Dein erstes Forum » n when it comes to Ivory C

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." Marquese Chriss Jersey .Y. - Sven Andrighetto scored once and set up two more as the Hamilton Bulldogs hung on to defeat the host Adirondack Flames 5-3 on Tuesday in American Hockey League action. Elie Okobo Jersey . - John Elways philosophy is to address immediate needs in free agency, even though some of his own veterans may prove too pricey to keep around. http://www.officialsunsfanstore.com/tj-warren-suns-jersey/ . -- The Washington Redskins coaching staff distanced itself from other coaches Thursday by siding with ownership -- and not the players -- in the NFLs labour dispute. Charles Barkley Jersey . But sometimes the way you lose takes precedence over the final score. And how the Jets lost the 5-4 game to the New York Islanders on Thursday is what had Coach Claude Noel hot after the game. George King Jersey .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player.MALABO, Equatorial Guinea - Didier Drogba is gone, and he might soon be forgotten when it comes to Ivory Coasts national soccer team.Wilfried Bony, the newest exceptional striker from the country that also produced Yaya Toure, scored a pair of goals Sunday to put his team into the semifinals of the African Cup of Nations.The Ivorians beat Algeria 3-1 at Malabo Stadium, and it was Bony who twice gave his team the lead with headers.I think the Ivory Coast team is very lucky, Ivory Coast coach Herve Renard said. He was the best scorer in England in 2014. I think when you just said that, you can explain everything.The soon-to-be Manchester City forward first headed in a cross from Max Gradel in the 26th minute after being left completely alone at the far post. Bony scored another in the 68th by nodding in a free kick taken by Toure, his new club teammate at City.The Ivorians, who won their only African Cup title in 1992, will next face Congo on Wednesday in Bata. Four-time champion Ghana, which beat Guinea 3-0 in the other quarterfinal match, will play tournament host Equatorial Guinea in the semifinals on Thursday in Malabo.With Drogba in the team, the Ivorians twice reached the African Cup final, but both times lost on penalties. The last time was in 2012, when Renard led Zambia to a surprising victory.If Didier Drogba is not there, its not because of us, Renard said. Its because he decided to stop his international career.The Ivory Coasts other goal came from Gervinho, the Roma forward who returned from a two-match suspension after getting a straight red card in the opening match.Hilal Soudani scored Algerias goal in the 51st, beating goalkeeper Sylvain Gbohouo after taking a pass from Riyad Mahrez that trickled through a weak Ivory Coast defence.In the earlier match, Christian Atsu scored two goals and Kwesi Appiah added the other to put Ghana into the African Cup semifinals for the fifth straight time.Atsu, who plays in Englland for Everton, gave the Black Stars the lead in the fourth minute by scoring after a backheel pass from Andre Ayew.dddddddddddd He added another in the 61st, whipping in a shot from the right side.Appiah scored the second goal of the match in the 44th, controlling a horrible defensive mistake from Baissama Sankoh and beating Guinea goalkeeper Naby Yattara.For us, I think we had a winning mentality, Atsu said. We went for a win and we worked hard for it. Thats why we won the game. Not because they are a bad team. We went for a win. Thats all.Guinea finished the match with 10 men after Yattara was given a red card in injury time for a foul on Asamoah Gyan. Abdoulaye Cisse then played in goal for the final seconds.Ghana came into the match as the favourite, and needed only a few minutes to take the lead. Appiah took the ball down the left side before passing to Ayew in the area, and the Marseille forward then used his heel to slide the ball to Atsu for the goal.The match slowed for most of the next 40 minutes, with Guinea captain Ibrahima Traore doing his best to create chances for his team.We lost a goal almost from kickoff, which hurt our confidence, and then lost another goal just before break, Guinea coach Michel Dussuyer said. It makes things complicated against a team with the talent of Ghana.Guinea needed a touch of luck just to make it this far. The team finished tied with Mali after both teams drew 1-1 in all three Group D matches. But Guinea advanced after winning a drawing of lots on Thursday.Just qualifying for the 2015 tournament was a surprise for many, however. Guinea is one of the three worst affected countries of the Ebola outbreak and the national team was forced to play its home qualifying matches outside its borders.We need to put things into perspective, Ghana are a great team, Dussuyer said. We go out with regrets in this match but must not forget the road we have come down before today. 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