CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Mike Leake wasnt about to let this 8-0 lead get away. cheap jerseys . Jay Bruces homer helped the Reds get ahead by eight runs for the second day in a row, and Leake made this big lead stand up, pitching eight innings on Saturday for an 11-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. A day earlier, the Blue Jays pulled off the second-biggest comeback in their history. Down 8-0 after the second inning, they rallied to a 14-9 victory behind a pair of homers from Edwin Encarnacion. With their bullpen depleted, the Reds needed a solid effort from Leake (5-6), who went eight innings for the first time since May 13. "I already knew that we needed something, but its not like you can do it on command," Leake said. "My focus today was getting strike out within the first two pitches and going after them." The Reds got ahead 8-0 after four innings on Saturday against J.A. Happ (6-4), and the Blue Jays didnt have another big comeback in them. Leake had a lot to do with it, allowing the Blue Jays only four hits, including Colby Rasmus homer. "That was a character game," manager Bryan Price said. "We needed to show up and get yesterday out of our minds. One thing this team has shown all year is that it doesnt get down on itself." The Blue Jays are 9-5 all-time against the Reds, having won their four previous interleague series. Cincinnatis offence has languished near the bottom of the majors for much of the season, with Bruce and Joey Votto spending time on the disabled list. Both are back, and the Reds are starting to hit. Theyve scored at least nine runs in four of their last six games. Devin Mesoraco added a three-run homer in the seventh, his third homer in three games, as the Reds pulled away and quickly forgot about their Friday night meltdown. "Dusty (Baker) always said, Momentum is only as good as the next days starting pitcher," Mesoraco said. "Leake went out and gave us what we needed, and we were able to put some runs on the board." Happ made it easy for the Reds in the first inning, walking three batters with two outs. Ryan Ludwick drove in two runs with a single, and another scored on Erik Kratzs passed ball. Bruces homer in the third inning gave him 47 homers off left-handers over the last five seasons, the most by any player in the majors. Bruce scored three times overall. The Reds made it 8-0 in a fourth inning highlighted by RBI doubles from Votto and Brandon Phillips. Leake singled and scored during the rally. Happ lasted only four innings and give up seven hits, eight runs and four walks. It was his shortest start of the season. The four walks matched his season high. It was the most runs hed allowed since July 13, 2012 against the Giants. "He didnt have it today," manager John Gibbons said. "We never really had a chance. It was another big deficit to overcome. It was a little disappointing after last night, but theres nothing we can do about it now." Billy Hamilton singled home a run, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. He also stole his 31st base, the most by a Reds rookie since Chris Sabo stole 46 in 1988. After their four-homer, 16-hit splurge in the series opener, the Blue Jays went back into their hitting funk. The AL East leaders have lost 10 of their last 14 games, scoring two runs or less seven times during that span. NOTES: Johnny Cueto, who leads the NL with a 1.92 ERA, goes in the final game of the series against R.A. Dickey, who got two extra days of rest after his last start because of a sore groin. ... Both teams bolstered their bullpens before the game. The Blue Jays called up LHP Rob Rasmussen and optioned RHP Liam Hendriks. The Reds called up RHP Carlos Contreras and designed OF Roger Bernadina for assignment. Both got into the game. ... SS Jose Reyes fouled a pitch off the side of his left knee in the fifth inning but stayed in the game and popped out. He was replaced as part of a double switch in the bottom of the inning. ... The Reds had their fourth sellout of the season. Theyre 1-3 in front of sellout crowds at Great American Ball Park this season. cheap nfl jerseys .C. -- Tony Stewart has driven a sprint car again, roughly 10 months after the accident that sidelined the three-time NASCAR champion with a broken leg. wholesale jerseys . Wright sat out games on Tuesday and Wednesday after learning he broke his finger diving back to a base Monday night. He was examined by a hand specialist for the second straight day Thursday.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Mr. Fraser, In the PIT/NYR Round 2 series, there have been two separate occasions where Marc Staal has taken blatant shots to the head of Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby. In Game 3, Staal hit Crosby with a viscous crosscheck to the back of the head. I was shocked that a penalty wasnt even called on the ice! The league then came out the following day and said that no punishment would be handed down for the hit. The following night, in Game 4, Staal again went after Crosbys head. This time it was a blatant elbow. Again, it was from behind, to the back of the head, nearly knocking the helmet off Crosbys head. Again, there was no call on the ice, and no action taken by the league. Can you explain to me how the league and officials, in this era of "no tolerance" for hits to the head, can allow this kind of thing to go on? How can there be no call on the ice? Obviously, since there was no action for the league, or penalty called, in Game 3, Staal figured he was cleared to do it again in Game 4. I mean, if the NHL doesnt care about the well-being of its marquee players, why should Staal? Thanks for listening. Any light you can shed on this subject would be great! John Waclo John: The cross-check that Marc Staal delivered on Sidney Crosby was well beyond just a minor infraction (Video link) and worthy of at least a five-minute major and game misconduct. This aggressive cross-check delivered to the head area could not be considered an effort by a defensive player to contain, engage in a battle in battle or to clear an opponent from the front of the net. The blow did not start at the name plate on the back of the jersey and thhen rode up to the neck and back of the helmet. nfl jerseys china. This forceful, full-arm extension cross-check went directly to the back of the neck/head of Crosby and should be considered an attempt to injure and worthy of a match penalty under rule 59.4. For the sake of argument lets reverse the body position of Crosby where he and Staal are face-to-face. If that same force is delivered to the neck and chin of Sid he will most likely be spitting blood, chicklets and perhaps even incur another broken jaw. I would sincerely hope that a match penalty would be assessed in that case and a player would be suspended for cross-checking an opponent in the face! I see a deliberate and forceful cross-check to the back of a players neck and head to be similarly dangerous regardless of the fact it was delivered on a player with a well-documented history of concussions. If you want to see an "old school" hit take a look at the major and game misconduct I assessed to Darian Hatcher in a game in Dallas just prior to the playoffs, when he delivered an elbow to the face of Jeremy Roenick. Roenicks jaw was dislocated, broken in three places and he had eight teeth cracked or broken. Roenick approached me on the ice spitting blood and teeth with his jaw wagging in the breeze as he attempted to say, "He broke my f----n jaw!" Hatcher was suspended for seven games (including the Stars first five playoff games) by Colin Campbell for the illegal hit. See it here. John, you ask how these types of plays can be missed. The answer is there are too many "puck watchers" wearing stripes in these playoffs. Player safety is placed in jeopardy when these aggressive fouls are allowed to go un-penalized. This isnt "old school" officiating; just a lack of awareness. wholesale jerseys ' ' '
