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Sunday, August 31, 2014

{allcanada} BAUTISTA HOMERS IN FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME AS JAYS BEAT YANKEES

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TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays used the big hitters to tie it with homers -- but all it took to win it was a single by one of their little guys.

Jose Bautista homered for the fifth straight game in the sixth inning, following a two-out solo homer by Melky Cabrera.

Edwin Encarnacion led off the seventh with a homer to tie the game 3-3 and, with two out in the seventh, Munenori Kawasaki came through with the two-out single to score pinch-runner Steve Tolleson with what proved to be the winning run.

The 4-3 victory gave the Blue Jays the final two games of the three-game series against the Yankees.

While little ball helped the Blue Jays score the decisive run, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was happy to see the return of the long ball that has been missing for most of August.

"Definitely, they win," Gibbons said. "It's guaranteed runs. I think when you get into trouble though when you start swinging for them, you're trying to hit them. It's kind of what we do, though you've still got to get your other hits. But we've been missing that."

Derek Jeter, who is retiring at the end of the season and was playing his final game at Rogers Centre, hit a soft line drive to second to end the game with pinch-runner Ichiro Suzuki at third base. It gave Casey Janssen his 20th save of the season and left-hander J.A. Happ (9-8) the win.

Centre-fielder Brett Gardner homered, tripled and doubled to fall a single short of hitting for the cycle as he helped the Yankees build a 3-0 lead after five innings.

Bautista is one shy of the club record of six consecutive games with a homer set in 2001 by Jose Cruz, Jr.

"That's so hard to do what he's doing," Gibbons said. "He's in a nice little groove. I think he is waiting his at-bats out for a pitch to hit. He's using that left-centre field gap pretty good that shows you he's on the ball, he's not spinning off it, that's where he runs into trouble. He's a good hitter. It's tough to hit five in a row but he's a guy that can do that."

Happ allowed nine hits and three runs in seven innings and Yankees right-hander Brandon McCarthy (8-14) allowed five hits and four runs in six-plus innings. He is 5-4 after joining the Yankees in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 6.

"They grind," Happ said. "I feel like every team, especially in this division, does that. A day like today, McCarthy was throwing really well and I'm just trying to stay in there and keep us in the ball game. We stayed on him and came back and that was huge."

Gardner led off the first with his 16th homer of the season. It was the sixth homer of his career leading off a game and five have been this season. Jeter singled but was erased when Martin Prado hit into a double play.

"It was nice to get out of there after the leadoff home run, try to find a groove," Happ said.

The Yankees increased their lead to 2-0 in the fourth on a single to left by Francisco Cervelli. It scored Prado who led off with a single and took third on a two-out hit by Chase Headley.

The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the fifth when Gardner tripled to left centre with one out and was awarded home when the relay throw from shortstop Jose Reyes overshot third base. It was the 17th error of the season by Reyes.

Cabrera and Bautista hit back-to-back home runs with two out in the sixth to cut the lead to 3-2.

It was the 16th of the season for Cabrera and the 29th for Bautista.

Encarnacion led off the seventh with his 28th homer of the season. He is still trying to find his hitting form since being out with a quadriceps injury from July 6 to Aug. 15.

"If we're going to do anything we definitely need him," Gibbons said. "So hopefully that's a start of something. I thought, when he first came back, his swings were better and I thought his timing was pretty good for the long layoff. Then he hit a stretch where he was a little bit out of whack and his timing was off. He'll tell you the key to his success is keeping both hands on the bat and he has been out front, a lot of times releasing that top hand and everything."

Dioner Navarro walked and Tolleson ran for him. Right-hander Dellin Betances replaced McCarthy. Tolleson stole second and scored the go-ahead run on a two-out single by Kawasaki.

Left-hander Brett Cecil replaced Happ for the eighth and Janssen came out for the ninth.

Pinch-hitter Jacoby Ellsbury, who did not start because of a left ankle injury, hit a bloop double to right in the ninth with one out.

"My adrenalin was pumping," Ellsbury said. "I typically don't pinch hit. . . In that situation, you want to get on base and get into scoring position. Once I saw that ball go up in the air I knew it was going to take a high hop. There's only one thing I could do, go for two and hopefully get into scoring position."

Ichiro ran for him and took third on Gardner's groundout to first. That brought up Jeter and he hit a soft liner to second to end the game.

"When it came off the bat I thought for a minute it would be over his head at second," Gibbons said.

"I could see the little fairytale story being written," Janssen said. "But got that out of my head and knew I had to attack him."

NOTES: Announced attendance was 45,678, the 12th sellout of the season at Rogers Centre.

àBlue Jays RHP Brandon Morrow (torn tendon sheath in right index finger) pitched the eighth inning and allowed one hit for triple-A Buffalo on Saturday in the second outing of his rehabilitation assignment. . . The Blue Jays presented Jeter, who was designated hitter on Sunday, with a trip to Banff before his final game at Rogers Centre. . . The Blue Jays have Monday off before opening a three-game series at Tampa Bay on Tuesday with RHP R.A. Dickey (10-12, 4.00 ERA) starting against RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-2, 2.98 ERA).

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{allcanada} Serena wants Raonic's arm sleeve

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Serena Williams is both a fashion maven and big server, so she can appreciate the protective sleeve that Milos Raonic has been wearing on his right arm.

What started as a legitimate health need has turned into a bit of a superstition for the fifth-seeded Canadian. Williams just thinks it looks stylish.

''I love your arm sleeve,'' she tweeted to Raonic on Sunday. ''It's super cool and different. Will it help my serve? I want to serve like you. (hash)CanIHaveOne.''

Not that Williams needs help with her serve. She leads the WTA in aces this year, no surprise.

Raonic is third on the men's tour. He started wearing the sleeve in March at Miami to protect a rash from the sun.

Now he's breaking out different colors and patterns.

Asked if he believes the sleeve helps his play, Raonic said Saturday: ''I'm not going to argue when things are going OK.''

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{allcanada} ROUGHRIDERS WIN LABOUR DAY THRILLER AGAINST BLUE BOMBERS

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REGINA -- Weston Dressler is once again a Roughrider, but the fan favourite's return was a footnote on a Labour Day Classic dominated by Saskatchewan's ground attack.

Running back Anthony Allen's 15-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds remaining in the game proved to be the crucial score for the Riders in their 35-30 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.

"It's probably not very pretty and it has a lot of people saying our offence is sputtering, but a win is a win," said Roughriders left guard Brendon LaBatte, whose team's sixth win in a row moved them into a three-way tie for first place in the West Division with a 7-2 record.

"We're doing what we need to do to get a win, and if that means running the ball then we'll do that. We have the group here to get that done."

Winnipeg's Lirim Hajrullahu kicked a 41-yard field goal with three minutes to go in the fourth quarter that gave the Bombers a slim 30-28 advantage. It was Hajrullahu's third field goal of the quarter and one that forced the Riders to come up with a late score to appease the 33,427 fans in attendance.

Allen, Darian Durant and Jerome Messam all rushed the ball on the decisive scoring drive. Durant put the ball in the air just twice, but otherwise leaned on his offensive line and stable of running backs to get the job done.

"It meant a lot for me for the coaches to trust me in that situation by giving me the ball," said Allen, who was bumped on the depth chart after a fumble earlier in the season.

"We know we have a great quarterback and he told us to keep being patient and that this game would eventually come to us. He would put the ball in our hands when the time came and for me that time came late in the fourth quarter."

Saskatchewan head coach Corey Chamblin admitted he was looking to exhaust the clock and maybe win the game with a last-second field goal.

The Riders rushed for 160 yards in the game, led by Messam's 64 yards. Allen chipped in with 38 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, with 23 yards coming on the final drive. Allen's first touchdown was a three-yard run in the third quarter. Dressler, meanwhile, had three catches for 28 yards as the Riders eased the slotback back into the lineup following his return Thursday from NFL training camp with Kansas City.

"This is what this group is all about," LaBatte said. "When the game is on the line, whether it's running out the clock or driving for the win, we're getting stronger as the game goes on.

"We took the game over along the ground. That's always our goal."

Durant finished 14-for-26 passing for 204 yards and a touchdown, while Blue Bombers quarterback Drew Willy went 15 for 23 for 171 yards and one interception.

Winnipeg (6-4) trailed 14-7 at halftime and 21-7 midway through the third quarter before it rallied with a Willy touchdown run, followed by a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown from Troy Stoudermire. The Blue Bombers then assumed a 27-21 thanks to field goals from Hajrullahu.

Saskatchewan responded with a 59-yard touchdown strike to receiver Taj Smith that put the home team back in front 28-27 with 5:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. Hajrullaha struck again from 41 yards out with 2:58 to go, setting the table for the Riders' offence.

The Riders defence limited Nic Grigsby, the CFL's leading rusher, to 68 yards rushing and one touchdown on 15 carries.

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{allcanada} Canadian Wozniak to undergo shoulder surgery

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Canadian tennis player Aleksandra Wozniak‎ has once again been sidelined with a shoulder injury.

The 26-year-old announced on her Facebook account that she has pulled out of next week’s tournament in Quebec City and will undergo shoulder surgery in the coming days. There’s no timetable for her return to action.

Wozniak, who lost to Japan’s Kurumi Nara in the first round at the U.S. Open, missed all of last year recovering from a severely dislocated shoulder. The 97th-ranked Wozniak, who also missed time with a forearm injury in 2010, has struggled to regain the form that saw her rise to a career-high No. 21 in the world in 2009.

The Montreal native has advanced as far as the fourth round this season, losing to Li Na in Monterrey and Ana Ivanovic in Monterrey.

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{allcanada} Canada's women's 8 win silver at rowing worlds

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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Canada’s women’s eight captured a silver medal on the final day of the World Rowing Championships.

Cristy Nurse, Lisa Roman, Natalie Mastracci, Rosie DeBoef, Susanne Grainger, Christine Roper, Ashley Brzozowicz, Lauren Wilkinson and coxswain Lesley Thompson-Willie finished in five minutes 59.660 seconds.

The United States won gold in 5:56.830 while China (6:00.520) took bronze.

“We all believed right to the line that there was a possibility that we could do it,” said Mastracci. “We are going to go back to the drawing board and keep training, that’s what we do. We don’t give up.”

Canada hasn’t won gold in the women’s eight since the 1992 Barcelona Games.

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{allcanada} Fitzpatrick Completes CTMP Sweep

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BOWMANVILLE, Ont. – J.R. Fitzpatrick turned in another dominant performance to earn his fifth career NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and secure a season sweep at the famed Ontario road course.

Fitzpatrick, from Ayr, Ontario, took the lead in the Pinty’s presents the Clarington 200 for the second and final time on Lap 34 in his No 84 Equipment Express/Autism Speaks Chevrolet and drove to his 10th career victory overall. He’s won a record five of the 10 all-time series events at CTMP, including both in 2014.

Jeff Lapcevich ended up second for the third time in the last four Canadian Tire Series events at CTMP to tie his career-best finish while Marc-Antione Camirand established a personal best when he crossed the line third. Season points leader L.P. Dumoulin finished fourth and Scott Steckly was fifth.

Gary Klutt, D.J. Kennington, Robin Buck, Brad Graham and Joey McColm brought home the top 10.

POS DRIVER
1 J.R. Fitzpatrick
2 Jeff Lapcevich
3 Marc-Antione Camirand
4 L.P. Dumoulin
5 Scott Steckly

Polesitter Andrew Ranger, who led 15 laps in the event, finished 29th out of 31 entries with a fuel pump failure.

The 51-lap race featured six lead changes among five different drivers and was slowed by just twice by caution.

With the victory, Fitzpatrick cut seven points off of Dumoulin’s championship lead. With two races remaining in the season Dumoulin now leads Fitzpatrick 378-359. Ranger’s troubles dropped him from a tie for second to a distant third at 327.

The Pinty’s presents the Clarington 200 will premiere on TSN2 on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 5:30 p.m. EDT.

The Canadian Tire Series will return to action with the Wahta Springs 300 on Sept. 6 at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway.

RESULTS  |  RACE CENTRAL LIVE REPLAY  |  AUDIO: POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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{allcanada} DURANT TO PLAY HURT AS RIDERS HOST BOMBERS ON TSN

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Roughriders fans will see quarterback Darian Durant behind centre when Saskatchewan takes on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in today's Labour Day Classic.

Watch the game live on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5 starting at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt.

Durant injured his right hand in last week's 20-16 victory over the Lions at B.C. Place. He received two days of treatment before taking snaps with the first team offence on Wednesday.

On Saturday, the nine-year veteran said his hand still hurts but he will play on Sunday.

Joining Durant on the field for Sunday's action will be newly acquired slotback Weston Dressler.
 
Dressler re-signed with the Roughriders on Thursday after passing his physical. He was released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday and cleared NFL waivers the following day, making him an unrestricted CFL free agent.

"He has that chemistry with me that goes back years and years and I think we're on the same page with everything," said Durant. "We see everything the same way, so I think he's going to bring that big play ability back to the system and it's going good to have him back."

Both the Roughriders and Blue Bombers have amassed 12 points in the standings thanks to six wins, although the Blue Bombers have played one more game than Saskatchewan. Both squads are trailing Edmonton and Calgary which are tied for first in the division with records of 7-1, although they are set to face off against each other in Week 10 action as well.

Saskatchewan won the first meeting of the season earlier this month by a score of 23-17 on the road, which means the Riders have now taken six of the last seven matchups and 11 of 13 versus the Bombers overall.

One of these teams will have a shot at revenge just seven days following this meeting as they get together in Winnipeg for the third and final regular- season clash.

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{allcanada} SIX-TIME NHL ALL-STAR VADNAIS PASSES AWAY AT 68

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Carol Vadnais, a veteran of 17 NHL seasons, has died at the age of 68.

A Montreal native, Vadnais played more than 1,000 career games with the Montreal Canadiens, Oakland/California (Golden) Seals, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

The Rangers tweeted their condolences Sunday, writing: "Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of #NYR alum Carol Vadnais who passed away. Vadnais played 7 seasons with the Rangers."

In 1,087 career games, Vadnais scored 169 goals and added 418 assists.

He won two Stanley Cups: one with the Canadiens in 1967-68 and another with the Boston Bruins in 1971-72. He was selected to six NHL All-Star Games, the first coming in 1969 with Oakland and the last in 1978 with the Rangers.

Vadnais was selected to represent Canada at the 1976 Canada Cup, though he did not play a game in the tournament. He also served as the third captain in the history of the Seals in the NHL, wearing the "C" in 1971-72.

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