TORONTO – Brett Lawries impending return from hamstring tightness creates a problem – a good problem – for manager John Gibbons. cyber monday deals michael kors . That is, how does he keep the red hot bat of Juan Francisco in the lineup when first base is taken by Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind is back as the designated hitter? "Maybe Francisco can play second," joked Gibbons. In all seriousness, Francisco has been a revelation for the ballclub since signing a minor league deal on April 2 and arriving in Cleveland to meet his new Blue Jays teammates on April 20. Coming off an 18-home run season split between Atlanta and Milwaukee last year, Franciscos already hit five in 61 at-bats for Toronto. He doesnt get cheated, either, having deposited one in the fourth deck of Rogers Centre, just above Paul Beestons name on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence. Franciscos slash line of .311/.403/.623 (1.026 OPS) is well above his career .248/.308/.447 (.755 OPS) but even if his history suggests his numbers will regress the longer he plays, until it happens, Francisco needs to stay in the lineup. "Right now were looking at everything," said manager John Gibbons. "While hes hot weve got to find a way to keep him in there somehow." The obvious play is to move Brett Lawrie to second base. It doesnt have to be permanent. Lawrie, should the decision be made, hopes its only temporary. "Im going to do it because its for the team but Im not necessarily amazed about it," said Lawrie. "Im a third baseman. Its where I play. Its what Ive been doing. Its what I did to work to get here. Obviously Francisco is swinging a hot bat but were going to have to find another way to get him in the lineup, who knows, but if I do get put at second base thats how it goes. Ill just do it for my team." Look at this hypothetical starting lineup with Francisco at third base and Lawrie at second base: Reyes – SSCabrera – LFBautista – RFEncarnacion – 1BFrancisco – 3BNavarro – CLind – DHLawrie – 3BRasmus – CF One through nine, wheres the easy out? The Blue Jays would be giving something up defensively with the realignment but Francisco has proven to be more adept at third base in Lawries absence than expected. "Ive been very impressed," said Gibbons. "I think that was his rap. His defence was the reason he never really established himself but we havent seen it. Of course hes not Lawrie down there but how many guys are?" Dont count on Saturday being Lawries return date. He took ground balls on Friday afternoon and participated in batting practice for a second consecutive day. Its part of the process of ramping up the effort level, testing his sore right hamstring. "Ive still got to do some other stuff baseball-wise," said Lawrie. "Ive still got to get up to relatively full speed to see how were doing. Ran on the treadmill today at a little bit higher pace so feeling a little bit better." Lawries willing to be a team guy. He also wants the appropriate recognition for his gold glove caliber play at the hot corner. "Im a third baseman," said Lawrie. "I worked my butt off to get where Im at. Im not saying its not going to help the team. Im here to do what it is to help the team but I worked my butt off to be that good at third base and continue to do what Im doing. I work everyday over there. Still continuing to get my work in and second base, it is what it is, man, its not what Im here to do. I worked my butt off to do what I do out there." michael kors cyber monday deals . A noon downpour turned the 2.25-mile, 13-turn circuit into a slippery strand of roadway, but Bourdais proved to be the best on rain tires. The French driver made it through the first two qualifying rounds and into the Fast Six. michael kors cyber monday . - The Atlanta Falcons have signed former offensive lineman Gabe Carimi. MADISON, Wis. -- Step back, dribble between the legs and fire away. Nik Stauskas played it cool in front of a raucous road crowd late in the second half to hit a clutch shot that helped Michigan hold on for a rare win at Wisconsin. Stauskas scored 23 points, including his key 3 with less than a minute left, and the Wolverines fended off a late surge for the 77-70 victory Saturday over the third-ranked Badgers. Stauskas said his first thought was to go to the rim, but that defender Nigel Hayes was overplaying him. "He kind of slid forward a little bit and I was open for 3 and I just tried to be aggressive and shoot it," Stauskas said. Caris LeVert added 20 for the Wolverines (13-4, 5-0 Big Ten), who celebrated a victory in Madison for the first time since 1999. But wins usually dont come easy at the Kohl Center for any team, and the Badgers (16-2, 3-2) made it difficult for Michigan in nearly overcoming a 15-point deficit. Wisconsin went on a 14-2 run late, and Ben Brusts putback got them within 68-67 with about 2 minutes left. But after whiffing on a 3 from the right wing, Stauskas hit his step-back 3 from the left side to give Michigan a 71-67 lead. "That step back is so fast, and that release is so fast," coach Bo Ryan said. "Hes quick, hes like a cat." Josh Gasser had 16 points for the Badgers, who lost their second straight after a school-best 16-0 start. "Kid just made a great play," Gasser said about Stauskas. Gasser, Wisconsins best defender, said he was supposed to be covering him, but a switch ended up with Hayes guarding on the play. Wisconsins hopes of another nail-biting win over Michigan were dashed. Last year, Brust hit a shot from just inside midcourt before time expired in regulation, then hit a 3 with less than 40 seconds in overtime to give Wisconsin a 65-62 victory. No such luck this year. Stauskas added four foul shots in the final 24.7 seconds to seal Michigans seventh straight win. He had 16 in the second half. "This game wasnt going to be over until that buzzer went off and we had the win," coach John Beilein said. "That was a great shot by Nik, but thats a lot of time left still for them to win the game. michael kors cyber monday totes. " The Wolverines benefited from the cushion built from a first half in which they shot 60 per cent. Thats especially impressive given it was against Wisconsin, perennially one of the leagues best defensive teams under coach Bo Ryan. But defence was a problem again for the Badgers in their second straight loss after allowing Indiana to shoot 51 per cent earlier in the week. Ryan liked the effort for the most part. The Badgers credited their opponents for making their share of tough shots. Michigan got good looks inside early with crisp interior passing, though Ryan said he was happy overall with his teams ball-screen defence. But it was two 3s by LeVert in the first half that especially frustrated Wisconsins coach. "Sometimes when youre trying to fix something, guys arent quite sure and you just have to keep working through it," Ryan said. Still, the Badgers came back, bolstered by boisterous students back in town for the spring semester. The Kohl Center was rocking after the Badgers late run, during which Michigan at one point missed four shots and committed two turnovers. Hayes short jumper got Wisconsin within six with 4:45 to go before Brust put back his own rebound to get Wisconsin within a point. Thats when Michigan turned to Stauskas. His first 3-point attempt glanced off the rim but Michigan retained possession after a foul was called on Gasser. The ball went back to Stauskas, who shook off Hayes on the perimeter and coolly hit his 3 for a late four-point lead. "Were going to win this game and were going to win the game by being aggressive and if youre afraid to shoot it, youre afraid to take it at them, then lets get (you) out of the game, is the message," Beilein said. "And nobody checked out." Glenn Robinson III added 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting for Michigan, while Brust finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Michigan also took advantage of uncharacteristically sloppy play by the usually savvy Badgers, stretching a five-point halftime lead to as much as 15 midway through the second half. ' ' '
