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The red-hot Toronto Blue Jays take aim at their seventh straight win on Monday when they open a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre. Toronto has moved two games up on the New York Yankees in the American League East and is atop the division this late into a season for the first time since July 6, 2000. The Jays enter this matchup on the heels of an impressive three-game sweep of the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics. On Sunday, J.A. Happ tossed seven shutout innings, Jose Bautista knocked in two runs and Toronto rolled, 3-1. Happ (4-1) scattered four hits, walked three and struck out seven, and Edwin Encarnacion homered in the Blue Jays ninth win in 10 tries. "Were playing together as a team, pitching good," Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes said. "Good defense behind the guys, timely hitting, winning teams do that kind of stuff." The Blue Jays lead the majors with 70 home runs and have homered in eight straight contests. They havent homered in nine consecutive contests since April 27-May 5, 2012. One player who wouldnt mind a few longballs on Monday is righty Drew Hutchison, wholl be shooting for his third straight win. Hutchison followed up his first-ever shutout by beating the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday to improve to 3-3 with a 3.45 ERA. Hutchison has split two starts versus the Rays, pitching to a 5.79 ERA in those meetings. Tampa, meanwhile, will counter with veteran lefty Erik Bedard, who is 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA. Bedard has filled in nicely for the Rays in the wake of injuries to Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson and is 2-1 with a 0.96 ERA over his last five starts. Bedard, though, absorbed the loss to Oakland on Wednesday, as he surrendered three runs (1 earned) and just one hit - a home run - over 5 1/3 innings. He also walked three batters. Tampa comes into Mondays opener playing its best baseball of the season as well. The Rays swept the Boston Red Sox over the weekend and have won four in a row. Tampa completed the sweep on Sunday, as Sean Rodriguezs three-run, pinch-hit homer helped power a five-run seventh inning, and Tampa Bay sent the Red Sox to their 10th consecutive loss with an 8-5 decision. Evan Longoria went 3-for-5 with a homer and a pair of runs scored, and Yunel Escobar drove in two while setting off a benches-clearing incident late in the contest. The contentious victory was also Joe Maddons 700th as Rays manager. Joel Peralta (2-3), who blew a two-run lead in the seventh but was rescued by the Tampa offense, was credited with the win. Leading by five in the seventh, Escobar stole third and the Red Sox bench started jawing at him from the dugout. He talked back and started walking toward their bench, before Johnny Gomes ran in from left field and both benches cleared. Gomes, Escobar and Rodriguez were all ejected after the incident. "What was the score, 8-3? It was a five-run lead in the seventh inning. So thats not even nearly as egregious as last year in the playoffs," Maddon said of the incident. Tampa has split four games with the Jays this season. Wholesale Mariners Jerseys . The ninth-seeded Safarova doused Swede Johanna Larsson 6-2, 6-3 on the green clay at Family Circle Tennis Center. The Czech player was a finalist here two years ago and captured back-to-back doubles titles in 2012 and last year. Zac Grotz Mariners Jersey . TSNs Farhan Lalji reports the Edmonton Eskimos non-import DT has a workout scheduled with an NFL team next week and isnt expected to sign a deal with any team until then. https://www.cheapmariners.com/. Price also posted the longest shutout sequence since 1960 at 164:19 minutes. He stopped a combined 55 shots in Canadas final two games and 70 of 71 shots in Canadas three elimination games, allowing only a breakaway goal to Lauris Darzins of Latvia. For his efforts, Price was named best goalkeeper by the tournament directorate. Prices outstanding play is marred only by the extremely strong defensive play of Canadas top six defencemen; Shea Weber, Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester. Omar Vizquel Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Nelson Cruz Jersey . The time off didnt slow them down. Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, Kyrie Irving added 14 points and the Cavaliers pushed their winning streak to five games Tuesday night with a 114-85 victory over the skidding Philadelphia 76ers.NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees honoured Nelson Mandela on Wednesday night during their rain-delayed celebration of the legacy of Jackie Robinson, another icon of social change. The grandson of South Africas first black president, Zondwa Mandela, and Robinsons widow, Rachel, helped unveil a plaque commemorating Mandelas 1990 speech at the old Yankee Stadium. It hangs next to the tribute to Jackie Robinson in Monument Park beyond centre field at the current ballpark. Robinson broke the colour barrier in the major leagues in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The ceremony was pushed back a day to Wednesday because the game between New York and the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday -- Jackie Robinson Day around baseball -- was postponed by rain. The plaque features a portrait of Mandela and a dedication. "Able to fill the shoes of our grandfather. That is not why we are here. Its simply symbolic to the fact that we all make up a piece of his magnificent work. I and family, just like all of you who are here, are just a custodian of his legacy," Zondwa Mandela said before the ceremony. "The efforts of the Robinson family, the efforts of our grandfather, should continue to give us a sense that the efforts of today are not supposed to reflect on our experience today," he continued, "but rather that they are for the lives to follow, the generations to come." Yankee captain Derek Jeter presented the Mandela family and Rachel Robinson with a replica of the plaque at home plate prior to the game. It reads: "Nelson Mandela 1918-2013. Noobel Peace Prize winner and global leader whose timeless efforts dismantled apartheid in South Africa.dddddddddddd As President of his country, he would use South Africas enthusiasm for sports as a unifying force for reconciliation. On June 21, 1990, he made a memorable visit to the original Yankee Stadium and proclaimed, "You know who I am. I am a Yankee." "In words and deeds, he became an inspirational leader to the world. Dedicated by New York Yankees, April 15, 2014. Presented to Mandela family from New York Yankees." More than a dozen notable figures, including members of the Mandela and Robinson family, South African government representatives, past and present politicians and labour leaders, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, and singer and activist Harry Belafonte attended a pregame news conference. Several of those attending were present at the Mandela speech nearly 24 years ago and recalled Mandelas charisma that day. "I knew that he had something in mind when he walked on the stage and was going to be presented to America and all the cameras and the world focused on him," Belafonte said. "And he walked out in a Yankee jacket and a Yankee cap, and his first words were: You all know who I am. I am a Yankee. All of America went crazy." "The other hero, the other great hero, Jackie Robinson, (is) being celebrated at the same time," Belafonte added. "So were getting a double whammy. Jackie Robinson and Nelson Mandela being celebrated on the same day is to me a great moment." ' ' 'p a set at Melbourne Park.He said, Ive played three quite quick matches, which helps. You expect with every round theyre going to get a little longer, tougher on the body. ' ' '