The Toronto Blue Jays hope to stay in the playoff hunt and shoot for a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday at Tropic

The Toronto Blue Jays hope to stay in the playoff hunt and shoot for a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday at Tropicana Field. Mark Scheifele Jersey . The Blue Jays are 4 1/2 games out of the second wild card spot in the American League and made it four straight wins with Wednesdays 7-4 victory. Marcus Stroman held the Rays to a pair of runs in six innings for the win and Aaron Sanchez worked the ninth to post his second save. Dioner Navarro and Edwin Encarnacion each hit a two-run homer for the Jays, who have won three in a row on the road. "We have to get greedy and try to win another one tomorrow," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "Another well-played game all the way around and thats the bottom line." Toronto, which will visit Boston next for three games, hopes Mark Buehrle can fulfill Gibbons wishes of a well-played game when he takes the mound Thursday. Buehrle is 11-9 with a 3.50 earned run average and is winless (0-2) in his past five starts. Buehrle gave up four runs in six innings of last Fridays 6-3 loss to the New York Yankees and fell to 1-8 in his last nine decisions. The left-hander has a 6-4 record in 13 road starts and is 10-5 with a 4.19 ERA in 26 career meetings (21 starts) with the Rays. Buehrle has a 2-0 mark in four starts against Tampa Bay this season. Tampa Bay lost for the seventh time in the last 10 games last night and fell to 2-4 on a 10-game homestand. Chris Archer was hammered for six runs and 10 hits in six innings by the Jays on Wednesday, while Evan Longoria belted a two-run homer and finished with three RBI for the Rays. Longoria has 37 RBI and 11 multi-RBI games since the All-Star break. "We came out flat. We rebounded, but there was too much of a deficit," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "They hit the ball well." The Rays, who have lost 12 of 18 games since a 61-61 mark, will welcome Baltimore to the Trop next for three games. Jake Odorizzi gets the call for Tampa Bay Thursday and is 10-11 with a 4.03 ERA. He ended a two-game slide in Saturdays 7-0 win over Boston and allowed only one hit through seven scoreless innings. He is 6-3 in his last nine starts. Odorizzi has made 15 starts at the Trop this season, going 5-6 with a 2.92 ERA, and is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two career starts against Toronto. The Blue Jays are 9-6 against Tampa Bay this season. Teemu Selanne Jersey . The club says Fridays surgery was successful. Holiday, a former Eastern Conference All-Star acquired from Philadelphia last summer, has not played because of the shin injury since Jan. Bryan Little Jersey . Pekovic had an MRI test Tuesday on his right ankle that revealed bursitis, which is inflammation of the fluid-filled pad that cushions the joint. http://www.hockeyjetsauthority.com/steve-mason-jets-jersey-c-39/ .“I always did my stuff ahead of the deadline. The best deal Ive ever done was the Darryl Sydor deal. We did that at the end of January in 04, and Syd was the missing piece.Alabama hired former Southern California coach Lane Kiffin on Friday as its offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach. Kiffin returns to the Southeastern Conference after head coaching stints with the NFLs Oakland Raiders, Alabama rival Tennessee and the Trojans. He replaces Doug Nussmeier, who left Alabama for Michigan. "He is an outstanding and creative offensive coach who has great experience both at the college and NFL level," coach Nick Saban said in a statement. "He has a very good understanding of the game and I have always been impressed with what I saw in the games he called. He coaches with a great deal of passion and enthusiasm, and also does an excellent job as a teacher." Kiffin spent a week in Tuscaloosa, Ala., last month exchanging ideas with Saban and his staff and observing Alabamas offence. Now, hes the splashiest hire of Sabans tenure at Alabama, which has won three national titles in the past five seasons. The 38-year-old Kiffin was 28-15 in three-plus seasons with USC. He was fired five games into last season from one of college footballs marquee jobs. Kiffin spent six seasons (2001-06) at USC under Pete Carroll as an assistant, including the final two as offensive co-ordinator. He also called plays during his time as a head coach. He spent the 2009 season at Tennessee, going 7-6 before leaving to replace Carroll. "We want to thank the University of Alabama and Coach Saban for this tremendous opportunity, and we feel humbled and honoured to be a part of the Crimson Tide family," Kiffin said in a statement. "Ive always had the utmost respect for what Coach Saban has done with his programs. Having the unique opportunity to be here last month, I was able to meet some of the great players and the great people in the organization, and Im very excited to start working with them. "Weve seen the passion and support of the Alabama fans firsthaand, and when thats combined with the storied history and tradition of the program, this is a very special place to coach. Custom Winnipeg Jets Jerseys. " Now, Kiffin is tasked with finding a replacement for quarterback AJ McCarron, the Heisman Trophy runner-up. One potential contender, Alec Morris, posted on his Twitter page "Love it" after the hiring. His hiring creates a high-profile pairing with Saban, who along with defensive co-ordinator Kirby Smart has routinely fielded one of the nations best defences while also putting up solid numbers with a pro-style offence. Kiffin was part of two national championships as a USC assistant under Carroll. He ran the offence from 2005-06 and was passing game co-ordinator the previous year, when quarterback Matt Leinart won the Heisman. The Trojans averaged 49.1 points and 579.8 total yards per game when Kiffin was offensive co-ordinator. The Tides lone meeting with Kiffins Volunteers proved pivotal during the 2009 national championship season. Terrence Cody blocked two field goals in the fourth quarter to preserve a 12-10 Alabama win and the Tides title hopes. Kiffin did run afoul of SEC Commissioner Mike Slive during his stay at Tennessee. After Kiffin was publicly dismissive of his second reprimand from the league, this one for criticizing officials, Slive issued a letter warning him that further such comments from he or his staff would lead to a suspension from at least one game. Kiffin had questioned why officials didnt penalize Cody for unsportsmanlike conduct when the defensive lineman removed and threw his helmet after his second block on the games final play. He also said at the time that he decided to let the clock run down instead of trying to run another play before the kick because he was concerned about the officiating. No terms of the deal with Alabama were released, pending formal approval by the universitys board of trustees. Wholesale NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Online China Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2019 ' ' '