Rasmus in the seventh. Rasmus struck out and was replaced

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. Alfredo Talavera Jersey .C. -- Theyll remember the OT from the first Syracuse-Duke game -- and the Ts that decided Round 2. Javier Hernandez Jersey . -- Chad Labelle scored the winner 17:36 into the third period to give Medicine Hat a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos on Sunday and lift the Tigers into the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs. http://www.mexiconationalshop.us/Marco-F...-Jersey-Soccer/. Joining him in this years class were Switzerlands Patrick Huerlimann and Norways Eigil Ramsfjell. The announcement was made at the world mens curling championship at Capital Indoor Stadium in China. Carlos Salcedo Jersey . Alen, 28, hit .315 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases for the Goldeyes last season. He is the longest serving catcher in Goldeyes history, having already spent five seasons with the organization. Javier Aquino Jersey . Portland won Game 4 Sunday night at the Moda Center and are now up 3-1. The last time the Blazers won a playoff series came in the 2000 Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz.TORONTO - It was a little like rubbing salt in the wound for the Maple Leafs. Down 5-2 with a little less than eight minutes remaining Saturday night, they had to watch as a Toronto jersey came flying onto the ice at Air Canada Centre.One fan, unable to throw in the towel, opted to give up his jersey instead. When a fan does that, theyre frustrated a€” as are we, said Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf. We do not like to put forth the effort we did (tonight) on any night, especially in front of our fans. We take responsibility for not giving them what they want. They wants to see wins, as do we.We want to win hockey games but tonight we didnt display enough and do enough little things to win a game. We got beat all over the ice. Toronto also lost its home opener, 4-3 to Montreal on Wednesdaay.ddddddddddddThe Penguins did not miss the fans statement Saturday.Thats always really bad when you see that, said winger Pascal Dupuis. You dont want any jerseys on the ice, any team. Thats no class, no respect, obviously.Sidney Crosby, remembering the days when the Penguins were at the other end of the standings, said he felt for the Leafs after the show of fan disaffection.It doesnt help, but obviously the fans are going to make their opinions known or show what they think, but it definitely doesnt help things and Im sure with it being so early, its not fun to see that in your home rink. he said. 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