(Sports Network) - The New York Yankees are making a push for the playoffs and are expected to have shortstop Derek Jeter back in the lineup on Monday for the opener of a three-game series versus the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays will send R.A. Dickey to the hill for tonights opener and the right- handed knuckleballer has just one victory over his last nine starts. The Blue Jays return home following a 2-8 road trip, one that included getting swept in four games at New York. That extended Torontos season-long struggles in this series as it has lost 12 of 13 to the Yankees. The Jays have lost all 10 of the meetings in New York this year and their lone victory over the Yankees came in Toronto back on April 21. Toronto snapped a seven-game overall losing streak with Sundays 2-1 win over Houston, but needed a late surge to do so. Moises Sierra drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth to tie the game and Ryan Goins brought home the winner with a groundout in the frame. Mark Buehrle worked the first eight innings, scattering seven hits and one run while fanning seven for the victory. Casey Janssen walked two and gave up a hit in the ninth, but held on for his 23rd save. "Wins like that have been hard to come by," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "We were in so many games, all except the first two here, but we came up short. But to win the final one, it always feel good." Gibbons will send R.A. Dickey to the hill for tonights opener and the right- handed knuckleballer has just one victory over his last nine starts. Dickey is coming off a 4-2 loss at the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out nine over eight innings. He was also part of history, giving up a first-inning single to Ichiro Suzuki that was the Yankee outfielders 4,000th professional hit. "What an incredible achievement," Dickey said of Suzuki. "And the manner in which hes done it is equally as impressive ... just the longevity, the endurance, the durability. It couldnt have happened to a more professional hitter." Dickey, who logged at least seven innings for a fourth straight start, fell to 9-12 with a 4.49 earned run average in 27 starts this year. The 38-year-old has lost both of his starts versus the Yankees in 2013 and is 3-3 against them lifetime with a 3.44 ERA in 12 games (6 starts). The 39-year-old Jeter has been limited to just five games this year due to various leg injuries. He began the campaign on the disabled list due to a left ankle injury, not making his season debut on July 11. Jeter played in one game before injuring his right quadriceps, which sidelined him until July 28. Following another four games, he returned to the DL due to a right calf ailment, but was able to wrap a three-game rehab assignment without issue on Saturday. The Yankees may have to be cautious with Jeter, but at seven games off the pace in the AL East and 3 1/2 behind the second AL wild card spot, they also may not have a lot of time. "He has played three days in a row (in the minors). From everything I understand, he felt pretty good," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "I dont know if we can afford to be apprehensive." The Yankees have won 11 of their last 15 contests, but needed extra innings to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. Alfonso Soriano ripped a one-out double in the 11th inning and stole third base, leading to Curtis Grandersons sacrifice fly. Mariano Rivera then retired the Rays in order to secure the 3-2 win and his 38th save of the season. "We got a lot of big performances out of a lot of people today," said Girardi. "Thats a great team win." The Yankees counter with Phil Hughes, who stands just 4-12 with a 4.88 ERA in 24 starts on the season and has not won since July 2. He is 0-5 with a 5.63 ERA in eight starts since, but did turn in a quality outing last time out. The 27-year-old righty pitched one game of a doubleheader versus the Blue Jays last Tuesday and did not factor into a 3-2 win. Hughes, though, allowed just two runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings. Hughes is 5-5 with a save and 4.80 ERA in 25 career meetings with the Blue Jays, including 18 starts.
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. The thinking at the time was Clowney could have already been promised he would be selected first overall by the Houston Texans, therefore negating any need to meet with any other teams. The plot took another twist this week.INDIANAPOLIS -- The Eastern Conferences top team just got more imposing. On Saturday, the Pacers added size and scoring punch to their roster by signing mercurial free agent centre Andrew Bynum for the rest of the season. Team officials did not release additional details about the contract and said Bynum was expected to join the team sometime next week. "We are obviously happy to have him join our team," Larry Bird said in a statement issued by the team less than 12 hours before Indiana hosted Brooklyn on Saturday night. "He gives us added size, he is a skilled big man and he has championship experience. With the minutes he gets, he should be a valuable addition." Adding a guy with Bynums mercurial reputation to a locker room as selfless as the Pacers is definitely a gamble, though likely a low-risk one since Bird, the Pacers president of basketball operations, has made it clear the Pacers would not pay the NBAs luxury tax and Indiana had an open spot on its roster. But if Bynum performs as he did in helping the Lakers win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, it could create even more lineup mismatches against two-time defending champion Miami in the East. Indiana (35-10) entered Saturday with a three-game lead over the Heat in the chase for home-court advantage and has made no secret of its desire to get the top seed in its quest to win the teams first NBA crown. Bynum will give the Pacers another big body off the bench, backing up All-Star centre Roy Hibbert. And his offensive skills give Indiana another scorer to go wiith the leagues best defence.dddddddddddd Miami, which struggled against Indianas size during last seasons Eastern Conference finals, tried to close the gap by signing the oft-injured former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden, an Indianapolis native, last summer. Oden has played sparingly this season, though he has been improving. Saturdays move could give the Pacers an even bigger advantage -- if the 7-foot-1, 285-pound centre returns to his previous form. The move also prevents the Heat from signing Bynum as had been widely speculated. But Bynum is far from a sure thing. After the Lakers traded Bynum to Philadelphia in 2012, he missed the entire season because of knee injuries. This season, after signing with Cleveland as a free agent, he played in only 24 games before he was suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. He was eventually dealt to Chicago, which quickly released Bynum so it didnt have to guarantee the remaining $6 million owed to him this season. Since then, Bynum has been looking for a landing spot and finally settled on Indiana. "It really wasnt a hard decision, I think its the right fit for me and, in all honesty, I think weve got the best chance of winning," Bynum said in a statement. "It will be great to back up Roy and Ill do whatever I can to help this team." With Cleveland, he averaged 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. He has career averages of 11.5 points per game and 7.7 rebounds, and his best season came in 2011-12 when he averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds with the Lakers. ' ' '
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