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TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays came close but in the end they could not overcome the four home runs allowed by R.A. Dickey. Their ninth-inning rally netted only two runs and the American League East leaders lost 5-4 to the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Dickey (6-7) allowed only one other hit besides the home runs and also struck out a season-best nine. "Its a terrible letdown," Dickey said. "One less home run we win that game. Its just a really bizarre outing to be able to strike out nine guys, get all those swings and misses on what I felt like was a really, really good knuckleball tonight." Rookie first baseman Jose Abreu hit two solo homers against Dickey and Dayan Viciedo added a solo shot with Alexei Ramirez hitting a two-run blast that proved to be the difference. The Blue Jays had three home runs. Edwin Encarnacion and Dioner Navarro hit back-to-back solos in the sixth as the Blue Jays 45-37) tied the game 2-2, and Colby Rasmus, leading off the ninth as a pinch hitter, hit his 11th of the season. Left-hander John Danks (7-6) allowed five hits, including two home runs, and two runs over six innings, to earn the victory. The White Sox (37-44) regained the lead in the seventh as Abreu led off with his 25th homer of the season. Ramirez followed with his eighth, a two-run drive after a walk to designated hitter Adam Dunn. "Its a baffling pitch," Dickey said of his knuckleball. "The pitch that Abreu hit out, I threw it the same way that I threw the one that they swung and missed at. Its just part of what you have to accept with the pitch. And then hopefully you look back at the end of the year and youve kept us in games. But tonight was a tough one because we should have won that game." White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Dickeys knuckleball looked good all night. "Guys were coming back saying he was throwing a good one," Ventura said. "Guys like that, you never know. Sometimes you go up there and you might not have a chance and you hope he throws a flat one. Thats why you never know. You go up there and you could get the good one or you could get the flat one." The four homers allowed by Dickey were his most in a game since 2006 when he allowed six. But the Blue Jays still had a chance. White Sox right-hander Ronald Belisario, who was trying for his ninth save, got only one out in the ninth. After the leadoff homer to Rasmus, he gave up one-out singles to Munenori Kawasaki and Anthony Gose. Left-hander Eric Surkamp came in to face pinch-hitter Adam Lind, whose grounder resulted in an error by third baseman Conor Gillaspie. Right-hander Jake Petricka came in and Jose Reyes forced pinch runner Drew Hutchison out with a grounder to short as another run scored. Melky Cabrera ended the game with a grounder to second and Petricka picked up his second save of the season. "Hey, we had a shot," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "It would have been a nice little win, it was right there. It was one of those kinds of nights. I thought Dickey was great early on. He gave up two homers, we came back and tied it, they went back out and scored three. "We made a run late, thats all you ask for." Prior to the fifth inning, Dickey had allowed only one base runner, on a second-inning error by Reyes. But Abreu led off the fifth with his 24th homer of the season and Viciedo hit his seventh two outs later. "Its not a surprise," Ventura said. "(Abreu) is a good hitter, but I think you also see the power thats there. When he gets it on the barrel, it just seems to continue to go. Its like helium balls, they just continue to float." The Blue Jays tied the game by hitting back-to-back homers for the sixth time this season with two out in the sixth when Encarnacion hit his 25th and Navarro his fifth. There was a four-minute delay during the top of the second while Ventura talked to the umpires about some blinking lights on the facade just below the centre-field scoreboard that started flashing after fire alarm bells were heard. The game continued and the lights stopped blinking three batters into the bottom of the second. "It was more of an annoyance," Ventura said. "You first sit there and notice it and then youre hitting. I didnt know if they could actually just turn it off but I guess it took a while because its the hotel and theres protocol with the fire department that Im not in control of, so I couldnt get it turned off." With the lights still blinking in the bottom of the second, Torontos Steve Tolleson snapped a career-high 0-for-16 drought with a one-out double to left. A possible rally was thwarted after Kawasaki singled to right but made a big turn around first base. Kawasaki was caught in a rundown between first and second, while Tolleson, who inched too far down the third-base line, was thrown out by Ramirez. NOTES: Attendance at Rogers Centre was 24,173. a Rasmus did not start the game. Gibbons said he had planned a day off for Rasmus, who missed 33 game with a hamstring injury and returned on June 18. a Brad Glenn, who was called up to the Blue Jays from triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, made his major-league debut in right field on Friday. aLeft-hander Chris Sale (6-1, 2.27 earned-run average) will start Saturday for the White Sox against Toronto rookie right-hander Marcus Stroman (4-2, 4.25). Michael Brantley Jersey .com) - The Oakland Athletics needed to rely on a lot of young pitchers to win an American League West title this season. Denis Menke Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan examines a team facing some challenging times as GM Bryan Murray tries to put together a roster for next season. Perhaps the first challenge facing Murray is that its expected he will be moving out Jason Spezza, a premier point producer who is about to enter the final year of his contract. https://www.cheapastros.com/1523o-bryan-...sey-astros.html. Curlings version of the Ryder Cup will introduce a new format beginning with the 2015 event, set for Jan. 8 to 11 in Calgary, as itll be Team Canada taking on Team Europe this season and in the 2017 event, while itll be Team Canada against Team World (including the U. Darryl Kile Astros Jersey . Lauzon rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries for the Vert et Or (2-3) while quarterback Jeremi Roch completed 19-of-32 passes for 251 yards and one interception. Alexandre Aube scored the other touchdown for Sherbrooke. Randy Johnson Astros Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, the veteran safety has signed another one-year deal with the team Raiders, the team that drafted him, and who he returned to last year after a long stint with the Green Bay Packers.Home cooking is what sets the top two teams in the NFC apart. Watch it live on TSN with coverage starting with Monday Night Countdown at 6:30pm et/3:30pm pt. The game is also available on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto at 8pm et. Seattle and New Orleans are a combined 11-0 on their respective home fields but if the Saints plan on capturing home-field advantage on the way to Super Bowl XLVIII, they are probably going to have to find a way to top the Seahawks in the Emerald City on "Monday Night Football." And if their able to do that, the Saints will be the first team to solve footballs most difficult puzzle since second-year star quarterback Russell Wilson took over the Seahawks in the 2012 season. Seattle, which can become the first NFL team to clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight, is an imposing 13-0 (5-0 in 2013) in front of the 12th man under Wilson, who has thrown 26 touchdowns and compiled a 117.0 passer rating in the Pacific Northwest. In the Seahawks last game before their bye week, Wilson posted a career-high 151.4 passer rating in a 41-20 Week 11 rout of the Minnesota Vikings. Marshawn Lynch rushed for two touchdowns and hauled in another score in that one, while Wilson went 13-of-18 passing for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Lynch finished with 54 rushing yards on 17 carries and added two grabs for nine yards for the Seahawks, who are 10-1 for the first time in franchise history. "We havent done anything yet. 10-1 is great but our goal is to win the whole thing," Wilson said of Seattles stellar start to the season. The Saints are one game behind the Seahawks for the NFC lead but just one-half game ahead of the surging Carolina for the top spot in the NFC South after the Panthers disposed of Tampa Bay on Sunday. New Orleans, which can clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Seahawks tonight and then top Carolina next week, is coming off a hard-fought 17-13 victory over Atlanta in Week 12. Drew Brees completed 23-of-33 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns in that one. The MVP candidate also eclipsed Warren Moon (49,325) for fifth place on the NFLs all-time passing list in the process. Brees finished the game with 49,564 career yards. Star tight end Jimmy Graham grabbed five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown for the Saints, who have won three straight. "I thought that it was a real good, hard-fought win," NOLO head coach Sean Payton said. "I thought both teams played hard. We knew it was going to be a challenge. It is every time we play them." The Saints lead their all-time series with Seattle by a slim 6-5 margin. Brees threw for 382 yards and four TDs the last time these two teams met in the regular season, a 34-19 New Orleans win on Nov. 21, 2010 at the Superdome. WHAT TO WATCH FOR While playing the Seahawks on the road is never a desirous situation, New Orleans is arriving at an opportune time. Brees, who is tops in the NFC with 3,647 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, and third with a 107.3 passer rating (with Wilson a tad behind at 105.1), will be facing a secondary that is missing two significant pieces. Seattle returned from the bye and got hit with the news that cornerback Walter Thurmond was suspended by the NFL for the next four games for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. The guy he replaced in the starting lineup, the injured Brandon Browner, is also facing a possible year-long suspension for violating the same policy. "Were still trying to work through it," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "Ive always found myself looking for guys that maybe other people dont see something special in and we take a chance on a guy here or there that needs some extra consideration and care. Sometimes guys, they have issues and things pop up." Whatever the excuse, Seattle will be missing two impact performers from what is generally regarded as the best secondary in all of football, and one which has amassed an NFL-high 16 interceptions. All-Pro corner Richard Sherman, who leads the NFL with 16 interceptions since entering thee league in 2011, and top-tier safety Earl Thomas, who is the only defender in football this season with 70-plus tackles (75), four-or-more INTs (4) and two-or-more forced fumbles, are still around so its not like the Seahawks are walking the plank against Brees but the lack of depth could hurt, especially when trying to cover match-up nightmares like Graham and Darren Sproles.dddddddddddd The lengthy Graham has 65 receptions for 946 yards and 11 TDs on the season and six 100-yard games, the most ever for a tight end, while Sproles leads all NFL running backs with 209 catches, 1,840 receiving yards and 16 receiving TDs since 2011. "They are very good at playing bump and run outside," Payton said when discussing the Seattle secondary. "They have a lot of talented players, not only in the back end. They have a young linebacker core that runs extremely well and a front that is very physical and very active. Couple that with a crowd noise and an environment that is uniquely different, you have a formula that is successful." Brees, though, generally isnt nearly as effective on the road. Only nine of his 28 TD passes have come in the teams five games away from the Bayou and his three worst passing yardage efforts have also come while away from Bourbon Street. Payton was a bit testy while trying to downplay any troubles as the visitor. "I think its a typical stereotype with a dome team," the New Orleans coach said. "I dont know what else to tell someone than to do some research and bring back some numbers and Ill answer a question." The problem for Payton, however, is there is plenty of research and tons of numbers magnifying his teams troubles away from the Superdome. For instance New Orleans has never won a road playoff game in franchise history (0-5) and is 0-for-3 in such instances under Payton, games in which Brees recorded the three worst passer ratings of his postseason career. One of those road playoff losses came the last time the Saints visited CenturyLink Field, a 41-36 setback to a 7-9 Seahawks club in 2010, a game made famous by Lynchs 67-yard aptly titled "Beast Quake" TD run. Lynch, who has rushed for 925 yards and nine TDs so far this season, figures to be a load for New Orleans again. Hes currently on the verge of his fifth 1,000-yard season and is facing a Saints D which allows 4.8 yards per rush, 28th in the NFL. Wilson, who is undersized like Brees, was a big fan of the Saints signal caller while coming up and mimics a lot of his traits, albeit with far more mobility. "I know everyone compares our heights and everything, but the thing that I admire about him is his leadership, his attention to detail," Wilson said. "He is very clutch." Wilson has also been very clutch and his uncanny ability to extend plays and make something positive when things break down will be tested by an aggressive NOLA pass rush led by Cameron Jordan, the son of ex-Vikings Pro Bowl tight end Steve Jordan. Cameron has 9 1/2 sacks to pace a unit which has 37 overall. "I think he is a guy that knows how to win," Payton said when asked about Wilson. "I think he is a very good leader. You can see that on tape. Russell is a very competitive, driven player who has number one, a very gifted skill set." OVERALL ANALYSIS Something has to give here. Brees has won his past nine "Monday Night Football" starts, completing 224- of-312 (71.8 percent) for 2,880 yards (320 per game) with 28 TDs versus just five INTs in those contests. Wilson, meanwhile, is 13-0 at home and 2-0 on MNF. Until the Seahawks actually lose at home, you have to give them the benefit of the doubt. "Every game that we play is a championship game," Carroll said. "You never know which one is going to be the one that you look back on and say, Boy, if wed have got that one, we wouldve had this or that. So we play every one of them like its the biggest game in the world." Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Seahawks 27, Saints 26 ' ' '