News » s against Boston this season. He is 4-3 with

TORONTO -- The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays open an American League East showdown series on Friday at Rogers Centre with first place at stake.The way the struggling Blue Jays have been playing, they could find the series a battle for survival in a tight race.The Red Sox, on the other hand, are playing better than Toronto and could use the three-game set to vault into a significant lead.Boston has a chance to make a strong start Friday as Rick Porcello (19-3, 3.23 ERA) attempts to become the first 20-game winner in the majors this season.Toronto will counter with Marco Estrada (8-7, 3.56 ERA).The Red Sox took a one-game league in the division over the faltering Blue Jays with their 7-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday while Toronto dropped a 2-0 decision to the New York Yankees on the same night.The Blue Jays were swept in the three-game series at Yankee Stadium and finished a nine-game road trip with a 3-6 mar.We started out doing good in Baltimore (winning two of three) and then the starters got tough on us, Toronto manager John Gibbons said.That scenario does not change for the Blue Jays. Porcello is 4-0 with a 2.52 earned-run average over his past five starts and has won two of his three outings this season against Toronto.The Red Sox have set up their rotation so that David Price, the winning pitcher on Wednesday, could start the final game of the season Oct. 2 at Fenway Park against Toronto.Drew Pomeranz has been given an extra day of rest, allowing Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez and Clay Buchholz to make their respective starts in Toronto on regular rest.The improved Buchholz has enjoyed success against the Blue Jays and that also figured into the rotation alignment.Theres some of that involved, Red Sox manager John Farrell said. And you start to begin to look at styles and matchups. You take all that into account.He said Price will likely make his remaining starts of the season on regular four days of rest.Toronto has a 7-6 lead in the season series with Boston.The Blue Jays bats were cold on the trip to Baltimore, Tampa Bay and New York. Collectively, the team batted .236/.318/.348 with eight home runs and averaged 3.9 runs a contest (35 for the trip) despite scoring first in seven straight games during the trip.Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin, one of the teams better hitters in the second half of the season, tweaked his left knee during an at-bat on Wednesday. He remained in the game and threw out a runner before giving way to a pinch hitter in the ninth.It was kinda something that I just felt when I was swinging, Martin said. It was weird. Just every swing, it was like something was biting me right in that knee. ... It really didnt affect me behind the plate.Despite winning twice against the Blue Jays, Porcello has a 5.21 ERA this season in the three outings and is 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA in two starts at Rogers Centre.In 15 career games, including 14 starts, Porcello is 6-7 with a 5.27 ERA against Toronto. He is 2-5 with a 6.86 ERA in eight career games, including seven starts, at Rogers Centre.Estrada is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts against Boston this season. He is 4-3 with a 3.73 ERA in eight career games (six starts) against the Red Sox. He is 3-5 with a 3.30 ERA in 12 starts this season at Rogers Centre.Martin said the left knee has been bothering him for a while, even during his hot-hitting surge. He batted .286/.356/.626 in August with nine homers and 22 RBI.It would be no surprise, however, if Dioner Navarro, who was re-acquired late last month in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, was behind the plate for Estrada on Friday. Navarro, who worked well with Estrada last season, caught the right-hander in his last start.Martin has been through stretch runs for postseason spots several times in his career.Its the time of the year where if you struggle, its magnified, Martin said. If youre doing well, everybody gets excited. We had a tough series (in New York). Put it behind us. Keep moving forward. Got a lot of baseball ahead. Lot of games left. Were right in it. Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Authentic . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. http://www.nikecheapnfljerseys.com/ . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Authentic Nike NFL Jerseys . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys China . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69. Charlie Strong wants opponents to notice certain things about Texas this season.A dynamic, fast-paced offense. An aggressive, pressuring defense. Unbridled special teams. And something else, more abstract.I want the other team to see that, God, these guys have changed. They play so hard, said Strong, entering his third year as Longhorns coach. Each year when they say you dont play hard, you dont do this or that, you know .dddddddddddd..But do opposing coaches share the same optimism as Strong? 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