of 17 over Sacramento. ... A fan made a shot from half court during a timeout in t

TORONTO – Jose Bautista hit a home run (his 15th), threw a runner out trying to score, lined into a triple play and was denied a catch down the right field line thanks to fan interference (although the hitter, Tony Cruz, was ruled out when the Blue Jays challenged the ruling). Superstar Shoes NZ . All in a nights work for the slugger as the Jays won a sixth-straight game, 3-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals. “I think its got to be the most eventful game Ive ever had in my career,” said Bautista. “Id like to see if anybody could find somebody else to have a game with that combination of plays. Thatd be pretty awesome.” Whats becoming clearer as the days go by is that this is a good Blue Jays team. Mediocre or bad teams dont win nine in a row, drop a couple and then respond with another win streak thats now reached six. Torontos been victorious in 20 of its last 24 games, is at or near the top of the sports key offensive statistical categories and continues to get solid starting pitching and defence. “Were playing great baseball and were enjoying a great couple of months and we need to keep doing that so we can get to the playoffs,” said Bautista. “We just need to stay with the consistency. Same approach, same effort that were putting forward every single night and its a lot of fun when youre winning. Its the first time Ive ever experienced anything like this at this level so Im enjoying it a lot as well.” Marcus Stroman won his second-straight start and improved his big league record to 3-0, hurling six-plus innings of one-run ball. After a shaky start - he allowed the run in the first, and backed by strong defensive plays by Bautista and Brett Lawrie - Stroman settled in and ended up striking out seven Cardinals. His curveball, which confounded the Royals last Saturday, made for more misery for another Missouri-based team. “Its been huge just because I dont feel like I necessarily have to throw a fastball in a fastball count,” said Stroman. “Just being able to mix it up and keep guys off balance has been pretty good this year.” When Stroman was lifted by manager John Gibbons in the seventh, the fans gave him a standing ovation. “Yeah, its pretty special,” said Stroman. “I tried to do my best tough guy impersonation and tried not to smile but it was definitely pretty special walking off. Just to go out there and put my team in a position to win was awesome.” 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROGERS CENTRE Jimmy Key threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Ernie Whitt on Friday night. The two formed the battery for the first ever pitch thrown at SkyDome, a strike to Milwaukees Paul Molitor on June 5, 1989. It was a trip down memory lane in a stadium that so often is unfairly maligned. A technological wonder when it was built, some still see it that way. “Its a nice piece of architecture,” said Jose Bautista. “You come in here and you expect it to be kind of old and beat down and look out of place because its so old but it actually looks pretty modern from the outside looking in. I was surprised the first time I saw it. I was expecting something different. I was pleasantly surprised.” Fans old enough to remember that June night in 1989 and the four Blue Jays playoff appearances in the SkyDomes first five years may have a different opinion of the facility than the younger crowd thats yet to experience a winner. Still, fond memories abound, even those of the more recent variety. “Itd have to be probably the day that I hit the 50th home run,” said Bautista of September 24, 2010. “It was a pretty nice crowd in a day game and one of the unique features of the stadium was highlighted that day, you know, open roof on a beautiful day.” Only Cito Gaston has managed more games in Rogers Centre/SkyDome than John Gibbons. “Its an entertaining place,” said Gibbons. “Exciting, fans come here because some crazy things can happen. The ball flies. Youve got some bouncy turf. I really enjoy this place. One thing youre guaranteed, youre always going to have a game because they can close that roof.” NO QUIT When a team has won six in a row, 15 of 17 and 20 of 24 like the Blue Jays have after Fridays action, chances are resiliency is one of its characteristics. The clubs star player sees it. “Its something that I always thought, even from last year, that we never give up,” said Bautista. “We had a lot of tough games last year. We lost a lot of close games and we battled back from some blowouts and came close, not quite enough to come out with a win. I always noted that about this team where we never give up and we always fight.” Amid the wreckage of last years lost season, 32 of Torontos 74 victories were comeback wins. So far this season, the Blue Jays have 13 come-from-behind victories. RASMUS AND SANTOS UPDATES Centrefielder Colby Rasmus is nearing a return to game action as he recovers from a right hamstring injury. “Colbys doing baseball activities down (in Florida),” said Gibbons. “We figure at the beginning of the week hell probably get into a game.” Rasmus has been on the disabled list since May 13. What he originally believed wouldnt require a DL stint has turned into a near-month absence, a reminder of how uncertain muscle injuries can be. Sergio Santos threw a bullpen session before Thursdays game in Detroit. Gibbons wasnt clear on the plan moving forward. Earlier in the week the plan was for Santos to throw sides on Thursday (he did) and on Sunday and if he passed both tests, hed leave for Buffalo and a rehab assignment perhaps as early as Monday. Adidas Falcon Shoes NZ . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Y-3 Shoes NZ . PAUL, Minn. http://www.nmdshoesnz.com/ . Liriano pitched in and out of trouble in his duel with Josh Beckett, and Ike Davis homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Friday night. SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- With Kevin Durant on the bench to start the fourth quarter, his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates put together a run that helped end one of the most impressive scoring streaks in NBA history. And Durant says nobody is happier its over than him. Caron Butler made all six of his 3-point attempts to finish with 23 points, and the Thunder began the fourth quarter on a 16-0 spurt to pull away for a 107-92 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Durant finished with 23 points but was never needed in the final quarter, stopping his streak of scoring at least 25 points in 41 consecutive games. Only Oscar Robertson (46 straight games in 1963-64) and Wilt Chamberlain (all 80 regular-season games in the 1961-62 season) have longer such streaks. "I was getting so many texts after every game. Im glad thats over with and we can just focus on the team," said Durant, who shot 8 for 13 in 31 minutes. "If we played well and I had 25 points, that took away from how well the team was playing, so I didnt like that. If we lost, it was all about me scoring 25 points and I didnt like that either. Im glad we can just talk about the team now." Coming off losses at Memphis and Phoenix, Oklahoma City certainly has plenty of bigger things to play for during the seasons final two weeks. Serge Ibaka added 19 points and four rebounds for the Thunder, who rested Russell Westbrook ahead of Wednesday nights game at the Los Angeles Clippers. Oklahoma City (56-21) is 1 1/2 games ahead of the Clippers (55-23) for the Western Conferences No. 2 playoff seed. Even still, Durant said he was aware of how many points he had but never thought of asking coach Scott Brooks to go back in the game. Brooks insisted it never crossed his mind, either, saying the most impressive thing about Durants streak is that he didnt even realize it ended because Durant has been the "trademark for consistency." "Hes about team," Brooks said. "If he wasnt, he would have played golf and tried to chase (Jack) Nicklaus record of 18 majors." DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Travis Outlaw scored 24 points in Sacramentos third straight loss. Even with three regulars out with injuries, the Kings made the Thunder work through the first three quarters. Oklahoma City buuilt double-digits leads throughout the game only to watch Sacramento surge back each time. Superstar NZ Sale. . But with Durant on the bench to open the fourth, the Thunder finally created a lead big enough to stick. The Thunder held Sacramento scoreless for nearly 6 minutes to go ahead 101-77. "We had some guys that played with no energy," frustrated Kings coach Michael Malone said. "It looked they didnt even want to be out there, to be honest." With the matchup in Los Angeles looming large, Brooks decided to rest Westbrook -- as he has done during one game of back-to-back sets since Westbrook returned Feb. 20 following right knee surgery. The Thunder got some relief with Thabo Sefolosha playing for the first time since injuring his left calf against Memphis on Feb. 28. He finished with two points and three rebounds in 16 minutes. Sacramento, already among the conferences worst teams, played even more short-handed. Kings big man Reggie Evans and forward Rudy Gay sat out with back injuries, and point guard Isaiah Thomas missed his eighth straight game with a bruised right quadriceps. Oklahoma City looked every bit like the better and deeper team at the start. The Thunder surged ahead 9-0 in the first two minutes before Cousins brought the Kings back with his perimeter shot, slicing Oklahoma Citys lead to 30-27 at the end of the first quarter. The Thunder began to pull away again with a 17-4 run in the second quarter propelled by Butler, who made all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half. Oklahoma City led 61-49 at intermission and didnt have a turnover until the second half. Durant credited the communication and ball movement for pulling away late, and he said he hopes the focus can shift from his scoring streak to his teams improved play. "When I sit back after the seasons over thats when I reflect on everything that Ive done, that the teams done, and Im sure Ill appreciate (the streak) then," Durant said. "But now, Im just focusing on game to game and how we can get better as a group and how I can help the team get better." NOTES: The Thunder swept the four-game season series against the Kings. ... Oklahoma City has won 10 straight and 16 of 17 over Sacramento. ... A fan made a shot from half court during a timeout in the first half to win a car. ' ' '