TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays needed a solid outing by their bullpen Tuesday night and a not-so-good performance by the New York Mets relievers to eke out an 8-6 victory.
The Blue Jays (40-45) will try to complete a sweep of the two-game interleague set Wednesday when they send out right-hander Marcus Stroman (1-5
http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/tremaine-edmunds-jersey , 6.02 ERA) at the Rogers Centre. The struggling Mets (33-49) will start right-hander Corey Oswalt (0-1, 9.82), who will be making his second career major league start.
The teams split two games at Citi Field on May 15 and 16.
After trailing 5-0 and 6-1 on Tuesday, the Blue Jays rallied to tie on a three-run homer by Yangervis Solarte in a five-run seventh and won it on a two-run homer by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the eighth.
The Blue Jays will need a solid start from Stroman, who will be making his third start since returning from the disabled list after being sidelined with inflammation of the right shoulder. It would help a well-used bullpen if he could pitch deep into the game.
They lost their starter Tuesday, right-hander Marco Estrada, after one-third of an inning. After giving up a two-run homer to Asdrubal Cabrera, Estrada made two pitches to the next batter before leaving with a sore left hip. X-rays were negative, but the extent of the injury was not known.
The Blue Jays needed seven relievers to work through the game. There likely will be a roster move before the game on Wednesday. Seunghwan Oh was the only reliever not to pitch for the Blue Jays.
The victory spoiled the return of former Blue Jays star Jose Bautista, who was playing in Toronto for the first time since last season. He received a standing ovation and in five plate appearances, he had three walks and a single. He also committed a two-base error in right field, letting a single get past him in the seventh inning.
The Mets, who have lost 11 of their last 13 games, also had an injury Tuesday. Catcher Devin Mesoraco, who hit a two-run homer in the second inning, left the game in the bottom of the seventh after being hit on the helmet by an errant pitch and by a backswing in consecutive innings. Manager Mickey Callaway said that he had passed concussion protocol so far. Kevin Plawecki took over behind the plate.
Stroman, who experienced shoulder problems in spring training
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He pitched five runless innings on his return June 23, allowing six hits against the Los Angeles Angels. He came back Friday to hold the Detroit Tigers to two runs (one earned) and four hits over seven innings to earn his first win of the season.
“I’m just back to being myself,” Stroman said. “That wasn’t me earlier in the year, so I’m just happy to be back. Body feels good, I feel in sync. Everything’s coming out very easily.”
Stroman has never faced the Mets. He will, however, be facing a former teammate in Bautista.
“It will be fun,” Bautista said.
They have faced each other in one game.
Stroman, pitching for the United States, faced Bautista, who was playing for the Dominican Republic, in March, 2017, during the World Baseball Classic. Bautista fouled out and struck out. It was the only time they have faced each other competitively.
“I think I’ve given him too many secrets over the years, it will be interesting,” Bautista said.
Oswalt, in his first career start Friday
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He was starting on short notice.
Callaway said he was having trouble with his breaking pitches.
“I think that even in the first two innings he didn’t have any of his breaking stuff,” Callaway said after the game. “So, I think they kind of figured out he was struggling with getting that stuff over, so they were just sitting on fastballs and they put a few in play.”
The 24-year-old made 10 starts at Triple-A Las Vegas, going 4-4 with a 5.32 ERA. In four stints with the Mets, he has made two appearances. He made his major league debut April 26 in St. Louis against the Cardinals, allowing two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.
The Mets are 6-9 in Toronto all time.
HOUSTON — Nearly lost amid the cliched responses Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul uses to deflect the usual array of mundane questions was one nugget that perfectly encapsulates the Western Conference Finals.
It is a ballyhooed matchup featuring the two most efficient offenses in the NBA but defense will play an important role in deciding the series.
The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors present a cavalcade of All-Star performers.
On hand are Splash Brothers and point guards with Hall of Fame credentials sharing a backcourt; an MVP and Sixth Man of the Year; a versatilely skilled forward and a burgeoning big primed for a pay raise.
The Rockets are helmed by an innovative offensive mind, the Warriors stewarded by a former player and executive who has enjoyed rousing success on the bench.
For months, NBA fans have anticipated this spectacle of the rim runs and fast breaks, the hail of 3-pointers and sublime passing. But, for all their otherworldly talent, the Rockets and Warriors have no secrets. And, as Paul noted, how the teams defend on Monday in Game 1 at Toyota Center will set the tone for a series many assume will be decided on the offensive end.
Even with Paul and James Harden, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, Rockets-Warriors will be dictated by defensive might. Both teams closed the season ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency
Darius Leonard Colts Jersey , and both have ratcheted up their efforts in the playoffs. Golden State is first in defensive rating (99.3), the Rockets second (102.1). Points won’t be at a premium, but how Draymond Green, P.J. Tucker, and Clint Capela defend will clearly dictate in-game strategy.
“He does a good job on guards,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Green, who averaged a triple-double of 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New Orleans Pelicans in the West semifinals. “Obviously, they’re an isolation team once everything shakes out so he’ll play a big role this series staying in front of Harden and Paul and also protecting the rim.
“He’ll play quite a bit against Capela. But he can also guard Tucker and (Rockets reserve forward Luc) Mbah a Moute. The whole key defensively these days is can you guard multiple positions and multiple actions, and he can do that. He’s a valuable player for us.”
The Rockets have outscored their opponents by 13.8 points per game on 3s in the playoffs while also averaging 52 drives per game, also tops in the NBA this postseason. Their offensive foundation is isolation out of the pick-and-roll, with Harden and Paul exploiting matchups off the dribble or feeding teammates camped behind the arc.
Houston paced the NBA averaging 1.12 points per possession on isolations during the regular season, and 14.1 percent of their possessions in the playoffs have been isolations, the highest among the four remaining teams.
How the Warriors corral Harden and Paul on drives and midrange jumpers will resonate. If they can siphon off lobs to Capela and close out on 3-pointer shooters, success will be theirs.
“Our goal is to not have many breakdowns, communicate and not foul
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For Houston, the challenge is as daunting. Ever since Kerr turned to his “Hamptons Five” lineup of Curry, Durant, Green, Thompson and Andre Iguodala, the Warriors have outscored their opponents by 41 points per 100 possessions over 54 minutes. That lineup has assisted on 75 percent of its field goals and is playing at a torrid pace of 114 possessions per 48 minutes.
Defending the Warriors presents a multitude of challenges, starting with Durant. He shot 41.9 percent on 3s during the season and is shooting 60.9 percent from midrange in the playoffs.
“He’s maybe the best scorer in the league,” Tucker said of Durant. “I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to that (defending Durant). You do what you can. You try to pick him up early, you try to get physical. You try to do stuff and he’s going to try to counter it. It’s a chess match.
“Those guys can score the ball. They’re going to score the ball. They’re going to score a bunch of points. It’s a product of sticking together and trying to minimize that as much as possible.”
That philosophy applies to both teams on both ends. Golden State produced a robust 61.8 effective field goal percentage against the Rockets during three regular-season meetings, leaving the onus on Houston to defend at a more rigorous clip. The Rockets countered with an effective field goal percentage (56.0) above their season average (55.1) against a team rife with stellar individual defenders, meaning Houston will continue to do what comes so efficiently.
“There will be iso,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Now whether it’s a little bit more or a little bit less, I think that depends on the game. But we’re not going to change up a whole lot of what we do.”
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