If home runs were all it took to win ball games, the Blue Jays would be laughing right now. Mike Pouncey Jersey . They have homered once every 27.3 at bats, which just happens to be the third best mark in the American League, albeit just 10 games into the season. On top of that, they have the American league co-leaders in that category in Jose Bautista and Melky Cabrera with four a piece. The Chicago White Sox lead the American League with a homer ever 23.7 ABs. Detroit is second at 24.1 per homer. Houston leads the National League with a dinger every 22.5 at bats heading into Fridays action. The Giants are second at 24.8. The Giants and Dodgers are tied for the lead in the National League West, but their records are only 6-4. The Jays and White Sox are both sitting at 5-5. The Tigers are the best of the home runs, slugging teams at 5-2. Houston is only 4-6. The most interesting team is Kansas City. They didnt get their one and only homer until Wednesday when Alex Gordon connected against Tampa Bay. They are averaging one homer per every 260 at bats, yet they, like the Blue Jays and White Sox, are playing .500 ball at 4-4. Its really run differential that counts the most -- the difference between the runs you score and the runs you give up. Right now, the top two clubs in that category are Milwaukee and Washington at plus-22. They both have Major League best 7-2 records and lead their respective divisions in the National League; the Brewers in the Central and the Nationals in the East. I was curious to see how much the Blue Jays defense had improved over a year ago. This time last season through 10 games, they had committed eight errors, including three in one game against Boston. This time around, they have made only three and thats without Jose Reyes at short. Overall right now, Baltimore has the top defense in terms of errors made. They have only one, even with the left side of their infield SS J.J Hardy and 3rd baseman Manny Machado missing nearly all of their nine games. Minnesota is second best with just two errors committed. Seattle, Toronto and Tampa Bay have all made three errors, but the Ms have only played eight games to 10 for the Jays and Rays. Errors dont tell the entire story because you have to figure in things such as range and double plays not turned and defensive plays not made. Suffice to say, the Blue Jays are much better defensively than they were a year ago. The Blue Jays start their longest road trip of the young season Friday night; a nine-game, 10 day affair that begins with three games in Baltimore followed by a day off then three at Target Field against the Twins before three more at Cleveland. This is a key trip. A year ago, they went on a seven-game trip through Baltimore and Yankees Stadium. They went a dismal 1-6 and went from 8-11 to 9-17. They never really recovered from that journey and wound up the season with just 74 wins. Clevelands fireballer Danny Salazar, who made his Major League debut against the Jays last season, had a wild outing on Thursday night against the White Sox. He struck out 10 in just three and 2/3rd innings, thus becoming the first pitcher in the modern era to fan 10 in fewer than four innings. But he also got tagged for five runs on six hits, including two home runs; the White Sox winning 7-3. Being a closer is a perilous business in the American League these days. The Blue Jays Casey Janssen is still rehabbing his shoulder and has yet to pitch in a game since spring training. The Yankees David Robertson pulled a groin muscle last weekend against the Blue Jays and is on the 15-day disabled list. Detroits Joe Nathan, who had been struggling and then complained of going through a dead-arm period during a radio interview, picked up a win for the Tigers Wednesday night at L.A. against the Dodgers after blowing his second save in that same game. Oakland picked up Baltimores closer Jim Johnson in an off-season deal. Hes had so many problems early this season. Johnson has lost the shutdown role and the As skipper Bob Melvin is going with a closer by committee approach for the time being. On the flip side, the Mets - who lost their closer Bobby Parnell to "Tommy John " surgery - turned to ex-Tigers closer Jose Valverde and he has already notched two saves. Atlanta is off to an amazing start considering three of its starters -- Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor -- are down with injuries. They are sitting at 5-4 and until David Hale got lit up by the Mets Thursday night, none of their starters, including Ervin Santana, had given up more than two runs in a game. If you missed it, Santana pitched eight shutout innings in his first start with the Braves the other night. Thanks to three rainouts, Ricky Romero didnt get his first start with Triple "A" Buffalo until Wednesday night in the opener of a doubleheader at Lehigh Valley. He went four innings, giving up three runs on four hits, striking out four and walking four. Lefty J.A. Happ, meanwhile, made his second rehab at home for Buffalo Thursday night against the Red Soxs Pawtucket farm club. He gave up just one run over four and 2/3rds innings on five hits, including a home run. He struck out six and walked only two. The only thing the Blue Jays might be concerned about is he used up his 90 pitch limit inside of five innings. Happ could get one more minor league rehab start or could just join the Jays for the road trip. The pitcher, whose rotation spot could be in jeopardy, is Dustin McGowan. Hes starting Friday night at Baltimore. Dion Sims Jersey . - Former NFL safety Darren Sharper pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he drugged and raped two women he met