TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays replaced the Baltimore Orioles in first place in the American League East on Saturday.As soon as Sunday, the positions could be reversed. That is how close the race is, with the Boston Red Sox within easy striking distance.The Blue Jays defeated the Orioles 9-1 on Saturday behind the 11-strikeout pitching of left-hander J.A. Happ. That gave the Blue Jays a half-game lead over the Orioles in the division.If the Orioles can end a five-game losing streak Sunday and avoid being swept by the Blue Jays, they will return to the top by a half-game margin.Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin, who hit a two-run double in a seven-run fifth on Saturday, realizes there is a long way to go, but that reaching first has some significance.It means that were playing good baseball, Martin said. Theres still a lot of baseball left, but I feel were starting to play good ball. Were swinging the bats well, were playing good defense and were pitching well.But the thing I like about this team is the consistency of our starting pitching. I feel like its been that way all year. If youre going to have a winning team thats kind of the one thing you want to have is pitching, and we have that so were feeling pretty good about it.The pitching figures to be good Sunday in the series finale.The Orioles will start right-hander Chris Tillman (14-3, 3.47 ERA) against Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez (11-1, 2.72 ERA), who has not lost since April 22.Everythings about pitching here at this level, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. They catch the ball well. Theyre a good team. Were a good team. Well put it behind us and go out there 1/8Sunday 3/8.Theyre a good starting pitching team. Theyve got good people in the bullpen. Thats why they, Boston and us are where we are, so youve got to trust your players and just dont throw everybody under the bus because youve had a tough couple of games.Said Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo: We could come out and throw up 20 hits (Sunday), outfielder Mark Trumbo said. Who knows what is going to happen? You kind of assume when you go up against these guys its going to be a tight game and youre going to have to play smart baseball and take advantage when you can.Because you are going to need those runs. They have a really good offense. Weve got to do our part to try to counter them.Sanchez is 10-0 with a 2.58 ERA in 16 starts since his last loss. The Blue Jays are 12-4 in those starts. He is 3-2 with a 5.34 ERA in 10 career games, including five starts, against the Orioles.Tillman is 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA in his last five starts, with the loss coming Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies when he allowed nine hits and six runs in five innings. He is 5-10 with a 5.71 ERA in 22 career starts against the Blue Jays and is 1-0, 4.91, in two starts against them this season.The Blue Jays are on a 16-6 roll, while the Orioles have lost 12 of their last 17 games on the road. Toronto leads the season series 7-5. Fake Wholesale Shoes . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Vapormax Sale . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/yeezy-350-sale/ . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Air Max 95 Sale . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Wholesale Shoes USA . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. PITTSBURGH -- The history of the 123-year-old rivalry between Pittsburgh and Penn State is undeniable. Trying to convey decades of antagonism to players who were in preschool the last time the Nittany Lions and Panthers shared a football field is another matter.Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi made it a point in the run-up to Saturdays renewal after a 15-year hiatus to give his kids a crash course, one that happened to coincide with a rare media blackout that Narduzzi described as necessary to make sure the Panthers didnt get caught up in any distractions before arguably the programs most notable nonconference game since Sept. 16, 2000, when Pitt handed Penn State and coach Joe Paterno a 12-0 loss.I know when I first got into a major rivalry, I didnt get it the first year, Narduzzi said. I got it the second year. I want to make sure they dont do the same. Its my job to make sure they embrace it and understand what its all about.Penn State coach James Franklin took a slightly different tack. While it may take some convincing for some of the Nittany Lions to get just how big a deal this is within the state, there are sizable number of players on both sides who call Pennsylvania home -- some of whom were wooed by both schools -- that wont need a reminder.So we just want to make sure we have our composure and we have our poise and we go out and play as hard as we can and execute, Franklin said. I want them to play with passion, with emotion, but right up to the edge without having any issues.While its unclear just how heated things will get on the turf at Heinz Field, city officials and the top administrators at each school took precautions to make sure the action stays between the lines.University of Pittsburgh police planned to scour residential neighborhoods around the campus in search of upholstered furniture left outside -- the kind that can sometimes turn into kindling in celebration (or defeat) -- and have anything that could serve as fuel for a pretty good bonfire removed. Pitt chancellor Patrick Gallagher and Penn State president Eric Barron issued a joint statement encouraging what could be a record crowd at Heinz Field to make wise choices.Both teams come in 1-0 after less than spectacular debuts against lesser opponents, perhaps because they were looking ahead.dddddddddddd That wont be an issue this time around. The winner gets in-state bragging rights for a least 52 weeks and a very sizable chip to play in the living rooms of in-state recruits.Some things to look for as one of college footballs longest-standing showdowns begins an intriguing renewal:UP TO SPEEDThe Nittany Lions are looking to push the pace behind mobile sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley. That didnt exactly happen last Saturday against Kent State. Penn State managed just 354 yards of total offense and ran just 54 plays, numbers that Franklin expects to go up as the season progresses.I think whenever you can speed up the tempo, thats a good thing, Franklin said. We want to be able to do both of those things. We want to be able to check with me on the sideline to get in the right play and we want to have plays where we can get up and just snap the ball that are plays that have an opportunity to be successful versus multiple defensive fronts and multiple coverages.JAMES BEING JAMESPitt junior running back James Conners return from a bout with cancer included a pair of touchdowns against Villanova but also a pedestrian 3.1 yards per carry, something Narduzzi attributed to the 2014 ACC Player of the Year too often searching for a big play when getting a handful of yards at a time will do. Expect that to change as Conner brushes the rust off.CLUTCH KICKERIf things are close late, the Nittany Lions have an advantage in the kicking game. Tyler Davis is 24 for 24 on field goals in his career while Pitts Chris Blewitt missed a pair of kicks in a 28-7 victory over Villanova last week. Davis understands the usually tricky conditions at Heinz Field -- where the wind can swirl unpredictably -- but pointed to his time kicking over the summer in his hometown of Chicago as pretty good practice for what awaits on Saturday.---Freelance writer Travis Johnson in State College, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.---AP college football site: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '
