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The next nine days probably wont determine the Toronto Blue Jays playoff fate, but the upcoming stretch of games definitely will play a role. Over the next three series, Toronto will face the East-leading Baltimore Orioles, the Central-leading Detroit Tigers and finally the Wild Card-vying Seattle Mariners. The Blue Jays can put themselves in a better position to make the postseason for the first time since 1993 with a solid record over this stretch or they could put themselves out of it entirely with a disastrous one. So the question is: How many games will the Blue Jays win over the next nine days? Baltimore Orioles (63-48) - Four games ahead of Blue Jays for first in AL East This one has been marked on Torontos calendar for quite some time. The clubs have split the first 10 games of their season series and the Jays can pull within a game of the Orioles for the division lead with a sweep. Toronto had been playing good ball until they ran into a pesky Astros squad, losing three of four in Houston over the weekend. Toronto should get a jolt to the lineup as Brett Lawrie was activated from the disabled list Monday night and is expected to get the start Tuesday in the opener. Baltimore, on the other hand, has been red-hot since the All-Star break with an impressive 11-6 record. The Orioles are also the American Leagues best road team with 33 victories away from Camden Yards so far this season. They acquired relief pitcher Andrew Miller from the Boston Red Sox on deadline day and seem to be putting things together both at the plate and on the mound. Baltimore will go with Bud Norris (8-7), Wei-Yin Chen (12-3) and Miguel Gonzalez (5-6) while Toronto will counter with Mark Buehrle (11-7), Drew Hutchison (7-9) and J.A. Happ (8-5) over the three-game set. There should be plenty of power too at the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre, as the Blue Jays and Orioles sit one-two in homers with 134 and 133, respectively. Detroit Tigers (61-48) - First place in AL Central After Baltimore, the Jays welcome to Toronto the team with arguably the best pitching staff in all of baseball. Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and now David Price lead the Tigers starting staff with each having won a Cy Young award over the last three seasons. And then theres the very formidable Anibal Sanchez and Rick Porcello, who have combined for a 21-10 record this season. The Jays will likely have to face Sanchez, Scherzer and Price over the three-game set next weekend. Detroits arms are one thing to worry about, but theyre also one of the best hitting teams in the American League. They are first in team batting average (.277 – 13 points better than the second place Los Angeles Angels), first in on-base percentage (.331) and first in slugging percentage (.435). If the Blue Jays want to be considered a legit playoff contender, taking two of three from the well-rounded Tigers would be a good step. Seattle Mariners (57-54) - Two games behind the Blue Jays for the second Wild Card spot Toronto wraps up this critical stretch out west at Safeco Field against the Mariners, who may sneak into the playoffs with a Wild Card entry, but theyve fallen off as of late, losing six of their last 10. Ace Felix Hernandez may anchor one of the leagues better pitching staffs (they lead the Majors with a 3.05 team ERA), but their hitting has left a lot to be desired. Theyre last in the American League in RBIs with 402 and second last in team batting average with .243. The Jays could possibly put the Mariners away in this series, in a place thats become a home away from home because of all the west coast fans that come down from B.C. for the games. Looking ahead, the Blue Jays will play the Orioles six times, the Mariners four times and the New York Yankees four times over the final two weeks of the season at the end of September. Those games will undoubtedly determine Torontos season if theyre able to stay in contention until then. But that is then and this is now, and the Blue Jays need to think about taking care of business in the present day. Having said that, how many games will the Jays win over this critical nine-day stretch? As always, its Your! Call. Cheap Air Max 720 Uk . Earnshaw, 31, most recently spent time on loan in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv from Welsh club Cardiff City, which plays in Englands second-tier League Championship. Earnshaw began his career with Cardiff Citys youth program and turned professional in 1998. Wholesale Air Max 720 Uk . -- Lindsey Vonn squeezed in a little freeskiing on Thanksgiving morning, a step in the right direction for a return to racing after reinjuring her right knee in a recent training crash. http://www.cheapairmax720uk.com/. The Jays responded to the three-spot Detroit placed on Casey Janssen the evening before with an attack on the Tigers Achilles Heel, its bullpen, tying the game in the ninth and winning the game in the 10th. The result absolved Marcus Stroman, brilliant once again, of a tough luck loss while at the same time robbing Max Scherzer, brilliant once again, of a deserved win. Cheap Air Max 720 Wholesale .The long-haired pivot, who joined the Alouettes midway through the CFL season and put up a 9-3 record as a starter, will be listed as the top quarterback in training camp next spring.With a full training camp under his belt, the Alouettes will see if he has what it takes to get them back to the Grey Cup game after a four-year absence. Discount Air Max 720 . TSN2 December 18 Knicks at Bulls 8pm et/5pm pt TSN2 December 18 Thunder at Warriors 10:30pm et/7:30pt TSN2 December 21 Pacers at Timberwolves 7pm et/4pm pt. TSN2 December 23 Timberwolves at Cavaliers 7pm et/4pm pt TSN2 December 25 Wizards at Knicks 12pm et/9am pt TSN December 25 Thunder at Spurs 2:30pm et/11:30pt TSN December 25 Cavaliers at Heat 5pm et/2pm pt TSN December 25 Lakers at Bulls 8pm et/5pm pt TSN December 25 Warriors at Clippers 10:30pm et/7:30pt TSN NBA on TSN - January Date Game Time Network January 1 Kings at Timberwolves 8pm et/5pm pt TSN2 January 3 Jazz at Timberwolves 8pm et/5pm pt TSN2 January 5 Nuggets at Timberwolves 8pm et/5pm pt TSN2 January 7 Rockets at Cavaliers 7pm et/4pm pt TSN January 7 Suns at Timberwolves 9:30pm et/6:30 pt. 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Scherzer outpitched Matt Harvey in their All-Star rematch, striking out 11 and hitting a stunning RBI double that sent the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday. Scherzer (19-1) joined Rube Marquard in 1912 and Roger Clemens in 2001 as the only major league pitchers to win 19 of their first 20 decisions in a season. But it was his big hit off a hard-throwing ace that had teammates talking -- and Scherzer crowing. "Ive got a replay and Im sending a text to everybody right now. It was definitely 96 (mph) down and away, and I laced it for a double," Scherzer said. "Im never going to shut up. Im just going to keep talking trash the whole time." Andy Dirks had three hits off Harvey, who gave up a career-high 13 over 6 2-3 innings against Detroits powerful lineup. He pitched out of trouble to keep the Mets in the game, but they lost for the fifth time in his last six starts. Missing injured slugger David Wright, the Mets have managed only two runs during a three-game skid. They were outhit 15-3 by the AL Central leaders, who got aggressive against Harvey (9-5) despite late-afternoon shadows. Harvey and Scherzer squared off on the same Citi Field mound 5 1/2 weeks ago in the All-Star game. Scherzer started and pitched one inning for the American League, which tossed a three-hitter in a 3-0 victory -- same as the Tigers on Saturday. Harvey got the ball for the NL, escaped an early jam and struck out three over two shutout innings to delight the home crowd. The Mets said this matchup marked the third time All-Star starters had faced each other on another occasion during the same season, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau. The first two came in the World Series: Mets ace Dwight Gooden opposed Clemens and the Boston Red Sox in 1986, and Red Ruffing of the New York Yankees faced Cincinnatis Paul Derringer in 1939. "Its just something fun to be a part of," Scherzer said. "I always enjoy facing the best." Scherzer, given the best offensive support in the AL at about 7 1/2 runs per nine innings, allowed three hits and four walks in six innings. He struck out seven of eight hitters during one stretch. "I pitched well today but I didnt pitch efficiently," Scherzer said. "I wasnt quite as sharp as usual, but I thought I made big pitches when I needed to and that was the most important thing." New York loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but a good play by Dirks on Ike Davis double off the base of the right-field wall held Daniel Murphy at third. Scherzer struck out rookie Juan Lagares with a high fastball at 96 mph. John Buck popped up the next pitch, and a fired-up Scherzer pounded his glove in excitement, knowing his day was done after 118 pitches. Jose Alvarez set down all four batters he faced, and Joaquin Benoit worked a perfect ninth ffor his 17th save.dddddddddddd Don Kelly added a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Pitching before a crowd of 35,636 on a beautiful, 78-degree day, Harvey didnt have it early. He gave up hits to six of his first 10 batters, and the Tigers scored twice in the second inning. "Just a poor performance," Harvey said. "Im getting pretty tired, but so is everybody and you have to work through it." Dirks led off with a double and went to third on Brayan Penas single. One out later, Scherzer showed bunt on one pitch and then swung at the next, lashing an RBI double over shortstop in his first plate appearance of the season. Turns out, Scherzer said, he was supposed to be bunting. He didnt realize the sign was still on. A giddy Scherzer clapped his hands and cracked a smile at second base as the Detroit bench broke up in amusement. "He turned on it. We were shocked. We went crazy," said teammate Torii Hunter, who called Scherzer the "modern-day Babe Ruth" and acknowledged the rest of the Tigers will never hear the end of it. It was Scherzers first hit and RBI in nine at-bats since joining the Tigers in 2010, but he did bat a respectable .226 with two doubles and three RBIs for the Diamondbacks in 2009. "In Arizona we took it very seriously, pitchers hitting in the National League," he said. Thats when fellow ace Justin Verlander came by in the clubhouse. He asked if Scherzer was still talking about hitting, and scoffed. "See, hes so jealous. So jealous," Scherzer said. "He cant take it." On Friday, Scherzer said he was looking forward to the challenge of pitching against Harvey in their much-anticipated rematch. But the Tigers right-hander lamented the fact that a rare chance to hit would come against such a dominant opponent. "I feel like the cards are stacked against me," Scherzer said. Not at all. Austin Jackson drove in another run with an infield single, but Harvey prevented further damage and settled down during the middle innings. He kept the Mets in it with the help of left fielder Eric Young Jr., who threw out a hobbled Omar Infante at the plate in the seventh. "What we saw today is a guy whos working as hard as he can," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "But youre seeing the effects of his first full season up here. Its a grind and hes doing the best he can." NOTES: Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Victor Martinez, normally the DH, will probably catch again Sunday. Martinez, who missed last season following knee surgery, started behind the plate Friday night for the first time since Aug. 4, 2011. "Hes standing, hes breathing, 98.6 temperature, I guess hes OK," Leyland said. ... Martinez and Hunter were rested. SS Jose Iglesias was out of the lineup with a sore left elbow after he was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning Friday. X-rays were negative, but Leyland said Iglesias couldnt bend his swollen arm and wouldnt be available off the bench. Leyland hoped Iglesias could play Sunday. ... New York wore orange Los Mets jerseys on Fiesta Latina Day. ' ' '