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Admittedly, the Toronto Blue Jays are only seven games into their season and their record is marginally better than a year ago, but some disturbing trends are beginning to emerge. First, lets talk about the positives. Melky Cabrera is back and healthy and has already socked three home runs. Hes also playing the field with far more range and confidence after having that tumour removed from his back. Maicer Izturis is swinging the bat well and Adam Lind and Jose Bautista are off to decent starts. R.A. Dickey and Mark Buerhle each have a quality start (the former also has a shutout) and Drew Hutchison pitched shutout ball for five-and-a-third innings. Still, there are things to be concerned about. The Jays, though they are tied with the Seattle Mariners for second in the American League with eight home-runs, just one behind the Houston Astros of all teams, they are only hitting .216 as a team and their offence ranks ninth in the AL. Brett Lawrie, Edwin Encarnacion, Colby Rasmus and Jose Reyes (injured and on the DL after just one at-bat) have almost been non-factors at the plate. The pitching has been a mixed bag. For instance, the Jays registered two shutouts in their first six games for the first time in franchise history, yet their team ERA ranks 11th at 4.57. Of the teams in their own division, only the Baltimore Orioles are worse at 5.02. Yet, the funny thing is that the Jays lead the American League in strikeouts with 63, though they have played one more game than a number of clubs. Heres one stat that can be a staff killer: Through seven games, the Blue Jays have received 39 innings from their starters. That is only slightly better than the 37 innings they got from their starters over the same seven-game span a year ago. Theyve had to use the bullpen for three innings or more in all but two of their games and, in Dustin McGowans start Friday night in the home opener and Sundays Hutchison start against the Yankees, the relievers had to go six-and-a-third and five-and-two-thirds innings, respectively. A staff simply cant sustain that and hope to contend. Though Dioner Navarro is an upgrade over J.P Arencibia behind the plate, the Jays with Erik Kraatz and Josh Thole having started a game each, as well, have surrended a league-leading 10 stolen bases with only one runner caught. Of their first seven games a year ago (three-game sets with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox at home and one at Detroit against the Tigers), the Jays lost by four or more runs twice and won another game when they gave up four to Cleveland. This year through seven (four at the Tampa Bay Rays and this past weekends three-game home-opening set against the Yankees), they were beaten twice by at least five runs and have given up at least seven runs three times. In other words, though they are a game better in their record (3-4 versus 2-5), many of the same problems still exist and most trace back to the consistencyand talent of the starting rotation. - Through the first week of the season, five of the six divisions are fairly tightly bunched. From first to last in those five, the gap from first to last is no more than two-and-a-half games, while in the AL East, the Blue Jays with all their questions marks are still just one game back of Tampa Bay, a half-game back of the Yankees and a half-game ahead of both Baltimore and Boston. The surprise team so far in the American League is the Houston Astros. The Astros, who visit the Blue Jays for a three-game series starting Tuesday night, have split the first six games of their season-opening seven-game homestand. They took two of three from the Yankees and are looking for a split of their four-game set with the Los Angeles Angels on Monday afternoon. As mentioned earlier, Houston leads the AL with nine home runs including five on Sunday in a 7-4 victory over the Angels. A couple of interesting things about the Astros: They are using one of the shortest clean-up hitters in Major League history. Their 55" star second baseman, Jose Altuve, is hitting in the four-hole. Scott Feldman, never considered much more than a journeyman, has emerged as the teams number-one starter and is 2-0 out of the gate. The Jays will miss Feldman and promising rookie Jarred Cosart, though, in the three-game set at Rogers Centre. - The Arizona Diamondbacks are the surprise team in the National League for all the wrong reasons. After losing both games in Australia against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the , they set a franchise record to open the season at 1-7 before downing the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Sunday. The one bright spot for the D-Backs has been the home run-hitting of former Angels slugger Mark Trumbo, who was picked up in an offseason deal with the Halos. He has already hit five roundtrippers, including one in each of the last four games. The Major League record is home runs in eight-straight gamesshared by Dale Long, Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey, Jr. - I saw a great old baseball movie over the weekend, the original Angels in the Outfield. It starred Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh. Made in 1951, it chronicled the struggles of the Pittsburgh Pirates and their beleaguered manager whose lives were turned around and their season saved by a group of baseball spirits. Yeah , it was cute and at times a bit cheesy , but it was worth seeing, if only for the location shots of old Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and cameo appearances by Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb and Bing Crosby, who was a part owner of the Pirates at the time. - I was happy to be on hand at Rogers Centre on Sunday to see Derek Jeter add another chapter to his incredible career. With two hits, he passed former Blue Jay Paul Molitor to move into eighth-place on the all-time Major League hits list with 3,320. He needs 100 more hits in this his 20th and final season to pass Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski for seventh. The Yankees are in town twice more this season, June 23-25 and August 29-31. Brandon Carr Jersey . 