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BALTIMORE -- Every once in a while, Chris Davis conjures memories of last season by effortlessly launching a baseball far over the outfield wall. Davis interrupted his frustrating season with such a moment Saturday, hitting a two-run homer off knuckleballer R.A. Dickey to carry the Baltimore Orioles past the skidding Toronto Blue Jays 3-2. Davis batted .286 with 53 home runs and 138 RBIs last year. This season, hes at .228 with 11 long balls and 33 RBIs. His work ethic, however, remains the same. "Theres no change in my approach. Ive been doing everything I can to try to get back to feeling good in the box," Davis said. "I felt the last couple of days Ive started to click a little bit. Didnt have a lot to show for it." Davis ended an 0-for-9 drought with a drive that put the Orioles up 3-1 in the fifth. "Big home run for the team in the situation, and the individual," teammate Adam Jones said. "Hes been grinding it out." Orioles starter Bud Norris (6-5) gave up one run and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings to win his third straight start. The right-hander extended an impressive run by Orioles starters, who have allowed two runs or fewer in 13 of the last 16 games. "Were all out there to help each other and get better," Norris said. "Right now were kind of cruising." After Toronto closed to 3-2 in the eighth, Zach Britton got three outs for his seventh save. Brett Lawrie had two hits and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who have lost six of eight. The AL East leaders have scored only six runs in those six defeats. "I thought we had pretty good ABs for the most part," catcher Josh Thole said. "Its tough when youre not getting guys in." Dickey (6-5) left with right groin tightness after allowing three runs, two earned, and six hits in 6 2-3 innings. It was the first time this season hes taken a loss when permitting as few as three runs. Dickey felt a twinge after getting Manny Machado out, then left after taking a practice pitch. "I didnt want to jeopardize my next start," Dickey said. "I was probably out of the game after that next batter, anyway. I decided it was probably in everybodys best interest to just call it a day." Toronto nearly got Dickey off the hook. In the seventh, Orioles reliever Darren ODay retired Melky Cabrera on a grounder with two outs and two on. One inning later, Jose Bautista was thrown out in a very close play at the plate while trying to score on a double by Edwin Encarnacion. Left fielder Nelson Cruz retrieved the ball and threw to shortstop J.J. Hardy, who fired the relay to catcher Nick Hundley. "The big play in the game was obviously the relay throw," Davis said. "That was a big hit for Encarnacion and a chance for them to get back into the game and get really good momentum in their dugout." Lawrie followed with an RBI single. The Blue Jays stranded nine and went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. "This has been a tough run here so we need to hopefully regroup," Thole said. "Were playing behind every night." With the score 1-all in the fifth, Jones hit a grounder to third. The throw by Juan Francisco bounced past first base, and Jones lightly pushed umpire Hunter Wendelstedt while rounding the bag. The umpire toppled backward onto the infield dirt but was not hurt. Davis followed by hitting a 1-0 pitch over the centre field wall and into the Baltimore bullpen. "We got burned by the home run ball," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. Earlier, Dickey got into trouble in the first inning when Nick Markakis led off with an infield hit and Machado doubled. But Jones, Davis and Cruz followed with popups. In the Toronto second, Norris hit Lawrie with a pitch before walking Thole with the bases loaded. Baltimore tied it in the fourth when Hundley delivered a sacrifice fly following singles by Delmon Young and Ryan Flaherty. NOTES: Toronto DH Adam Lind left with a bruised right foot. ... The Blue Jays activated RHP Sergio Santos (right elbow) from the DL and optioned OF Darin Mastroianni to Triple-A Buffalo. Santos was needed in the bullpen after LHP Brett Cecil left Fridays game with groin tightness. Cecil will rest for a few days before being reevaluated. ... Jones went 0 for 3 against Dickey and is 3 for 22 lifetime against the knuckleballer. ... Toronto is 34-17 when hitting a HR and 6-13 without one. Danny Duffy Jersey .com) - Robert Martin and Josh Hicks combined for more than 300 yards rushing and three touchdowns, as Rutgers rolled past North Carolina, 40-21, in the Quick Lane Bowl. Drew Butera Jersey . The Earthquakes (6-9-7) were coming off a 5-0 loss at home last Saturday to FC Dallas. Even with the draw, the Sounders (13-7-3) climbed back into a tie for both the Western Conference and overall top spot in MLS. Seattle, West co-leader Real Salt Lake and East leader Sporting Kansas City all have 42 points. http://www.royalsteamproshop.com/Royals-Blaine-Boyer-Kids-Jersey/ . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Jason Hammel Jersey . Right-hander Todd Redmond took the loss. Jose Bautista hit his second home run of the spring. Here are a handful of tidbits from around camp: Hutchison impressive The Blue Jays are being cautious when talking about their young arms but internally, excitement is building over the way Drew Hutchison is looking and performing this spring. Alex Gordon Jersey . Like a magic trick, the puck popped out behind Stalock in the San Jose net. While Sharks coach Todd McLellan decried the legality of the tiebreaking goal, the Los Angeles Kings celebrated their latest, greatest escape yet.CHANDLER, Ariz. - Those bad guys from New England finally made it out West, and it didnt take long for them to begin circling the wagons.An angry Robert Kraft led the way on a rainy Monday night in the desert, reading from a defiant speech crafted at 35,000 feet on the way out. It came straight from the heart, the owner of the New England Patriots said, because someone other than Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had to stand up for truth, justice and the American way.Actually, someone just had to explain what happened to those deflated balls in the AFC championship final, but that wasnt going to happen. Not here and certainly not now, with the Super Bowl just days away and the Patriots desperate for a way to turn the controversy over deflated balls to their advantage.That, really, was what all this was about. If Belichick was struggling to rally his players around their collective wounded pride, their owner wasnt going to let any more time pass before taking his shot.Kraft was nothing but all in, declaring that his coach and players had way too much integrity to engage in any kind of shenanigans. To even suggest so, he said, was so offensive that someone really ought to be apologizing, and he wasnt just talking about Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman.If the (Ted) Wells investigation is not able to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs, I would expect and hope the league would apologize to our entire team, and in particular to coach Belichick and Tom Brady, for what theyve had to endure this week, Kraft said.If his righteous anger was a bit overboard, Kraft certainly had his reasons for taking the podium at the team hotel before Belichick and Brady faced the assembled media for the first time since arriving a few hours earlier.Clearly, he was looking to take some heat off of Belichick and Brady, who by now have already claimed ignorance about the deflated balls in so many ways that even the media seems tired of asking the questions. But ask they do, because its Super Bowl week and even the slightest hint of controversy is like raw meat to the insatiable appetite of television and the Internet.So Kraft tried to turn it to an advantage by declaring his love for both Belichick and Brady, rallying the troops with the classic uss against them mentality that coaches love to use to motivate their teams.ddddddddddddTom, Bill and I have been together for 15 years. They are my guys, Kraft said. They are part of my family. Bill, Tom and I have had many difficult discussions over the years. Ive never known them to lie to me. Thats why Im confident in saying what I just said.It didnt take long for Belichick to get on the podium and pay his owner back. Dressed for success in coat and tie instead of the traditional hoodie, he said he was forever indebted to Kraft for working out a trade to get him from the New York Jets, had a great personal and professional relationship with the owner, and loved everything about the organization.Oh, and he wished Patriots fans well in the massive snowstorm hitting the New England area, saying they have the kind of toughness and teamwork to get through it just like the football team they cheer for would get through its own ordeals.As for those deflated balls? Well, the owner had already had his say, so there was nothing left to add.I appreciate the questions, but Ive covered everything that I can cover in the previous week and my attention is focused on the Seattle Seahawks, he said. Our job is to get ready to play this game Sunday and thats where its going to be from here on out.Brady followed in lockstep, proving if nothing else that the Patriots had a game plan for the media this week and are sticking to it. By then, the assembled media seemed exhausted and barely brought up the controversy in a passing reference to one of the greatest passers ever.Brady did manage to mention, though, how much he loves his owner, too.Ive been fortunate to play 15 years and its a privilege to play for this team, he said. Mr. Kraft, Jonathan (son of Robert Kraft), theyre family to me and Id love to go out and play my tail off and play as best as I possibly can and try to go win a Super Bowl for him.On Sunday, the Patriots just may do that, and with properly inflated balls, to boot.Then maybe the talk will not be about deflated balls or cheating coaches. Instead, it will be about how the guys who are supposed to be so bad can be so good.____Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. 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