Kevin Pillar saves run against Yankees

Kevin Pillar did his best Friday night to steal the spotlight from Derek Jeter as the retiring New York Yankees shortstop began his final series in Toronto.

Pillar, who entered the contest with 64 major league games compared to Jeter's 2,720, came up huge in the field to save a run in the top of the fourth inning at Rogers Centre.

Starting in place of Colby Rasmus in centre field, Pillar made a bee-line for Yankees catcher Brian McCann's soft fly ball at the crack of the bat.

The 25-year-old, who plays the game with his heart on his sleeve, fully extended his body and snared the sinking ball as it was about to bounce on the artificial turf.

Martin Prado had singled two batters earlier and probably would have scored on the play had Pillar not secured the ball.

The Blue Jays' Kevin Pillar dives for a ball off the bat of Yankees catcher Brian McCann during the fourth inning on Friday night. Pillar made the catch that likely save a run in what was then a scoreless game. (Fred Thornhill/Canadian Press)

Pillar also shone with the bat Friday after going 1-for-6 in two games against Boston earlier in the week following his recall from triple-A Buffalo.

After grounding into a double play in the bottom of the third inning, he singled to right field in the fifth off New York starter Chris Capuano. In the seventh, Pillar hit a ball in the left-centre field gap for a double to score Colby Rasmus to cut the Yankees lead to 5-2. He later scored on a Melky Cabrera sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5-3 and finished 2-for-4.

Pillar's performance was his latest attempt to make the Blue Jays organization forget about his previous stint in Toronto.

Two months ago, Pillar lost his composure when he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded against the Yankees.

He was demoted to the triple-A Bisons the next day, but returned Tuesday after outfielder Nolan Reimold was designated for assignment and later claimed on waivers by Arizona.

As for Jeter, the sure-fire Hall of Fame shortstop, the 40-year-old went 1-for-5 on Friday and was charged with an error in the seventh inning trying to throw out Jose Reyes at first base.

In his 20th major league season, Jeter is the Yankees' career hits leader, a 13-time all-star and five-time Gold Glove winner.

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Jose Bautista homers again as Blue Jays blank Yankees

Drew Hutchison focuses on one thing when pitching: command.

Hutchison struck out nine over seven innings and gave up a double to hold New York scoreless as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Yankees 2-0 on Saturday.

"Everything comes off fastball command," said the 24-year-old right-hander. "You can have the best stuff there is and not command the ball. I think that's what it's about."

Reliever Aaron Sanchez kept Hutchison's momentum into the eighth and ninth innings, striking out three to preserve the one-hitter and earn the save for Toronto (68-67).

"Every time I go out there I expect to go deep into the game and to be successful," said Hutchison. "I thought I showed that today and I was able to have good command and my fastball was really good.

"Everything comes off fastball command for me and then I had a real good slider too so I was just able to make pitches."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi also pointed to Hutchison's exceptional command of the strike zone.

"He was beating us with his fastball," said Girardi. "He threw the ball really well. He's got some pretty good stuff and today we weren't able to figure him out."

Right-fielder Jose Bautista had a two-run home run in the first inning, providing all the offence the Blue Jays would need for the win.

It's the fourth game in a row that Bautista has homered in. The blast was also his 100th homer at Rogers Centre, making him only the fourth Blue Jay to reach that benchmark, joining Carlos Delgado (175), Vernon Wells (124) and Joe Carter (121).

"I'll enjoy that in the off-season, all those personal things," said Bautista. "You go home and maybe think about it a little bit and enjoy it but we're trying to win games here and that's the most important thing. We haven't done enough lately so we need to get on a hot streak here to finish the season to strong.

"We could climb back up easily with all the games we have left against the Orioles and the Yankees."

Toronto's win coupled with the Detroit Tigers' 6-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday afternoon puts the Blue Jays 5 ½ games back of the final wild-card berth in the American League. Seattle, New York and Cleveland all have better records than Toronto in the wild card chase.

Bautista praised both Hutchison and Sanchez after the game.

"It was unbelievable. Hutchison did a tremendous job. Obviously he gave us a chance to win," said Bautista. "Aaron also did great. They both held them to just one hit, three or four baserunners and scoreless. Any time the pitching's going to do that our chances of winning are pretty high."

Michael Pineda (3-3) pitched six-plus innings, giving up seven hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts for the Yankees (70-64).

New York captain Derek Jeter, who is playing the last season of his 19-year career, went 0-for-4 on the day with two strikeouts. Still, the sold-out crowd cheered for the sure-fire Hall of Famer for all of his at bats, chanting his name between pitches.

Toronto's Kevin Pillar got the first out of the game with a highlight-reel diving catch on Brett Gardner in centre field. Hutchison quickly retired the next two batters for a three up, three down half inning.

Bautista put Toronto on the scoreboard with a two-run home run over the left-field fence that cashed in Jose Reyes in the bottom of the first. Reyes was on third after a single, a stolen base and advancing on Cabrera's ground out to shortstop.

Hutchison was dialled in for the Blue Jays, not allowing any base runners until the top of the fourth.

He struggled to get out of that inning after back-to-back strikeouts, hitting Carlos Beltran with a pitch and giving up a double to Mark Teixeira. Hutchison then loaded the bases by hitting Brian McCann with a pitch, but Martin Prado popped out to end the inning.

"I put a few guys on and those are situations where you just need to bear down and make a pitch," said Hutchison. "I was able to do that and get out of the jam."

Hutchison re-gained his form in the fifth, inducing a fly out and fanning two more for a quick inning.

Both teams went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, with Hutchison retiring the Yankees in four at bats in the seventh.

Edwin Encarnacion hit a single for the Blue Jays to start the seventh, with Dioner Navarro pushing him to third with a double. Yankees manager Joe Girardi pulled Pineda after those hits with right-hander Shawn Kelley coming in as relief.

Kelley struck out Danny Valencia, induced a ground out by Pillar and a pop out by Reyes to end the threat.

Sanchez started the eighth for Toronto, dismissing three batters, including strikeouts of Gardner and Jeter. Left-hander David Huff took the mound for New York in the bottom of the inning, giving up a walk before ending the eighth.

Sanchez completed the victory with two groundouts, ending the game with a called strike out of McCann.

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Kevin Pillar saves run against Yankees

Kevin Pillar did his best Friday night to steal the spotlight from Derek Jeter as the retiring New York Yankees shortstop began his final series in Toronto.

Pillar, who entered the contest with 64 major league games compared to Jeter's 2,720, came up huge in the field to save a run in the top of the fourth inning at Rogers Centre.

Starting in place of Colby Rasmus in centre field, Pillar made a bee-line for Yankees catcher Brian McCann's soft fly ball at the crack of the bat.

The 25-year-old, who plays the game with his heart on his sleeve, fully extended his body and snared the sinking ball as it was about to bounce on the artificial turf.

Martin Prado had singled two batters earlier and probably would have scored on the play had Pillar not secured the ball.

The Blue Jays' Kevin Pillar dives for a ball off the bat of Yankees catcher Brian McCann during the fourth inning on Friday night. Pillar made the catch that likely save a run in what was then a scoreless game. (Fred Thornhill/Canadian Press)

Pillar also shone with the bat Friday after going 1-for-6 in two games against Boston earlier in the week following his recall from triple-A Buffalo.

After grounding into a double play in the bottom of the third inning, he singled to right field in the fifth off New York starter Chris Capuano. In the seventh, Pillar hit a ball in the left-centre field gap for a double to score Colby Rasmus to cut the Yankees lead to 5-2. He later scored on a Melky Cabrera sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5-3 and finished 2-for-4.

Pillar's performance was his latest attempt to make the Blue Jays organization forget about his previous stint in Toronto.

Two months ago, Pillar lost his composure when he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded against the Yankees.

He was demoted to the triple-A Bisons the next day, but returned Tuesday after outfielder Nolan Reimold was designated for assignment and later claimed on waivers by Arizona.

As for Jeter, the sure-fire Hall of Fame shortstop, the 40-year-old went 1-for-5 on Friday and was charged with an error in the seventh inning trying to throw out Jose Reyes at first base.

In his 20th major league season, Jeter is the Yankees' career hits leader, a 13-time all-star and five-time Gold Glove winner.

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Yankees' 5-run 7th inning buries Blue Jays

The New York Yankees have owned pitcher Mark Buehrle his entire career, but it didn't look that way Friday night.

Not at first, anyway.

One bad inning and some sloppy play by his teammates left the 35-year-old on the hook for a 6-3 loss against New York.

Yankees' Tanaka has soreness in arm

Injured Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka is being sent back to New York because of general soreness in his right arm, a setback in his bid to rejoin the rotation this season.

"There's obviously concern, but I think we play it out this week to see where we're at," manager Joe Girardi said before Friday night's game at Toronto.

The Japanese star is 12-4 with a 2.51 earned-run average in his first season in the majors. He hasn't pitched since July 8 as he recovers from a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, and the Yankees hope he can return for a playoff push.

Tanaka threw 49 pitches in a simulated game Thursday and did not report any unusual pain. On Friday, however, he said his whole arm felt sore.

"I want to be a little bit cautious," Tanaka said through a translator.

The Yankees have used 12 starting pitchers this season, their highest total since 2008, when they used 13.

— The Associated Press

"Buehrle was damn good tonight," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons.

The veteran left-hander went six innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs to go along with four strikeouts, but dropped to 11-9 on the season. He remains with just one victory since June 1st, and hasn't beaten the Yankees since Apr. 11, 2004 while still a member of the Chicago White Sox.

Jacoby Ellsbury hit a two-tun homer, part of a five-run seventh inning for the Yankees, off reliever Aaron Loup and Chase Headley added a solo shot off Dustin McGowan in the ninth.

Despite being 1-12 with a 6.15 earned-run average in his career against New York, Buehrle was on his game early, retiring the first eight Yankees he faced before second baseman Stephen Drew lined a ball over Kevin Pillar's head in centre for a double in the top of the third.

The first three innings Buehrle needed only 36 pitches, including 24 for strikes, and in the second he used just six pitches to put out Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran. The Missouri native sat down 13 of the 15 batters he faced through five.

Everything fell apart, however, in the seventh.

With Toronto (67-66) leading 1-0, McCann opened the inning with a double to right field and Buehrle gave up his only walk of the night to the next hitter, Beltran, to put two on with nobody out.

Brett Gardner then doubled home McCann and a throwing error by second baseman Steve Tolleson on the same play allowed Beltran to come home and make it 2-1 New York (69-63) while Gardner was able to end up on third.

Ichiro Suzuki singled next, ending Buehrle's night in favour of Loup.

"It could be a sign of getting old and a lot of innings, I get to the fifth, sixth inning and start to putter out a little bit, I don't know," said Buehrle. "I felt strong even going out there for the seventh inning, I felt as strong as I did in the first and it's just the results aren't there.

"I'm missing location, which that obviously is a sign of getting a little tired. The way I'm feeling now, I'm happy about it, I just need to get the results."

Loup struck out Chase Headley, who was pinch hitting for Drew, but Gardner came in to score on another throwing error by catcher Dioner Navarro, who threw wide off third base in an attempt to pick off Gardner.

Ellsbury then hit a two-run shot to make it 5-1. It was the first home run Loup had given up to a left-handed batter in his major league career.

"Loup is very tough on left-handers," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "We've seen that for the last couple of years. For [Ellsbury] to hit that two-run homer to make it 5-1 was obviously really big."

Toronto earned back two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, cutting New York's lead to 5-3. Pillar doubled home Colby Rasmus, which ended the night for Yankee starter Chris Capuano (2-3), and a sacrifice fly to left by Melky Cabrera brought in Pillar.

In a funk

Edwin Encarnacion had a great chance to bring Toronto closer, and end a personal slump, with Jose Reyes and Bautista on base, but middle reliever Adam Warren got him to fly out to right to end the inning.

Encarnacion is now just 3-for-26 in 12 games since returning from injury.

Headley made it 6-3 New York in the ninth inning when he took McGowan's first pitch deep over the right field wall. Two batters later Jeter looked to have brought home Ellsbury, but a 1:37 video review led to the umpire overruling his original safe call at home plate.

Bautista hit his 27th home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 1-0 for Toronto. His blast over the left field wall moved him into a tie with Encarnacion for the team lead in long balls.

"He's popped a few home runs lately, but we need a couple other guys to do the same," said Gibbons, who watched his club produce nine hits while leaving eight runners on base.

Two batters after Bautista, Navarro laced a double down the left field line, but Capuano was able to avoid anymore trouble by striking out Danny Valencia to end the inning.

In the fifth, Rasmus doubled to right and was moved to third on a single by Pillar. With runners on the corners and just one out, Toronto had an opportunity to extend its lead. A Reyes pop up and Cabrera ground out, though, ended any threat.

Rasmus opened the bottom of the third with a broken-bat single that saw the barrel of the bat nearly take out Capuano on the mound, but any chance for momentum was negated when Pillar hit into a 5-4-3 double play.

"We really couldn't get a lot of offence going, looking for that big knock," said Gibbons.

"We just have to swing our way out of it, we're not producing as a whole right now. Just got to keep battling. Just keep grinding away, what else can you do?"

Capuano went 6 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts to pick up his first win in four starts with New York since being acquired from the Boston Red Sox.

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Giants' Yusmeiro Petit retires MLB record 46th straight batter

Yusmeiro Petit set a major league record when he retired his 46th batter in a row, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 4-1 on Thursday for their third straight win.

Petit (4-3) got the first eight Colorado hitters, establishing the mark by striking out Charlie Culberson, prompting a standing ovation by the announced sellout crowd of 41,017 at AT&T Park in San Francisco. That broke Mark Buehrle's record of 45 straight with the Chicago White Sox in 2009.

Petit's streak covered eight games, six of them in relief. The 29-year-old journeyman from Venezuela also surpassed Jim Barr's National League record of 41 in a row with the Giants in 1972.

The string ended two pitches later when the next batter, Rockies starter Jordan Lyles, doubled to left field.

"That might be a trivia answer some day," said Lyles, whose record dropped to 6-2 on the season after he allowed three runs and four hits in six innings.

He pulled Petit's four-seam fastball clocked at 89 miles per hour to left field to carve out his own place in baseball history.

Charlie Blackmon followed with a single to drive in Colorado's only run.

"I was a little nervous when the hitters were advancing toward the record. But in that pitch to the pitcher, I was not nervous," Petit said through a translator. "I was doing my job. The first pitch was fine. The second pitch was fine, too, but it slid a little bit where I didn't want it to."

Petit, a 29-year-old journeyman from Venezuela, fell one strike short of a perfect game against Arizona last September. Almost a year later, he carved out his own slice of baseball history.

The right-hander made the start in place of struggling Tim Lincecum, who was available out of the bullpen.

Petit allowed four hits, struck out nine and walked none, and his latest performance will likely earn him another turn in the rotation. 

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Yankees' Jeter makes final visit to Toronto

The Toronto Blue Jays aren't going to walk away from August with many positives.

They can, however, add life to their receding playoff chances by completing the month with a strong series against the New York Yankees, one of the teams they're chasing for a spot in the post-season.

The first chance comes Friday night (7:07 p.m. ET) at home as Mark Buehrle tries to do away with a horrendous decade against New York.

Toronto (67-66) is 7-16 in August, though it avoided dipping under .500 for the first time since May 14 with Wednesday's 5-2 win over Boston. The Blue Jays are 5½ games back of Seattle and Detroit for the second AL wild-card spot.

"Yeah, we're up against a big headwind, but yeah, you have to stay optimistic," manager John Gibbons told MLB's official website. "Why wouldn't you? What, are you going to quit?"

Jose Bautista homered for a second straight game after going 0 for 13 in his previous four.

Buehrle (11-8, 3.41 ERA) has his highest ERA of the season after surrendering three runs in 6 1-3 innings of Saturday's 5-4 win over Tampa Bay. After snapping a nine-start winless streak at the end of July, he's 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in four starts this month.

But there's a more substantial winless streak in this matchup. The left-hander is 1-12 in his career against the Yankees and is 0-10 with a 7.34 ERA and .337 opponents' batting average over 15 starts since April 20, 2004.

Ichiro Suzuki is 25 for 58 (.431) against Buehrle, Derek Jeter is 16 for 46 (.348), Brett Gardner is 11 for 26, Brian McCann is 9 for 21 and Stephen Drew is 6 for 14.

Jeter is batting .351 during a nine-game hitting streak against the Blue Jays and will be honoured in a ceremony preceding his final regular-season series in Toronto, but his concerns are likely elsewhere.

After falling 3-2 to Detroit on Thursday, New York (69-63) is three games back in the wild-card race and well behind Baltimore for the division lead.

Yankees reliever Shawn Kelley summed up the importance of the defeat to a contending team after being on the mound for the walk-off loss.

"That's about as bad as I've felt walking off a mound in my career," Kelley said.

Jacoby Ellsbury was 1 for 4 and is batting .462 over his last 10 games, but New York managed just five hits. After scoring eight runs in the third inning of Wednesday's 8-4 win, the Yankees have scored twice in 15 innings.

Their pitching has excelled through a 6-2 stretch with a 2.89 ERA, though things have been uglier recently against Toronto. In the last six meetings, New York starters have posted a 7.39 ERA.

Chris Capuano is still chasing his first Yankees win. Capuano (1-3, 4.37) is 0-2 with a 4.21 ERA in six starts since making his New York debut on July 26 against Toronto. He held the Blue Jays to two runs in six innings of a 6-4 loss without being tagged with the decision.

More recently, the 36-year-old surrendered three runs in six innings of Sunday's 7-4 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Bautista is 7 for 19 with a pair of home runs against Capuano while Edwin Encarnacion is 3 for 20, but two of those hits left the yard. Encarnacion is batting .394 in nine games against the Yankees this season.

Toronto centre fielder Colby Rasmus has missed the past two games with flu-like symptoms.

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Blue Jays' Tolleson unlikely pitching hero

For a moment, Steve Tolleson was Everyman. Who hasn't wondered what it's like to pitch a major league baseball game?

Tolleson, an infielder with the Toronto Blue Jays, got a second shot at taking the mound Tuesday night in an 11-7 blowout at the hands of the Boston Red Sox.

The 30-year-old from Spartanburg, S.C., whose throwing background is more beer league than big leagues, had a hit, scored a run and registered a strikeout — an unlikely triple threat.

Tolleson describes his pitching experience as "zero." But throwing balls in the low 70s in terms of miles per hour, he struck out Will Middlebrooks and induced Mookie Betts to fly out in the 11th inning.

He had come into the game in the ninth inning as a pinch-runner with the score tied at 4-4.

Given the fact that Tolleson was sent to the mound two innings later signalled that the Jays — with six relievers having already seen action in the game after starter R.A. Dickey — had thrown in the towel in the ugly loss, it was hardly a night to celebrate.

But the soft-spoken Tolleson, who came on as a pitcher to register the final out in a 15-4 loss to Cleveland on May 14, admitted to having fun.

"The last time I was kind of a deer in the headlights, not really knowing know what to do," said Tolleson. "This time I just tried to embrace it and enjoy it for what I could and just go out there and try to help move the game along a little bit. It was fun."

Tolleson becomes the third position player in Jays history to pitch multiple outings in a season (joining Bob Bailor in 1980 and Jeff Mathis in 2012).

"We're not proud of that," manager John Gibbons said of having Tolleson pitch twice.

Tolleson said his high school coach wouldn't let him pitch, saying "you're never going to do that past high school."

"I guess we're all kind of laughing at that," he added.

Still, overall Tolleson termed the evening a tough night and another unfortunate loss in what has been a dire August for the spiralling Jays.

Tolleson says he throws "a good batting practice in the off-season with some of my buddies that play." Otherwise, it's been mopping up in a few blowout games in the minor leagues and two with the Jays this year.

He saw his job Tuesday as essentially to protect the other pitchers.

Asked whether he had a repertoire, Tolleson laughed.

"I could say I have a repertoire but it wouldn't be true," he said. "I told Navi (catcher Dioner Navarro) fastball, curveball, knuckleball and I wanted to throw a knuckleball but I figured they saw Dickey's all day today, they'd probably just light up if they saw mine."

He threw one curveball that was nowhere close to where it was supposed to be.

"I just decided then to just throw it over (the plate) and hopefully, they hit it at somebody."

In a strange way, Tolleson may have had a bit of an edge against the batters. Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who pitched in college, says facing an occasional pitcher can be odd for a batter.

"At times it's effective just because it's a rare feat to have a position player pitching," said Bautista.

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Blue Jays beat Red Sox to avoid sweep

After suffering through three straight extra-innings defeats, the Blue Jays won stylishly in regulation Wednesday thanks to a strong outing by rookie pitcher Marcus Stroman and a three-run homer by pinch-hitter Danny Valencia.

Jose Bautista also homered for the second day in a row as Toronto defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-2.

Toronto (67-66) scored four runs — including two unearned — in the seventh inning with Valencia recording his first homer as a Jay. That made a winner out of Stroman, who was on cruise control other than hitting a two-run bump in the sixth inning.

"He was terrific today," Toronto manager John Gibbons said of the 23-year-old right-hander. "We've seen him like that a few times this year so it's not like all of a sudden that came out of nowhere. But he had been in a little bit of a rut.

"But that's what the kid's capable of."

The Jays, who had gone 1-3 during a run of four straight extra-inning games, can now look forward to an off-day before hosting Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees on Friday.

Stroman (8-5) left to an ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd of 30,285 with two outs in the eighth. He gave up one unearned run on five hits, striking out six and walking one. Stroman threw 112 pitches, 73 for strikes.

"He was sticking that fastball," said Gibbons. "It was down at the knees most of the night which is different (from) when he struggles. And he had that nice little breaking ball."

Left-hander Brett Cecil retired David Ortiz to end the eighth inning and struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save.

The win was just Toronto's seventh in 23 games in August. The Jays had lost 10 of their last 13 games and 12 of 17.

Boston (58-75) came into the game having won two in a row since snapping an eight-game losing streak.

Stroman has struggled of late, losing his last three decisions. But he was razor-sharp Wednesday, retiring the first eight batters he faced before issuing a walk. He retired 10 of 11 before giving up a walk to Ortiz with one out in the fourth inning with the damage quickly erased by a double play.

He allowed just one hit and faced 16 batters in the first five innings, just one over the minimum.

Contrast that to his last outing, when he gave up 10 hits and six runs in five innings against Tampa Bay. prior to that he failed to survive the first inning against the White Sox, yielding five runs on five hits.

Like Gibbons, Stroman pointed to keeping his fastball down as a key for the turnaround.

"It's just baseball," he added. "Sometimes you just go through a rough stretch."

Confidence is not an issue for Stroman, whose baseball cap — jauntily worn backwards during a post-game interview — read FAME on the front.

Stroman has won all three starts against Boston, posting an 0.83 earned-run average with five walks and 21 strikeouts.

Stroman's strong showing was timely given that Toronto had used 10 pitchers and a position player on the mound the last two games.

Things went slightly south in the sixth, however, with the Jays leading 1-0. Third baseman Juan Francisco's throwing error put David Ross on with one out and Ortiz singled him home after back-to-back singles by Brock Holt and Dustin Pedroia loaded the bases. Holt then scored from third on a wild pitch to make it 2-1.

Stroman limited the damage, dispatching the next two batters to strand Red Sox runners on second and third.

Red Sox starter Joe Kelly was stingy in his first appearance against the Jays before leaving after facing one batter in the decisive seventh inning. Outside of a home run and single by Bautista, he allowed two walks and a hit batsman in the first six innings.

Kelly, who left his last start Friday with a "minor tweak" in his shoulder, exited in the seventh after giving up a double to Edwin Encarnacion. Ross then dropped a Dioner Navarro pop foul and the Toronto catcher took advantage, hitting a single to put Jays on first and third.

Boston manager John Farrell pulled left-hander Tommy Layne (1-1) in favour of Junichi Tazawa and Valencia greeted the right hander with a three-run shot to left field.

"I missed my location," Tazawa said through an interpreter.

It was the 20th career homer given up by Tazawa, eight of which have come against Toronto.

Tazawa and manager John Farrell suggested the pitcher may have been tipping his pitches against Toronto in the past.

"I think they picked up something that we felt like we corrected, probably two and a half months ago," said Farrell. "Tonight was a matter of a ball that ran back to the inner third of the plate against Valencia, rather than staying down and away from him."

Valencia celebrated the homer with a fist pump as he rounded the bases.

"I was fired up. I was turnt up," he said, using some modern vernacular for excited.

The Toronto hit parade continued with a Kevin Pillar double and RBI single by Jose Reyes, upping the Toronto lead to 5-2.

Bautista, who snapped an 0-17 slump with a home run Tuesday, went deep again in the first inning with a solo shot to centre field — his 26th homer of the season. Bautista's shot off the facing of the first outfield deck marked the first time in eight games that Toronto had scored first.

While there were costly errors on both sides, the fans were also treated to some fine fielding from Mike Napoli, Will Middlebrooks and Holt on the Boston side and Reyes, Munenori Kawasaki and Adam Lind for Toronto.

Bautista crashed into the stands down the first-base line trying to chase down a foul ball in the eighth inning but stayed in the game.

Ortiz, given Monday and Tuesday off after being hit by pitches on the elbow and foot on the weekend, returned to his DH role.

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MLB denies weekend protest by Rays in Toronto

Major League Baseball on Tuesday denied a protest filed by the Tampa Bay Rays last weekend in Toronto.

Executive Vice-President for Baseball Operations Joe Torre made the ruling, which stemmed from a play disputed by Rays manager Joe Maddon in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays in 10 innings.

Wil Myers was called safe at first base on a pickoff throw by Toronto pitcher Mark Buehrle. After Buehrle returned to the rubber, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons came out to challenge the call.

Myers was called out on a replay review, and Maddon told umpire crew chief Bob Davidson that he was playing under protest.

The replay rules say challenges must come before the next play or pitch. The rules say the crew chief decides whether a manager's challenge is timely.

"We got a couple of different interpretations where you can and cannot protest," Maddon said Tuesday at Camden Yards. "I didn't think we were protesting replay. We were protesting the right to go to replay. Again, it is what it is."

"I can sit here all day long and tell you how much I disagree with it. At the end of the day, as much as respect as I have for Joe Torre, for me it's over and done with. From my perspective, I hope the discussion continues because I think the whole situation deserves discussion," he said.

Regarding the use of replay, Maddon said, "It's going to be a fluid system and things are going to change. It's going to be worked out and it's going to become very good for the game. But what I don't get is the most clear, the clearest point of all, has been disputed and overturned. That's what I don't quite understand."

The struggling Blue Jays were obviously happy with the ruling.

"Never a doubt," said manager John Gibbons with a smile before the Jays faces Bosoton in Toronto.

"We might have been winless for the week if they'd nailed that thing. Deep down I really had no worries that they were going to uphold that thing. To guarantee that in the win column always helps."

Asked whether the league asked him to make quicker use of the replay, Gibbons replied, "I'm sure I'll get a note saying, 'Speed it up a little bit better next time.' They'll leave no doubt maybe. They did the right thing. Bottom line, they got the call right. That's what the whole replay system is for anyway."

Last week, San Francisco became the first team since 1986 to win an MLB protest. The Giants contended a rain-shortened loss at Wrigley Field should've instead been a suspended game.

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Red Sox pound Jays for 2nd straight win at Rogers Centre

To Mike Napoli, it was "just another homer."

Napoli hit a shot into the fifth deck, the first at Rogers Centre in more than three years, as part of Boston's seven-run 11th inning and the Red Sox held on for a 11-7 win on Tuesday night.

Pillar back with Jays

Two months after being sent to the minors following a tantrum at being pinch-hit, outfielder Kevin Pillar is back with the Blue Jays.

Pillar was demoted after video showed him tossing his bat in disgust after being pulled in a game against the Yankees. At the time, Toronto manager John Gibbons explained the move by saying "there was no room for selfish play."

Pillar, 25, said he had talked to Gibbons about the incident and was relieved that it was considered "water under the bridge."

The Jays wasted little time using Pillar. With Colby Rasmus said to be under the weather, Pillar started Tuesday night in centre field against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

The Jays sent outfielder Nolan Reimold to triple-A Buffalo to make room for Pillar.

— The Canadian Press

Allen Craig also homered in the big inning, Dustin Pedroia homered and had four RBIs and Boston won its second straight game following an eight-game losing streak.

"Standing at home plate, it's hard to imagine hitting a ball that far, but he did," Craig said.

Toronto fell to 6-16 in August and, at 66-66, dropped to .500 for the first time since May 15. The Blue Jays have played four straight extra-inning games, losing three.

"It's tough," Toronto's Casey Janssen said. "We lost another tough game in extra innings."

Mookie Betts singled off Janssen (3-2) to begin the 11th and was called out at second on Christian Vazquez's sacrifice, with the call overturned after a challenge by Red Sox manager John Farrell. Janssen was charged with an error when he bobbled Brock Holt's bunt, loading the bases for Pedroia, who singled through the drawn-in infield to score a pair.

Sergio Santos came on and struck out Yoenis Cespedes before Napoli, who was hit on the helmet by a pitch earlier in the game, crushed with a towering three-run homer into the fifth deck. It's the 17th upper deck homer in the 25-year history of Rogers Centre, and the seventh by an opponent.

"I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere, trying to get a single with a runner in scoring position," Napoli said. "I guess it's pretty cool."

Daniel Nava doubled before Craig homered, his first with Boston.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, who'd already used all his available relievers, responded by calling designated hitter Steve Tolleson out of the dugout to take the mound. Tolleson struck out Will Middlebrooks and got Betts to fly out to the warning track.

Napoli was hit on the brim of the helmet by a wayward knuckleball from Dickey in the fifth, knocking it off his head. His face showing concern, Dickey held his hands up in apology.

"It doesn't feel good," Napoli said of being beaned by a knuckler, insisting he had no lingering effects.

Junichi Tazawa (3-3) worked one inning for the win. Heath Hembree allowed three runs in the 11th, but Boston held on.

Pedroia homered off R.A. Dickey in the first and Middlebrooks made it 3-0 with a two-out double, but Toronto tied with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth.

The Red Sox reclaimed the lead against Dustin McGowan in the seventh on an RBI single by Cespedes, but Jose Bautista led off the bottom half with a tying homer off Alex Wilson, snapping an 0 for 17 slump.

Bautista is the third player in Blue Jays history to record five consecutive seasons with 25 or more home runs. The others are Joe Carter, who did it six times between 1991 and 1996, and Carlos Delgado, who did it nine times from 1996 to 2004.

Protest denied

Major League Baseball denied a protest filed by Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon in Saturday's game, which Toronto won 5-4. Maddon protested after crew chief Bob Davidson allowed Gibbons to challenge a pickoff play at first base after pitcher Mark Buehrle had returned to the rubber and batter Yunel Escobar had returned to the box. "We might have been winless for the week if they'd nailed that thing," a relieved Gibbons said.

Trainer's room

Red Sox: DH David Ortiz (right foot) sat out his second straight game. Ortiz left Sunday's game against Seattle in the sixth, two innings after fouling a ball off his foot. Manager John Farrell said Ortiz, who skipped batting practice, could play Wednesday.

Blue Jays: OF Colby Rasmus (illness) was scratched from the lineup shortly before first pitch and replaced by Kevin Pillar, who was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo earlier Tuesday. Toronto designated OF Nolan Reimold for assignment to make room for Pillar.

Up next

Red Sox RH Joe Kelly (0-1) takes on Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (7-5) in Wednesday's series finale. Stroman has lost his last three decisions and allowed a career-high 10 hits in his previous start, Aug. 22 against Tampa Bay.

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Jays' Bautista unrepentant, says he didn't deserve ejection

One day after being ejected in an extra-innings loss to Tampa, Jose Bautista found himself in the spotlight again Monday.

Surrounded by media, the Jays slugger was unrepentant in his belief that he did nothing to warrant being ejected by home plate umpire Bill Welke in the sixth inning Sunday after striking out.

His ejection took on a bigger light when outfield replacement Nolan Reimold misplayed a fly ball in the top of the 10th inning, an error that turned into the winning run in the 2-1 Tampa win. Reimold also struck out to end the game.

Jays manager John Gibbons did not mince words afterwards.

"Bottom line we need him in the game. Say your piece, and get the hell out of there," he said of Bautista. "We're trying to get in the playoffs, we need you on the field.

"He [Bautista] is a marked man in this game. Bill Welke, I thought he had a pretty good zone today. He was steady, I thought he was looking to call strikes. But we need you in the game."

Gibbons repeated his view Monday, although he called the incident old news and said there were "no issues." He also made a point of citing Bautista's intensity while declining to say whether he had talked to the player about Sunday's incident.

"To be honest, I think he's handled himself very well this year," Gibbons said of Bautista's actions towards umpires. "My point is we need him. He doesn't do us any good sitting on the bench."

Still, Gibbons' bluntness in pointing the finger at a star player was unusual. It also comes in a rollercoaster season that has seen Bautista question the team's lack of moves to strengthen the roster.

The 33-year-old Bautista, who is slated to make US$14 million this season, is the face of the franchise and an influential voice in the locker-room. Rightly or wrongly, every hiccup comes in for intense scrutiny.

Bautista has more than a few in his corner, judging from the warm reaction he got when his name came up during the Jays introduction Monday night.

A nice running catch to end the top of the first won more cheers and he got a good response for his first-inning at-bat despite grounding out.

The manager's comments on Sunday's ejection did not go unnoticed by Bautista.

"I did read his quotes and I understand his frustrations," the right-fielder said before Monday night's game with Boston. "And I had the same frustrations. I didn't want to get ejected. But it happened.

"Again I don't think what I did warranted an ejection. That's the only thing that I can say."

Sitting at his locker stall, a relaxed Bautista then surveyed the media throng around him.

"I find it interesting though that this is so important that this is the first time all year that I've had 15 people in front of my locker," he said after pausing to count the reporters. "After a lot of good games and after a lot of bad games. It's very interesting to me."

A reporter countered that a lot of times his locker was empty before games.

"I don't believe that," Bautista said dismissively. "I don't think that's true."

Bautista has had issues with umpires in the past, but has kept his emotions in check this season.

Last year, he spoke out on the issue after being upset at the strike calling of umpire Jeff Nelson in the season opener against Cleveland.

Asked about it the next day, Bautista said he reacts to umpires because he plays with emotion.

"Sometimes I have trouble more than other players dealing with my production being affected by somebody else's mediocrity," he said. "It's just the way that I am as a person, it's a tougher pill to swallow for me sometimes."

The comments were unlikely to win him favour with the umpiring professionals in the 161 games that followed.

On Monday, Bautista chose his words carefully as he fenced with reporters. He sounded more like a lawyer than a baseball player as he debated the meaning of argument.

"I feel what I said and what I did did not warrant an ejection. But I did get ejected. And I don't have anybody else to blame for it, that's my fault. But I also wanted to say what I wanted to say. Without cursing, without raising my voice, without being animated, without showing him up.

"And I don't think when you do that in a polite matter you should get ejected."

Bautista said the ejection and subsequent criticism will not change his future interaction with umpires even though he acknowledged "nobody can ever win" such discussions.

"That doesn't mean you've got to keep your mouth shut," he said. "Especially when you're being polite, especially when you're again not raising your voice, not using curse words.

"I mean I didn't know there was a gag order in baseball. If that rule was put out, I haven't got the memo yet."

Bottom line, Bautista didn't seemed too fazed about anyone else's opinion.

"I know my motives. I know the things that I do and why I do them," he said. "And what makes me a good player. And what makes me tick, and why I come out here every day and what my purpose is.

"If some people want to believe that's part ulterior motive, obviously they're entitled to their opinion but I obviously don't agree with them."

The elephant in the room was whether Bautista's actions in not letting the strikeout go were selfish.

"I don't think that I should come to my job and worry about performing and on top of that try to convince the world that I'm a good person or that I have good intentions within my team," he said. "I don't think that's my job. I think my job is to come here and play hard and try my best. And I think I do that every single day.

"Again, if some people believe that I'm selfish or have whatever reasons or motives to do anything while I'm out on the field, that's their opinion. I shouldn't have to campaign against that just to get people on my side. I should go out there and play hard every day and try to help my team win games."

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Blue Jays rally falls short against Red Sox

In a month that continues to go from bad to worse, the Toronto Blue Jays came agonizingly close to a stirring comeback win Monday night before literally falling short.

Another foot or so and Edwin Encarnacion's ninth-inning blast to centre would have been a game-winning home run instead of a double off the wall to tie the game at 3-3.

And the Jays' joy at the three-run outburst in the ninth was short-lived when Boston's Yoenis Cespedes singled home the winning run in the 10th inning for a 4-3 victory that ended the Red Sox's eight-game losing streak.

Shortstop Brock Holt singled off Aaron Sanchez (2-1) with one out and then stole second — surviving an instant replay review — and third before Cespedes sent the ball past a diving Munenori Kawasaki with two outs for the winning run.

"We made a run at it. We needed another foot or two on Eddie's ball," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "And then we couldn't shut them down (in) that extra inning. So disappointing, definitely disappointing."

Toronto, which is 6-15 this month, has now lost nine of its last 12 games and 11 of its last 16. It failed to score more than three runs for the 13th time this month.

The opposition scored first for the fifth straight game, dropping Toronto's record to 20-39 on the season when it falls behind out of the gate.

It marked the fifth time in the last six home games that the Jays had gone to extra innings. Their record is 3-2 in such games over that stretch.

The Jays (66-65) had hoped to put an end to their August swoon given their success this season against Boston. Toronto had won six straight against the Red Sox and 10 of the 13 meetings between the two prior to Monday.

Left-hander Craig Breslow pitched the 10th for his first save, despite putting the tying run on via a walk.

Boston (57-74) was in control going into the ninth, with starter Clay Buchholz holding the Jays to two hits over eight innings and homers by Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia giving the visitors a 3-0 lead.

Buchholz struck out four and walked two in a near flawless outing that kept the dormant Jays offence in check until the ninth, when he loaded the bases on back-to-back Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera singles and a Jose Bautista walk with one out.

Closer Koji Uehara was unable to clean up the mess, allowing one run on an Adam Lind forceout and then two more on the Encarnacion double. Uehara (6-4) blew the save but still got the win.

Boston manager John Farrell praised Cespedes' heroics.

"Cespy has been so good since coming over to us (from Oakland), getting RBIs in key moments, late-inning situations," he said. "Once again, today, with a game-winner. Whether it's been with a base hit or a long ball, he's been big for us late in games."

Buchholz had outduelled J.A. Happ, who struck out eight and gave up five hits in six solid innings before a crowd of 26,041 with the roof open at Rogers Centre. But the Jays left-hander fell victim to the long ball in the fifth inning.

"Happ was really good," said Gibbons. "Just those two swings got him."

Sanchez also paid the price for a mistake, leaving a breaking ball in the strike zone for Cespedes.

Buchholz, who had lost his last three starts, had hoped to notch his 11th career win against the Blue Jays — the most he has against any team. Instead he was left with a no-decision and remains 1-3 against Toronto this season.

Singles by Danny Valencia in the third inning, Lind in the seventh, Reyes and Cabrera in the ninth and a walk in the fifth were the only blemishes on Buchholz's scorecard.

He was helped by stellar fielding plays by second baseman Pedroia, shortstop Holt and third baseman Will Middlebrooks.

"Clay was outstanding," said Farrell. "He was very efficient. A lot of balls on the ground. I thought we played outstanding infield defence behind him."

It was Boston's first victory since a 10-7 decision over the Houston Astros on Aug. 16. The Red Sox were coming off a 2-9 homestand that saw them outscored 62-43 — with 19 of those Boston runs coming in the two victories.

Happ, in his 20th start of the season, struck out three of the seven batters he faced over the first two innings. But he ran into trouble in the third when he gave up a single and walk to open the inning. Left-fielder Cabrera came to the rescue, throwing out catcher Christian Vasquez as he tried to take third on a deep fly ball from Pedroia.

Boston finally got to Happ in the fifth when Betts, the No. 8 hitter, slammed a 3-2 ball deep for a solo homer over the left field fence with one out for only his second career homer. Happ walked the next batter and Pedroia made him pay one out later with his sixth homer of the season, depositing the ball in the Jays' bullpen for a 3-0 lead.

The Red Sox now have 12 homers at Rogers Centre in 2014, their most at a visiting park.

Happ walked two batters while throwing 111 pitches including 66 strikes before giving way to Todd Redmond.

"It's definitely tough to take," said Happ. "I felt better than that. They put some good swings on a couple of balls but other than that I felt like I was executing pretty well."

Abandoned by his offence, Happ was 1-3 in his six previous outings since the all-star break. He was given just 12 runs in support during those starts.

Jays pitchers came into the game with a 4.79 earned-run average in August, third highest in the American League. And the Toronto offence ranked last in runs (62) and homers (10).

The Jays escaped facing Red Sox slugger David Ortiz and his 461 career homers. Ortiz, who leads all visitors at Rogers Centre with 37 home runs, was given a day off after an eventful weekend that saw him hit by pitches on the elbow Saturday and on the foot Sunday.

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Jays welcome back RP Sergio Santos from triple-A stint

Blue Jays reliever Sergio Santos hasn't exactly had an ideal season. But as he sees it, it's been a humbling one.

Toronto purchased the right-hander's contract from triple-A Buffalo on Saturday, optioning fellow reliever Kyle Drabek on Sunday to make room on the roster for Santos four weeks after he was designated for assignment and passed through waivers unclaimed.

Now that he's back with the major league club, the 31-year-old says he appreciates the time he spent in Buffalo.

"It was extremely humbling. You take things for granted because it's so nice up here," Santos said prior to the Blue Jays game versus the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre.

"The way I look at it, it was a four-week refresher. Now I'm back and hopefully I can get on a run here."

'I was hoping [to get called up] but all I could control was how I was throwing and I knew that the better I threw, the more pressure I could kind of put on the team as far as coming back up.'- Blue Jays RP Sergio Santos

Primarily known for his fastball and slider, Santos said he spent time working on his change-up in Buffalo, a pitch he threw only 10.2 per cent of the time this year, and 8.9 per cent in total through his five major league seasons.

More generally though, Santos said he worked on "everything."

"I think a lot of it had to so with just consistently throwing, having outings pretty much every other day and getting in a rhythm," he said. "Pitching is so based on that, you get some momentum and you build off it. I was just fortunate to throw the ball well down there."

"I was hoping [to get called up], but all I could control was how I was throwing and I knew that the better I threw, the more pressure I could kind of put on the team as far as coming back up," he added. "I tried not to worry about it and tried to focus on throwing."

Santos returns to Toronto after spending a month with the triple-A Bisons, with whom has posted a 1-0 record, two saves and a 0.00 earned-run average in 11 appearances.

The right-hander allowed three hits and six walks while striking out 16 over 10 2/3 innings.

Santos, 31, struggled earlier this season with the Blue Jays, going 0-2 with a 7.78 ERA in 24 appearances.

On May 12, Toronto put Santos on the disabled list with a strained right elbow. He made two rehabilitation appearances for double-A New Hampshire, allowing four runs in two innings.

Drabek, who was recalled from triple-A on Aug. 16, hugged teammates in the clubhouse Sunday morning before leaving with his Buffalo Bisons bag draped over his shoulder. Drabek worked just three scoreless innings for the Blue Jays in 2014, striking out five, walking two and giving up two hits.

Santos said he hadn't yet discussed with manager John Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker what his role with the big league club would be this time around.

But he did say he was OK with working his way back up the bullpen's pecking order.

"I know that if I throw the ball well and keep throwing the ball well there will be a role for me somewhere," Santos said.

Prior to his demotion this year, Santos hadn't pitched a non-rehab related game at the triple-A level since 2009.

While he shook hands and doled out hugs to smiling teammates as they strolled into the clubhouse, Santos seemed at peace with his up-and-down year.

"It's been a whirlwind," he said. "It's been a fun experience, a humbling experience, you name it. That's the way baseball is. I learned that early on, anything can happen in this game and pretty much everything has happened to me.

"You just take it in stride and you go day by day."

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Nolan Reimold gaffe on flyball costly in Blue Jays loss

Evan Longoria drove in two runs, including the winner in the top of the 10th to lift the visiting Tampa Bay Rays over the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 at Rogers Centre on Saturday.

Longoria sent a 1-2 pitch from recently recalled reliever Sergio Santos (0-3) into left field to score Ben Zobrist from third base.

Brandon Boxberger pitched the bottom of the 10th for the save, Jake McGee threw two scoreless innings of relief for the win, and starting Chris Archer racked up six strikeouts through seven innings, allowing six hits, one walk and one run for the Rays (64-66).

Drew Hutchison threw six strong innings, giving up one run on six hits while striking out seven and walking two batters in the no-decision. Aaron Loup, Dustin McGowan, Casey Janssen and Brett Cecil combined on three scoreless frames.

Dioner Navarro had two hits for the Blue Jays (66-64) while Juan Francisco picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

Toronto slugger Jose Bautista was ejected from the game after arguing a strikeout in his third at-bat. It was the fifth ejection for a Blue Jay this season, and first for a player.

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Red Sox ink Cuban star Rusney Castillo to 7-year contract

The Boston Red Sox are hoping another touted Cuban outfielder can help them turn things around next season.

The team signed Rusney Castillo to a seven-year contract Saturday that begins immediately. Several reports indicated the deal is worth $72.5 million US.

"You're trying to build a winning team as quickly as you can and we feel Rusney can be a part of that," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said during a media conference after last-place Boston lost 7-3 to the Seattle Mariners for its seventh straight defeat.

"There has, obviously, been some other high-profile guys coming out of Cuba," Cherington added. "We've had several scouts see him over the last couple of years."

Castillo will join fellow Cuban star Yoenis Cespedes in Boston's new-look outfield. Trying to improve a weak lineup, the Red Sox obtained Cespedes from Oakland and Allen Craig from St. Louis at the July 31 trade deadline.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have benefited from the strong play of another Cuban outfielder, Yasiel Puig.

"I have actually spoken to Cespedes a little about this and he made me aware that it's the same game we play down in Cuba and success comes with hard work," Castillo said through a translator.

'Major-league games in September'

Cherington said Castillo first needs to obtain a work visa, then he'll go to the team's spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., to get back into game shape. The club hopes to have him play in some games in the majors before the end of the season, but he'll likely be in the minors first.

"Our hope is once all these steps are completed that we'll see him in some major-league games in September," Cherington said.

Castillo appeared at Fenway Park about 3 hours before the game wearing Red Sox shorts and a T-shirt. He wore No. 38 for a photo with Cherington, the same number pitcher Curt Schilling wore with the Red Sox.

"It's really a dream come true to have this opportunity to play, especially with the success of the recent Cuban players," Castillo said.

Castillo chatted with Mariners star Robinson Cano in front of the Seattle dugout.

'A shorter version to Puig'

During his pre-game media session, Red Sox manager John Farrell said Castillo was going through the final stages of an exam and the completion of administrative paperwork.

"I talked to him this morning," Farrell said. "He's glad to be here and glad the process has moved along to this point and excited to get started — when that day comes.

"There's still some things to work through. He's, obviously, a strong athlete, a shorter version to Puig.

"What that means performance-wise, we'll see. We're confident in the athleticism and the overall strength."

The 27-year-old Castillo hit .324 in 2011 and .332 in 2012, his two best years in Cuba.

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Blue Jays' 10-inning win protested by Rays

Jose Reyes hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a wild 5-4 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday in a game played under protest at Rogers Centre.

Colby Rasmus got things started in the bottom of the 10th with a bunt single off Joel Peralta and advanced to second on a two-out stolen base. Reyes' second hit of the game, off reliever Jeff Beliveau, plated Rasmus to spoil the Rays' comeback an inning after pinch hitter James Loney tied the game 4-4 with an RBI single off Toronto closer Casey Janssen.

Dioner Navarro hit a two-run homer for the Jays (66-63), and Reyes had two RBIs. Left-fielder Melky Cabrera had two hits and an RBI as Dustin McGowan picked up the win.

Toronto starter Mark Buehrle lasted 6 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk. The left-hander also struck out two batters.

Blue Jays recall Santos 

Toronto recalled right-handed reliever Sergio Santos from the triple-A Buffalo Bisons and will make a corresponding roster move Sunday.

Santos, 31, went 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA and two saves in 11 appearances with the Bisons. 

He is 0-2 with a 7.78 ERA and five saves in 24 appearances for the Blue Jays this season. 

Sean Rodriguez and Ben Zobrist had two hits and an RBI apiece for the Rays (63-66). Peralta (2-4) took the loss. Jeremy Hellickson started the game and went 6 1-3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out eight in the no-decision.

Rays manager Joe Maddon declared his team was playing the game under protest after Toronto won an instant replay challenge that overturned a safe call in the fourth inning. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons argued that Buehrle had picked off Wil Myers, who had originally been called safe at first base.

Myers was ruled out after nearly a three-minute delay. Maddon argued that Buehrle was already on the mound and the next batter was in the box when Gibbons issued his challenge.

Should the league determine that the Rays' chances of winning the game were affected by the umpire's call, the game will be re-played.

Janssen walked Myers to lead off the inning and gave up a one-out single to pinch-hitter Kevin Kiermaier before Loney's game-tying RBI. Kiermaier was thrown out at third for the second out of the inning, and Desmond Jennings grounded out to end the frame.

The Blue Jays took a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning on Navarro's 10th homer of the season scored himself along with Edwin Encarnacion, who started the rally with a one-out double down the left-field line. Toronto kept threatening as Rasmus doubled on a fly ball to centre field, but Danny Valencia and Munenori Kawasaki grounded out to end the inning.

The Rays got the scoring started in the third inning, when a two-out bunt by Ben Zobrist scored Rodriguez from third base. Buehrle and Valencia collided trying to make a play on the bunted ball. Valencia appeared to have injured his knee but stayed in the game.

Tampa threatened to add to their lead when a Valencia throwing error loaded the bases on the next play. But Evan Longoria ended the frame with a ground out.

Toronto got the run right back and then some in the bottom of the third. Valencia walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch from Hellickson, then scored on a double from Reyes. Cabrera made it 2-1 with another double to score Reyes from second.

The Blue Jays' first run snapped their streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings against the Rays. Cabrera's hit, meanwhile, was his 163rd of the season. He trails only Houston's Jose Altuve for the major league lead.

Buehrle ran into trouble in the sixth inning. A lead-off single from Logan Forsythe was erased on a fielder's choice, but Buehrle walked Yunel Escobar to put runners on second and third. Rays catcher Jose Molina's single brought in a run to tie the game 2-2, and a double from Rodriguez put the Rays up 3-2 to end Buehrle's outing.

Sanchez replaced the 35-year-old Buehrle in the sixth, and struck out two over his 1 2/3 innings.

Zobrist led off the 10th with a single off McGowan, and moved to second on a two-out walk to Logan Forsythe. But McGowan induced a fly-ball out from Myers to end the inning.

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Jays manager Gibbons says team can have May-like tear

The Toronto Blue Jays were one of the most feared teams in baseball through May and early June.

They need to regain that form to have any chance of qualifying for the post-season.

The Jays went 21-9 in May and led the American League East standings through the month of June. The playoffs were a good possibility for baseball fans in this playoff-starved city.

That optimism started to fade after some spotty play last month and a just-completed 2-6 road trip has made things worse.

Toronto kicked off a critical nine-game homestand Friday night knowing it will likely take an effort similar to May's 21-win performance to get back in the post-season mix in the American League.

"I think we can do it again," Gibbons said before the series opener against Tampa Bay. "We've done it before, you can definitely do it again. It's not going to be easy.

"There are a lot of good teams out there that we're competing with right now ... we'll just ride it out and see where we end up."

Entering play Friday, the Blue Jays were tied for second place in the AL East with New York, nine games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles.

The wild-card race is tighter with Oakland (74-52) and Detroit (68-57) currently holding the two positions. Seattle (68-58) was a half-game back of the Tigers while the Blue Jays (65-62) and Yankees (65-62) were four games behind.

Toronto salvaged the finale of its disappointing road trip with a 9-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Gibbons hopes that performance can serve as a building block for the three-game set with the Rays and the series next week.

"Our bats came to life," he said. "Hopefully maybe that's the start of something. We'll see."

The Blue Jays took a 33-26 record at Rogers Centre into the opener against the Rays. After Tampa Bay, Toronto will take on the slumping Boston Red Sox for three games before a key three-game set against the Yankees.

"We need the pitching to be good," Gibbons said. "We need to get on a nice little roll, some good starts for a stretch. But we need to hit, we need to score runs. So we'll see."

Toronto's numbers this month have been poor.

The Blue Jays have dropped four of their last six series (1-4-1) and been outscored 92-56 over 17 games (5-12) in August.

Toronto pitchers have a collective 4.99 earned-run average this month (second worst in the AL) and the team's offence ranks last among AL teams in runs (56) and homers (nine).

"You're going to go through stretches where you struggle," Gibbons said. "That's just baseball. The key for us is to get our offence going. We've got to score to win and Wednesday was a nice start for that."

The team could get a boost next month if infielder Brett Lawrie of Langley, B.C., returns to the lineup. He's making progress in his recovery from an oblique injury but is still at least a couple weeks away.

There's also a chance right-hander Brandon Morrow could make a return to the bullpen and top pitching prospect Daniel Norris might get called up from triple-A Buffalo.

However, the numbers are not in the Blue Jays' favour.

It will likely take 90 wins to make the playoffs. That means Toronto has to close out the schedule at a 25-10 clip to have a realistic shot.

"We're in a pretty good frame of mind," Gibbons said. "That's never really been a problem with this group. We're getting towards the end of the season.

"Every game is important. Go out there and win as many as you can."

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Rays’ Drew Smyly shuts down Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays wanted to kick off a critical nine-game homestand with a bang to give their fading playoff hopes a boost.

The Tampa Bay Rays ended up showing them how it's done.

Drew Smyly threw a two-hit shutout and Evan Longoria homered and drove in three runs as the Rays dumped the Blue Jays 8-0 on Friday night at Rogers Centre. Wil Myers also went deep as the Rays pounded out 14 hits in the opener of a three-game series.

It was the seventh loss in nine games for the Blue Jays (65-63), who entered play four games out of the final wild-card spot in the American League.

"When you're high, everything is going to go your way. When you're struggling, everything is going to go against you," said Toronto catcher Dioner Navarro. "A couple of plays here and there probably would have changed the outcome of the game.

"But they outplayed us today, they outpitched us, they outhustled us."

Longoria took Marcus Stroman's first pitch in the second inning over the wall to give Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead. It was his 16th homer of the season.

Tampa Bay took advantage of some suspect defence in the fifth inning. Matt Joyce led off with a double on a ball that bounced off right-fielder Jose Bautista's glove as he tried to make a running catch at the warning track.

Longoria walked and James Loney followed with a grounder to short that should have been a double-play ball. But second baseman Steve Tolleson's throw to first bounced in the dirt, allowing Joyce to score.

The Rays drove Stroman (7-5) from the game in the sixth and burned reliever Aaron Loup in a four-run frame that put the game out of reach.

"I figured we'd come out there tonight with a little more energy," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "We didn't have it and we made some mistakes, we couldn't turn that big double play. We laid back on a couple balls, things like that.

"But Smyly was pretty good out there, I'll give him that."

It was the first shutout and first complete game of the southpaw's career. Smyly threw 75 of his 105 pitches for strikes, didn't walk a batter and had four strikeouts.

"It was good, I have been waiting for this game," he said. "I didn't know if I was ever going to get it because I usually have high pitch counts."

Stroman, meanwhile, allowed 10 hits, five earned runs, three walks and had six strikeouts.

"I was just up a little bit," Stroman said. "My sinker was pretty good, change-up wasn't bad. It was just a couple pitches that I left up, some curve balls that were up in the zone and they capitalized on it."

Smyly (8-10) allowed a single to Jose Reyes in the first inning and a single to Tolleson in the third before retiring the next 19 batters in order.

"That was, for my money, the best pitching performance I've seen from a Ray in this ballpark," said Tampa manager Joe Maddon. "Truly a really artistic performance tonight."

Myers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning with a solo shot off Todd Redmond.

Tampa Bay left 12 men on base while Toronto left just one.

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Comedian Chris Rock snags foul ball at Yankees game

No Kidding

Comedian gives ball to young boy

The Associated Press Posted: Aug 21, 2014 8:46 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 22, 2014 12:05 AM ET

Chris Rock almost made the play of the day at Yankee Stadium.

Instead, the comedian wound up with a nice prize — a foul ball that nearly landed in his lap during Thursday's game between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees.

Rock was sitting in the front row behind Houston's dugout when Astros rookie Jon Singleton lofted a high foul popup toward the third-base side in the seventh inning. Rock raised his arms to catch it, holding a cellphone in his left hand as he shielded his head.

The ball fell inches behind him, bounced off a seat and Rock outreached another fan to corral the souvenir. Rock held the ball aloft, got a cheer from the crowd and then gave it to a young boy.

Rock is a longtime Mets fan and has recorded a "Let's Go, Mets!" chant this year for the videoboard at Citi Field. He wore a Yankees hat to Thursday's game.

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Blue Jays open critical homestand vs. Rays

The Toronto Blue Jays' once-potent lineup had been failing to compensate for a struggling rotation for much of August until the finale of their recent trip.

The fading Blue Jays will try to win back-to-back contests for only the second time this month Friday night (7:07 p.m. ET) when they open a nine-game homestand with the first of three against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Toronto (65-62) led the majors with 134 homers, ranked third with a .264 average and fifth at 4.65 runs per game when it stood 1½ games behind AL East-leading Baltimore on July 31.

The Blue Jays, however, slumped with a .239 average, seven homers and 2.9 runs per game while dropping 12 of their first 16 games in August to fall nine back of the Orioles heading into Wednesday's outburst.

Jose Reyes finished with three hits and Jose Bautista added a three-run home run as part of a 15-hit barrage in a 9-5 win at Milwaukee that capped a 2-6 road swing.

"This has not been a good road trip for us, anybody will tell you that," said starter R.A. Dickey, who needed the support by allowing five runs over 5 2/3 innings. "The home run by Jose was the difference and you could kind of hear a collective sigh on the bench."

The Blue Jays haven't won two in a row since taking their previous two home games Aug. 9-10. They rank near the bottom of the AL with a .246 average versus left-handers as they take on Tampa Bay's Drew Smyly.

Smyly (7-10, 3.66 ERA) was impressive in a second straight outing Saturday, allowing two runs over seven innings, but did not get a decision in a 3-2 home loss to the New York Yankees.

"Smyly was really, really good again," manager Joe Maddon said of the lefty, who was acquired from Detroit in the David Price trade July 31.

In his previous start, Smyly gave up three hits with nine strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings in a 7-0 victory at Texas. He's gone 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts since joining the Rays (62-65).

Smyly makes his first start against the Blue Jays, though he limited them to two hits over 2 2/3 scoreless innings over three relief appearances for the Tigers last season.

Tampa Bay is three games behind second-place Toronto and New York after snapping a four-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over Detroit on Thursday. Brandon Guyer's first-inning RBI triple was the only hit off Price, who went the distance in his first start back at Tropicana Field.

"It's weird," Guyer said. "I've never seen a win like that."

Toronto's Marcus Stroman (7-4, 3.83) will pitch on two extra days of rest after surrendering five runs and five hits in just two-thirds of an inning in last Friday's 11-5 road loss to the Chicago White Sox.

"There's a lot of emotion that goes into this game, you want to do everything in your power to put your team in a position to win, and I did everything but that," Stroman told MLB's official website.

The right-hander should have a good chance to rebound at home, where he's 5-1 with a 1.62 ERA in eight starts. He'll try to pick up a Toronto rotation that posted an 8.17 ERA during the disappointing trip.

The Jays have won six of 10 versus the Rays, including a three-game home sweep in May.

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Mo'ne Davis proves mortal at Little League World Series

Mo'ne Davis didn't have her best stuff when she and her Philadelphia teammates needed it most and Las Vegas took advantage.

Dallan Cave and Brennan Holligan hit two-run home runs, reliever Austin Kryszczuk got out of two big jams and Las Vegas beat Philadelphia and its star pitche,r 8-1 in the Little League World Series on Wednesday night.

Davis, just the 18th girl to play in the Little League World Series and the only one to win a game on the mound, took the loss.

"Mo'ne didn't have her 'A' game today," Philadelphia manager Alex Rice said. "At this point, we're playing to get to Saturday."

'Last week, this week, maybe next week, she [Davis] has owned the sports conversation'- Sports Illustrated manager editor Chris Stone

The victory puts Las Vegas in Saturday's U.S. title game and sends Philadelphia into an elimination game on Thursday night against Chicago's Jackie Robinson West in a matchup of inner-city teams. The Great Lakes champion beat Pearland, Texas, 6-1 on Tuesday night in an elimination game.

"I think it's terrific," Rice said. "I've been looking forward to playing Chicago since we got here."

Davis, the darling of the sports world with her amazing success and poise, was both masterful and ordinary on a night made short because of pitch-count rules.

She allowed three runs and six hits and struck out six in 2 1/3 innings before leaving after 55 pitches. That makes her eligible to pitch again in the U.S. championship game on Saturday.

Davis played first after her stint on the mound and was switched to right field in the top of the sixth, but she dazzled her opponents more than once on the mound with off-speed deliveries and tantalizing pitches just off the plate.

"She's very crafty," said Kryszczuk, who picked up the victory. "She's a great pitcher.

"That triple in the first was huge and then she settled down. Great job by us to get this victory."

The grassy hill beyond the outfield fences at Howard J. Lamade Stadium was jammed with so many cheering fans in lawn chairs that it looked like the bleacher section at any ballpark as 34,128 fans craned to see every pitch.

And they had an effect on Las Vegas, an afterthought at best to many before the game.

"The crowd got to us at times," Las Vegas manager Ashton Cave said. "It was hard to communicate.

"That's a big weight to carry on a 13-year-old's shoulders what goes on publicly. They definitely deserve the attention that they get, but we have the first Nevada team in history in 75 years to make it to this point.

"To come through and do what we've done, we're just definitely making a mark."

'It was amazing'

The 5-foot-4 Davis, who has given the Taney Youth Baseball Association Little League in Philadelphia notoriety no one could have imagined, tries to use the first two innings to get to know the home plate umpire's strike zone, and the first time through the order gauges where the opposing players don't like the ball.

It worked like a charm in her first outing in the World Series as she pitched a two-hit shutout. She didn't get that chance on this night against hard-hitting Las Vegas, which had outscored its first two opponents 25-4.

Davis, her long braids flopping over her shoulders on every pitch, allowed hits to the first two batters as Philadelphia fell behind. Leadoff hitter Zach Hare lofted a soft single to centre and Kryszczuk followed with a resounding triple to right centre for a 1-0 lead.

Unfazed, Davis struck out the side, getting Holligan looking and Brad Stone and Andrew Matulich swinging.

Philadelphia threatened in the bottom of the first, but Las Vegas right fielder Alex Barker made a dazzling diving catch at the warning track of a drive by Jack Rice to end the inning and strand two Philly runners.

"It was amazing," said Stone, who found out he was starting in warmups.

After reaching back for something extra to get out of that first-inning jam, Davis sputtered again. Cave slammed a two-run shot to left-centre, a liner that just cleared the fence for a 3-0 lead.

Josiah Cromwick and Hare followed with singles, but Davis settled down again and struck out Kryszczuk swinging and Holligan looking again.

She left in the top of the third in favour of lefty Erik Lipson, but she wasn't through competing. After falling behind 0-2 in the count in her second at-bat, Davis worked a walk with runners at second and third and Zion Spearman scored when the fourth ball bounded away from the catcher.

'Let's go Taney!'

When Tai Shanahan followed with a perfect bunt single in front of the plate, the Philadelphia fans began chanting "Let's go Taney! Let's go Taney!"

But Kryszczuk came on in relief and Las Vegas escaped. He got Lipson looking at a third strike and Eli Simon lined into a double play to end the threat.

In the fifth, Kryszczuk struck out Spearman swinging with two runners on.

Las Vegas tacked on five runs in the top of the sixth, keyed by an RBI double by Hare and Holligan's homer.

Las Vegas entered the game on a serious roll. The Mountain Ridge Little League champions beat Rapid City, South Dakota 12-2 and then routed Chicago 13-2 in four innings in a mercy-rule game on Sunday behind five homers, a grand slam by Stone and two from Kryszczuk.

Davis began her eye-opening appearance in the showcase event by throwing a two-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory over Nashville. She had eight strikeouts and didn't walk a batter and needed only 70 pitches to complete the game.

Davis also threw a three-hit shutout to lead Taney to an 8-0 victory over Delaware in the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship game, so she has a flair for the dramatic.

The glare of the spotlight on Davis and her teammates only grew as newly elected Major League Baseball commissioner-elect Rob Manfred threw the ceremonial first pitch a day after Davis became the first Little Leaguer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

"Last week, this week, maybe next week, she's owned the sports conversation," Sports Illustrated manager editor Chris Stone said. "How often do you get to say this about a 13-year-old girl?

"It's the easiest type of story to identify as a cover story."

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Little League coach delivers moving speech to players

Video

Consoles heartbroken Rhode Island team after elimination

CBC Sports Posted: Aug 21, 2014 10:14 AM ET Last Updated: Aug 21, 2014 10:18 AM ET

"Win just one for the Gipper."

"We fight for that inch!"

"There's no crying in baseball!"

Everyone loves a good inspirational sports-movie speech, and now a Little League coach has delivered a real-life version.

Dave Belisle, who manages a team from Cumberland, R.I., had some moving words for his heartbroken players after they were eliminated from the Little League World Series.

Watch the video above and try not to tear up.

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Blue Jays wrap up dismal road trip in Milwaukee

Powered by the red-hot bats of Jonathan Lucroy and Aramis Ramirez, the Milwaukee Brewers are rolling again after a brief offensive slump.

That duo is only making things more difficult for the Toronto Blue Jays, who compounded yet another woeful pitching performance Tuesday with an inept offensive showing.

Milwaukee looks for a sixth straight win Wednesday when it hosts Toronto (2:10 p.m. ET).

The Brewers (71-55) slogged through a 1-3 stretch from Aug.10-13, posting six runs. They've since won five in a row while averaging 5.6 runs and were 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position in a 6-1 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

Ramirez and Lucroy each had two doubles, with Lucroy increasing his major league-leading total to 42. Ramirez is batting .426 over his last 17 games with eight extra-base hits, and he's 7-for-14 with eight RBIs in four career matchups with Toronto at Miller Park.

Lucroy is 6-for-17 over his last four games, with five of those hits going for extra bases.

''Luc always has good at-bats," manager Ron Roenicke said.

Complementing the offensive effort was an impressive outing by Mike Fiers, who allowed Toronto's only two hits over seven innings.

Milwaukee's five straight wins are its most since its season-best nine-game run from April 4-13.

'We're in a little bit of a rut.'- Understated Blue Jays manager John Gibbons

The Blue Jays (64-62) have lost six of seven, with their pitchers posting a 6.95 earned-run average in that span. J.A. Happ allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Dioner Navarro and Colby Rasmus provided Toronto's only hits, and Jose Reyes was 0-or-4, snapping a nine-game hitting streak in which he batted .405.

"We're in a little bit of a rut," manager John Gibbons said.

The Blue Jays will look for a lift from R.A. Dickey (9-12, 3.95 ERA), who is seeking his first win in four tries and has allowed four runs in 12 innings over his last two outings. He paid for his only mistake in six innings Wednesday at Seattle, a first-inning two-run homer by Kendrys Morales, in a 2-0 defeat.

"I have to tip my hat," Dickey, who is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three interleague starts, told MLB's official website. "But outside of that [home run] I felt like I battled pretty good tonight."

The right-hander is 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA in five games (three starts) against the Brewers, but hasn't faced them since taking a 6-2 loss on Aug. 21, 2011, with the New York Mets. Dickey gave up two runs in seven innings.

Lucroy is 3-for-6 off Dickey with a double, and Carlos Gomez is 6-for-10 against the knuckleballer.

Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson (2-3, 3.86) faced the Dodgers in each of his last two turns, giving up two runs over six innings both times. He suffered a 5-1 defeat Aug. 10 and didn't receive a decision in Milwaukee's 6-3 road win Friday. The latter marked his fifth straight quality start, though he's won just one of those outings.

"Jimmy was good. I liked his command," Roenicke told MLB's official website after Friday's victory. "...I thought that was one of his better games."

Opponents are batting .283 against Nelson over four day games compared to .222 in three night contests.

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Blue Jays lack offensive fire in loss to Brewers

Fresh off another stellar outing, Mike Fiers first wanted to talk about a rough patch early in the game and offer credit to his defence.

"I think, early on, I was a little erratic around the strike zone and then I pulled it together later on," said Fiers, who won his third consecutive start since being recalled from triple-A Nashville on Aug. 9 as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-1 on Tuesday.

"My defence came through. There were a lot of great plays."

Fiers (3-1) was plenty spectacular himself, holding the Blue Jays to two hits and one run over seven innings. He retired the final 18 batters he faced in a 106-pitch outing.

"We're in a little bit of a rut," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We couldn't do anything with Fiers.

"But you still have to come back when you're down early. We really haven't been able to put together anything offensively in awhile."

After throwing 44 pitches through two innings, Fiers took control of the game.

"I wanted to be aggressive in the strike zone and make them swing the bat," he said.

Fiers, who struck out six and walked one, left the field to a standing ovation, waving briefly to the sellout crowd.

"I feel like I can pitch this way and compete well at this level," he said.

Jonathan Lucroy and Aramis Ramirez each had a pair of doubles for Milwaukee, which won its fifth consecutive game.

"I didn't expect anything less the way he's been pitching," Lucroy said of Fiers' performance.

"He's throwing strikes, working ahead, executing."

Fiers has given up two runs over his three starts.

The Brewers jumped on Toronto starter J.A. Happ (8-8) immediately, belting three doubles to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

The Blue Jays, who have lost six of their last seven games, got on the board in the second on Munenori Kawasaki's run-scoring groundout.

"We just want to go home," Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes said. "It seems like we play better baseball at home.

"You come out with the kind of lineup we have and score only one run ... At the same time, you have to give some credit to the pitcher from the other side. He [Fiers] did an unbelievable job."

The Brewers added two doubles in the third to extend their lead to 4-1. Milwaukee hitters connected for another pair of doubles in the fifth and added two more runs.

Happ lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and four runs. It marked his shortest start since going just 2 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels on May 10.

"I got us in a hole early," Happ said. "It's tough against anybody, let alone a first-place team.

"Everybody's got to do their part and I came up short tonight."

---

Double trouble

The Brewers set a season high with seven doubles. The team single-game record is nine, accomplished four times. Lucroy's two doubles brought his season total to 42.

"I got a couple mistakes up in the zone and I was able to take advantage," Lucroy said.

No primary catcher has ever led his league in doubles for a season. Lucroy, who played first base in Tuesday's game, has 35 doubles as a catcher, six as a first baseman and one as a designated hitter.

"Luc always has good at-bats," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said.

The major- league record for doubles by a catcher in a season is 45 by the Rangers' Ivan Rodriguez in 1996.

---

Trainer's room 

Brewers: Pitcher Jim Henderson, on the disabled list since May, had right shoulder surgery on Tuesday, ending his season. Pitcher Matt Garza, on the 15-day DL with an oblique strain, could return to the rotation in early September and pitcher Kyle Lohse, who is nursing a sore ankle, won't pitch during the five-game homestand, Roenicke said.

Blue Jays: Edwin Encarnacion, who was activated on Friday after missing more than a month with a quad injury, started at first base. He started the previous three games at designated hitter, not an option in a National League ballpark. "We need him," Gibbons said.

---

On deck

Brewers: Rookie pitcher Jimmy Nelson (2-3. 3.86 ERA) has five consecutive quality starts and has been counted on heavily with the injuries to Garza and Lohse. The Brewers are 4-3 in Nelson's seven starts.

Blue Jays: R.A. Dickey (9-12. 3.95) will pitch the finale in the two-game series. Dickey's nine losses on the road are tied for the most in the majors.

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How the defensive shift and big data are changing baseball

If you've been to a Major League game in the last couple of seasons, you'll know the old rules of baseball no longer apply. And for many fans, it's ruining the game.

The big change is known as the big shift. Or more precisely, the defensive shift.

Since baseball began, the rules have been largely the same. The first-baseman stands at first base, the left-fielder — you've got it — positions himself in left field. But now teams are building profiles on opposing players and placing their infielders and outfielders in spots where they are most likely to catch that player's hits, based on data about past performance.

The Toronto Blue Jays have embraced the strategy known as the big defensive shift, where coaches move players out of traditional positions and into areas where a specific hitter usually places the ball. (Scott Halleran/Getty)

It means the field never looks the same, and even the players can't always keep up with the constant changes to their positions.

The Blue Jays have embraced the strategy. Infield coach Luis Rivera uses hand signals to direct his players.

"I sit in the dug-out and they look at me during the game," Rivera says. "They know that. Before every hitter they look at me."

Rivera initially thought it was crazy to move players all over the field, but now says "it's very accurate. It's very good. It took us a little while, for everybody, for me, for the players, because we're used to playing in a position."

Luis Rivera, infield coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, initially thought it was crazy to move players all over the field, but now says "it's very accurate." (Mark Duncan/Associated Press)

The defensive shift away from locked positions is the result of modern data analysis, but where that data is coming from is surprising. Baseball Info Solutions (BIS) is housed in a former movie theatre on a residential street in small town America, specifically Coplay, Pennsylvania.

"Shifts make a ton of difference," says BIS vice-president Ben Jedlovic. "Absolutely. In fact, last year the leading shifting teams — teams like the Rays and the Brewers — saved between 10 and 15 runs just by shifting."

Jedlovic's data team is housed on two floors. They are all hard-core baseball fans, and this must be their dream job. They watch hours of live and taped baseball, recording detailed information about individual players and selling the aggregated results to Major League teams.

The results can be astounding.

Many players hit to nearly the same spot every time. Some vary depending on where they are in the strike count, but their hits remain predictable. Power-hitter David Ortiz of the Red Sox is one example – when he doesn't knock the ball right over the wall, he reliably smashes it to the same place on the field.

Teams armed with data can defend against these hitters by placing potential catchers in those precise spots. It's why there are now far fewer frantic dashes to catch fly balls.

BIS employees watch hours of live and taped baseball, recording detailed information about individual players and selling the aggregated results to Major League teams. (CBC)

Unfortunately, that removes some of the drama and unpredictability from the game — and that, in turn, ruins baseball for some fans.

"I don't like the way the game looks anymore," one fan lamented outside Yankee Stadium. "I played ball in college, and you got up to the plate and you hit the ball. And it really bothers me that these major leaguers can't hit the ball in the opposite direction."

Many of them can't. The defensive shift is taking advantage of the apparent inability of many players to alter their batting patterns.

The defensive shift strategy really took off in 2010, with 2,400 shifts in Major League games. By 2012, the number of shifts had nearly doubled to 4,500. Last year, the total jumped to 8,100. Teams have already surpassed that this season, with predictions they'll hit 13,000 shifts by the end of the World Series.

Still, while big data may be taking over the game, economics could ultimately undo the big shift.

Nobel-winning economist Robert Lucas created a simple but powerful insight with the Lucas critique. While predicated on macroeconomics, it basically says be very cautious about relying on historical data as a rationale for changing your tactics. The reason is straightforward: Whatever new strategy you adopt wasn't around when the data was gathered — so the situation could very well change when you change the way the game is played.

BIS vice-president Ben Jedlovic says that in the 2013 season, the leading shifting teams saved between 10 and 15 runs by using the data-based positioning strategy. (CBC)

In other words, teams will compensate for the big defensive shift by doing things such as scouting players who are unpredictable.

In the meantime, the players are still coming to terms with the effects of the shift. Jays second baseman Steve Tolleson articulated the confusion many feel.

"You know, you've trained your whole life [that] when you're at second base, the ball's to your left, you can advance to third. Well, not only now do you have to know exactly where every infielder is playing, but it has to be in the back of your mind that just because you've learned something one way your whole career, these defensive metrics and shifts change it."

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Jon Hamm shows off Million Dollar Arm

Jon Hamm joked that the bobblehead the St. Louis Cardinals honoured him with was "probably repurposed" from a Matt Carpenter model.

"It's great, it's fantastic," Hamm said before throwing the first pitch Monday night for the Cardinals game against the Cincinnati Reds.

"It's amazing how many people I've had ask me to get them one. That was the weird thing — aunts and uncles and friends of all stripes — so I'll probably need about 40 of them."

Hamm, the star of Mad Men star and a lifelong Cardinals fan who grew up in the St. Louis suburbs, is starring in the baseball movie, "Million Dollar Arm."

Bearded and wearing a white Cardinals cap at the podium, Hamm remembered watching the 1982 World Series at age 11:

Hamm grew up in Normandy, Missouri, and graduated from John Burroughs High School and Missouri before emerging as Don Draper in the hit AMC television series.

Hamm's best friend, John Simmons, is the eldest son of longtime Cardinals star Ted Simmons. They were teammates on the high school team, but Hamm had no illusions of playing for the hometown team.

That became clear when he worked out with Cardinals players including Bob Forsch, Andy Van Slyke and Simmons in the winter.

"I was like, 'Nope, I'm not as good as these guys and probably will never be,'" Hamm said. "Fortunately, I was able to find another career."

Cardinals scouting director Dan Kantrovitz was another classmate in high school.

"I don't know if Danny was destined for a front-office job," Hamm said. "I do know that our high school puts out some pretty motivated and talented kids and Danny was certainly one of them."

Portions of the proceeds from the bobblehead event went to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Hamm lost his mother to cancer and father to diabetes.

"It's an organization like no other," Hamm said. "I couldn't be more sincere when I say they are some of the greatest people on the planet."

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