pps seven wins are second on the staff to Mark Buehrles 10. Win-loss r

TORONTO -- Any win is worth celebrating, especially if you are Toronto FC. But Saturdays 4-1 victory over D.C. United was like beating your little brother, who had just got out of hospital. At 3-21-6, D.C. United is the only team with a worse record than Toronto (5-15-11) in MLS. There has been little to celebrate for the once mighty franchise this season. But United is in the U.S. Open Cup final on Tuesday, taking on Real Salt Lake for a prized trophy. So coach Ben Olsen shuffled his entire starting lineup for the Toronto game, resting his starters for the cup final. United dressed just 16 players, two short of the maximum. His starting lineup included 17-year-old forward Michael Seaton, making his league debut. "I set these guys up to fail today," said Olsen. "Its pretty simple." "We hung in there for about 60 minutes. Then I got some guys out that were going to maybe to factor into the Tuesday game. And now Im putting guys out of position. You start adding those up and youre playing a real team in the MLS, thats what can happen. "Our focus this week, the majority was on Tuesday and I set them up to fail. But I was proud of the effort. Certainly the work rate and the commitment from the guys, I couldnt ask for better." Toronto scored three goals in a 20-minute span of the second half as Olsen made substitutions and his reserve players lack of fitness was exposed. "Because they havent had a 90(-minute game) in a long time," he said. "You add it all up and thats what can happen at the end of a game." Bright Dike, Alvaro Rey and Darel Russell scored for Toronto, which also benefited from an own goal before an announced crowd of 15,879 at BMO Field on a sunny, windy afternoon. Midfielder Jared Jeffrey replied for D.C. United. Dikes winning goal came in the 67th minute after referee Ted Unkel played advantage down the right flank when a D.C. United defender pulled a Toronto player down. Fullback Mark Bloom motored past the wreckage and sent in a cross that Dike volleyed home for his first goal in a Toronto shirt. Toronto made it 3-1 four minutes later after Reys cross from in close bounced in off D.C. United defender Conor Shanosky. Rey than dribbled around a string of defenders before slotting the ball home in the 87th minute to pad the lead. The win snapped an eight-game league winless streak for Toronto. D.C. United now hasnt won in eight games. "We kind of expected it," acting Toronto manager Jim Brennan said of the weakened United lineup. "A wins a win. Regardless of who youre playing against," he added. "Its always good to get a win. It doesnt matter who they end up bringing. Those boys in that (home) dressing room will be happy with that result and getting the goals that they did today." No doubt there were no complaints when the Toronto players saw who they were facing. Uniteds depleted side helped kickstart a sputtering Toronto offence that had not scored more than one goal in a game since July 27. Coming into the game, the Toronto starting 11 had combined for just six goals this season. And it was Torontos biggest offensive output since a 5-1 win over CD Aguila of El Salvador in August 2012 in CONCACAF Champions League play. Olsens team sheet had no starting place for Dwayne De Rosario, Luis Silva, Chris Pontius, Dejan Jakovic, John Thorrington, Nick DeLeon, Bill Hamid or any other starter that featured in last weekends loss in New England. "Unfortunately we have the luxury to not matter so much about results in the league," said Olsen. "So that (lineup) decision wasnt a hard one." Toronto winger Bobby Convey spent five seasons at D.C. United at the start of his career and said he knew maybe one starter on the other side of the field. Some were young enough to be his kids, the 30-year-old joked. Toronto FC was without suspended defender Steven Caldwell, midfielder Jonathan Osorio, manager Ryan Nelsen and assistant coach Fran OLeary. Assistant coach Brennan, the franchises first player and captain, ran the sidelines. Toronto elected to start Bloom over Richard Eckersley at fullback. With both Eckersley and goalie Stefan Frei on the bench, that meant Toronto had more than US$500,000 in cap hit watching from the sidelines. Goalie Joe Bendik, resplendent in pink as part of MLSs breast cancer awareness campaign, captained Toronto in Caldwells absence. Bendik won the starting job after Frei was injured in the first pre-season game. While the rosters were thin, the goals were of top quality. Jeffreys goal came in the 15th minute on a beautiful left-footed shot from outside the penalty box that found the top corner while beating a diving Bendik. Defender Doneil Henry offered an unwitting assist with his clearing header going right to an unmarked Jeffrey, who scored the second MLS goal of his young career. Russell equalized in the 26th minute after United was unable to clear a free kick. The ball was sent back in, bouncing off a D.C. United defender to Russell, who put the ball away acrobatically with a side-scissors kick. It was the third goal of the season for the English midfielder, who specializes in highlight-reel scores. Joe Willis made a great save, low and in the corner, off Dike in the 34th minute after a fine cross from Rey. The Spanish winger almost scored himself in the 57th minute, curling a ball across goal that came close to dipping into the net in the swirling wind. Toronto pushed the pace in the second half in a game where every set play seemed like an adventure waiting to happen D.C. United is now 0-13-3 on the road this season. A game in Kansas City represents the last chance to avoid joining the 2011 Vancouver Whitecaps and three other teams as the only MLS clubs to go through an entire season without a road victory. The victory was Torontos 50th in league play in seven seasons, raising its career MLS mark to 50-103-66. Olsen wasnt that impressed by what he saw in the home side, which fell behind in the first half. "It was OK, I guess," he said of the Toronto performance Jarrod Dyson Diamondbacks Jersey .Y. Islanders 4Winnipeg 5 Dallas 2Nashville 3 Colorado 0San Jose 5 Edmonton 2---AHLProvidence 5 St. Johns 4 (OT)Chicago 6 San Antonio 2---NBACleveland 105 Toronto 101Portland 98 Detroit 86New Orleans 104 New York 93Oklahoma City 114 Milwaukee 101Memphis 114 Dallas 105Miami 103 Phoenix 97Utah 100 San Antonio 96L. Curt Schilling Jersey . Every once in awhile, it seems like life lets dreams become real - and that is a gift. http://www.diamondbackssale.com/diamondb...-chafin-jersey/. -- Floridas smothering defence returned to form just in time for the third-ranked Gators to keep their winning streak going. Alex Avila Jersey . Watch the action live on TSN and listen on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. The Raptors maintained their spot atop the Atlantic Friday after defeating the Wizards, 96-88, for their second win in a row. Luis Gonzalez Diamondbacks Jersey . Cain departed in the fourth inning of a 10-5 loss to the Pirates on Thursday. X-rays on Cains bruised forearm were negative. He was hit when Sanchez led off the fourth with a groundout.OAKLAND – The following is a question this writer did not expect to type this season: where would the Blue Jays be without the contribution of J.A. Happ? Happs seven wins are second on the staff to Mark Buehrles 10. Win-loss record is an antiquated stat, sure, but win total is generally an indication of a pitchers ability to work deep into games, enough to be personally affected by the result. Efficiency has been an issue for Happ during his time in Toronto. Hes acquired a reputation as a five-inning pitcher, driven prematurely from outings because hes plodded along to 100 pitches far too soon. Its gotten late, often, far too early. Something has changed. Suddenly, in more starts than not, Happ is working deep, positively affecting the result. When he returned to the rotation on May 5 in Philadelphia, Happs future was being determined on a start-to-start basis. The leash is now longer. Since being acquired from the Astros in July 2012, Happ has been a starter and a reliever; hes been injured, first with a fractured foot two seasons ago and then with head and knee injuries last year, the result of a horrifying line drive off his skull on May 7, 2013 in Tampa Bay. His back flared up in spring training, resulting in a horrible March that cost him his spot in the rotation and landed him on the disabled list for opening day. There have been periods of self doubt, he admitted to TSN.ca. "I certainly would be lying if I said no to that," said Happ. "Last year there was a point where I tried to talk to (pitching coach) Pete (Walker) one on one and was just like, What have you got? I know Im capable of more and Im willing to do whatever it takes to get over the hump. I never thought I was far away but I just couldnt quite get over the hump for whatever reason. It comes and goes and it still does." Happ is a quiet guy. He doesnt say much, at least not when media have access to the players. Nobody would accuse Happ of seeking the limelight. He laughed in spring training, after he was away from the team for two days to deal with the back problem, when it was pointed out to him that a guy so quiet couldnt seem to avoid controversy. Hes heard the talk and hes read the articles. He knows he has his critics and his doubters; hes been one himself. Happ isnt bitter. "I think you write what you see and if thats what you see then thats your interpretation and understanding," said Happ. "Thats how this thing works. I cant be mad at anybody for what they feel like or whatever. I just know what I knew, or know, Im capable of so thats why I try to defend myself in situations where Im maybe not in a position where Id like to be." Happ has allies in two of important places: the managers and coaches offices, where John Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker reside. Gibbons has consistently defended his left-hander, quick to point out Happs ordeal last season and confident that a slight arm slot adjustment ultimately would pay off. "Ive always been a fan of the guy," said Gibbons. "Ive always known what hes capable of, but the bottom line is hes got to go out and do that. Hes had his ups and downs along the way but eeverybody in the game at this level, I mean, very few guys take this game by storm year after year.ddddddddddddquot; "I think hes comfortable in that slot right now," said Walker. "Its not as high as it used to be and its not as low as he first started when we dropped him down. Its kind of that in-between slot and I think hes really comfortable throwing there. I think hes in a good place physically and mentally he looks forward to that ball every five days." Happ has been told to attack the strike zone. Hes been told to pitch to contact. Hes been told to more aggressively use his fastball. Hes doing both. Consider this: in his start against the White Sox on June 26, a 7-0 win in which he went 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball, Happ threw 124 pitches, 111 of which were fastballs. The relationship with Walker is an important one to Happ, forged when he joined the Blue Jays two years ago. Walker was the bullpen coach at the time. Happ was a reliever who believed he should be a starter. The two meshed. "Hes a guy that I always felt like he felt that I was capable of more and expected more and kind of knew that it was in there," said Happ. "I know thats kind of part of his job and he probably does it to everybody but hes very good at individualizing things and I always felt like he kind of had my back and I felt the same way about Gibby too. Maybe thats the reason why Im still here." There will be future outings when Happ struggles. The aim, of course, is to turn those into the exception rather than the rule. That June 21 start in Cincinnati, for example. Happ got rapped for seven earned runs in four innings. He bounced back with that gem against the White Sox and a strong start against the Brewers. The doubters who believed Happ, version Cincinnati, was the real guy were forced to reconsider. So if this is the real Happ, what happened? Why did a left-handed pitcher with a mid-90s fastball lack mound presence? Why did it appear that he didnt trust his repertoire? "Any answer to this is going to sound like an excuse and thats the last thing I want it to be," said Happ. "I let myself get caught up in a situation, playing on a team that wasnt very successful and I allowed that to affect me mentally as much I tried to not (let it). I think I probably got into some bad habits." Those bad habits were both mental and mechanical. Success, however, breeds confidence. Happ has had some success. His body language on the mound projects confidence. Maybe Yogi Berra was right when he suggested that 90 per cent of baseball is half mental. "Youve got to believe and youve got to really believe that you guys have got a chance out there in order for it to happen," said Happ. "You cant just wish things to happen in this game. They just dont. Youve got to go make it happen. I had a tough couple of years trying to kind of find myself and who I think I should be and I feel good about getting in a place where my body feels good, my mechanics feel good and Im just a little more free in everything. I felt like I had to be perfect for a lot of the time for things to go right and thats just not the case." ' ' '