Dive travelling articles

outscored their opponents 54-45. Will the Kings cruise

lou0930

TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays started last season with an April swoon that they never really recovered from. Chad Williams Youth 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. T. J. Logan Youth Jersey . Billy Hamilton finished off Cincinnatis biggest comeback of the season for a doubleheader sweep. Haason Reddick Youth Jersey . Bowditch, the 30-year-old Australian seeking his first PGA Tour title, shot a 4-under 68 to reach 12 under at TPC San Antonio. Matt Kuchar and Andrew Loupe were tied for second. Kuchar shot 65, and Loupe had a 70.With just two teams left vying for the Stanley Cup, one question remains to be answered; will the experienced Los Angeles Kings win their second championship in three years, or will the underdog New York Rangers end their 20-year Stanley Cup drought? The Kings hold the advantage in experience between the two teams, returning to the Final after winning it all in 2012. Conversely, the Rangers find themselves in the Cup final for the first time since the team last won the Stanley Cup in 1994, when Mark Messier captained the team. The Rangers understand the Kings enter this series as the favourite, but plan to approach this series the same way the team approached their previous three. "Throughout these playoffs, and its not going to change now, weve been the underdog," Rangers coach Alan Vigneault said on Monday. "But what weve done is focus on how we play and what we need to do on the ice." The Rangers enter the series as the slightly more rested team after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in six games after taking their previous two series to Game 7. The Kings, meanwhile, enter the Final after becoming the first team in NHL history to win three straight Game 7s on the road. For the first time in these playoffs, the Kings go into a series with home-ice advantage. One matchup that could be a determining factor has Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist going up against the explosive offence of the Kings. The Rangers have used strong goaltending from Lundqvist throughout the playoffs to reach the Stanley Cup Final. The 32-year-old posted a 2.03 goals against average and a .928 save percentage through the first three playoff rounds. The Kings offence has benefited from a wealth of players scoring points in order to return to the Final. Budda Baker Womens Jersey. Six Kings have more points in these playoffs than the Rangers leading scorer, Martin St. Louis. Anze Kopitar leads the playoff in scoring with 24 points, and assists with 19. Linemate Marion Gaborik enters the series having scored more goals (12) than anyone else in the first three rounds. Teammate Jeff Carter is second with nine, while Justin Williams and Tyler Toffoli each have seven goals. For the Rangers, St. Louis has six goals and seven assists in the playoffs. St. Louis has been the emotional leader of the Rangers as the team has rallied around the veteran since the sudden passing of his mother during their second round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rangers will try to help Lundqvist by finding ways to score on Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, who has posted a 2.86 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 21 playoff games leading to the Final. Quick, however, has experience playing in the Cup final and stopped 125 of the 132 shots he faced against the New Jersey Devils in 2012 en route to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. Overall, the Kings and Rangers used different strategies to reach the Final. The Kings outscored their opponents 73-60 in the first three rounds, while the Rangers outscored their opponents 54-45. Will the Kings cruise on the strength of their offence and goaltending to win their second Stanley Cup in three years? Or will Lundqvist continue his playoff dominance and lead the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup victory in 20 years? As always, its Your! Call. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '