Die Macht » fine with Fisher and the coaches required to kee

TORONTO -- Zach Britton was perfect for Baltimore at all the right times during the regular season.For manager Buck Showalter, the right time never came Tuesday night.Showalter left Britton in the bullpen while Ubaldo Jimenez allowed Edwin Encarnacions game-ending home run in the 11th inning, and the Orioles season ended with a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL wild-card game.Britton converted all 47 of his save chances during the regular season, but the All-Star closer wasnt among the seven pitchers Baltimore used in the winner-take-all game.(Britton) was fine, Showalter said, adding that I considered a lot of things during the course of the game, but our guys did a good job getting us to that point. We just couldnt finish it off. Yeah, he was available.Showalter used setup men Brad Brach and Darren ODay to navigate the top of Torontos order over the eighth and ninth innings and let ODay work the 10th.Left-hander Brian Duensing relieved ODay to begin the 11th and struck out lefty Ezequiel Carrera looking. Then entered Jimenez, who had a 5.44 ERA during the regular season.Jimenez allowed three hits on three pitches, the last Encarnacions homer on a 91 mph fastball.Baltimore had 10 pitchers available for the wild-card game, leaving only Britton, Tommy Hunter and starter Dylan Bundy unused.Britton warmed up three times.Its frustrating but its not my call, Britton said. It was just frustrating to have to sit there and watch.Showalter has said hed vote Britton for the AL Cy Young Award if he could, and now faces a long winter having left his bullpen ace on the bench.Jimenez entered with one out and allowed consecutive singles to Devon Travis and Josh Donaldson, with Travis reaching third when left fielder Nolan Reimold bobbled Donaldsons bouncing hit. With the infield in, Encarnacion sent the following pitch into the second deck in left field. Encarnacion immediately knew it was gone and raised both arms in triumph, index fingers pointed skyward.I was looking for a fastball and I was trying to put the barrel on it, get a little bit in front because the infield was playing in, and I actually got it, Encarnacion said through a translator.Showalter pointed to Jimenezs second-half resurgence in defending the decision -- Jimenez was 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA in his final seven starts.Nobody has been pitching better for us than Ubaldo, Showalter said. So theres a lot of different ways to look at it, so thats the way we went. It didnt work out.Gibbons wasnt surprised to see Showalter hold back his closer on the road.I never question what anyone else does because youve got to make tough decisions, Gibbons said. You know what, most people dont ever agree with your decisions regardless.Torontos Francisco Liriano retired five straight batters on four groundouts and a strikeout for the win after closer Roberto Osuna left with a sore shoulder.The roof was open at Rogers Centre, formerly SkyDome, where all 24 previous postseason games had been played with it closed.Toronto opens the Division Series at Texas on Thursday.Jose Bautista led off the second against Chris Tillman with his fifth postseason homer. Mark Trumbo, who led the major leagues with 47 home runs, gave Baltimore a 2-1 lead in the fourth with a two-run homer off Marcus Stroman.Ezequiel Carreras RBI single chased Tillman in the fifth.PATHETIC AS IT GETSWhen Toronto pinch-hitter Melvin Upton Jr. flied out to the warning track in left field to end the seventh, Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim was nearly struck by a can that was thrown from the stands. Center fielder Adam Jones angrily gestured toward the seats, and Showalter came out to register his displeasure with the umpires.Its tough when you have that many people in the ballpark and one person does something that reflects poorly on all of them, Showalter said. It can happen in any ballpark. I dont like anything that puts our guys in harms way.Jones wasnt as diplomatic as his manager.That is about as pathetic as it gets, Jones said. I hope they find the guy and press charges.Blue Jays spokesman Erik Grosman said the fan was not ejected because he took off before police had a chance to get him. Police are investigating.Blue Jays fans tossed bottles and debris on the field during Game 5 against Texas last year, upset at the call that let Rougned Odor score from third after catcher Russell Martins throw back to the mound deflected off Shin Soo Choos bat.SLIM PICKINGSBaltimore was held hitless after Manny Machados infield single in the sixth.EXTRA, EXTRA!This was the second extra-inning wild card game. Kansas City rallied to beat Oakland 9-8 in 12 innings in 2014. Wholesale Custom Falcons Shirts .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Authentic Custom Falcons Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. http://www.customfalconsjersey.com/ . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Falcons Jerseys China .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Chris Lindstrom Jersey Large .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- In a year of constant motion, the Los Angeles Rams are making their last big move.The Rams (3-2) headed out on a 10-day, two-game road trip to Detroit and London on Friday, filling a couple of jets with several tons of equipment, several dozen players, coaches and support personnel.After their cross-country franchise relocation last winter and a peripatetic summer spent in several spots around the Los Angeles area, the Rams still have to get through a Midwest road trip and a subsequent week in England.And then this team can really unpack.Were moving the whole franchise again, for a week, coach Jeff Fisher said. But everything is in place right now. Well be fine.The Rams 2016 odyssey began in St. Louis, where the team announced plans to return home to Los Angeles in January. After relocation was approved by the NFL, they held their offseason training activities in Oxnard, California, starting in April, before moving two hours south to Irvine for training camp in late July.On Labor Day weekend, they settled into their brand-new training complex in Thousand Oaks. Oh, and they also moved into the Coliseum, their home on Sundays for at least the next three years while their billion-dollar stadium rises in Inglewood.Everything has gone remarkably smoothly thanks to extensive planning, and the Rams expect their European trip to be just as good.The operations side and the administrative side, theyve done a tremendous job of planning in advance, taking care of the players and the coaches, Fisher said. When you have to do all these things that weve been doing, thats first and foremost.After the Rams finished practice Friday, the players had blue crates in front of their lockers with their names and a Union Jack on the side. Certain pairs of cleats and playing gear are being sent ahead for the London leg of this journey, along with a personal bag for everybody on the trip.In our business, uncertainty can become a distraction, Fisher said. You want to deal with things ahead of time, so weve done that. Its like, `OK, have your bag here between this time and that time.dddddddddddd Itll be there in London when you get there. But now, lets focus on Detroit. We have all the passports locked up in the safety deposit box right now.The Rams trip to Detroit (2-3) would be challenging even without that whole England trip afterward. This is the Rams first experience as a West Coast team traveling east for a game starting at 10 a.m. Pacific time.Those early-starting games are statistically difficult for West Coast teams, but the Rams adjusted their meeting times this week. Theyll adjust even more to combat the effect of jetlag when they arrive in London on Monday morning -- which will feel like the middle of Sunday night to the players.We have a plan in place, Fisher said. Well land, and well move them around.This trip is slightly different than the NFLs previous jaunts across the pond. Instead of Wembley, the Rams will face the New York Giants in southwest London at sold-out Twickenham Stadium, Englands 107-year-old ancestral home of rugby.The Rams hotel is far outside urban London as well, which will make it more difficult to enjoy the city -- something thats just fine with Fisher and the coaches required to keep the Rams focused on winning.Theyve been emphasizing its a business trip, defensive lineman Michael Brockers said. Well play anywhere. Theyve got the same grass there as we have here. Weve done it before.Game notes Injured defensive linemen Robert Quinn, Brockers and William Hayes all returned to practice Friday after missing the rest of team workouts for the second straight week. They all sat out of last weeks loss to Buffalo. Brockers said he could play Sunday in Detroit, while Hayes said he is more likely to play in London. ... Guard Cody Wichmann (ankle) and receiver Brian Quick (calf), a new addition to the injury report, are both listed as questionable for Detroit.---AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '