TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays continue to wait for the return of third baseman Josh Donaldson from tightness in his left calf.
He did not play in the opener of the three-game series against the Washington Nationals on Friday night
Max Scharping Jersey , a 6-5 Toronto win, and he is not expected to play in the second game on Saturday at the Rogers Centre.
The Nationals (37-29) will start right-hander Max Scherzer (10-2, 2.00 ERA), and the Blue Jays (31-38) will start right-hander Marco Estrada (3-5, 4.33).
Scherzer is 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA in eight career starts against the Blue Jays.
A sixth-round draft pick by the Nationals in 2005, Estrada is 2-1 with a 4.34 ERA in six career starts against Washington.
Meanwhile, Yangervis Solarte, the player who often fills in at third for Donaldson when he is not playing shortstop or second base, did well Friday night.
Solarte hit two home runs against the Nationals — a two-run shot and a solo blast — and added a double. He became the ninth Blue Jays batter to hit home runs from each side of the plate in a game. It is the second time in his career that the switch-hitter has homered from each side of the plate in a game. He has 14 homers and 40 RBIs for the season.
By defeating Washington starter Gio Gonzalez, who allowed a season-high five runs in six-plus innings
Brian Burns Jersey , the Blue Jays ended a streak of 11 straight losses when opposing a left-handed starter. It was the longest such streak in franchise history. Their previous long drought against left-handed starter was eight losses in a row in 1993.
Donaldson was eligible to return from the disabled list a week ago but has not played because he has been unable to run well enough during drills at the Rogers Centre on Thursday, an off-day in the schedule.
“I was here watching him (Thursday) when he was running the bases, and he still couldn’t cut it loose,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “That’s all I’ve got. He’s feeling better, but he’s still a little bit hesitant.”
He has been on the DL since May 29. The Blue Jays are 6-9 in the games he has missed. He probably will need a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Buffalo before returning.
“I think he needs to go down and at least play a game and test it,” Gibbons said. “Game-like conditions. I think that would be smart.”
The Nationals lost first baseman Matt Adams when he took a pitch off his left index finger on a foul bunt attempt in the second inning. He finished the at-bat and struck out. He played in the field in the bottom of the second before being replaced by Mark Reynolds. The finger was swollen and will be re-evaluated Saturday.
“It’s just part of the game, stuff like this happens,” Adams said. “Come in tomorrow and get some treatment and see how it feels.”
The Nationals did have some good news from the game Friday. Daniel Murphy picked up his first hit of the season, an RBI single in the eighth. It was his third game after being sidelined following right knee surgery.
The Nationals came back Friday with two runs in the eighth after falling behind 6-3 in the seventh and had the potential tying run at third in the ninth.
“I like the way that we didn’t give up, came back
http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-greg-little-jersey , and we had a chance to tie the game at the end,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.
It barely even counts for the sake of pageantry anymore. It's the equivalent of any other All-Star game in any sport. It means nothing, it's like a pat on the back for people who do well but don't get into the Super Bowl. It's the Pro Bowl. A nice weekend before the big game during which the best of the losing teams get together to play a game that doesn't count, in front of a television audience comparable to about a tenth of the Super Bowl.More often than not, the game includes a decent cross-section of players who either did well that year, did amazing enough the year before for everyone to remember, or a bunch of "alternates" after the real stars declined in favor of allowing injuries to heal, spending time with their families, washing their hair or watching paint dry.Admittedly, whether it counts or not
Will Grier Jersey , the game is usually infinitely more entertaining than anything else on TV that day, but only because it is football. The plays are a bit more creative, as coaches and players are willing to take more chances in a game that does not matter, and occasionally two rivals try to mercilessly tune each other up given that penalties are less of a concern when one's paying club is not involved.Ultimately though, some years involve a deeper pool of talent than others, and when primary selections and alternates bail on their invitations, there can be some pretty sad Pro Bowl selections. Here is our list of the worst players ever to play in that game. It will include players from before and after 1995. Before that time, only coaches and players voted, and of course, now
http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-christian-miller-jersey , fans are included in the voting process. This list will also include any player who played in the game, whether as one of the players voted or an alternate.Furthermore, this won't be a list of players who had subpar careers overall, but made the Pro Bowl during a year or two of outstanding play. Nor is this a list of players we simply don't like. This is a list of players, and a year in which they played in the Pro Bowl but should not have.Sorry for the quarterback-heavy list. Also, sorry for the first entry, this is going to hurt a few of you.