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TORONTO – The first-place Blue Jays hit the halfway mark of the season with 45 wins and a two-game lead on Baltimore in the American League East, territory unfamiliar to a franchise still waiting for its first playoff game since October 23, 1993, the night Joe Carter walked off Mitch Williams into World Series lore. "Im proud of the way the guys played," said manager John Gibbons. "It was kind of a so-so start and we kicked it in there in the month of May and put ourselves in a good position. Now, you know, we just need to do that again in the second half or even improve on that but Im very, very happy with the effort and the way the guys have been playing baseball. Its that simple." You wont find a Mission Accomplished banner hanging in the clubhouse. The expectation is much greater. "Has it met it yet? No," said Casey Janssen. "Our expectation is to make the playoffs and win the World Series and were not there yet. Weve got a long way to go. I think everyone believed we could be this type of team but were not throwing a party yet, we know that. We know theres a ton of talent here and its the AL East so anything can happen." Despite a recent downturn in offensive production, through 81 games Toronto continues to sit in the top seven of most major categories. The club sits first in the majors with 104 home runs. Its fourth with a .262 batting average and .331 on-base percentage. The on-base plus slugging percentage of .767 ranks third and its 272 walks are seventh. The most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment reside on the same spot: the pitchers mound. The pleasant surprise: Blue Jays starters lead the American League with 35 wins (a number not reached until the 135th game last season) and the staff ERA of 3.87 is best in the AL East. The biggest disappointment: the bullpen, the ray of sunshine in a stormy 2013 season, has compiled baseballs fourth-worst ERA (4.4 Cool

. Its a target for improvement. "I think there are some times when weve got to be better in the bullpen," said Gibbons. "Weve got to shore that up a little bit. Its like anything, consistency over the whole pitching staff and hopefully you stay healthy enough." The Blue Jays have been fortunate to remain relatively healthy, dealing with injuries theyve been able to cover. Maicer Izturis was a backup infielder. Brandon Morrow wasnt pitching well when he got hurt. Colby Rasmus missed 33 games with a hamstring strain and the Jays got by with an Anthony Gose-Kevin Pillar platoon in centerfield. The medical staff is now doing the dance with Jose Bautista as he deals with a hamstring problem, which could be made worse if rushed. Bautista will run sprints on Saturday morning and depending on how he feels, could be available to at least pinch hit on the weekend. QUIET TIME FOR JANSSEN Wondering where closer Casey Janssen has been these days? Hes around. He just hasnt pitched much due to a lack of save opportunities. Since notching his 12th save of the season on June 15 in Baltimore, Janssen has appeared twice. He mopped up the epic, 14-9 comeback win on June 20 in Cincinnati. He threw the ninth inning of a 6-6 game against the Yankees on June 24 and got the win when the Blue Jays walked off. It can be difficult for relievers when they go through a period without consistent work. "I feel like saves come in bunches at times," said Janssen. "You get opportunities to pitch maybe in a lopsided game one way or another if it gets to be too long. Sometimes there are times when you dont get in but you get up. Im one of those guys that always has relied on my command and I guess it comes a little more natural to me than others." Janssen has 12 saves in 14 opportunities this season. "Sometimes the rest is good, knowing that the tough stretch is going to come at some point," said Janssen. Expect Janssen to get into a game before the weekend is over, regardless of whether Toronto has a lead of three or less. Janssen speaks to pitching coach Pete Walker about his schedule, who relays the message to manager John Gibbons. If Janssen goes four or five days without action his arms reaction to its diminished workload becomes less predictable. "You wonder if your arms going to be a little cranky or if its going to be super fresh," said Janssen. "Sometimes you feel great when you get the rest and sometimes youre kind of knocking the dust off a little bit." Remember that Janssen had an abbreviated spring training thanks to stiffness in the back of his pitching shoulder. He didnt appear in a Grapefruit League game until the final week of March. Then, in Montreal, he strained his left oblique and didnt make his season debut until May 12. Its been a build for Janssen, who anticipates being able to pitch on three consecutive days, if needed, as the importance of each game ramps up. "I feel like Id love to do it and Id love to have the opportunity to do it," said Janssen. "I think a lot of those three in a rows depend on how the first two went and the stress level of those innings. My goal is to be able to pitch in every opportunity possible, especially as the season gets further along and as this division and the race gets tight and everything like that." John Hannah Jersey .While Rosberg is coming off a strong victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton is dwelling on a mistake that ended his streak of five consecutive wins and kept him from increasing his advantage. Andre Tippett Patriots Jersey . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. http://www.shoptheofficialpatriots.com/Elite-Kevin-Faulk-Patriots-Jersey/ . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Steve Grogan Jersey . First, Ivan Nova decided to have season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery. Then Michael Pineda was suspended for 10 games for using pine tar. Sony Michel Patriots Jersey . -- Ryan Millers debut for the St. BOISE, Idaho -- San Diego State had its best performance in its season finale. Behind a swarming defence, an offence fueled by big plays and opportunistic special teams, the Aztecs rolled to a 49-24 victory over Buffalo on Saturday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. For coach Rocky Long, its the kind of game he has been waiting for his team to put together all season, a win where all three phases worked together, avoided costly mistakes and took full advantage of the miscues of others. "I thought thats the best weve played all year," Long said. "We moved the ball well, we caused turnovers. I thought the turnover battle would decide who won and thats exactly what happened. We just happened to be on the right side of that battle." Takeaways werent the only factor playing in San Diego States favour. Adam Muema scored three touchdowns and rushed for 230 yards, his fourth career game with more than 200 yards on the ground. Quinn Kaehler threw for two more scores and ran for another in leading an offence that generated 460 total yards. Kaehler, who made his first start in the third game, was 15 of 28 for 211 yards, and his two TD passes helped the Aztecs (8-5, 6-2 Mountain West) pull away early. Taking advantage of a pair of costly Buffalo turnovers, the Aztecs put up 21 straight points during a 5-minute span in the second and third quarters. With less than a minute left in the first half, Aztec safety Marcus Andrews intercepted Joe Licatas pass near midfield and returned it to the 25 to set up Kaehlers first TD pass, a 25-yarder to Dylan Denso that put San Diego State up 28-10 heading into halftime. Buffalo coughed up the ball on the opening kick in the third quarter, setting up the Aztecs at the Bulls 26. Five plays later, Kaehler fired an 11-yard pass to tight end Adam Roberts at the back of the end zone to stretch the lead to 35-10. The Aztecs won eight of their last 10 games. The bowl victory is the first in the post-season since 2010 when they beat Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl and the first post-season victory outside San Diego city limits since 1969. For Buffalo coach Jeff Quinn, the turnovers weree too much to overcome.dddddddddddd "Ive always said, youve got to take great care of the ball, and right then and there, it turned into a three score difference," he said. "It was a very disappointing loss today." Buffalo (8-5, 6-2 Mid-American Conference), playing in its second bowl game in the teams 100-year history, also was hobbled by an offence that took too long to get rolling and a defence that failed to create its own turnovers. The Bulls didnt get their first first down until the 10:42 mark in the second quarter. They pulled to 14-10 late in the second quarter when Patrick Clarke kicked a 38-yard field goal. But the defence, led by MAC Defensive Player of the Year Kahlil Mack, didnt have an answer for Muema and the Aztecs on the following possession. San Diego State marched 67 yards in five plays and scored when Muema sped around left end from 8 yards out. Moments later, Licata threw his only interception. "In that situation, I took a risk I shouldnt have taken. Thats all on me," said Licata, who was 13 of 30 for 196 yards and was sacked four times. Bulls running back Branden Oliver had for 114 yards on 28 carries, but the rest of the offence only managed 309 total yards. Mack, who was the focus of San Diego States game plan, had just six tackles, as the Aztecs ran the other way or double-teamed him throughout. The Bulls came into the game with a plus-1.3 turnover margin, among the best in the nation. Mack recovered a fumble near midfield in the first quarter, but the offence couldnt capitalize against a defence that pressured Licata and bottled up Oliver early. San Diego State started the season with three straight losses, but showed throughout an ability to overcome adversity. Three wins came in overtime and the Aztecs came from behind in the fourth quarter to win games. On Saturday, they didnt need any late-game drama and heroics. "Guys decided tonight we were going to play up to our abilities and it showed," Aztecs safety Nat Berhe said. "Its kind of sad we didnt play like that all year. But at the same time, Im glad it happened today." ' ' '