Manitoba at 7-2. "We play B.C. which is a huge gam

KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Its crunch time on Thursday for two of the top teams at the Canadian mens curling championships as they fight for the right to play in the one vs. two game on Friday. Should B.C.s John Morris win, he would be guaranteed a top-two finish, most likely No. 1 since he handed Alberta their only loss. That victory gave both teams 8-1 records, with Morris getting an edge because his rink won the head-to-head matchup. "We want that one-two game," he said. "If we win tomorrow morning were in the one-two game." Should Manitobas Jeff Stoughton win, he would be in control and need only beat Ontario in the evening draw to ensure a top-two finish. He was just as anxious Wednesday after a win left Manitoba at 7-2. "We play B.C. which is a huge game for us," he said. "We play them in the morning and that could mean getting into the one-two game which is very important." Stoughton looked more in control and said he felt that way as well. Manitoba started with four wins then lost games to Alberta and Quebec but has bounced back. Alberta continued its roll with a 10-5 win over Ontarios Greg Balsdon in Wednesdays evening draw. Kevin Koe and Alberta have only Prince Edward island (3-6) and Quebec (4-4) standing in their way of a guaranteed top-two finish. The late draw had meaning for the teams jockeying for fourth place and a shot at making the final through the 3-4 game. "This was a big bounce-back game," said Saskatchewans Steve Laycock, after beating Prince Edward Island 8-5 to improve to 5-3, good enough for fourth spot. "We had a couple of tough ones in a row against Alberta and Manitoba, which we knew they would be . . . Heading into the final couple of days we know we control our own destiny now." They play Ontario and B.C. on Thursday. Ontario fell to 4-4 with the loss to Alberta. "Tomorrows a big one," said Laycock. Earlier, Morris and B.C. scored a big five in the third end and coasted to an 8-3 win in eight over Ontario. Manitobas Stoughton continued to keep the leaders in sight with a 7-4 win over Laycock. Stoughton and third John Mead looked a lot more in control, although they also benefited from Laycocks mistakes. "We got a great deuce in the first end and then it was pretty mistake free," he said. "A lot of great shots made, you have to do that, and it felt pretty good all around for all of our guys." Stoughton also faces Balsdon Thursday and the Brier rookie from Toronto wasnt giving up hope. "Weve got a tough day tomorrow with Saskatchewan and Manitoba but if we can win our last three games, 7-4 . . . should be okay for a tiebreaker anyway." Morris and B.C. are clicking even more than they did at the Olympic trials, where they lost the final to Brad Jacobs. Jim Cotter, who throws fourth stones for B.C., has gained a lot of confidence and it shows, agrees Stoughton. "I think Johns just brought so much confidence to that team. Hes made them believe that theyre a great team, which they obviously are." Morris was ranked as the top third (based on the stones he throws), Cotter the top skip and Rick Sawatsky the top lead in cumulative percentages after the first two draws on Wednesday. Only Manitoba second Mark Nichols stopped it from being a B.C. sweep. Also, Quebecs Jean-Michel Menard still has hope after improving to 4-4 with an 8-3 win over winless Nova Scotias Jamie Murphy. On the outside looking in, New Brunswicks James Grattan sits at 4-5 after beating the Territories Jamie Koe 8-3, leaving Koe at 3-6. Dwight Howard Magic Jersey . Justine finished first with a score of 22.44 while Chloe was second with 21.66 points. Defending champion Hannah Kearney of the U.S., was third at 21.49. A third Dufour-Lapointe sister, Maxime, failed to make the final group and finished 12th while Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City was 10th. Timofey Mozgov Jersey . -- First baseman Carlos Pena and outfielder Brennan Boesch have signed minor league deals with the Los Angeles Angels. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-vince...r-magic-jersey/. The Twins announced Thursday the 28-year-old Albers cleared waivers. He will join the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization. Jason Williams Magic Jersey . While he was away, it was the division-rival Baltimore Orioles conducting a little business of their own, scooping up Ubaldo Jimenez on Monday evening to a reported four-year, $50-million contract. Melvin Frazier Jersey .C. -- Marcus Paige and his North Carolina teammates have endured so many wild swings -- big wins, surprising losses, NCAA drama -- that no one can blame their Hall of Fame coach for wondering whats next. TORONTO -- With their lead atop the American League East on shaky ground after a disappointing road trip, the Toronto Blue Jays wanted to set the tone early for a nine-game homestand with a strong effort against New York on Monday night. Adam Lind provided the power and rookie starter Marcus Stroman had the best start of his young career as the Blue Jays dumped the Yankees 8-3 at Rogers Centre. Stroman, making his fifth start for Toronto, allowed one earned run and three hits over a career-high eight innings. "Shoot, it was a fantastic job," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "We needed that. We needed shutdown innings early on to give us a chance to get on the board. Pretty impressive." Toronto (43-35) opened the scoring with a single run in the first inning and Lind belted a three-run shot off New York starter Chase Whitley in the Blue Jays six-run second. That was more than enough offence for Stroman (4-2), who tied a career high with seven strikeouts. "I felt my change-up was a big pitch today," he said. "Even though I didnt use it much, when I did use it, it was pretty crucial. I was just down in the zone today. Me and (catcher Dioner Navarro) got on a pretty good roll." Stromans lone blemish was a solo shot by Mark Teixeira, who hit his 13th homer of the season in the fourth inning to put New York (39-36) on the board. The Yankees fell into third place with the loss, 2 1/2 games behind Toronto. The Baltimore Orioles remained in second place, 1 1/2 games back, after a 6-4 win over the Chicago White Sox. Torontos offensive outburst was most welcome for a team that was coming off a disappointing 3-7 road trip and had been held to three runs or less in 11 of its last 16 games. The Blue Jays also had to make lineup adjustments with Jose Bautista out for at least a few days with a left hamstring strain and Brett Lawrie on the disabled list with a broken finger. Lind, who has been nursing a sore foot of late, helped fill the void by driving in four runs and scoring twice in the opener of the three-game set. "Lind is a big part of this offence," Gibbons said. "He kills right-handers." Edwin Encarnacion had three hits and Melky Cabrera had two hits and scored twice as Toronto outhit New York 13-6. Anthony Gose chipped in with a pair oof hits and made an excellent running catch against the wall in right field in the sixth inning.dddddddddddd "The defence behind me was unbelievable," Stroman said. "Eddie made two great plays, Gose with an unbelievable play. Stuff like that kind of picks you up and gives you much more confidence going into the next couple innings." Whitley (3-1), meanwhile, allowed eight earned runs, 11 hits and three walks while striking out a pair. "It seemed like when he made a mistake, they hit it hard and when he made a good pitch, they seemed to find a hole with it," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "It was the combination of that. It was a tough start for him." Toronto reliever Chad Jenkins relieved Stroman and gave up two runs over two-thirds of an inning. With two runners in scoring position, Aaron Loup got Brian Roberts to fly out to end the game. Notes: Announced attendance was 31,554 and the game took two hours 45 minutes to play. ... Whitleys earned-run average rose to 4.07 from 2.56 while Stromans fell to 4.25 from 5.14. ... Steve Tolleson replaced Francisco at third base in the seventh inning. ... Both Bautista and Lawrie were hurt Sunday in Cincinnati. Bautista said theres a chance he could play at some point in this series but Lawrie, from Langley, B.C., will likely be out for three to six weeks. ... Bautista has been named captain of the American League Home Run Derby team for the July 14 event during all-star week at Minnesotas Target Field. Colorados Troy Tulowitzki will captain the National League side. ... Toronto recalled Gose and fellow outfielder Kevin Pillar from triple-A Buffalo on Monday and optioned catcher Erik Kratz to the Bisons. ... Left-hander Mark Buehrle (10-4, 2.32) is scheduled to start Tuesday against New York right-hander David Phelps (3-4, 4.13). ... Following the series against the Yankees, the Blue Jays will continue their nine-game homestand with a four-game series against the White Sox. Toronto will get an off-day Monday before a two-game mini-series against the Milwaukee Brewers. ... Cabrera has had at least one hit in his last 20 games against the Yankees. He has reached base safely in all 22 career games against his former club. ... Yangervis Solarte ended an 0-for-28 skid with an RBI single in the ninth. ' ' '