TORONTO -- Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista has defended his failed attempt to steal third Friday night, saying he was just trying to get something going. Seahawks #82 Jersey . With the Jays trailing Boston 5-0 with one out in the fourth inning, Bautista doubled. But after Edwin Encarnacion walked, Bautista was caught trying to steal third. Dioner Navarro then popped up to end the Toronto threat. The Red Sox went on to win 8-1, with Boston starter Jake Peavey calling the failed Bautista steal "a shot in the arm for us." Asked what Bautista was thinking by trying to take third, Toronto manager John Gibbons replied: "Ive got no idea. Its not smart winning baseball. Im sure he wont do it again." Bautistas explanation Saturday was that he was saw an opportunity to improve his teams position. "I thought it was a great chance to get two guys in scoring position, even though we were down 5-0," he said. "Obviously, the only thing I regret is that I didnt make it. "But the pitcher was being slow to the plate. I thought I had a pretty good idea that the pitch was going to be a breaking ball, and I also know that the catchers not the best catch-and-throw catcher in the league. Maybe my lead wasnt that big. Maybe I didnt get off to a great running start. But I thought it was a great opportunity for us to get two runners in scoring position with less than two outs. Sometimes you take chances and it doesnt work out, and thats part of the game. "The only way you can make a mistake is if youre out there on the bases. It just didnt work out for us last night." Bautista clearly hoped Encarnacion might follow his lead on the bases, but said he did not have a chance to flash his teammate a sign. Seahawks #85 Jersey . His agent told TSN that the deal is "virtually done" and will be official in the next day or two. The news comes with Torontos season opener set for this Saturday on the road against the Seattle Sounders (TSN, 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt). K.J. Wright Seahawks Jersey . - The way Mark Teixeira looks at it, getting booed on the road is a badge of honour.ATLANTA -- Kevin Durant scored 30 points. As usual, there was so much more to his performance. Dominating at both ends of the court, Durant led the Oklahoma City Thunder to their 11th win in 12 games, holding off the Atlanta Hawks 101-92 Tuesday night. Shelvin Mack scored a career-high 17 points off the bench to lead an Atlanta comeback that had the sparse crowd roaring. The Thunder closed it out at the end, "They revved up their intensity on the defensive end, their physicality," Durant said. "We matched their intensity and were able to take that punch and give a bigger punch back on the defensive end." Durant knocked down 9 of 21 from the field and 11 of 15 free throws. He also had 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal, helping limit Atlanta to just 36 per cent shooting. "We finally got a couple stops in a row at the end," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Any time you hold an NBA team in the 30s per cent-wise in field goals, then youre doing a good job defensively." Coming off an impressive 118-94 home victory over Indiana, the Thunder had more trouble on the road against the Hawks. But the result was the same: another Oklahoma City win, despite a tough shooting night for Russell Westbrook. He was held to 14 points on a 6-of-21 effort, though he did sink an impressive reverse layup with 1:41 remaining to help finish off Atlanta. Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 23 points. Al Horford was held to seven, unable to get anything going against the Thunders stifling defence. Oklahoma City appeared in control after a 10-0 run finished off by a spectacular play. Jeff Teague turned it over near midcourt, Westbrook took off the other way on what looked to be a layup, only to flip the ball back over his head to Durant streaking down the court for a thunderous dunk that stretched the lead to 88-75 with 6:47 remaining. "You have nights when you dont make shots, but yyou cant have nights when you dont play defence," said Westbrook, who had 11 assists. Christine Michael Seahawks Jersey. "I take pride in defending every single night and trying to help my team win games." Led by Mack, who went 3 of 5 from 3-point range, the Hawks closed to 95-92 with just over 2 minutes remaining. The home team didnt score again, missing its final four shots. "Shelvin Mack gave us a great lift. He made some big shots," Teague said. "We just didnt have enough at the end." Reggie Jackson hit two difficult shots in the final minute of the third quarter after the Hawks sliced into Oklahoma Citys 15-point lead -- first with the shot clock running down, then a fadeaway just ahead of the buzzer to end the period. The Thunder went to the fourth up 76-68. Jackson finished with 13 points. Serge Ibaka chipped in with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Atlantas Kyle Korver missed three shots beyond the arc in the first half, but knocked down a 3-pointer early on in the third quarter to extend his record streak with at least one trey to 91 games in a row. In the previous game, Korver broke the mark set by Dana Barros from 1994-96. "There were a couple of stretches where we just couldnt get good shots," Korver said. "We all know we have room to grow. Weve got to get better, but we can get better." NOTES: Thunder G Thabo Sefolosha did not play after spraining his right knee in Sundays victory over the Pacers. Andre Roberson made his second start of the season and had two points and five rebounds. ... The Hawks biggest lead was two points. ... Oklahoma Citys Kendrick Perkins was called for a flagrant foul in the third quarter when he whacked Teague across the chin and neck as the Hawks guard drove for the basket. ... Millsap had 12 rebounds, while Horford added 10. ... The announced attendance was 12,503, but the upper deck behind each basket was largely empty. wholesale nfl jerseys ' ' '
