Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez

CLEVELAND, Ohio - In this day and age, a manager will gladly take the pitching line Josh Johnson served up. Seven innings, two earned runs on three hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Only five base runners against and five three-up, three-down frames. "Thats what we look for out of him," said manager John Gibbons. "If he can do that every time he goes out there, weve got a shot. It was a lot like that game in San Francisco when he came back from his arm injury. He pitched a heck of a ballgame." Just one problem: the Blue Jays didnt score and in the process, wasted one of the best efforts Johnson has given the club in his injury-interrupted, disappointing first season in Toronto. In a 3-0 loss, it was the fourth inning which proved to be the difference. The game was scoreless. The Jays already had stranded four runners, two of them in scoring position, over the first three innings. Colby Rasmus led off with an opposite field double. Maicer Izturis followed with a first pitch single through the right side and suddenly Toronto had runners at the corners with nobody out. But, like with prior opportunities and similar to those that would come, the Jays offence couldnt produce. Rajai Davis hit a comebacker to Indians starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who froze Rasmus at third and took the force out of Izturis at second. Davis promptly stole second base with J.P. Arencibia at the plate. Arencibia, however, struck out looking and Emilio Bonifacio flied out. Inning over, more runners stranded, another chance squandered. With one out in their half of the fourth, the Indians drew their first base runner when Johnson walked Asdrubal Cabrera. Jason Kipnis followed with Clevelands first hit of the night, a single up the middle. Two hits later, RBI singles by Nick Swisher and Michael Brantley, the Indians had a 2-0 lead and the momentum in the game. Clevelands only other chance to score came in the eighth when Drew Stubbs doubled off Steve Delabar. A sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly later, it was 3-0 Indians. It was a case of Cleveland doing a lot with a little and the Blue Jays doing nothing with more than enough. "We just couldnt get anything going tonight," said Gibbons. "Even in that last inning we had a couple of guys on but we couldnt string any or hit a ball in a gap or anything like that." There is Johnson, stuck on one win, called upon to pitch inside and to be more aggressive and to trust his stuff, admitting the lack of success is mentally taxing. It must be, considering he was a key piece of one of general manager Alex Anthopoulos offseason blockbusters and hes an impending free agent whose value is slipping. "Youve always got to stay positive," said Johnson. "Youve got to find a way to stay positive. Its tough at times but youve got to find a way. Youve got some good teammates here who definitely help you through it and always be positive and there for you to help you get through it." Johnson also has his manager, Gibbons, who rarely makes mound visits when hes not going to change the pitcher. Gibbons made an exception in that fourth inning, as Johnson was struggling. "Thats between us," said Gibbons, when asked his message for Johnson. "He said youve got this and thats pretty much it," said Johnson. "Maybe a little bit more than that but just believe in yourself, dont worry about it and go get em." Its easier said than done, as Johnson is finding out this season. Hell take his fourth attempt at a second victory in the Blue Jays final game before the All-Star break, on Sunday in Baltimore. The Orioles are the only team Johnsons beaten this season. ROTATING THE ROTATION Thanks to the off day Monday, manager John Gibbons is afforded the opportunity to juggle his starting rotation. R.A. Dickey will now pitch on Thursday afternoon against the Indians. Hell be on regular four days of rest. Mark Buehrle will be pushed back to Friday, the opener of a three-game series in Baltimore. Based on numbers, the move makes sense. In three starts against the Orioles this season, Dickey is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA. Buehrle, strangely, has yet to pitch against Baltimore this season despite the Jays and Orioles having hooked up for 10 games over three series. LAWRIE AT SECOND BASE Brett Lawrie, on the disabled list since May 29th with a left ankle sprain, arrived in Syracuse in time to be in the starting lineup for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Tuesday night. That Lawrie was promoted as a continuation of his rehab assignment is hardly surprising. That he started at second base caught observers attention and renewed speculation the club may be considering a move. Remember Lawrie, 23, played two rehab games at second base for Single-A Dunedin in April. At the time, Lawrie was recovering from a strained oblique suffered before the World Baseball Classic. The plug quickly was pulled on the experiment, and Lawrie was brought back to the big leagues, when Jose Reyes went down with an ankle injury on April 12. In 37 games this season, Lawrie is hitting .209/.268/.374 with five home runs and 14 RBI. Bob Gibson Cardinals Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Adam Wainwright Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-adam-wainwright-jersey/ . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Michael Wacha Jersey . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Chris Carpenter Cardinals Jersey . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Demetrius McReynolds had 21 points and seven rebounds and Eastern Illinois beat in-state rival Western Illinois 73-64 on Saturday night.The Panthers (2-2) were in front for the final 33 minutes, occasionally pushing the advantage into double digits. But the Leathernecks (1-3) stayed within striking distance and had a 9-2 run to close within 61-56 with 4:18 left.McReynolds jumper made it 65-56 with 2:35 left and Eastern Illinois led by no less than seven the rest of the way. For winning the riivalry game, the Panthers took home the Old Railsplitter Trophy.ddddddddddddRay Crossland had 17 points and Montell Goodwin scored 12. Cornell Johnston and Muusa Dama added 10 points each for the Panthers.Garret Covington had 22 points and six rebounds for the Leathernecks. Western Illinois outshot and outrebounded the Panthers but had 21 turnovers compared to 10 for Eastern Illinois. ' ' '