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TORONTO – When R.A. Dickey toed the rubber on Saturday afternoon for arguably his most important start since his arrival in Toronto almost two years ago, he wasnt treating the outing differently than any of the other 64 starts hed made in a Blue Jays uniform. "Its all the same preparation. Its all the same attempts at execution. None of it changes," said Dickey. "I think what happens is it makes it exciting for fans when the media can build it up to be whatever they think it is but for us, as competitors in the middle of it, its a game were trying to win." The Blue Jays entered Saturdays middle game with the Rays coming off a disappointing 1-0 loss on Friday night, a defeat which dropped the club four-and-a-half games behind Kansas City and Seattle for the American Leagues second wild card spot, needing a bounce back win. The margin for error is slim. To get to 89 wins, the pace at which the Royals and Mariners are playing, Toronto had to go 13-3 in its final 16 games. The players dont need calculators to do the math. But Dickey insisted hes not much for the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division at this time of year. "I think thats your job," said Dickey. "I think thats the job of the media is to create a buzz, to create drama. I mean, thats part of the beauty of the media but if youre talking about the actual player and what happens inside the culture of the clubhouse its a game that you want to win, just like you would any other game." Dickeys enjoyed a strong second half of the season. But outside of the win-loss statistic, hes not been appreciably better than in the first half. This has been a good year for the knuckleballer, although he doesnt seem to get much credit for it. Perhaps thats because hell always be linked to the players the Jays traded to the Mets to acquire him, although Travis dArnaud and Noah Syndergaard still are working to establish themselves as every day, big league players. Perhaps its because we got caught in the trap of believing that Dickey would move into the American League East and be Cy Young-calibre dominant like he was in New York in 2012. As was the case in the second half of 2013, Dickeys walk rate and home runs against rate are down from the first half. Prior to the All-Star Break, Dickey issued free passes to 9.2 per cent of hitters he faced, a number thats dropped to 5.9 per cent post-Break. In the first half, he allowed a home run to one of approximately every 34 hitters; in the second half, one of approximately every 38 batters has taken him deep. Saturday marked Dickeys 33rd start at Rogers Centre. Hes got an understanding of how best to limit the damage in his home stadium, a park which plays much differently than New Yorks Citi Field, his Cy Young-winning stomping grounds "I think I figured out after about two-thirds of the season last year what the adjustments needed to be for me in order to (succeed)," said Dickey. "I cant walk guys and I need to try to minimize the long ball. Those two things for me in this park, I can get away with that in other parks it seems because I dont have to worry so much about the long ball. The ball just doesnt carry as much as it does here. I do give up some fly balls because Im a knuckleball pitcher." The key is to keep hitters off-balance with heavily varied velocities. Dickey will throw a hard knuckleball in the high-70s miles per hour. Hell mix in knuckleballs on the low end in the mid-60s, something of an Eephus pitch. Hes also worked to keep the knuckleball down in the zone, especially against power hitters. "When I have count Ive gone lower in the zone whereas traditionally Ive pitched up in the zone to try to get strikeouts and whatnot," said Dickey. "Ive made an adjustment to try to work down in the zone a lot more consistently. Ive tried to keep guys off the base paths as much as possible via walk. All those things together I think have helped. A lot of it has to do with trying to throw good knuckleballs down in the zone." Dickey turns 40 on October 29. Ideally, hed like to spend a birthday before he retires in the middle of a World Series. Hes not focused on the big picture. Not at this time of year. Its the old, boring cliché because its true: one day, one game, at a time. "You are where you are," said Dickey. "If you win, great, youve prepared and tried to execute things in batting practice and in the bullpen sessions to try to get you to the best place to win, just like you would any other game. If you dont win then youve got another game tomorrow and youve got to try to win it. Its relentless. We dont have time to get caught up in the pressure of it all." Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . - Wesley Matthews got a chance to practice his bow-and-arrow 3-point celebration on Sunday night. Cheap Winnipeg Jets Jerseys . -- Justin Verlander took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and won his fourth straight decision, leading Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 9-4 Sunday and extending the Tigers winning streak to a season-high five games. http://www.cheapwinnipegjetsjerseys.com/ . Fans holding laudatory signs started showing up at Yankee Stadium when the gates opened at 4 p.m. Monday, an hour early in order to give them a chance to watch the New York captain take batting practice. Cheap Jets Jerseys Authentic . On Thursday, a judge said Varlamov could be released if he posted $5,000 bond and be allowed to travel with the team but he was ordered to stay away from his girlfriend, among other restrictions. Wholesale Jets Jerseys . Just as the meeting was beginning, Major League Baseball unveiled Rule 7.13, an experimental rule for the 2014 season aimed at eliminating what the league calls “egregious” runner/catcher collisions at home plate.BALTIMORE - J.J. Hardy signed a $40 million, three-year contract with the Orioles on Thursday night, the eve of Baltimores first appearance in the AL Championship Series since 1997.The contract, which comes with an option for 2018, goes into effect after his current deal expires at the end of this season.Executive vice-president Dan Duquette figured there was no time like the present to lock up a two-time Gold Glove winner at a key infield position.Why not now, really? Duquette said. When we looked at the market, we thought the best chance to sign J.J. was before he went to free agency because hes distinguished himself as one of the top shortstops in the league. And J.J. let us know that he wanted to continue his career here in Baltimore.Hardy has been a fixture at shortstop for the Orioles since 2011, playing solid defence and providing decent hitting in a lineup filled with sluggers.Although he hit only nine homers this season, Hardy totalled 77 long balls over the previous three years and won Gold Gloves in 2012 and 2013.Free agency was temppting, but in the end Hardy wanted to stay with the Orioles.ddddddddddddIt crossed my mind, but at the same time this is where I wanted to be, he said. Theres a lot of uncertainty in free agency. You dont know whats going to happen. I knew that I liked it here and I liked playing with all my teammates. Bottom line, it comes down to winning and I think weve got a good thing here.The 32-year-old Hardy batted .268 with 52 RBIs in 141 games during the regular season, then went 3 for 10 in Baltimores three-game sweep of Detroit in the AL Division Series.In the field, he ranked second among AL shortstops with 99 double plays turned, was third in fielding percentage (.978) and assists (394), and fifth in putouts (187).Hardy is a two-time All-Star, in 2007 with Milwaukee and last year as a member of the Orioles.I hope J.J. ends his career here, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. It makes us a better club, obviously. Hes been solid. You never take for granted what J.J. brings.___AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. 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