previous 10.

The right-hander has a 1.71 earned-run average in three starts this month, but is 1-2 with a combined five runs of support.

Dickey is 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA in three lifetime starts against Texas, the team he pitched for in his first five MLB seasons. He gave up four runs, three hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings in his lone matchup this season, a 6-2 road loss May 18 that snapped Toronto's six-game win streak in the series.

Texas enters the second half of the season having lost 22 of 25 and eight in a row. The Rangers (38-57), losers in 11 of 12 on the road, have an 8.37 ERA during their skid and haven't dropped nine straight since May 30-June 8, 2003.

"It has been tough; through it all, they have handled it very well," Rangers manager Ron Washington told MLB's official website.

"In reality, we'd liked to have handled it better and get more wins. It didn't happen, but I didn't see any letdown."

Having staff ace Yu Darvish (8-5, 2.97) on the mound Friday would appear to help, but he's 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in his last five starts. The right-hander gave up six runs and a season-high 10 hits in six innings in an 8-4 loss to Houston on July 9.

Darvish is 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA in six career starts against Toronto and has 49 strikeouts in 41 innings. He hasn't earned a win versus the Blue Jays since May 27, 2012, largely because he's received a combined four runs of support in his last four matchups.

Darvish gave up two runs in eight innings and fanned 11 in his only meeting this season, a 2-0 defeat May 16.

Blue Jays right-fielder Jose Bautista is 1 for 15 with seven strikeouts against Darvish, while Colby Rasmus, who is mired in a 2 for 23 slump, is 5 for 12.

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