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The Blue Jays had some pressing needs in the off-season, including two starting pitchers and possibly a second baseman. They decided to put their faith in Ryan Goins at second and either through budgetary constraints or trades that fell through were unable to get the needed arms. Still youve got to give Alex Anthopoulos credit for some of his bargain basement pick-ups that have shored up the Jays in a couple of areas. Lets start with Juan Francisco, who was picked up on waivers from Milwaukee in April. Though not nearly the third baseman Brett Lawrie is, his presence and bat have allowed skipper John Gibbons to shift Lawrie to second, at least for the short term, to give the Jays a stronger all-round lineup. Francisco is hitting .292 and is nearly halfway to his career high of 18 homers of last season. Hes slugged eight so far with 19 runs batted in. Hes also insurance at 1B and DH if Adam Linds back acts up again. Steve Tolleson was signed as a free agent back in December to provide some middle infield depth. On the days, Lawrie is at third (mainly against lefties), Tolleson has done a solid job at second, and even showed a flare for pitching in that 15-4 blow-out loss to Cleveland last week. His presence also allows for more developement time for Goins in Buffalo. Dioner Navarro has been a big upgrade behind the plate over J.P. Arencibia and has developed a great chemistry with lefty Mark Buehrle, whos off to the best start of his career at 7-1 with a 2.11 ERA. Navarro, who was signed as a free agent in December, has also knocked in 17 runs. Erik Kratz, who shares the back-up catching role at least for now with Josh Thole, helped guide Drew Hutchison through the best start of his career Friday night at Arlington in a complete game 2-0 victory over the Rangers. Kratz, who came over from the Phillies along with reliever Rob Rasmussen for reliever Brad Lincoln, keyed a two-run rally against Texas with a bunt single. Hes also shown a little pop in his limited role with two home runs. Another bargain pick-up who might have an impact is 25-year-old Australian-born righthander Liam Hendriks. With Marcus Stroman returning to Buffalo to hone his abilities as a starter, Hendriks is the odds-on favourite to be called up and fill the vacant spot in the rotation on Saturday against Oakland. Hendriks, who went 2-13 with a 6.10 ERA in brief stints with Minnesota, went through a whirlwind two months in the off-season. He was claimed by the Cubs from Minnesota, then by the Orioles and finally in February, the Blue Jays picked him on waivers. He has been off the charts good with the Bisons, going 5-0 with a league-leading 1.48 ERA. Hes also walked just three batters in just over 48 innings. Hes also pitched into the seventh inning three times in his seven starts. So as disappointing as the Blue Jays off-season was in terms of a lack of big-name pick-ups, it clearly wasnt a total loss. Update From The Minors The immortal Cy Young pitched well into his 40s and when he ultimately retired, he said it was nothing to do with his arm. He said he had plenty of pitches left. It was his legs that wouldnt take the rigors of pitching anymore. The same thing may be happening with the beleaguered Ricky Romero, who had stem cells injected into both of his knees back in October. But he told the Buffalo News he still has good days and bad days with his knees and, although he wasnt making excuses, that might explain why his control is getting worse instead of better. On Friday, Romero walked a Bisons franchise record of nine in just two-2/3rds innings in what became a 4-1 loss to Gwinnett at Buffalos Coca Cola Field. In his last four starts, Ricky has walked 24 batters. Hes leaving the team for a few days to go back to California for his younger brothers college graduation at Long Beach State. Hes hoping to rejoin the Bisons this weekend in Louisville, but hoping to is the operative phrase. Anthopoulos told the Buffalo News that numerous options are being concidered, including sending Ricky to Double A New Hampshire, or maybe even extended spring training in Dunedin, or possibly even putting him on the disabled list to deal with his knee issues. Kyle Drabek hasnt exactly turned it around at Buffalo, either. He also pitched in that doubleheader on Friday ande didnt walk anyone, but gave up eight runs, six earned on 11 hits in five innings in a 9-3 loss in the second game of the twinbill. Lefty Sean Nolin, who pitched briefly with the Blue Jays last season, might have been a call-up candidate, but hes on the disabled list with a groin strain retroactive to May 14th. Not Missing a Beat You might have thought the Tigers might stumble a bit this season in the wake of the retirement of skipper Jim Leyland and the Prince Fielder trade to Texas. Not at all. Theyve won six in a row and have the largest division lead in the Majors at 6.5 