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  • March 21, 2020 1:24 AM EDT

    ARLINGTON, Texas -- Talk about a 1-2-3 punch for the Toronto Blue Jays in these playoffs. Wholesale Jerseys China .The wild-card Blue Jays have rediscovered their power stroke in October, and are going home with a chance to sweep the Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series after a 5-3 win Friday.Edwin Encarnacion capped a three-homer burst in the fifth inning off Yu Darvish, and Toronto won on a dreary, misty afternoon for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five matchup.One important reminder, though: Last fall, Toronto lost the first two games of the ALDS at home against Texas, then rallied to win the series.I learned something last year ... you got to win three games, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. Theyve got a great team over there. You dont lead the American League, powerhouse league, you dont luck into that.Wearing spikes that had No Panic printed on them, closer Roberto Osuna got a five-out save that sent the Blue Jays home looking to clinch the series in Game 3 Sunday night.Osuna entered after reliever Francisco Liriano was hit near the back of the head by Carlos Gomezs line drive. Liriano was taken by ambulance after the game to a hospital, where he was checked out and then cleared to fly home with the team that evening. It was Osunas first appearance since he left the mound in the AL wild-card win Tuesday night with a shoulder injury that left his status in doubt.Kevin Pillar, Ezequiel Carrera and Encarnacion, who ended the wild-card game with a three-run homer in the 11th inning, hit solo homers in a five-batter span in the fifth. Troy Tulowitzkis two-run drive in the second put 20-game winner J.A. Happ and the Blue Jays ahead to stay.Getting behind in the count, and they were looking for fastballs, Darvish said through his interpreter. When I left it on the plate, they got it.Texas scored twice in the eighth, including Gomezs single that struck Liriano. The pitcher walked off the mound.A day after Cleveland homered three times in an inning against Boston and won its ALDS opener, the Blue Jays matched the feat against the team that won an AL-high 95 games this year. The home runs boosted the Blue Jays in a game in which they got outhit 13-6.While Toronto finished the regular season fourth in the majors with 221 homers, only eight came in the last 11 games. They already have eight in three postseason games.Home runs are always a good thing, Gibbons said.Darvish had as many strikeouts (four) in his five innings as homers allowed, becoming the first pitcher in the postseason to allow four homers in a game since Minnesotas Rick Reed against Oakland in Game 3 of the 2002 ALDS.Texas has lost five straight ALDS games to the Blue Jays since winning the first two games in Toronto last October. The Rangers dropped to 1-11 in ALDS games in their home ballpark, including Cole Hamels worst postseason outing in the 10-1 series-opening loss Thursday.Weve come back from a lot this year. ... We all believe in each other, said Texas outfielder Ian Desmond, who drove in two runs but was also thrown out trying to score on a grounder.Happ allowed nine hits but only run before leaving one batter into the sixth.You go into a game knowing that at some point theyre going to get their hits, Happ said. But yeah, it was a battle. It seemed like a long five innings.Osuna, who afterward said he felt no pain, came in a little earlier than planned, a move that followed Liriano getting struck.The ball off Gomezs bat was measured at 102 mph, and Liriano turned away just in time to avoid being hit in the face. Gomez winced as the ball caromed into right-center field for a single to make it 5-2.Desmond drove in a run with a grounder before Osuna struck out Carlos Beltran to end the eighth.Adrian Beltre was stranded at second after a leadoff double in the ninth.COOL DOWNAt first pitch, it was overcast with a temperature of 67 degrees, but the game started on time after rain fell overnight and in the early-morning hours at Globe Life Park. It was 90 degrees Thursday at the start of the series opener that was played under bright, sunny conditions.OUT AT HOMEDesmond had a leadoff double in the seventh, but was later thrown out at the plate after third baseman Josh Donaldson fielded a grounder. The out call stood after a replay challenge by the Rangers.TRAINERS ROOMBlue Jays: 2B Devon Travis was scratched from the starting lineup about an hour before the first pitch because of right knee irritation.Rangers: RF Shin-Soo Choo was out of the lineup after playing Game 1, but manager Jeff Banister said Choo was fine physically. Choo was on the disabled list four times this year, and had missed 39 games with a broken left forearm until last weekend.UP NEXTBlue Jays: One of the two losses this season by RHP Aaron Sanchez, the AL ERA leader at 3.00, was to Texas. He gave up six runs, matching his season high, and was the loser in that May 15 game with the bench-clearing brawl after Toronto star Jose Bautista was punched by Rougned Odor.Rangers: RHP Colby Lewis is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA in nine career postseason games (eight starts) for Texas. In 2010, he won the AL Championship Series clincher to get the Rangers to their first World Series, and beat San Francisco in Game 3 for their only victory in that series. Wholesale Jerseys . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Cheap Jerseys . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. https://www.wholesalejerseysaaa.com/ . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- As devastated as Ian Williams felt two years ago when he went undrafted out of Notre Dame, he can now look back on that moment and realize how much the rejection meant to his career. He landed with the San Francisco 49ers, and is the leading candidate to win the starting nose tackle job for the NFC champions as he begins his third NFL season. "It hurt, but looking back at it, it was probably the best situation that could have ever happened," Williams said after a recent practice. "I was a young kid, expecting this, expecting that. It kind of put me back to my place, and coming here and getting back to work really propelled me to where I am now. "I lost sight of the goal that I set. Drastic things usually get you back on track." The expectations for Williams are high heading into the teams exhibition opener Thursday night at home in Candlestick Park against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. San Francisco lost both its starter and backup at the position to free agency this spring, leaving Williams and veteran newcomer lineman Glenn Dorsey to push each other in training camp -- yet Williams has more experience. Dorsey could spend some time at defensive end, too. Williams prepared himself for this opportunity by losing 25 pounds from his previous playing weight during the off-season, bringing him down to 305 and right where he hopes to stay this season. Defensive co-ordinator Vic Fangio has noticed an improvement in Williams agility and quick step off the snap. "I can feel a great difference. We havent been in a game yet, but just being out in practice and working out here just really got me ready and going against our O-line the past two years has really gotten me ready for what I have in front of me," Williams said. "Toward the end of the season it gets cold out here and its hard to sweat and youre still eating two or three times a day, so its hard to lose weight. Then the off-season came and I worked hard, I stayed here." To this day, Fangio cant point to exactly why Williams wasnt drafted. Perhaps his 6-foot-1 height caused NFL teams to shy away. "Every year you see that happen. Why wasnt he drafted at least in the seventh round the year he came out? I dont know," Fangio said. "I dont know if there were some questions about his work habits. Obviously, hes on the short side as most D-linemenn go. Wholesale Jerseys 2020. . I dont have a good answer for you there. Trust me, he should have been drafted." Williams, with shoulder-length braids, has played in four games total. That hasnt kept the 49ers from believing he is ready to take on a starting role. And Williams always stayed upbeat as he paid his dues buried on the depth chart and regularly inactive for game days during his first two seasons. "It was vital to where I am right now," he said. "Just coming into a good situation and having a veteran crew around me and guys who really took me under their wing and taught me even though I was coming in to compete at the position, I really came into a great situation." In March, that situation became even better when Williams received a two-year contract extension carrying him through the 2015 season. That vote of confidence meant a lot to Williams, who has seven career tackles as he approaches his 24th birthday later this month. "I really wasnt worried about getting paid for the contact. It just showed me that I had to get back to work and work even harder," he said. "Tasting the Super Bowl and getting that close to a ring, to a victory, that got me hungry. The contract extension got me even hungrier. Im not even worried about all that. Im just trying to come back, compete, work and try to get back to another Super Bowl." Williams keeps in touch with both Isaac Sopoaga, now with the Eagles, and Colts defensive lineman Jean Francois. He tries to learn from Justin Smith and Ray McDonald each day. He also appreciates regular feedback from linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman. "Its really his knack for being able to move. A lot of times people think nose guards are guys that are just big and just hold a point," Willis said. "But hes a guy that if you single him he can beat you 1-on-1. If you double-team he can hold the point. As a middle linebacker, thats what you love to see." Notes: The 49ers signed P Colton Schmidt to a three-year deal and waived WR Charly Martin. ... In Thursdays game, Demarcus Dobbs is slated to start in place of Justin Smith as the All-Pro Smith nurses an injured finger. Fangio also said Craig Dahl, the former Rams S signed to a three-year contract in March to help fill the void of Dashon Goldsons departure, will start at free safety and rookie Eric Reid will enter later. ' ' '