The Blue Jays had some pressing needs in the off-season, including two starting pitchers and possibly a second baseman. They decided to put their faith in Ryan Goins at second and either through budgetary constraints or trades that fell through were unable to get the needed arms. Still youve got to give Alex Anthopoulos credit for some of his bargain basement pick-ups that have shored up the Jays in a couple of areas. Lets start with Juan Francisco, who was picked up on waivers from Milwaukee in April. Though not nearly the third baseman Brett Lawrie is, his presence and bat have allowed skipper John Gibbons to shift Lawrie to second, at least for the short term, to give the Jays a stronger all-round lineup. Francisco is hitting .292 and is nearly halfway to his career high of 18 homers of last season. Hes slugged eight so far with 19 runs batted in. Hes also insurance at 1B and DH if Adam Linds back acts up again. Steve Tolleson was signed as a free agent back in December to provide some middle infield depth. On the days, Lawrie is at third (mainly against lefties), Tolleson has done a solid job at second, and even showed a flare for pitching in that 15-4 blow-out loss to Cleveland last week. His presence also allows for more developement time for Goins in Buffalo. Dioner Navarro has been a big upgrade behind the plate over J.P. Arencibia and has developed a great chemistry with lefty Mark Buehrle, whos off to the best start of his career at 7-1 with a 2.11 ERA. Navarro, who was signed as a free agent in December, has also knocked in 17 runs. Erik Kratz, who shares the back-up catching role at least for now with Josh Thole, helped guide Drew Hutchison through the best start of his career Friday night at Arlington in a complete game 2-0 victory over the Rangers. Kratz, who came over from the Phillies along with reliever Rob Rasmussen for reliever Brad Lincoln, keyed a two-run rally against Texas with a bunt single. Hes also shown a little pop in his limited role with two home runs. Another bargain pick-up who might have an impact is 25-year-old Australian-born righthander Liam Hendriks. With Marcus Stroman returning to Buffalo to hone his abilities as a starter, Hendriks is the odds-on favourite to be called up and fill the vacant spot in the rotation on Saturday against Oakland. Hendriks, who went 2-13 with a 6.10 ERA in brief stints with Minnesota, went through a whirlwind two months in the off-season. He was claimed by the Cubs from Minnesota, then by the Orioles and finally in February, the Blue Jays picked him on waivers. He has been off the charts good with the Bisons, going 5-0 with a league-leading 1.48 ERA. Hes also walked just three batters in just over 48 innings. Hes also pitched into the seventh inning three times in his seven starts. So as disappointing as the Blue Jays off-season was in terms of a lack of big-name pick-ups, it clearly wasnt a total loss. Update From The Minors The immortal Cy Young pitched well into his 40s and when he ultimately retired, he said it was nothing to do with his arm. He said he had plenty of pitches left. It was his legs that wouldnt take the rigors of pitching anymore. The same thing may be happening with the beleaguered Ricky Romero, who had stem cells injected into both of his knees back in October. But he told the Buffalo News he still has good days and bad days with his knees and, although he wasnt making excuses, that might explain why his control is getting worse instead of better. On Friday, Romero walked a Bisons franchise record of nine in just two-2/3rds innings in what became a 4-1 loss to Gwinnett at Buffalos Coca Cola Field. In his last four starts, Ricky has walked 24 batters. Hes leaving the team for a few days to go back to California for his younger brothers college graduation at Long Beach State. Hes hoping to rejoin the Bisons this weekend in Louisville, but hoping to is the operative phrase. Anthopoulos told the Buffalo News that numerous options are being concidered, including sending Ricky to Double A New Hampshire, or maybe even extended spring training in Dunedin, or possibly even putting him on the disabled list to deal with his knee issues. Kyle Drabek hasnt exactly turned it around at Buffalo, either. He also pitched in that doubleheader on Friday ande didnt walk anyone, but gave up eight runs, six earned on 11 hits in five innings in a 9-3 loss in the second game of the twinbill. Lefty Sean Nolin, who pitched briefly with the Blue Jays last season, might have been a call-up candidate, but hes on the disabled list with a groin strain retroactive to May 14th. Not Missing a Beat You might have thought the Tigers might stumble a bit this season in the wake of the retirement of skipper Jim Leyland and the Prince Fielder trade to Texas. Not at all. Theyve won six in a row and have the largest division lead in the Majors at 6.5 games over Kansas City. They just finished sweeping a three-game series at Fenway and havent missed a beat under new skipper Brad Ausmus. Ian Kinsler, who came over from Texas in the Fielder trade, is doing a stellar job out of the lead-off spot and is hitting .315. He went 4-for-5 Sunday against Boston. An unsung hero for Detroit is suddenly heathy as DH Victor Martinez is hitting .331 with 10 homers and 25 runs batted in. Hes hitting clean-up right behind Miguel Cabrera and helping Detroit to the best road record in the Majors. All About Timing The Blue Jays might be hitting Boston Tuesday at just the right time. The defending World Series champions have dropped four in a row and have fallen to 20-23, fourth in the AL East, two games back of the Blue Jays. An odd stat, no team in the American League East has a winning record at home, heading into Week 8 of the season. The first-place Yankees have the best mark and they are only 11-11. To take that a little farther, only two teams in the other two divisions have losing records at home: Seattle and Houston. Miami has the strangest home/road splits. They have a Major League best 17-5 record at home, and a Major League worst 6-17 record on the road, for a total record of 23-22, the same as the Blue Jays. USA Soccer Jerseys China . According to a report from ESPN, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed the cornerback to a four-year, $39 million deal with a $12. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys . Here is a look at all the moves through the first week of NHL Free Agency. The most significant deals will get the full Numbers Game column treatment, like these:Briere-for-Parenteau trade. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/. Dillon Brooks scored 26 points on 9-17 shooting for Canada while pulling down six rebounds and picking up six steals. Teammate Chris Egi had 20 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. USA Soccer Pro Shop . The matchup will be made up in Minnesota at a later date. The arena was evacuated about 45 minutes before the scheduled 9:30 p.m. EST tipoff when a generator malfunction outside the arena sent smoke pouring into the building, according to NBA spokeswoman Sharon Lima. USA Soccer Shirts . MacArthur scored two goals, and the Senators outlasted Detroit in a testy third period to beat the Red Wings 4-2 on Saturday night.Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Longtime Senators star Daniel Alfredsson returned to Ottawa on Thursday to officially announce his retirement. Alfredsson played his first 17 NHL seasons with the Senators before spending the 2013-14 campaign with Detroit. He would likely have played another season with the Red Wings, but back problems forced him to call it a career. Last year my body began to complain once more, said Alfredsson at a Thursday news conference. The old injuries and hard work to recover began again. I worked hard to play another year, (but) three weeks ago I decided to retire. Alfredsson signed a one-day contract with the Senators and will skate with the team Thursday night in warmups before the scheduled game against the New York Islanders. I am very happy to have the opportunity to retire as a Senator, Alfredsson added. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was the right thing to do. The native of Sweden, who will turn 42 years old next week, joined the Senators for the 1995-96 season and became the face of the franchise. He was named the clubs captain in October 1999 and served in that role until he departed for Detroit as a free agent in July 2013. Alfredsson was the Calder Trophy winner as the leagues top rookie in 1996 and helped the Senators to 144 playoff appearances during his tenure, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in the spring of 2007.dddddddddddd The Eastern Conference championship and the five-game loss to Anaheim in the Cup Finals, Alfredsson said, were among the many highlights in his career. When we went to the Finals (was special), said Alfredsson. The way the whole city came behind the team. Alfredsson is the Senators all-time leader with 1,178 games played, 426 goals, 682 assists and 1,108 points. He added 51 goals and 100 points in 121 playoff games for the franchise. Senators owner Eugene Melnyk indicated that the club will likely retire Alfredssons No. 11 jersey. Without question, Daniel has been the greatest player that this city has ever seen, Melnyk said. Last year in Detroit, Alfredsson scored 18 goals and added 31 assists for 49 points in 68 games. He will finish his career ranked 60th in NHL history with 444 goals and 51st all-time with 1,157 points. Its going to be tough to find another job that is as rewarding and fun as it is to play in the NHL, Alfredsson said Thursday. Alfredsson was a six-time participant in the NHL All-Star Game and was a Second-Team NHL All-Star in 2006. He represented Sweden in the Olympics five times, winning gold in 2006 and silver in 2014. ' ' '