at a West Hollywood night club, while the emergence of a new accuser in Florida left him under investigation in five states. Shelley Smith Authentic Jersey . Berdych, coming off a semifinal run at the Australian Open and Davis Cup win over the Netherlands, didnt face a break-point. A semifinalist two years ago here, he will play the winner of an all-French faceoff between Gilles Simon and Nicolas Mahut.PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- Robert Garrigus missed two short par putts over the last seven holes Saturday, and just like that, his four-shot lead dwindled to one in the Valspar Championship. Thats about the only thing that went quickly. On a gorgeous afternoon at Innisbrook, pace of play on the PGA Tour reared its ugly head again. Garrigus had to settle for a 1-under 70 when he missed short par putts on the 12th and 18th holes, giving him a one-shot lead over Kevin Na, who laboured and fidgeted his way around the Copperhead course to a 68. The final group turned into a threesome for most of the back nine -- Garrigus, Kevin Na and a rules official with his hand on a stopwatch. Even though they finished in just under four hours, they were as many as two holes behind the group ahead of them. Both players were given a bad time -- a first for Garrigus, but not for Na -- and one more would have meant a one-shot penalty. "Im not used to being put on the clock," said Garrigus, one of the fastest players in golf. "Thats the first time in nine years -- actually the first time in 17 years as a professional -- Ive ever got a bad time on the golf course. I started laughing." They were on the clock when Garrigus had a nasty lie in the rough on the side of the hill on the par-5 14th. He walked some 30 yards up to the green to study his shot, and by the time he walked back to hit it, he was went beyond his allotted 40 seconds. Na was given a bad time on the par-3 13th hole when he was first to play. "Over water, tough to judge the wind and corner pin is obviously brutal, and probably just took some extra time because it was probably a hard golf shot," Na said. "Unfortunately, I was past the time. I know how to play. I dont know what people were saying, but I dont feel like I should be criticized for my play today because Im the first one to admit if I play slow. But I really didnt feel like I played slow today." A traffic jam is likely for the final round. Garrigus was at 8-under 205, and the final seven holes brought several players back into the mix -- most of them needing a win to get into the Masters. David Hearn (70) of Brantford, Ont., is tied for 11th at 2-under par, Graham DeLaet (71) of Weyburn, Sask., and Calgarys Stephen Ames (72) were tied at 38th at 1 over. John Senden of Australia made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to cap off a 64, moving up 32 spots on the leaderboard into third place, just two shots behind. Justin Rose, at No. 7 the highest-ranked player in the field, made bogey from a wild tee shot on the 18th for a 69 and was three shots behind. Retief Goosen finisshed his bogey-free 64 some 2 1/2 hours before the leaders began the third round. Jarvis Landry. He made the cut on the number, and suddenly finds himself within four shots of the lead on a course where he has won before. Goosen was at 4-under 209, along with Scott Langley (69) and Charley Hoffman (67). Luke Donald, a winner at Innisbrook two years ago, was in the group five shots behind. Garrigus did plenty right. He hit two balls off the first tee, only to find his original tee shot had banged off a tree and back into play. He converted that into a birdie, made a 12-foot birdie on the next hole and stretched his lead to four shots with a nifty flop shot from the pine straw that set up a birdie on the par-5 fifth. That was his last birdie. Na remarkably has made only one bogey through 54 holes on a Copperhead course with plenty of bite. He turned a potential bogey into birdie when he chipped in from deep rough on the par-3 15th hole. The pressure came more from the clock held by rules official Gary Young. Na said he was discussing the line of his 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th with caddie Kenny Harms when he wanted one last look. "I was about to back off. Kenny goes, You better go," Na said. "I kind of peaked out in the fairway and theres Gary on the cart with a little clock." Even so, Na said he didnt feel a need to apologize. Pat Perez, playing in the group ahead of them, hit a tee shot into the vegetation on the third hole. Taking a penalty drop would leave him in a palmetto bush, so he opted to go back to the tee. Perez was given a cart ride to the tee and back to his next ball in play, and then he was gone. Perez is one of the fastest players. "They took off," Garrigus said. "When Pat is playing bad, he takes four seconds to hit a shot." Na said Garrigus told him after the round that he would tell him if he were playing slow. He said other players have told him he has picked up the pace. He said he has improved "a ton" since The Players Championship in 2012, when he was changing his swing and had trouble taking the club back -- or changing his mind at the top and purposely missing the ball so he could start over. "Its not fair for me because I already have that stamp on me," Na said. He would much rather me known as a guy with multiple wins on the PGA Tour, and he has a chance to get his second title on Sunday. So does Garrigus, whose only other win was at Disney in 2010. At stake for both is a spot in the Masters. Of the seven players separated by four shots going into the final round, Rose is the only one eligible for the first major of the year. ' ' '
