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TORONTO – The first-place Blue Jays hit the halfway mark of the season with 45 wins and a two-game lead on Baltimore in the American League East, territory unfamiliar to a franchise still waiting for its first playoff game since October 23, 1993, the night Joe Carter walked off Mitch Williams into World Series lore. "Im proud of the way the guys played," said manager John Gibbons. "It was kind of a so-so start and we kicked it in there in the month of May and put ourselves in a good position. Now, you know, we just need to do that again in the second half or even improve on that but Im very, very happy with the effort and the way the guys have been playing baseball. Its that simple." You wont find a Mission Accomplished banner hanging in the clubhouse. The expectation is much greater. "Has it met it yet? No," said Casey Janssen. "Our expectation is to make the playoffs and win the World Series and were not there yet. Weve got a long way to go. I think everyone believed we could be this type of team but were not throwing a party yet, we know that. We know theres a ton of talent here and its the AL East so anything can happen." Despite a recent downturn in offensive production, through 81 games Toronto continues to sit in the top seven of most major categories. The club sits first in the majors with 104 home runs. Its fourth with a .262 batting average and .331 on-base percentage. The on-base plus slugging percentage of .767 ranks third and its 272 walks are seventh. The most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment reside on the same spot: the pitchers mound. The pleasant surprise: Blue Jays starters lead the American League with 35 wins (a number not reached until the 135th game last season) and the staff ERA of 3.87 is best in the AL East. The biggest disappointment: the bullpen, the ray of sunshine in a stormy 2013 season, has compiled baseballs fourth-worst ERA (4.48). Its a target for improvement. "I think there are some times when weve got to be better in the bullpen," said Gibbons. "Weve got to shore that up a little bit. Its like anything, consistency over the whole pitching staff and hopefully you stay healthy enough." The Blue Jays have been fortunate to remain relatively healthy, dealing with injuries theyve been able to cover. Maicer Izturis was a backup infielder. Brandon Morrow wasnt pitching well when he got hurt. Colby Rasmus missed 33 games with a hamstring strain and the Jays got by with an Anthony Gose-Kevin Pillar platoon in centerfield. The medical staff is now doing the dance with Jose Bautista as he deals with a hamstring problem, which could be made worse if rushed. Bautista will run sprints on Saturday morning and depending on how he feels, could be available to at least pinch hit on the weekend. QUIET TIME FOR JANSSEN Wondering where closer Casey Janssen has been these days? Hes around. He just hasnt pitched much due to a lack of save opportunities. Since notching his 12th save of the season on June 15 in Baltimore, Janssen has appeared twice. He mopped up the epic, 14-9 comeback win on June 20 in Cincinnati. He threw the ninth inning of a 6-6 game against the Yankees on June 24 and got the win when the Blue Jays walked off. It can be difficult for relievers when they go through a period without consistent work. "I feel like saves come in bunches at times," said Janssen. "You get opportunities to pitch maybe in a lopsided game one way or another if it gets to be too long. Sometimes there are times when you dont get in but you get up. Im one of those guys that always has relied on my command and I guess it comes a little more natural to me than others." Janssen has 12 saves in 14 opportunities this season. "Sometimes the rest is good, knowing that the tough stretch is going to come at some point," said Janssen. Expect Janssen to get into a game before the weekend is over, regardless of whether Toronto has a lead of three or less. Janssen speaks to pitching coach Pete Walker about his schedule, who relays the message to manager John Gibbons. If Janssen goes four or five days without action his arms reaction to its diminished workload becomes less predictable. "You wonder if your arms going to be a little cranky or if its going to be super fresh," said Janssen. "Sometimes you feel great when you get the rest and sometimes youre kind of knocking the dust off a little bit." Remember that Janssen had an abbreviated spring training thanks to stiffness in the back of his pitching shoulder. He didnt appear in a Grapefruit League game until the final week of March. Then, in Montreal, he strained his left oblique and didnt make his season debut until May 12. Its been a build for Janssen, who anticipates being able to pitch on three consecutive days, if needed, as the importance of each game ramps up. "I feel like Id love to do it and Id love to have the opportunity to do it," said Janssen. "I think a lot of those three in a rows depend on how the first two went and the stress level of those innings. My goal is to be able to pitch in every opportunity possible, especially as the season gets further along and as this division and the race gets tight and everything like that." Wholesale Adidas Nmd .Y. -- Mike Zigomaniss goal at 5:53 of the third period stood up as the winner as the Rochester Americans hung on to defeat the visiting Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2 on Saturday in American Hockey League action. Discount Adidas Nmd . In mens doubles, Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil and American Jack Sock reached the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Croatian Mate Pavic and Andre Sa of Brazil. http://www.discountadidasnmd.com/ . Ozuna hit Reeds 2-2 pitch off the batters eye far above the 407-foot sign in straightaway centre. It was the fifth blown save in 25 tries for Reed (1-5) and the ninth home run the closer has allowed in 38 appearances. Nuno, acquired in the deal that sent Brandon McCarthy to the New York Yankees, gave up three hits, struck out a career-high seven and walked one in seven innings. Adidas Nmd China Wholesale . However, the 38-year-old is in no hurry to sign with another team. "Im not in a rush. This will be my last contract, so I want to do it right," said Burris on Thursday. Adidas Nmd Clearance Sale . Patrik Bartosak turned away 50-of-52 shots for the Rebels (28-26-4), who halted their losing streak at seven games. Trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes of play, Feser forced overtime with his second goal of the game at 5:35 of the third period.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Raptors look to stay hot as they host the streaking Memphis Grizzlies at Air Canada Centre on Friday. Watch the Grizzlies vs. Raptors live tonight on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt. The Grizzlies are seventh in the Western Conference and have won four in a row and 11 of their last 14 games, including an exciting 90-88 triumph at New Orleans Wednesday in the opener of a three-game road trip. Grizzlies guard Mike Conley lifted a layup over Hornets big man Anthony Davis with 1.5 seconds remaining for the game-winner. Conleys steal earlier set up a Tony Allen basket to make it 88-88 with 1:16 to go. New Orleans then missed its next three shots and Conley lifted Memphis to victory with a clutch shot. Conley had 16 points, Marc Gasol added 15 and both Zach Randolph and Allen netted 13 points. "It was a pretty win; everybody fought," Randolph said. "We came together, stepped it up, and it was a game. It was a team win." Since the All-Star break, the Grizzlies are averaging 101.1 points. Theyre still one of the best on defense this season, allowing just 94.8 ppg -- third- best in the NBA. Memphis will close the trip Saturday in Philadelphia and has an 18-12 mark away from FedExForum. It is 35-15 against teams outside the Southwest Division and 34-6 when outshootting the opposition.dddddddddddd The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors have been playing just as well as the Grizzlies with wins in 10 of the last 13 games. They opened a three-game homestand with Wednesdays 101-87 besting of the Detroit Pistons, as DeMar DeRozan did his thing with 25 points and Amir Johnson added 20 and nine rebounds. DeRozan is averaging 23.8 points in the last 11 games. Kyle Lowry scored 19 points for Toronto, which prevailed for the third straight time at home and is 19-12 at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors, who are 15-4 in their last 19 home games, were able to snatch a win despite shooting 42 percent from the field. "We didnt shoot the ball that well, but pretty or not pretty, its a win for us, much needed," Raptors point guard Greivis Vasquez said. "Were playing good basketball. I think over the last two or three weeks we have been playing good basketball." Toronto is third in the East standings -- one game ahead of Chicago -- and three games in front of Brooklyn for Atlantic bragging rights. The Raptors will close the residency Sunday versus Phoenix and will try to sweep a season series from Memphis for the first time since 2007-08 (2-0). The Raptors posted a 103-87 win at Memphis on Nov. 13. Memphis has won four in a row north of the border. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '