TORONTO - Heres a remarkable stat: In each of his last six starts, Josh Johnson has allowed multiple runs in the same inning he allows his first base runner of the game. Dallas Mavericks Jerseys Online . The list and in parentheses the inning in question and runs allowed: June 28 at Boston (2nd, 2); July 3 vs. Detroit (2nd, 4); July 9 at Cleveland (4th, 2); July 14 vs. Baltimore (1st, 4); July 22 vs. Los Angeles (2nd, 4); July 27 vs. Houston (1st, 4). The Blue Jays havent won any of the six games and Johnson (1-7) has taken the loss in the last five. On Sunday, Houstons first four batters scored. Jonathan Villar singled, Jose Altuve did the same and so did Jason Castro, scoring Villar. Then Chris Carter came to the plate and made no mistake with Johnsons mistake, pounding a fastball into the batters eye in centrefield for a three-run home run. The Astros led before all of the more than 34,000 fans in attendance had taken their seats. "Definitely," said Johnson when asked if hes experiencing the most difficult period of his professional career. "Definitely. This game will definitely test you but like I said, just got to find a way, find a way to stay positive and get through it." "Hes scuffling, I mean thats an understatement," said manager John Gibbons. "Hes feeling it. Hes human. You know, you feel for the guy. Hes never struggled a whole lot in his career. Hes trying to settle in. Hes trying to contribute and it hasnt gone well for him. Its tough because theres really nowhere to hide out there but hes got to keep battling. Theres nothing else you can do." Nowhere to hide and so much time left in what already is a lost season. Gone is the chatter about Johnson being one-and-done with the Blue Jays, fleeing back to the US-based team willing to throw the most money his way. Instead, the belief is the Blue Jays will extend Johnson a qualifying offer (in the $14-million range) in the off-season, one which he could accept to return for the 2014 season. The focus turns to salvaging the next two months. "Its been a battle," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "Definitely had a tough time commanding the fastball and breaking stuff on the outer part of the plate but hes a competitor, hes going to get back at it (on Sunday). Back to the drawing board a little with him." Johnson is trying to improve his line to the plate. His tendency, on occasion, is to fall slightly toward the first base side as hes completing his delivery. As a result, his fastball runs over the plate and his breaking stuff, instead of starting in the strike zone and tumbling, flattens out. One close observer says hed like to see Johnson try to back door his curveball to left-handed hitters – meaning paint the outside corner – instead of trying to come hard down and in with his slider. Johnsons mechanical inconsistencies arent new. Video from last season, when Johnson was a Marlin, provide evidence of occasions when he would come out of his delivery. As for Johnsons issues out of the stretch – remember the problems seem to begin once a runner reaches base – Walkers on it. "Were certainly aware of that and trying to rectify it and make better pitches from the stretch," said Walker. "Hes worked with his hands and lowered his hands. Hes not tipping pitches. We thought maybe that was an issue but thats not the case ... Its a battle right now and I know hes frustrated with the consistency but were certainly not giving up on him by any stretch." Fans shouldnt give up on Johnson, either, if for no other reason than hes unlikely to be going anywhere else anytime soon. Johnsons seventh try for his second win will come on Thursday night in Anaheim. Doug McDermott Jersey .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Yogi Ferrell Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. http://www.cheapmavericksjerseys.us/?tag=dirk-nowitzki-jersey .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil -- Several members of the U.S. Olympic womens soccer team faced a history pop quiz of sorts when they met the media in advance of Wednesdays opening game against New Zealand. The largely Brazil-based media contingent wanted to talk about the last major tournament game played at the Estadio Mineirao, a mens World Cup semifinal two years ago that did not go the host teams way. Decidedly so.Yes, Kelley OHara replied, she remembered watching Brazil and Germany play that day.No, Hope Solo said, she didnt imagine another 7-1 scoreline would unfold in this tournament.They played along, but their focus is less on any history already made and more on history yet to be written.Already the only country to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in womens soccer, the United States is attempting to make it four in a row. Doing so would guarantee another unprecedented feat: becoming the first team to win World Cup and Olympic titles in back-to-back years.The only way to claim such prizes is to play like the experienced team that this group is.And not like the inexperienced team ... that this group also is.More than half of the U.S. roster is taking part in the Olympics for the first time. That is notable turnover for a team that won gold four years ago in the London Games. Yet only four players in Brazil are part of a major tournament roster for the first time.More to the point, only four players havent won a major title.Given that 2011 World Cup champion Japan didnt qualify for this Olympics and only six players remain from Germanys 2007 World Cup championship team, the