SEATTLE, Washington - Its far too early to make bold pronouncements about the return to form of Josh Johnson but, if it is to be, it had to start somewhere. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Maybe, on a glorious night in the Pacific Northwest, Safeco Field was the place. “Awesome,” said Johnson, who won just his second game of the season and first since June 23, the last game of the Blue Jays seems-so-long-ago 11-game winning streak. “What me and (pitching coach) Pete (Walker) have been working on is definitely working so got to stick with it and keep it rolling.” Johnsons performance – five innings, no runs on five hits, two walks and five strikeouts and 86 pitches – was more than the Blue Jays would need on a night when a combination of timely offense and poor defense by the Mariners conspired to put Toronto comfortably ahead by the midway point of the game. The Blue Jays won 7-2. Entering the game on a personal six-game losing skid and seemingly unable to pitch out of the stretch with any success, Johnson had given up multiple runs in the inning in which hes allowed his first base runner of the game in seven straight starts, Johnson secured a crucial double play ball to end the first. The Mariners had runners at the corners and one out. “Huge, huge,” said Johnson. “I threw some good pitches to get double plays. I hadnt been doing that in a long time so it was a good feeling.” Johnson spoke to a group of reporters on Saturday in Anaheim. Hed just thrown his bullpen, which included a lengthy chat with Walker and his catcher on Tuesday night, Josh Thole. His focus in the side session was staying on top of the baseball through his delivery. If successful, hed better command his fastball and get sharper bite on his breaking pitches. Johnson felt, on Saturday, as though hed turned a corner less than 48 hours after his latest rocky start against the Angels. Only time, his next outing, would tell the tale. He passed with flying colours. Both pitcher and manager were effusive in their praise of catcher Josh Thole, who filled in for J.P. Arencibia and handled a Johnson start for the first time this season. “Just being able to get on top of the baseball for my slider, my curveball, my fastball, threw a couple of sinkers,” said Johnson. “Thole was great back there.” “I liked the way they worked back there with Thole,” said John Gibbons. “I think we saw more curveballs than sliders and he was sticking it much better. He gave up some hits and he gave a couple where he had some base runners on but he worked out of some jams where in the past, I dont know three, four or five starts, guys were getting on and theyre opening the game up. It was a big day for him.” General manager Alex Anthopoulos was in attendance, so too was assistant Tony LaCava and professional scouting director Perry Minisian. None was there specifically for Johnsons start, the group has been along for most of the road trip, but Anthopoulos had stated for the first time publicly Johnsons status was being evaluated on a start to start basis. Johnsons bought himself more time. His next start is scheduled to be Monday afternoon, back home, against Oakland. “He was good today,” said shortstop Jose Reyes, who hit a home run on the first pitch of the ballgame. “Thats good to see JJ at least throw five shutout innings for his confidence and hopefully the next time he goes a little bit farther and pitches good for us because were going to need it.” Its too late to salvage a playoff run but Johnson still has time to salvage his own season and his reputation. Its too early to know if Tuesday was a turning point. Next Monday, against a better opponent, will be telling. Wholesale Jerseys USA . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. Cheap Jerseys Paypal . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. http://www.cheapjerseysforwholesale.us.com/ . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. RIO DE JANEIRO -- U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte apologized Friday for his behavior surrounding an incident at a Rio de Janeiro gas station, saying he should have been more careful and candid about how he described what happened after a night of partying with his teammates.But he didnt explain why he embellished details of an encounter with armed security guards and called it a robbery, and why he omitted to say that he and three teammates had vandalized a gas station restroom.Regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that am sorry, Lochte said in a lengthy post on his Instagram account. This was a situation that could and should have been avoided. I accept responsibility for my role in this happening and have learned some valuable lessons.Whatever they were, for now, hes keeping them to himself.The situation raises questions about the future for Lochte, who is planning to take time off from swimming but wants to return to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Usually known for his party boy image and love of the limelight, he now is facing a line of nervous sponsors, the possibility of legal charges in Brazil and sanctions from USA Swimming and the International Olympic Committee.The robbery flap deeply hurt Brazilians, who were eager to prove they could get street crime under control and host a safe Olympics. And it overshadowed the efforts of U.S. Olympians, who have dominated the medal count. Swimmers alone piled up 16 golds and 33 medals total at the games.Known for his outsized personality and regular `bro behavior, Lochte has always been about having fun. This is the guy who gleefully admitted eating McDonalds three times a day while winning four medals at the 2008 Beijing Games. For Rio, he dyed his dark hair white, not realizing the pools chlorine would turn it light green.His memorable props -- diamond grills on his teeth on the medal podium, crazily colored high-tops, sunglasses bearing his favorite made-up expression of Jeah! -- and easygoing, goofy nature has made him a popular and relatable star with the public and his teammates.I think that is why I do so many different things with the hair, the grills, the crazy shoes, he said in Rio, Its just my personality coming out there.Lochtes success led to his own 2013 reality TV show called What Would Ryan Lochte Do? It had a short run and left some viewers with the impression that its star was nothing more than a good-looking dim bulb. Still, lines for his autograph sessions at meets routinely stretch longer than anyone elses.As hard as he plays, Lochte works hard, too. His 12 Olympic medals are second only to Michael Phelps among U.S. male Olympians.This time Lochte was only a small part of the show. He finished fifth in his only individual event and swam on the victorious 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Instead, the biggest memory of the 32-year-old swimmer in Rio will be the grainy security video of him and teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen exiting the gas station restroom and sitting on the ground, some with hands up.Like other pro swimmers, Lochte is reliant on sponsors to foot his bills so he can focus on year-round training and travel to meets without having to hold a regular job.His sponsors, including Speedo, Ralph Lauren andd airweave premium bedding, have been in no hurry to cut ties with him, though have said they are monitoring the situation. Cheap NFL Jerseys China. he incident feeds a lot of American cliches of the bad-boy athlete, and while it was relatively minor, it is unsavory, says Thomas Ordahl, chief strategy officer at the brand consulting firm Landor.Ordahl believes its probably a good idea for companies to hold off on making decisions until the issue surrounding the dispute is sorted out. But he suspects that eventually, sponsors will probably drop Lochte.The truth is that there are enough celebrities to be attached to without bringing that kind of baggage with you, said Robert Passikoff, president and founder of the research firm Brand Keys.USA Swimming is expected to convene its executive board to discuss likely punishment, as it did when Michael Phelps was arrested for a second DUI two years ago. Technically, the four could be fined, suspended or expelled. In the Phelps case, the board announced a week after the arrest that it was suspending the sports biggest star for six months, banning him from competing in the 2015 world championships and taking away six months of his funding stipend.For Phelps, it was his third strike.This is Lochtes first major gaffe, and whatever sanctions the national governing body passes down could have little effect on the professional swimmer. Hes already said he plans to take the first extensive break of his career following the Olympics and move from North Carolina to California. A suspension could keep him out of next years world championships -- often bereft of big stars following an Olympic year -- and the Arena Pro Swim Series, a five-meet circuit in the U.S. But that would hardly impact Lochte should he decide to resume training for the 2020 games.As for the other three, Feigen has indicated he would retire after Rio and the 26-year-old is looking forward to attending law school somewhere in Texas. He made a $10,800 payment to a Rio charity that teaches martial arts to poor children after the incident, and his passport was returned. He left Brazil Friday night.Bentz and Conger stumbled just as they were getting started on the international stage, so the repercussions could linger longest with the Olympic rookies. They, along with Feigen, swam in preliminary heats, and earned gold medals when their teammates won relays in the finals.They returned home to the U.S. Friday.Bentz will be a 20-year-old junior majoring in business at Georgia this fall and Conger will be a 21-year-old senior majoring in corporate communication at Texas. They remain amateurs and presumably will continue their NCAA careers with their respective programs, which also could hand out punishment.What may take longer for everyone to forget is how the four stole the spotlight.While we are thankful our athletes are safe, we do not condone the lapse in judgment and conduct that led us to this point, USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus said. It is not representative of what is expected as Olympians, as Americans, as swimmers and as individuals.---AP Retail Writer Anne DInnocenzio in New York and AP Sports Writer Stephen Wilson in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '