receiving an equally exquisite lobbed pass

[Dogcat250]

Sitting in the rare position of being first in the AL East with the calendar approaching June, the Blue Jays are set to kick off a ten game homestand against fellow division leader, the Oakland Athletics. Toronto has won three straight and six of its last seven games overall to take a one-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. The Blue Jays concluded an impressive three-game sweep over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park with Thursdays 7-2 victory. Mark Buehrle tossed seven innings of two-run ball for his major league-best eighth win of the season. Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista went back to back in the first inning off Red Sox starter Jon Lester. Toronto tacked on five more runs in the second and went on to out-hit Boston, 14-7. Right-hander Liam Hendriks was promoted from Triple-A to make his Blue Jays debut. Hendriks, who was claimed off waivers from the Orioles during spring training, went 5-0 with a 1.48 ERA in nine games at Buffalo. Hell look to the offense for some run support. Toronto leads the majors with 67 home runs to go along with an AL-best 168 extra-base hits. First baseman Edwin Encarnacion has been one of the main catalysts with 11 homers already this month. "You can see how weve been making adjustments at the plate," Encarnacion said. "Weve been looking for our pitch, weve been trying to be aggressive and trying to do our best to win games." For Oakland, Scott Kazmir takes the mound after being ejected by home-plate umpire Jerry Layne in the second inning of his last outing against Cleveland for arguing balls and strikes. The veteran left-hander walked three and struck out one in 1 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters are batting just .215 off Kazmir this season, and that includes a .133 average with runners in scoring position. Manager Bob Melvin decided to keep Kazmir on his normal routine between outings since he did throw 41 pitches before getting tosses. "Were still trying to be careful and get him through the whole year," Melvin said. Over the teams last 13 games, As pitchers have posted a combined 1.58 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .185 batting average. Oakland has gotten hot with wins in 11 of its last 13 games to claim the best record in the majors. The team began Friday with a 3 1/2-game lead over the Angels in the American League West. The As, who are wrapping up a nine-game road trip with this weekends series, own a major league-best 18-7 road record this season. However, they are coming off Thursdays 5-2 loss at Tampa Bay in 11 innings. As starter Sonny Gray went eight innings and allowed just one run, but the offense could not help him out and the bullpen eventually imploded. Reliever Dan Otero yielded three hits in the 11th, including a two-out RBI single to Desmond Jennings to tie the game at 2-2. Luke Gregerson came on and promptly served up a walk-off three-run homer to Sean Rodriguez. Oakland has won eight of the last 11 meetings in Toronto. Air Max 97 Sale . The deals were announced on Friday. Beckham will receive $4.175 million in base salary, while De Aza will receive $4.25 million. Beckham hit .267 with five home runs and 24 RBIs over 103 games last season, his fifth with the White Sox. Cheap Air Max 97 . - Justin Turner is at his best with runners in scoring position, and he delivered again in a big spot for the Los Angeles Dodgers. http://www.airmax97outlet.com/. Sociedad remained in sixth place with Villarreal a point behind in seventh, both in Europa League spots and in striking distance of fourth place and the final Champions League berth. Sociedad forward Carlos Vela chipped goalkeeper Jaime Jimenez after receiving an equally exquisite lobbed pass from Ruben Pardo to set him up in the 23rd minute at Anoeta Stadium. Air Max 97 Free Shipping .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. Air Max 97 Clearance . No surprise there. Kershaw, who also earned the title after throwing his first career no-hitter in June, had a 1. BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil -- Defying all the doubters, Costa Rica came through perhaps the toughest group of the World Cup unbeaten and on top. Costa Rica followed up its wins over Uruguay and Italy by holding England to a dour 0-0 draw on Tuesday, enough to finish first in Group D. Quite an achievement for a team that was seen as the rank outsider in the first ever World Cup group that contained three former champions. "It wasnt the death group after all -- at least not for us," Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto said. He dedicated the qualification to "those who believed in us and those who didnt." "People started believing after the game against Italy," he added. Uruguay also advanced from the group after beating Italy 1-0. Costa Rica only needed a draw to top Group D and played that way, setting up in a defensive 5-3-2 formation against England. The result gives Costa Rica its best World Cup performance. While Los Ticos reached the knockout stages in 1990, they finished second in a weaker group. Costa Rica will now play the runner-up in Group C in the second round. "We will have to keep fighting," Pinto said. "Whatever happens we are willing to fight." England lost its first two matches to Italy and Uruguay and was already eliminated. England goes home from Brazil without a win after striker Daniel Sturridge missed a number of chances Tuesday. But coach Roy Hodgson thought his team showed spirit against the Costa Ricans, trying to break down a stubborn defence. "We showed today what a good team we can be," England coach Roy Hodgson said. "Apart from the first 10 minutes, I thought we dominated." One of Sturridges best opportunities came in the 65th after a nice one-two with midfielder Jack Wilshere. But the forwards curling shot from the right just missed squeezing inside the far post. Costa Rica had started the match brightly, passing the ball around midfield with ease and making England chase them around. Forward Joel Campbell had an early chance, but his shot from inside the area deflected off Gary Cahill and went just wide in the second minute. Costa Ricas best chance came in the 23rd minute when Celso Borges curling free kick waas tipped onto the crossbar and out for a corner by England goalkeeper Ben Foster.dddddddddddd But that was about it in terms of attacking for the Costa Ricans and they were happy to absorb England pressure, especially in the second half. Pinto defended his team defensive tactics, saying Costa Rica was also out to attack. "Some people said we would only defend," he said. "No, thats not true. You have seen it. We have been able to attack as well. That is why we are very proud," With nothing to play for, Hodgson made nine changes to the England team, fielding a slew of younger talent, including Adam Lallana, Ross Barkley and Luke Shaw. Englands backup players looked disjointed in the first half, giving the ball away easily and finding it difficult to break through Costa Ricas setup. Wilshere made a fine run down the left in the 12th, setting up Sturridge just outside the area, but the forwards curling shot just missed wide. Wayne Rooney came on as a substitute late in the second half and made an instant impact for England. He found space just outside Costa Ricas area in the 80th, but the backpedalling Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas was able to tip it over the bar and out for a corner. While England showed improvement in the second half, the team just couldnt find a way a through Costa Ricas rearguard. A hardcore group of about 150 England fans stayed in the stands long after the final whistle in an otherwise empty Mineirao Stadium, chanting loudly and jumping up and down. About 25 armed riot police with shields and batons formed a line behind stewards who were urging them to leave. Singing "England Till We Die," the fans eventually left the stands peacefully. ------ Lineups: Costa Rica: Keylor Navas; Giancarlo Gonzalez, Roy Miller, Oscar Duarte, Junior Diaz; Cristian Gamboa, Yeltsin Tejeda, Celso Borges (Michael Barrantes, 78), Bryan Ruiz (captain); Randall Brenes (Christian Bolanos, 59), Joel Campbell (Marcos Urena, 65). England: Ben Foster; Phil Jones, Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw; James Milner (Wayne Rooney, 76), Frank Lampard (captain), Jack Wilshere (Steven Gerrard, 73); Ross Barkley, Adam Lallana (Raheem Sterling, 62), Daniel Sturridge. China NFL Jerseys