98 jersey in a game yet, and already its a big seller. Tavon Young Jersey . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. http://www.cheapravensjerseysonline.com/?tag=alex-collins-jersey-online . Some members of the U.S. Congress arent so sure. They say Russia isnt doing enough to assure that athletes will be protected at the Feb. 7-23 games, happening not far from an Islamic insurgency that Russias huge security apparatus has struggled for two decades to quell. Russia may run greater risks in towns outside the tightly controlled Olympic zone. Suicide bombs last month a few hundred kilometres (miles) away have increased concerns, and an Islamic warlord has urged his followers to attack the Sochi Olympics, Russian President Vladimir Putins pet project. Janarion Grant Jersey . Winners of two straight, the Flames will try to become the first team in 25 years to go three consecutive games without taking a penalty Saturday night in San Jose. Cheap Football Ravens Jerseys .Y. - Geno Smith shouted a couple of mighty expensive expletives.Landover, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Everett Golson accounted for six touchdowns and No. 6 Notre Dame survived a scare from longtime rival Navy on Saturday. The Midshipmen gave the Fighting Irish everything they could handle but came up short in a 49-39 final at FedExField. While they may not have impressed the playoff committee with another close win over an unranked opponent, the Irish (7-1) nevertheless stayed in the national title conversation. They were 10th in the committees first rankings this week despite being ranked sixth in the AP poll. Golson threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns and added three scores on the ground, while Tarean Folston ran for 149 yards and a TD for Notre Dame, which rebounded from a heartbreaking loss at Florida State two weeks ago. Keenan Reynolds passed for 118 yards and two touchdowns for Navy (4-5), which amassed 336 yards rushing against the nations 12th best run defense. Reynolds and the running attack, led by Noah Copelands 138 yards, guided the Midshipmen to 24 straight points en route to taking a 31-28 lead with 4:18 remaining third quarter. The Irish countered with a 10-play, 70-yard drive to jump back in front. Golsons 3-yard TD run on the first play of the fourth quarter was followed by Reynolds dropping a halfback pass on third down on the ensuing possession. Navy was forced to punt, and Notre Dame only needed two plays to score again, as Chris Brown hauled in a 46-yard pass before Folston took a handoff 25 yards for a touchdown. A turnover on downs and an interception on the next two Navy possessions gave the Irish a chance to put the game away, but a pair of missed field goals by Kyle Brindza kept it a 42-31 game. Reynolds and Chris Swain hooked up for a 12-yard score with 4:18 remaining, and after a successful two-point conversion it was a three-point contest. The Irish recovered the onsides kick, then faced a 3rd-and-6 from the Navy 33- yard line.dddddddddddd Golson found Folston for a 30-yard pickup to move the chains, and Golson scored on what amounted to a fumblerooski to seal the outcome. Golsons first pass of the game was the longest of his career, as he hit C.J. Prosise in stride deep down the middle and watched the junior wideout shake off a glancing blow by the safety and take it 78 yards for a touchdown. Navy ran 10 straight times to reach the Notre Dame 26 on its first touch, then called for a rare pass that tied things. Reynolds bought time with his legs and fired on the run to a wide open Thomas Wilson in the end zone. Three straight Notre Dame touchdowns gave the Irish a 28-7 lead, but Navy scored the last 10 points of the half to stay close. Golson sandwiched short touchdown passes to Ben Koyack and William Fuller with a 5-yard score of his own, but he threw a costly interception that led to a field goal at the end of the half. After Demond Browns 18-yard touchdown run, George Jamison picked off Golson deep in Navy territory. Ryan Williams-Jenkinss 42-yard reception set up Austin Grebes 44-yard field goal on the final play before the break. Navy controlled the third quarter, as it took the second-half kickoff and went 75 yards in 15 plays. The 7 1/2-minute long drive ended with Geoffrey Whiteside running it in from 13 yards out. After forcing Notre Dame to punt for the first and only time, Copeland broke off a 54-yard run down to the Irish 4. On the next play, Swain punched it in to give the Midshipmen their first lead at 31-28. Game Notes Notre Dame has won four straight against Navy after a 1-3 stretch from 2007-10 ... The Irish came in allowing just 19.1 points per game ... 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