rewers: RHP Zach Davies (10-7, 4.01 ERA) gets the ball on Sunday. He has made a team-high 14 qurewers: RHP Zach Davies (10-7, 4.01 ERA) gets the ball on Sunday. He has made a team-high 14 qu | Forum

TORONTO - In a cost-cutting move intended to avoid the increasingly punitive penalties tied to the NBAs restructured luxury tax, the Raptors have used the amnesty provision to waive forward Linas Kleiza. Jim Fregosi Rangers Jersey . The team announced the move on Tuesday. Kleiza, 28, was set to enter the final season of a four-year deal he signed with Toronto in 2010 and is owed $4.6 million in 2013-14. The Raptors will still have to pay the remaining amount owed to Kleiza but his contract will not count against the teams salary cap. The Raptors, who were projected to be over the luxury tax line with Kleizas contract on the books, find themselves roughly $2.5 million under the threshold after cutting the forward. Additionally, they can now reap the rewards of remaining a non-taxpaying team, which include a larger mid-level exception and a share of the money collected from taxpaying teams at season end. Both Tim Leiweke and Masai Ujiri have indicated that the organization would be willing to pay the leagues tax in the event that they were funding a contending team. However, it would be a lot tougher to justify missing out on the aforementioned benefits awarded to non-taxpayers to field a team that figures to be a middling group in the Eastern Conference. Ujiri had hoped to move Kleizas expiring contract for a draft pick but the forward has minimal trade value, if any, as a result of the knee injuries that have plagued him throughout his tenure in Toronto. Kleiza underwent surgery on his right knee in 2011 and has been slowed by the injury ever since. He last played on Dec. 26 and appeared in just 20 games last season, averaging 7.4 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting just 33 per cent from the field. Following the 2011 NBA lockout each team was granted one amnesty clause to be used prior to the expiration of the new collective bargaining agreement. Teams who have yet to use their lone amnesty clause have a one-week window to utilize the provision each summer following the July moratorium period. This year, the amnesty window closes at 12:00am ET Wednesday July 17. Kleiza averaged 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 108 contests over three seasons with the Raptors. Buycks on Board The Raptors finalized an agreement with guard Dwight Buycks (pronounced Bikes) on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Buycks, 24, won league MVP playing in France last season -- averaging 18.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game -- after collecting first-team all-rookie honours with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League the year prior. He went undrafted out of Marquette in 2011. Buycks story is one of perseverance. After several years of chasing his NBA dream in the D-League and overseas, he continued to turn heads playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Orlando Summer League earlier this month. The Milwaukee native averaged 9.5 points and 6.0 assists in four games for the undefeated Thunder team before Ujiri and the Raptors expressed interest in the point guard. He made his Toronto debut, getting the start for the Raptors Summer League team in Las Vegas Tuesday. With the reported signing of Julyan Stone on hold -- and now appearing unlikely -- as the former Nuggets guard rehabs nagging hip and knee injuries, the Raptors will look to add a more experienced back-up point guard for the veterans minimum. Joey Gallo Jersey . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Ariel Jurado Jersey .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. https:///...-jersey-rangers.html . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. ST. LOUIS -- Randal Grichuk showed off his impressive ability at a key moment for the St. Louis Cardinals.Grichuk made two big plays and Adam Wainwright pitched eight strong innings to help the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Saturday.Stephen Piscotty also drove in two runs as St. Louis won for the second straight night to move back into position for the second NL wild card, a half-game ahead of the New York Mets.The talent-wise weve seen, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Grichuk. Just being able to consistently put it together has been another challenge. Hes making huge strides in that direction.Grichuk made a perfect throw to the plate to cut down Jake Elmore trying to score from second in the eighth. Then he doubled in the bottom half, helping clear the way for a five-run rally. Matt Adams drove in the tying run with a grounder to second and Grichuk scored on Kolten Wongs single, giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead.What a great throw from the outfield and timely, Matheny said. We needed that play to happen right there. All the way around hes doing everything we could ask.Wong said Grichuks throw was the catalyst for the comeback.Defense has kind of been the thing this past couple weeks sparking our offense and sparking us to get these wins, Wong said. That play Randal made was awesome. We needed that.Wainwright (11-8) struck out seven and allowed six hits in his most impressive outing since he shut out San Diego on July 21. He was helped by double plays in the second and seventh and Grichuks throw in the eighth.It kind of had that feel in the air, and after I got that last out, Jhonny Peralta came up to me and he said were going to pick you up right here and then he went out and got a knock, and Grichuk got the double obviously, Wainwright said. They did a great job right there against a tough pitcher throwing very hard. Ill take it for sure.It was Wainwrights second straight win.It was nice to see him get rewarded for getting through a tough eighth, Matheny said. With his back against the wall is typically when he is at his best.Keon Broxtons 429-foot homer in the fifth gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead. The Brewers have homered in eight straight games.Brewers starter Chase Anderson allowed three hits annd walked two in 5 2/3 innings. Mike Hargrove Rangers Jersey. . He was coming off five shutout innings against Pittsburgh last Sunday.Carlos Torres followed Anderson with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, but Corey Knebel (1-3) and Jhan Marinez faltered in the eighth. After Wongs single, Piscotty doubled home two more runs and Yadier Molina added an RBI single.Knebel has struggled recently, mainly against St. Louis.Its been with the Cardinals hitters certainly, but it comes down to making pitches, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. The ball to Grichuk got the heart of the plate.EARLY EXITBrewers first baseman Hernan Perez was ejected by home plate umpire Carlos Torres after taking a called strike three to end the top of the eighth, stranding the bases loaded. Perez tossed his helmet and bat and voiced his displeasure with the call. After the ejection, he ran to the plate and made a kicking motion near the batters box indicating where he thought the pitch was.I havent seen it, Counsell said. Hernan doesnt argue very often. Im guessing it was outside.WEB GEMSWong, playing second for the Cardinals, made a whirling throw to start a 4-6-3 double play in the second inning and he made a diving play to throw out Jonathan Villar to end the third.Wong was amazing tonight, both sides of the plate, getting on base, Wainwright said. His defense the last week or so has been amazing to me. Hes just playing Gold Glove defense out there.TRAINING ROOMCardinals: RHP Trevor Rosenthal (right shoulder inflammation) threw live batting practice. ... RHP Michael Wacha (right shoulder inflammation) is expected to throw live batting practice Monday. ... SS Aledmys Diaz (right thumb fracture) went 0 for 5 in Double-A Springfields season-ending loss to NW Arkansas.UP NEXTBrewers: RHP Zach Davies (10-7, 4.01 ERA) gets the ball on Sunday. He has made a team-high 14 quality starts. He is 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA in two starts against St. Louis this season.Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (1-2, 3.96 ERA) pitches for St. Louis on Sunday. He has 22 strikeouts in his last three starts.---This version deleted incorrect reference to Chase Andersons record. ' ' '