TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays started last season with an April swoon that they never really recovered from. Danny Santana Jersey . Buoyed by a four-game winning streak and a return to the .500 mark entering play Thursday night, manager John Gibbons said the feeling around the team is much better now than this time last year. "No doubt. I think last year was a little bit of a shock to everybody," Gibbons said during a pre-game availability. "But I think they always had a good attitude. But everybody was kind of like they got hit by a two-by-four ... I definitely feel something different this year. "Theyre feeling good." Expectations were sky-high for last years squad after an off-season makeover brought in big names like R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and Mark Buehrle. However, the team lost 21 of its first 31 games and struggled to a last-place finish in the American League East. General manager Alex Anthopoulos kept the changes to a minimum in the last off-season. There are early signs that might have been a prudent approach. The Blue Jays had a few hiccups in recent weeks -- including a couple meltdowns from their usually strong bullpen -- but appear to be back in form as they continued a nine-game homestand Thursday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. Torontos starting rotation has been anchored by the steady play of Buehrle, who is off to a 6-1 start with a sparkling 1.91 earned-run average. The Blue Jays starters have been going deeper into games and easing the pressure on the bullpen, which looked good early on but has had some inconsistent patches. Closer Casey Janssen could return from his rehab assignment in the coming days and that would also give the relief crew a boost. Injuries were a problem last year. The absence of Reyes for most of the first half of the season had a ripple effect through the order and his defensive skills were missed. His troublesome hamstring was an issue last month but his game appears to be coming around. A big difference early on this year is the meat of the lineup looks comfortable and is getting results. Entering play Thursday, Melky Cabrera (.329, 6 HR, 14 RBIs) leads the American League with 48 hits, Jose Bautista (.300, 9 HR, 21 RBIs) has reached base in all 34 games and leads the American League with a 1.041 OPS (on-base plus slugging) while Edwin Encarnacion (.242, 4 HR, 21 RBIs) has been a threat in the cleanup spot. There have also been some nice bonuses. Backup catcher Josh Thole is hitting .400, Juan Francisco filled in admirably when Adam Lind went down with a back problem and regular catcher Dioner Navarro has a .300 average. Lind was activated Thursday and served as the designated hitter against the Phillies. He was hitting .324 at the time of his injury. The Blue Jays have also been hitting for power -- they lead the American League with 44 home runs and a team slugging percentage of .432 entering play against Philadelphia. No one is strutting around the dugout after splitting the first 34 games of the season. But its a marked improvement from the 13-23 record and woeful .361 winning percentage the Blue Jays had on this date last year. Perhaps the positive feelings are boosted by the fact the other American League East clubs are in a similar boat with only 3 1/2 games separating first from worst. The Blue Jays will play four games against the Los Angeles Angels before closing out the homestand with a three-game set against the Cleveland Indians. Babe Ruth Jersey . So he and his Toronto FC teammates say they will have no problem getting up for their Amway Canadian Championship final against rival Montreal Impact, even if the result doesnt count toward Major League Soccer standings. Greg Maddux Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, sources said Manuels college coach Jimbo Fisher told teams he didnt think Manuel had the tools to be an NFL starter. http://www.thebravesteamshop.com/ . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Roger Penske on Monday gave his unwavering support to driver Brad Keselowski, who has now been involved in two post-race fights in four races.Keselowski was confronted by Jeff Gordon on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, where the two had contact on a late restart while racing for the win. Kevin Harvick, who was watching the confrontation from several feet away, pushed Keselowski from behind into a scrum of crew members. That ignited a brief brawl between the Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports crews.Keselowski and Gordon were bloodied in the melee, but neither driver appeared to throw a punch. Hendrick Motorsports said Monday it is reviewing the matter. NASCAR is doing so as well and could penalize the drivers, crew chiefs or crew members.But Penske does not believe his star driver did anything wrong in a Chase for the Sprint Cup championship the team owner said has provided great excitement and intense competition.Brad Keselowski is a champion who competes to win in every race, which is what I expect of him, Penske said in a statement. While the actions by others following the race in Texas were unfortunate, Brad has my 100 per cent support as we now move on to Phoenix for the next stage of the NASCAR championship.Gordon was the leader on what was expected to be a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish. Keselowski restarted third and tried to wedge his carr in a gap between Gordon and Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson. Bob Uecker Jersey. The gap quickly closed when Gordon came down the track and the contact between Keselowski and Gordon caused Gordon to get a flat tire and spin. He went from racing for a win and the automatic berth to the Nov. 16 Chase finale at Homestead to a 29th-place finish. Hes now fourth in the eight-driver Chase field, and only four drivers will race for the title.Keselowski was adamant that he saw a hole between Gordon and Johnson, and he also was going for the victory and the berth into the Chases final round.Keselowski was fined $50,000 by NASCAR last month for a post-race meltdown at Charlotte, where a poor finish jeopardized his Chase chances. Denny Hamlin had to be restrained after the race from confronting Keselowski, and Matt Kenseth jumped Keselowski from behind in the garage. Kenseth was not fined because did not throw a punch.Keselowski went on to win the next week at Talladega and advance to the third round of the playoffs. After the race, Penske also firmly defended his driver, who has six wins this season and gave Penske his first career Cup title in 2012.These guys are jealous of the job hes done this year, Penske said after Talladega Hes won six races. Hes made poles. Hes been up front. Nobody likes to see a guy win like that. I want him to get mad. I dont want him to take it. 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