TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays are sputtering on offense.The American League East co-leaders dropped the final two games of a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels by scores of 8-2 on Wednesday and 6-3 on Thursday.The Blue Jays face another non-playoff contender Friday, the Minnesota Twins, in the opener of a three-game series at Rogers Centre.The Twins will start left-hander Pat Dean (1-3, 5.48 ERA) while Toronto will counter with left-hander Francisco Liriano (6-12, 5.21 ERA).It would help the Blue Jays if the bats, which also were rather quiet while the team lost two of three to the Indians in Cleveland last weekend, started to become more productive.Theres no doubt weve cooled off, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said after the loss Thursday. Thats due to change, it always does. Weve fallen behind, and we havent been able to mount any (rallies), get that big hit to climb back in it or even open up some games. Thatll change.It was similar to earlier in the season. Theres not a lot of season left, but were due.By losing to the Angels on Thursday, the Blue Jays wasted a chance to pull one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the division. Instead, the teams remain tied at 71-56 after the Red Sox lost 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon.The Baltimore Orioles also lost on Thursday, 4-0 to the Washington Nationals, to remain one game off the pace in the AL East.The Twins (49-78) lost their seventh game in a row Thursday, 8-5 to the Detroit Tigers in Minnesota, to drop to a season-worst 29 games below .500.After the loss to the Tigers, the Twins sent right-handers Jose Berrios and Tyler Duffey to Triple-A Rochester.Berrios allowed six hits, five walks and five runs in five innings Thursday, and Duffey allowed six runs in three innings Wednesday.Left-hander Andrew Albers will be one of the recalls from Rochester, with the other to be announced Friday.The Twins also are dealing with injuries. Joe Mauer has been hobbled by a quadriceps problem, but the team hopes he will be available to play Friday. He missed the final two games of the Detroit series.Im thinking about playing him, but its not set in stone yet, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. Well see how he feels when he gets up there and gets himself ready, and well try and make a decision.The Blue Jays hope to have Devon Travis back in the lineup Friday after the second baseman missed all three games against the Angels due to an injured right ring finger.Toronto did have Jose Bautista back from a sprained knee on Thursday, and he collected two RBI.Dean will be replacing left-hander Hector Santiago, who has a bruised thumb.Its just kind of a gripping thing, enough to where we think skipping a start is going to be good for him, Molitor said. Maybe it will help him..It will be the seventh start of the season and the 12th appearance for Dean and. He will start for the first time since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 12 after making three recent relief appearances.Dean started against the Blue Jays on May 21 at Target Field. He did not factor into the decision after allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts over six innings.Liriano will make his 25th start of the season Friday, his fourth with the Blue Jays.After going 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA in 21 starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he is 0-1 with a 3.57 ERA in three starts since being traded to Toronto.He allowed one unearned run in six innings Aug. 19 at Cleveland but did not factor in the decision when the Indians won 3-2 with two runs in the ninth. Liriano, who was with the Twins from 2005-12, is 2-1 with a 5.66 ERA in four career starts against Minnesota. Jake Lamb Jersey . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. 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Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall has described the scheduling of Englands fourth autumn international as ludicrous.Eddie Jones men only finished their end-of-year program on December 3, routing Australia to complete a clean sweep of victories that extended their winning run to 14 Tests.However, the players immediately returned to their clubs to prepare for a weekend of Champions Cup action knowing their rivals from other home nations had been rested having completed their international duties seven days earlier.George Kruis, Mako Vunipola, Jamie George and Owen Farrell were back to help Saracens overwhelm Sale 50-3 on Saturday, but McCall insists Englands clubs have been placed at a disadvantage in Europe.For me its ludicrous that the fourth international shouldnt be at the start of the window rather than the end. Its not fair on the Premiership clubs, McCall said. Youre asking players to go again in the Champions Cup the weekend after theyve played Australia.Ireland, Scotland and Wales were able to rest some of their players and youve maybe seen that in some of the other results this weekend - the wins by Muunster and Leinster for example.ddddddddddddWere incredibly fortunate that weve got the players to whom it means a lot to play for Saracens. They were magnificent, all of them.But I still dont think its right that you continuously have to ask them to back up. In the long run, there shouldnt be a fourth international before a European match.Kruis, who missed the wins over South Africa and Argentina due to an ankle problem, insists Saracens England contingent feel an obligation to resume club hostilities as soon as possible.Id say we get a lot of energy from coming back and looking at how hard the boys have worked., Kruis said. Theyre putting big shifts in, when you lose a few players and youve got some injuries as well. When we come back, weve got to repay that favour.We were smart in how we dealt with training this week. We cut the week a bit shorter.But you do reach some emotional highs playing in these big games. The coaching team understand that and gave us an extra day off as well. Black China NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China NFL Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Online ' ' '