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33 appearances and Cerci is a reliable winger. T
MILWAUKEE – Get out a pencil and a piece of paper. Cheap Shoes From China . Its time for rudimentary math; time to let the players worry about winning today while others concern themselves with the broader, increasingly bleak, picture. Write down the numbers one to 12 in ascending order. Each time Toronto loses a game, mark an X through the corresponding number. Why 13? Given the way the season is trending, the Blue Jays need to win at least 88 games to qualify for a playoff spot. With a record of 64-62 after Tuesdays action, in order to be 88-74 by seasons end Toronto had to go 24-12. Thats just for a chance. The American League East leading Orioles are on pace for 94 wins. In the race for the second wild card spot, the leader Mariners are eyeing an 88-win season; the runner up Tigers are looking at 88 victories (rounded up on percentage points); the Yankees are on pace for 83 wins. The Blue Jays, playing at a .508 clip, would end up in the 82-win neighbourhood. Thats not going to get it done. Whats more disconcerting are signs of fraying in the starting rotation. Through the first seven games of this eight-game road trip, Toronto pitching had allowed 11 first inning runs (two on Tuesday night). "Just another game where we gave up a lot of runs early and we couldnt do anything with (Brewers starter Mike) Fiers," said manager John Gibbons. "He did a nice job. A lot lately weve been giving up some runs early." Playing come-from-behind on a near-daily basis isnt ideal for an offence which has gone cold. In 16 games this month, the Jays have scored 48 runs or exactly three per game. One of the main culprits is the decline in home run production. Despite the recent downturn the Jays season total of 141 remains tied for second-most in baseball (with Colorado) behind Baltimores 157. The Jays have hit only seven long balls in the month of August (16 games). "Power comes and goes," said hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. "Its kind of one of those things when guys get hot they can usually get hot together and home runs are usually just a by-product of good at-bats and good swings and catching balls out front a little bit more." The Jays are one of three teams in the American League which require the home run to cash more than 40-percent of their runs scored, which is to say if Toronto doesnt hit the long ball, most of the time it wont score enough. Entering Tuesdays play, 225 of Torontos 558 runs (40.3-percent) were cashed via the home run. Theyre joined by Baltimore (251 of 531 – 47.2-percent) and Houston (219 of 501 – 43.7-percent). Nine teams come in the 30-39.9-percent range and the remainder fall below. The hope is the recent returns of Edwin Encarnacion (26 home runs) and Adam Lind (who despite having only four home runs, is a crucial middle-of-the-order bat against right-handed starting pitching) from injury will lengthen the lineup and pave the way to more pop. "A lot of times when guys try to compensate because of a lack of power and try to do a little too much then it works against you," said Seitzer. "I think thats kind of where were at right now. As far as overall as a team we didnt start off very good home run-wise the first month of the season and then all of a sudden in May it came in bunches and it came for a long time." Seitzer is looking to hits with runners in scoring position (RISP), specifically hits with runners in scoring position and two outs. Hes sensing players, especially the Jays best, are pressing. One example would be Jose Bautista, whos a .300 hitter with RISP this season but that number dwindles to .111 (4-for-36) with RISP and two outs. With Tuesday nights loss, Cleveland pulled even with the Blue Jays in the wild card race. The more teams youre chasing, the less likely it is you can gain ground on a nightly basis. Time is ticking away. Dont lose sight of your pencil. Cheap Shoes Fake .Y. -- Syracuses streak lives on -- barely. Cheap Shoes Replica . Thats what he did over the past 2 1/2 years with the Washington Wizards. Wittmans approach helped turn the Wizards from pushover to playoff winners.FLORENCE, Italy -- United States-born forward Giuseppe Rossi was left off Italys final 23-man squad for the World Cup on Sunday. Coach Cesare Prandelli apparently judged that Rossi hadnt fully recovered from his latest right knee injury in January. It was likely a difficult decision since Rossi has always been one of Prandellis favourite players. Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne was selected instead. Rossi played 71 minutes in Italys 0-0 draw with Ireland on Saturday but failed to make much of an impact. Rossi was also one of the final cuts by then-coach Marcello Lippi in 2010, although Lippi said last week that he regretted that decision. Now, Rossi will have to wait until 2018 -- when hell be 31 -- for a chance to play in the World Cup. Also cut from Prandellis 30-man preliminary squad were: forward Mattia Destro; Brazilian-born midfielder Romulo, who has been dealing with a muscle problem; and fullbacks Manuel Pasqual and Christian Maggio. Key midfielder Riccardo Montolivo was ruled out after breaking the tibia bone in his left leg against Ireland. Center back Andrea Ranocchia was selected as a 24th man to go to Brazil as a possible replacement for Andrea Barzagli, who has been fighting injury all season. Rossi was born in New Jersey to Italian parents and was offered a chance to play for the United States at an early age but he has always said it was his dream to play for the Azzurri. Rossi led Serie A with 14 goals in 17 matches with Fiorentina until he re-injured his right knee in January, sidelining him for four months. He returned a month ago but has not played a full 90 minutes since coming back and occasionally appeared hesitant against Ireland. Rossi initially tore his right anterior cruciate ligament during a match with Villarreal against Real Madrid in October 2011 and needed three operations before returning with Fiorentina in May 2013. Insigne scored twice when his Napoli club beat Rossis Fiorentina 3-1 in the Italian Cup a month ago. Cheap Shoes. That was Rossis first match back. Besides sure starter Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and Torino strike partners Ciro Immobile and Alessio Cerci were also chosen up front. Cassano made the squad following a resurgent season with Parma. After two years away from the national team, his appearance against Ireland was his first since the 2012 European Championship final. Immobile led Serie A with 22 goals in 33 appearances and Cerci is a reliable winger. Torino fullback Matteo Darmian, who made his Italy debut against Ireland and can play on either the right or the left, was also included, along with Argentine-born centre back Gabriel Paletta. In midfield, the newcomers are Paris Saint-Germains Marco Verratti and Parmas Marco Parolo. Verratti, in particular, shined against Ireland and is considered an eventual replacement for Andrea Pirlo. Four-time champion Italy opens its World Cup campaign against England in Group D on June 14 then faces Costa Rica on June 20 and Uruguay on June 24. The Azzurri play Luxembourg in Perugia on Wednesday then fly out to Brazil a day later. ------ Italy: Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Mattia Perin (Genoa), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris Saint-Germain). Defenders: Ignazio Abate (AC Milan), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Torino), Mattia De Sciglio (AC Milan), Gabriel Paletta (Parma). Midfielders: Alberto Aquilani (Fiorentina), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Thiago Motta (Paris Saint-Germain), Marco Parolo (Parma), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain). Forwards: Mario Balotelli (AC Milan), Antonio Cassano (Parma), Alessio Cerci (Torino), Ciro Immobile (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli). ' ' '
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Activity: May 25 '20