American roster that has so many Olympic rookies also owns a near monopoly on experience winning an event of the same magnitude as whats about to unfold across Brazil.The starting lineup Wednesday could have six first-time Olympians. It also could have seven world champions, eight if Morgan Brian reclaims a spot after dealing with a hamstring injury.We have a lot of new faces in their first world championship, and then we have a lot of world champions, as well, midfielder Tobin Heath said. So in that way I think its great because we have that depth of experience, but we also have this great energy about the team that everyone is excited to be here because this is a world championship. Everyone wants to play their role.The United States first opponent is evidence that this tournament is tricky in its own fashion. Though New Zealand hasnt beaten the U.S. women in the World Cup and in the Olympics era (New Zealands lone win in the series came in 1987), it is not the pushover it once was. The United States won 4-0 in the most recent meeting a year ago, but the margin was just 9-3 in the four relatively recent games that preceded that encounter. That included a 1-1 draw on American soil in 2013.Compare that to a 34-1 U.S. goal advantage in seven meetings between 1993 and 2008.Especially in a group without either African entrant -- both South Africa and Zimbabwe are untested programs at this level -- these Olympics offer the Americans little breathing room and even less time to catch their breath. Assuming the U.S. women advance from Group G, they will play their first four games in 10 days, compared to a 15-day span for the Americans first four games in last years World Cup. And if the United States doesnt win Group G, that fourth game might well be a quarterfinal against Germany. Things can go wrong quickly in the Olympics.Add to it that the Americans enter the game againsst New Zealand with at least moderate injury question marks. Cheap Womens Mavericks Jerseys. Coach Jill Ellis said Tuesday that Brian, Heath and Megan Rapinoe are all actively training and available. She made it sound as if Rapinoe would be counted on more in the future, which wouldnt be unlike the situation Ellis managed with Alex Morgan at the outset of the World Cup a year ago, while Brian and Heath are closer to unencumbered options.All the more reason the United States needs to play from the outset like a team that has been here before.And for as much talk as there is about turnover and new faces, understandably, some have been here before. Likely starters Morgan, OHara and Becky Sauerbrunn were Olympic rookies in 2012; now they are the experience. Carli Lloyd is after her third gold medal, perhaps on her third winning goal. Solo becomes only the second American womens soccer player to travel to four Olympics (the first as an alternate).I know what to expect on a daily basis, Solo said of the roster. But I dont know what to expect when you have the intensity of a major tournament, when you have two days between every game -- how some of the players are going to recover, especially some of the players coming back from injury, especially some of the younger players. Its a mentally and physically very taxing tournament. It can be emotionally taxing as well.I think thats fun, to not know what to expect because somehow, [in] some way well figure it out. Whether its through subs, whether its through putting your arm around someone like Mallory Pugh and being like, Well get through this. Its not always going to be pretty, but well figure it out. That theme keeps appearing when the players with the most experience talk about this team, perhaps surprisingly, given at least the public perceptions of many of the players involved. Whether seen as intensely introspective, like Sauerbrunn, intensely outspoken, like Solo, or just intensely focused, like Lloyd and Morgan, they are now the core of the experience that Ellis said brings a voice of levity to the locker room.That seems to be the identity they want, knowing that we will make it out to be their strength if they win and their weakness if they lose.The casualness of this team is, I think, a positive thing, Morgan said. In the past its been so tense leading up to tournaments because we had very intense players like Abby [Wambach]. I think not having a big player like that, thats very loud and intense, I think its good for us. Because I think for the younger players, they might stress out over seeing just how many games we have in such a short period of time and the impact we can have at this level. I think its good to have.It is a young team, but its a team on which almost everyone has experienced what is required to win a title.It isnt the same team that entered past Olympics. It enters off World Cup success instead of disappointment. But the goal is the same.Every time we play in a major tournament, we want to win, Lloyd said. So I think there was that motivation, and its almost like the year after the World Cup you are able to make things better. But I think its just [about] winning. Im a winner. Every time I go out there I want to win. No matter if its a World Cup or Olympics, whether were going for a fourth consecutive or whether we havent won, thats just kind of the nature of this team. Cheap NFL Jerseys ThrowbackCheap NFL HoodiesBlack China NFL JerseysYouth NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Nike NFL JerseysJerseys From ChinaWholesale Jerseys 2019 ' ' '
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