Clan-Members » lead. Lady Eli gets caught right on the

NEW YORK -- Edwin Encarnacion needed no further prompting when asked what the Blue Jays needed to most improve upon in the second half. "I think the starting pitching," he said. "If we want to win, we know and they know we need to pitch better." The numbers back up Encarnacions statement. Whats more, Encarnacions All-Star numbers give him the platform to offer an opinion few other position players could share. Toronto enters the break with the second-highest starters ERA in baseball. At 5.07, only Minnesotas (5.23) ranks worse. Pundits figured the Twins would have a poor rotation but R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle were supposed to be the backbone of a revamped Blue Jays rotation that would propel the club to its first playoff appearance in 20 years. Encarnacion is hitting .264/.345/.476. He has 25 home runs and his 67 since the start of 2012 are third most in baseball behind Miguel Cabrera and Chris Davis. Hes a leader, respected not only in his own clubhouse but around the game. "We have the talent in the clubhouse and I know the pitchers can do better than theyve been doing," he said. "We just need to focus in the games and I know things are going to change." Jose Bautista, voted to New York City by the fans, pointed the finger at himself. "Were totally capable of playing a lot better baseball than weve shown," said Bautista. "We just need to play better as a team. Like I said earlier today, Im number one on that list. Ive been very inconsistent this year and I need to pick it up some and bring that consistency that I know I can bring to the table and bring more of a steady production and help the team win more games." Trade talk will intensify once the schedule resumes later in the week. The July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is looming. Toronto has been linked to the Cubs Matt Garza, to the extent that scouts have been watching his starts, but general manager Alex Anthopoulos says he wont acquire a rental player. Garzas contract is expiring so he falls into the hands off category. Whether or not moves are made is irrelevant to at least one Blue Jays All-Star. "I would take the perspective of that (Alex) doesnt think we need to make a move because he thinks we can do it with what we have," said Brett Cecil. "Thats just me personally. I would hope all the guys, even without talks of trade or anything, would think that we could do it without any types of moves or anything like that and I would hope guys would take it that way if we didnt make a move." The Blue Jays are 45-49, in last place in the American League East, 11.5 games behind division-leading Boston. Toronto is 8.5 games behind Texas for the second American League wild card spot. BORAS TALKS PEDs In the wake of ESPN reports that Major League Baseball will seek to suspend as many as 20 players with alleged links to Biogensis, super agent Scott Boras put out the call for due process. "If we have positive analytical we have no issue," said Boras. "Now were in an area where weve got negative analytical and yet weve got circumstantial pursuit on non-analytical cases. That is in the rules, that is in the rules but it is causing a problem in the game. The problem is its affecting the masses that are innocent. Its affecting the integrity of the game and we have to look at that as to how we approach that. Do we allow the witch hunts? Do we allow the early speculation?" Among those with alleged links to Biogenesis, a now defunct Miami-based anti-aging clinic that peddled performance enhancing drugs, are the Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Milwaukees Ryan Braun. Rodriguez is an admitted steroid user but he claims to have stopped after departing the Texas Rangers following the 2003 season. Braun, the 2011 National League MVP, tested positive for a banned substance shortly afterward but the case was thrown out when a judge ruled the samples chain of command had been compromised. Others, like Texas Nelson Cruz, have never had a positive test. CONFIDENCE IS KEY Cecil admitted to TSN.ca he lost confidence in himself during his trying seasons of 2011 and 2012. Its a fragile thing. "I think a lot of players would tell you that its not because they have all the confidence in the world in themselves," he said. "Sometimes its not necessarily the most truthful thing thats coming out of their mouths. I know as far as me, I mean I told you guys, 2011 and 2012 I still had all the confidence in the world but I really didnt, I really didnt." Prior to his scoreless inning in Baltimore on Saturday, Cecil had allowed runs in two consecutive appearances for the first time all season. He admitted, even then despite his brilliant year, his confidence began to waver. The difference now? Cecil trusts his repertoire. "Back in 2011, 2012, even when I had a good outing I still didnt know if my stuff was good enough to play up here and when I got knocked around I really didnt think it was good enough to play up here," he said. "After the last two outings I know my stuff plays up here and its just a matter of how Im going to deal with the little things that I did wrong and how am I going to take it into my next outing." MUTUAL RESPECT AMONGST VOTTO AND ENCARNACION Edwin Encarnacion and Joey Votto were teammates with the Cincinnati Reds from 2007-2009. Votto, Toronto born and raised, had high praise for an old friend. "Edwin was one of my favourite teammates," said Votto. "Actually, whenever we made the trade for Scott Rolen, for the first month or so whenever Scott would start chirping at me I would tell him how much I miss Edwin. You know, I really miss Edwin, I wish we wouldnt have made that trade, Scott. Im very fond of him and Im really, really happy for his success and I hope he keeps it up because its fun watching him on the highlights hit all of those home runs." "He loved the way I acted," said Encarnacion, whose outgoing personality runs counter to Vottos more reserved countenance. "He loved it. We enjoyed all moments when I was there in Cincinnati with my old team." TAKING IT ALL IN Four-year-old Edwin Encarnacion Jr. was sitting on dads lap during the afternoon media availability session. Each player is seated at his own podium and the assembled media can wander at their leisure. Young Edwin was a trooper. The session was held in the open air of the concourse inside the home plate entrance to Citi Field. With a humidex reading outside of close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and hundreds of bodies roaming a confined space, it got a little warm. Brett Cecil was looking most forward to having his three-year-old son, Bryton, on the field with him during the home run derby. Steve Delabar had pictures taken with family members including his wife, infant daughter, parents and in-laws, all of whom traveled to New York to share his first time All-Star experience. Boston Bruins Gear . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Boston Bruins Pro Shop . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. https://www.cheapbruins.com/ . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Cheap Bruins Jerseys . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Bruins Jerseys 2020 . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Chad Brown was planning to be at Del Mar -- home of the 2017 Breeders Cup -- this weekend when half a dozen of his runners will populate the $300,000 Hollywood Derby and the $300,000 Matriarch. Really, he was.Ive never been to Del Mar, never won a race there, Brown said Thursday from New York. And I wanted to come out. But ?Here it comes. East Coast excuse No. 487 for a trainer blowing off a stakes date in California. Okay, go ahead.I only have one brother, Todd, and he has one child, my nephew, Brown said. Hes being christened on Sunday, the day of the Matriarch.Well, thats very nice. Family comes first, and all that jazz.Hes 6 months old, his name is Evan, Brown added, and Im the godfather.The man gets a pass.Brown did his time in California a decade ago as part of the Bobby Frankel crew. He answered most often to top assistant Humberto Ascanio during the Hollywood Park spring meet, then he would bounce east to be with the boss during Saratoga.Brown left the Frankel nest in late 2007, won a Breeders Cup race the following year in his first try, and now has nailed down his first national championship on the strength of more than $22 million in stable earnings, while relegating Todd Pletcher to second place for the first time since 2009, no mean feat. Pletcher was 37 when he won his first earnings title in 2004. Brown turns 38 on Dec. 18.Sometimes people say to me, a jocks agent, even a journalist, Todd -- oh, Im sorry, I mean Chad, Brown said with a laugh. I tell them not to worry about it. My mom always calls me Todd.In approaching Saturdays Hollywood Derby, at a mile and one-eighth on firm turf, Todd Browns brother did not exactly overthink the challenge. He simply turned to his 1-2-3 finishers in the Oct. 8 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park -- at a mile and one-eighth on firm turf -- and sent them packing to Del Mar.Camelot Kitten, already a multiple stakes winner, finished first in the Hill Prince, a head in front of Secretariat Stakes winner Beach Patrol. Annals of Time, making his stakes debut, was a length back in third. They have nine opponents in the Hollywood Derby, topped by Del Mar Derby winner Free Rose and Twilight Derby winner Frank Conversation.Its been a long year for Camelot Kitten and Beach Patrol, while Annals of Time is more lightly raced than the other two, Brown said. But I took the same approach to the Hollywood Derby and the Matriarch that Ive taken since Ive been in business -- I train them all individually,, and if an individual earns the right to run in a certain race, I run em.ddddddddddddBrown is channeling other top-flight trainers who had the numbers to flood stakes races in an attempt to take as much off the table as possible. Charlie Whittingham, who once ran 1-2-3 in the Hollywood Gold Cup, would say, We got em surrounded. And he was right.Still, there is a delicate political minefield to negotiate when a patron looks up to see another horse from the same barn beat his pride and joy on the money. Then again, most trainers would envy such a problem.My clients will tell you Im brutally honest with myself and tell it how it is and what I see, Brown said. I have no problem running multiple horses in a race. If a horse belongs in a race, they run. I dont come up with a reason not to run just to keep horses separated. Thankfully, I have many veteran owners who are appreciative just to make it to big stakes races with a chance to win, regardless of who else is running.Browns championship season has been highlighted by the campaign of likely Eclipse Award champion Flintshire in the male turf category and the comeback story of Lady Eli, who made a miraculous recovery from founder. They were also part of the stables most frustrating afternoon on Nov. 5, the second day of the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita.With different race scenarios, we could have had an historic Breeders Cup for us, Brown noted. Flintshire gets caught in a paceless race with a class horse, Highland Reel, running off on an easy lead. Lady Eli gets caught right on the wire in the Filly-Mare Turf, and Wavell Avenue races six wide the whole way in the Filly-Mare Sprint.All three finished second, earning about $1.2 million in the process, while New Money Honey bagged the Juvenile Fillies Turf the day before to salvage the barns lone Breeders Cup win, Browns eighth in nine years. Never mind what might have been.I understand the breaks go both ways, Brown said. Look how long it took Bobby Frankel to win his first Breeders Cup race, with Squirtle Squirt in 2001. And just last Saturday, Connect gave us a good bob at the wire in the Cigar Mile.You cant pick and choose what photos youre going to win, Brown added. But we were lucky to have enough of them go our way to have an outstanding year. And next year, if the horses take me there, I will be at Del Mar. ' ' '