Clan-Members » n the big matches. He comes up with his

TORONTO -- By lifting his arm a little, James Paxton got a big lift from his curveball.Paxton pitched seven strong innings to win for the first time in three starts, Seth Smith doubled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Blue Jays 2-1 on Friday night, snapping Torontos winning streak at three.I know he and (pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr.) have been working on a couple of things and it certainly was evident tonight with his ability to spin it, manager Scott Servais said of Paxton. That was the best curveball hes had all year.Paxton (3-4) allowed one run and three hits. He walked one and struck out nine, one shy of his season-high.Before these starts I was creeping down a little bit and getting too sidearm, getting on the side of the ball, Paxton said. It wasnt allowing me to get on top of the curveball. Bringing my arm up a little bit more has allowed me to get on top of that curveball.Paxtons altered delivery made things easy on Mariners catcher Mike Zunino.I dont think you could put down a wrong sign when a guy is going like that, Zunino said.Seattle won consecutive games for the first time since a four-game run from June 30 to July 3.The Mariners have won five straight and 14 of 20 against AL East opponents this season.Edwin Diaz worked the eighth and Steve Cishek finished for his 23rd save.Edwin Encarnacion drew a two-out walk in the ninth and Troy Tulowitzki singled but Cishek ended it by striking out All-Star Michael Saunders.Paxton retired 16 of the first 17 batters he faced. The only blemish in that span was a one-out solo homer by Saunders in the second.Hes always had a really good arm, Saunders said of Paxton. Tonight he was hitting his spots, keeping us off balance.Back in the lineup after missing Wednesdays game at Arizona because of a personal matter, Saunders connected in his first career at-bat against the team that drafted him in 2004 and traded him to Toronto before the 2015 season.After Saunders homered, Paxton set down the next 12 batters before Josh Tholes one-out walk in the seventh. Josh Donaldson advanced Thole to third with a two-out double but Paxton escaped by striking out Encarnacion.That was huge, Servais said. He made huge pitches there.Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada (back) was activated off the 15-day disabled list before the game. The right-hander was placed on the DL on July 6, one day after being named an All-Star for the first time.Estrada (5-4) allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings. Estrada, who is winless in four starts, had surrendered five hits or fewer in his previous 13 outings.BLACK AND BLUEFirst base umpire Jordan Baker was struck on the left elbow by Nelson Cruzs foul line drive in the seventh. The impact quickly left a large red mark on Bakers arm. He put on a wrap between innings and stayed in the game.ROSTER SHUFFLEToronto activated LHP Franklin Morales (shoulder) off the 60-day DL and optioned LHP Aaron Loup and INF Andy Burns to Triple-A Buffalo. To make room for Morales, Toronto designated RHP Dustin Antolin for assignment.TRAINERS ROOMMariners: SS Ketel Marte has been diagnosed with mononucleosis and is expected to go on the 15-day DL on Saturday. Seattle recalled INF Luis Sardinas from Triple-A Tacoma to replace LHP Mike Montgomery, who was traded Wednesday to the Chicago Cubs. The Mariners are expected to recall a pitcher from Tacoma on Saturday.Blue Jays: C Russell Martin is expected to miss at least two games after he slipped and fell in the shower Thursday. Martin passed out after spending too much time in the sauna and overheating. An MRI showed no structural damage to his knee. ... OF Jose Bautista (left big toe) started and played seven innings in RF in his first rehab game at Triple-A Buffalo on Friday. He went 0 for 3 with a strikeout.UP NEXTMariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (10-6, 4.01) is 4-0 with a 2.39 ERA in his past four outings and has won nine of his last 11 starts.Blue Jays: RHP R.A. Dickey (7-10, 4.11) allowed three home runs at Oakland on July 16, losing for the first time in three outings.Wholesale Packers Jerseys . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Green Bay Packers Shirts . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. https://www.packersjerseysale.com/ . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. Cheap Packers Jerseys . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Stitched Packers Jerseys . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands.NEW YORK -- Five minutes before Stan Wawrinka walked out onto Arthur Ashe stadium to meet top-ranked Novak Djokovic on Sunday in the US Open mens final, the Swiss star nearly had a breakdown.I was shaking in the locker [room], Wawrinka reported, adding that as he reviewed last-minute details with his coach, Magnus Norman. I start to cry. I was completely shaking.It wasnt fear Wawrinka felt, nor was it pressure, as we commonly know it. It was more like a physical reaction to his hunger and determination not to let this Grand Slam opportunity slip away. And in that sense, it was a good thing. A very good thing.[It happened] because I dont want to lose the final in a Grand Slam, that simple, Wawrinka said. Thats the only reason. This morning, it started to be there, the feeling of, You dont want to lose. So close, so far. So maybe its the reason why I was feeling so nervous.Fueled by resolve, Wawrinka went out and traded warp-speed forehands and backhands with Djokovic for 3 hours, 55 minutes, often under nerve-wracking conditions at deuce and break point. Against most players, that set of circumstances almost always results with an exultant Djokovic.Not on Sunday evening in Queens. For the second time in a major final, Wawrinka demonstrated he had superior firepower and more durable nerves than Djokovic, as he stripped Djokovic of his title 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.The beaten finalist said it accurately when he paid public tribute to the 31-year-old Swiss No. 3 seed immediately after the match with a marvelous, concise summary: Congrats to Stan. He was more courageous in the decisive moments.The words were anything but symbolic. After the match, Djokovic rued his terrible success rate on those critical break points. He converted just 3-of-17, while Wawrinka capitalized on 6-of-10. As Djokovic added, In matches like this, if you dont use the opportunities, the other guy comes and takes it. He stepped in and played aggressive, where I was kind of more waiting for things to happen. And thats it.Never has Stan been more The Man than on Sunday afternoon. His tournament had been a brutal march through long matches in stifling heat and perilous pairings. He played five completed matches. (Wawrinka survived a match-point in his third-round clash with?Daniel Evans.) Djokovic, by contrast, had played just three completed?matches.Today, I was trying to stay with him, Wawrinka admitted of playing Djokovic. I was trying to be tough with myself. Trying not to show anything. Not to show any pain. Not to show any cramp. Not to show anything. I was suffering on the court, but Im happy and proud with what I have achieved today.Wawrinka is known as the Stanimal, a nickname bestowed on him in honor of his muscular build and the sheer weight of his shot. When his groundstrokes hit the court, you can feel it in your molars. His serve is a heavy cannon, and while his movement isnt always smooth, hes deceptively quick.Wawrinka, now 31, is routinely underestimated because he lacks the day-inn, day-out capacity to dazzle in the manner of Swiss fellow countryman Roger Federer or Djokovic.dddddddddddd Strength -- rather than artistry, athleticism or fiery temperament -- is Wawrinkas strong suit.Thats not only rare in a world-class player, it also doesnt always have immediate eye appeal. Wawrinka is moody, and when hes not feeling inspired, his game pops rivets and screws, and it bursts apart.These shortcomings all shed light on why Wawrinka is sometimes different from the elite cadre known as the Big Four. But even before Wawrinka won, Djokovic described him as a big-match player.And small wonder: Going into this final, Wawrinka was 10-0 in his most recent finals, which includes his stunning upset of Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final, as well as his triumph against Rafael Nadal in his first major final at the Australian Open.Wawrinka now has as many Grand Slam titles as Andy Murray?at three. Wawrinka also accomplished something Federer never has: He has beaten Djokovic in two Grand Slam finals and did so in the period of Djokovics most fluent mastery.Wawrinka said hes thrilled with his career but knows he hasnt won enough important titles or been to nearly as many major semifinals and finals. As for any aspirations to the No. 1 ranking, he sounded a similar theme.My best ranking was No. 3 in the world, Wawrinka said. Its simple. Im way too far to even think about being No. 1. Im winning four tournaments a year. Im really happy with that. Four tournaments, one Grand Slam. Its amazing. Its huge. Its big. But Im way too far to be No. 1.Still, Wawrinkas win could be a game-changer in mens tennis. He is nothing less than overpowering. We now know that his ability to produce his best tennis on a critical occasion isnt sheer luck but a previously unmined aspect of his psyche.As Djokovic said, He just steps in. He loves to play in the big matches. He comes up with his best game.Federer will be back in yoke and fresh for 2017, but hell be 35 years old and coming out of extensive rehabilitation on a damaged knee. It looks more and more like Nadal has lost some vital component of his competitors makeup, perhaps permanently.Murray had a terrific 2016, but he has never been as consistent as the other three members of the Big Four. Djokovic won two majors this year and completed a career Grand Slam. But that aura of invulnerability was tarnished over the course of the summer, and now Wawrinka put a significant dent in it.Wawrinka keeps insisting he doesnt belong among the elite Big Four, but Djokovic understands that all bets are off on that one.He deserves to be in the mix, no doubt about it, the world No. 1 said. Stan won three Grand Slams now, three different ones, and Olympic medal. [Hes] been around for so many years, and he plays best in the big matches. I mean, he definitely deserves to be mentioned in the mix of top players. ' ' '