NEW YORK – As of Thursday afternoon, Marcus Stroman was still scheduled to be the Blue Jays starting pitcher for Saturday afternoons game at Yankee Stadium. Stroman is facing a six-game suspension for throwing in the area of Caleb Josephs head on Monday night. The Orioles catcher wasnt hit by the pitch. Stroman has appealed the ruling and as of this posting, no scheduled time for the hearing had been made public. The crux of Stromans argument will be that he didnt intend to buzz Joseph. Speaking to a few of Stromans fellow pitchers, none of whom wished to comment on the record, he may be speaking the truth. The truth, however, may not set Stroman free because the intent, as he admitted, was to run the pitch inside on Joseph. Stroman claimed the pitch slipped. According to teammates whove been in similar situations throughout their professional careers, the most difficult pitch to throw is the one where theres intent to send a message. Naturally, adrenaline starts pumping with the anticipation of the games dynamic changing. Pitchers will tell you its easier to repeatedly paint the outside black of the plate than it is to throw at or near a batter. There seems to be two schools of thought on the Stroman-Joseph situation: one is that Stroman needs to better differentiate between perceived offences. Some require retaliation, some dont. The otheris if a teammate shows frustration, there must be a response. Jose Reyes was upset when he scored a run in the fifth inning, sliding headfirst into home plate. Joseph spiked him. Reyes believed it was intentional, that Joseph moved his leg and he reacted, engaging home plate umpire Ted Barrett. The best explanation, if "best" is the proper term, for the retaliation culture in baseball is "its the way the game has always been played." Make of that what you will. It isnt likely to change. Manager John Gibbons reiterated on Thursday that if Stroman isnt able to pitch, hell go with a bullpen by committee approach to Saturdays game. In such a scenario, its likely Todd Redmond who would get the start. Cabreras absence crippling the offence Gibbons can only work with what hes been given and with whos healthy. His lineup on a night-in, night-out basis since Melky Cabrera was injured leaves something to be desired. Illustrating the Blue Jays general lack of depth, which an injury often has done, the five through nine spots in the Toronto order are a combined 45-for-212 (.212) in the 13 games since Cabrera suffered a season-ending finger fracture. Eliminate the three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs, the least potent team the Jays have faced since Cabrera went down, and five through nine has gone 23-for-157 (.146). Gibbons has been left to resort to a series of platoons. In Thursday nights 3-2 loss to the Yankees, four players occupied the fifth spot in the batting order. Danny Valencia (0-for-2) was pinch hit for by Colby Rasmus in the seventh. Rasmus struck out and was replaced defensively by Steve Tolleson. In the top of the ninth, Juan Francisco pinch hit for Tolleson. He struck out. Avoiding "Yankeeography" The Blue Jays didnt take batting practice on the field before Thursdays series opener at Yankee Stadium. The club took a similar approach its last time in to the Bronx and snapped a 17-game road losing skid to the Yankees, taking two out of three in a series from July 25-27. "It worked," said manager John Gibbons. "We couldnt get over that hump, then we won a couple of games last time. Plus, at this time of year, guys are tired. Its not going to hurt them. Theyll hit in the cage." Hey, if it isnt broken, dont fix it. In July, one of the aspects Gibbons said he wanted his club to avoid was the series of "Yankeeography" documentaries which play on the massive centrefield video board during visitors batting practice. The stories have made-for-TV production quality and typically document an illustrious player in Yankees history or one of the franchises many decades of on-field success. While entertaining and fascinating for anyone interested in the history of the sport and the Yankees in particular, a daily dose can become tiring. . Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan. . Torres calmly stroked a 51st-minute spot kick down the middle with goalkeeper Romel Quinonez diving right to convert a penalty earned by Javi Martinez. Spain controlled play at the Sanchez Pizjuan but found it hard to convert against a well-organized Bolivian team before Iniesta charged forward to curl around Quinonez in the 84th to seal victory.
http://www.rockiesgearproshop.com/Rocki ... ds-Jersey/. Howard hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night. . Hawkins severely sprained his left ankle while making a diving catch during training camp and went on injured reserve with a designation he could return midway through the season. He was back at practice Wednesday. . Vonn had another scary moment at Saturdays World Cup downhill in Val dIsere, ending up clutching her knee in pain after losing her balance and missing a gate. But she gave a reassuring answer shortly afterward, saying no new damage had been done to the surgically repaired knee, and that her plans for the Sochi Olympics were still intact.OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics are stunned by their September collapse, yet stuck to find a solution. And with the way things are going, manager Bob Melvin cant talk about playoffs, let alone plan for them. Sonny Gray and the As kept tumbling Thursday, falling out of the top AL wild-card spot with a 7-2 loss to Texas that gave the Rangers a three-game sweep. "Its not very fun. When youre in a race, its supposed to be fun," left fielder Brandon Moss said. "But I dont see anyone in this clubhouse having any fun, because its not. Were pretty frustrated. Were disappointed. But its not over, and we know that." The latest loss to the team with the worst record in the majors dropped the As a half-game behind idle Kansas City for the first wild-spot slot. Oakland owned the best record in the big leagues as recently as Aug. 15. "Were still in the wild card. All thats moot unless we start to play better. Well find ourselves in no position if we continue to lose," Melvin said. "Youve got to fight being beat down based on what has transpired here recently. ... Its tough sometimes to get over these things. Theyre all accountable for what they do. We all are." Texas roughed up Gray (13-9) for four runs in the first inning and won its season-best sixth in a row. Oakland has lost six of eight. Gray saw his winless stretch reach five starts. The right-hander in his first full major league season has only one victory in 10 starts since his 5-0 July that earned him AL pitcher of the month honours. "Its these games we need to win and I think everyone knows that. Its tough to play away the last three days," Gray said. "Unfortunately for us, I dug us in a hole a little bit too deep. If you give up four in the first, nine times out of 10 youre not going to overcome that. Its probably easier said than done, but we honestly have got to put this behind us." Nick Martinez (4-11) allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2-3 innings. Leonys Martin hit an RBI double and the Rangers came out swinging for 15 total hits. Texas got four straight two-out singles in the first, including RBI hits from Jake Smolinski, Tomas Telis and Ryan Rua. A passed ball added another for Texas. Smolinski had four hits, and the Rangers rookies were 9 for 22.dddddddddddd This series was a far cry from the end of the 2012 season, when the As stunned the Rangers by sweeping the final three games at the Coliseum to win the AL West. Sam Fulds RBI triple in the third accounted for Oaklands runs. The As were outscored 19-6 in an embarrassing sweep and have struggled to support their starting pitchers during this long funk. "I think if anyone had any answers it wouldnt be happening," Gray said. "Today was just ugly, it was bad." The Rangers won again only hours after former manager Ron Washington publicly apologized in Texas, to wife of 42 years, Gerry, for breaking her trust. It was his first public comment since resigning Sept. 5. "These are good teams were beating but I think we can beat anyone if we continue to play the way we are capable," As infielder Adam Rosales said. "I think theyre pressing right now, trying to do too much. Its got to be tough on them." TRAINERS ROOM Athletics: C Stephen Vogt still isnt ready to start, though he will test his sprained left ankle by running the bases Friday. ... RF Josh Reddick rested a day after a hard tumble that left him with a sore neck and injured left ankle. An MRI exam showed no break. UP NEXT Rangers: RHP Lisalverto Bonilla (1-0) pitches the opener of a weekend series at AL West champion Los Angeles. Even with the division decided, the Rangers (60-92) are motivated to win the rest of the way. "Its a bad thing to lose 100 games," interim manager Tim Bogar said. "Is 99 much better? Well, it sounds much better -- it looks, it sounds, it tastes." Athletics: LHP Jon Lester (15-10) takes the mound at home in the interleague series opener with the Phillies, coming off a combined seven-hit shutout at Seattle last Sunday. He is 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four previous starts vs. Philadelphia. TRIPLE-A CLUB Oakland is moving its Triple-A club from Sacramento to Nashville, reaching terms on a four-year player development contract. "Its closer when you make a move on the road, not at home," Melvin said. "Well tell our guys, If youre going to get hurt, make sure you get hurt on the road." ' ' '