games over Kansas City. They just finished sweeping a three-game series at Fenway and havent missed a beat under new skipper Brad Ausmus. Ian Kinsler, who came over from Texas in the Fielder trade, is doing a stellar job out of the lead-off spot and is hitting .315. He went 4-for-5 Sunday against Boston. An unsung hero for Detroit is suddenly heathy as DH Victor Martinez is hitting .331 with 10 homers and 25 runs batted in. Hes hitting clean-up right behind Miguel Cabrera and helping Detroit to the best road record in the Majors. All About Timing The Blue Jays might be hitting Boston Tuesday at just the right time. The defending World Series champions have dropped four in a row and have fallen to 20-23, fourth in the AL East, two games back of the Blue Jays. An odd stat, no team in the American League East has a winning record at home, heading into Week 8 of the season. The first-place Yankees have the best mark and they are only 11-11. To take that a little farther, only two teams in the other two divisions have losing records at home: Seattle and Houston. Miami has the strangest home/road splits. They have a Major League best 17-5 record at home, and a Major League worst 6-17 record on the road, for a total record of 23-22, the same as the Blue Jays. Radek Faksa Jersey . -- Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale searched more than three quarters for five guys who would play well together. Blake Comeau Jersey . The question is how many minutes will be available to them and can any of their defence or goaltending provide value? Top Picks: Following a down year in 2011-2012, Matt Duchene rebounded with his highest points-per-game (0. http://www.authenticstarspro.com/Stephen-johns-stars-jersey/. Striker Dario Mandzukic scored the opener in the 22nd minute but was given a red card nine minutes later for a reckless tackle and left Croatia with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Esa Lindell Jersey .Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been neck and neck all season, with 17 points separating the rivals and double points on offer for the race.Tensions between them have spilled over during the campaign and the pairs fragile relationship was evident during Thursdays pre-race news conference, when Rosberg goaded Hamilton by advising him to race cleanly. Neal Broten Jersey . Granada defender Diego Mainz barged into the back of Villa to send the Spain striker to the ground inside the area and Costa stepped up to the spot to score his 12th league goal in the 38th minute. Costa showed no effects of the news that his Brazilian citizenship may be revoked after he elected to play for Spains national team, as the forward was a constant threat for Atletico and forced several saves from goalkeeper Roberto.TSN.ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League staff. Rankings were weighted evenly between separate lists made by TSN Radio host and soccer analyst Gareth Wheeler as well as TSN.cas soccer editors. 1. Liverpool (Last Week -4) Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were both on target while Steven Gerrard converted a penalty as Liverpool earned a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace. With the victory, Liverpool gains a share of the top of the table. Suarez has 19 goals in 22 games while Sturridge has 19 in 24 games. 2. Arsenal (LW-1) Jack Wilshere scored a huge goal to rescue a point for his side as Arsenal tied West Brom 1-1. Not surprisingly both Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud were key in the Wilshire goal but despite a possession advantage, that was all they could muster in the draw. 3. Chelsea (LW-3) Oscar scored early and Chelsea got two late markers to pick up a 3-1 victory over Norwich City. Eden Hazard and Willian scored the deciding goals after entering the game as second half substitutes to put away the victory. With the victory, Chelsea finds themselves in the top three of the table. 4. Manchester City (LW-6) After giving up the opening marker of the game, Citys offence took over as they cruised to a 3-1 victory. Alvaro Negredo brought the score level just one minute after his team fell behind and Sergio Aguero scored and had a second credited as an own goal to Everton keeper Tim Howard. 5. Southampton (LW-7) The good feelings for the Saints continued as they beat Swansea 2-0 to maintain their place in the top four of the Premier League table. Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez provided the scoring for Southampton, who have only been beaten once so far this season. Keeper Artur Boruc was solid when needed in this contest. 6. Tottenham (LW-2) Coming into the second half of a scoreless game against West Ham, Tottenham and their fans could not know what was in store. West Ham rode three second half markers to what turned out to be an easy 3-0 victory over Spurs. The loss is the worst at home during the tenure of head coach Andre Villas-Boas. 7. Manchester United (LW- 8) It only took six minutes for Adnan Januzaj to seize control in Uniteds 2-1 victory over Sunderland. After the home side grabbed an early 1-0 lead, the teenager rescued the win for the champions with his second half brace. Keeper David De Gea was solid when called upon to help his team earn the points. 8. Everton (LW-5) When Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring it looked like Everton was going to cruise to another victory. Unfortunately it was their only high spot in a 3-1 loss to Manchester City, their first loss of the season. Everton was the last unbeaten team in the Premier League. 9. Aston Villa (LW-10) Without Christian Benteke in the lineup, Aston Villa was not able to convert any chances as they drew Hull City 0-0. Andreas Weimann and Gabriel Agbonlahor created chances but they were not able to find the finish to win the game for Villa. Keeper Brad Guzan was not required to make a save in the game. 10. Hull City (LW-9) Despite being out played for large portions of the game, Hull claimed a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa. Keeper Allan McGregor was called on a few times to keep the score level and he answered those calls to earn his side a point. Hulls best sustained pressure came early in the contest but they were not able to find a goal. 11. West Bromwich Albion (LW-111) Claudio Yacob scored a first half marker for the Baggies but they had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Arsenal after giving up a goal in the second half.dddddddddddd Stephane Sessegnon was strong for West Brom who played well in the middle of the park but were not able to find the finish they needed to capture the game. 12. West Ham United (LW-17) In what is surely the upset of the week, West Ham rolled to a 3-0, road victory over Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Winston Reid, Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison were responsible for the scoring as the Hammers completely took over the game in the second half. Sam Allardyces side now has one of the signature wins of the season. 13. Newcastle United (LW-16) Loic Remy fired home twice in the first half and Newcastle hung on for a 2-1 victory over Cardiff City. Cardiff actually controlled more of the ball and pulled back their goal in the second half but in the end, it was Newcastle that enjoyed the victory. 14. Swansea City (LW-13) Though they dominated large chunks of the game, Swansea could do nothing but watch Southampton roll to a 2-0 victory. Michu and Wilfried Bony both had chances to get on the scoreboard and Nathan Dyer hit the inside of the post but was not able to find the finish to get his team back into the game. 15. Stoke City (LW-15) Stoke will walk away from their 1-0 loss to Fulham believing they should have at least gained a point from the contest. Twice in the game they thought they were going to be awarded penalties but neither was given. Defender Robert Huth also had a header cleared off the line and Marko Arnautovic shot a clear chance wide of the net. 16. Cardiff City (LW-12) After going two goals down in the first half, Cardiff staged a second half comeback that fell just short as they lost 2-1 to Newcastle. Peter Odemwingie scored in the 58th minute and the Welsh side pressed to the final whistle for the equalizer that never came. 17. Norwich City (LW-14) Keper John Ruddy was not nearly good enough when he needed to be as Norwich fell 3-1 to Chelsea. Anthony Pilkington leveled the score for the Canaries in the 68th minute and they tried to hold on and gain a home point against a top side. They conceded twice in a minute and were forced to go home with nothing from the game. 18. Fulham (LW-18) Substitute Darren Bent fired home the only goal as Fulham beat Stoke City 1-0. The Cottagers picked up their first win since opening day but had to withstand the pressure of Stokes attack to earn the points. Twice it looked as though Fulham had committed penalties but the referee waived away both offences. Keeper David Stockdale earned the clean sheet. 19. Crystal Palace (LW-19) Dwight Gayles 76th minute goal was the only consolation Palace would take away from a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool. They were dominated from the start of the game, giving up all three goals in the first 38 minutes of play. Palace was able to eventually put pressure on Liverpool leading to the goal, but it was already too late to make a difference. 20. Sunderland (LW-20) It was great start for the Black Cats as they took a 1-0 lead against Manchester United just five minutes into the game through Craig Gardner. Emanuele Giaccherini failed to double the advantage before the half and United turned the game in the second, sending Sunderland to a 2-1 defeat. They have only earned one of a possible 21 points on the season. 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