Schafer already was rounding third when Schafer

On little sleep after travelling back from Quebec in the morning and under soggy conditions, Winnipeg Goldeyes pitcher Chris Salamida made sure the Goldeyes started a seven-game homestand with a win. Brock Burke Jersey . Salamida went eight innings to lead the Goldeyes (25-14) to a 4-1 victory over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (23-18) in front of 5,023 rain-soaked fans at Shaw Park Friday night. Thanks to the St. Paul Saints losing to the Sioux Falls Canaries, Winnipeg now has a three-game lead on the RedHawks and Saints in the American Associations North Division. After giving up the games first run in the top of the fourth inning off an infield single, Salamida retired the next 13 consecutive RedHawks and his teammates did the rest. "When you have a defence like that, its pretty easy to pitch," Salamida said. "You cant ask for a better situation." The Goldeyes quickly took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, as Reggie Abercrombie singled in Ray Sadler and Donnie Webb scored thanks to a balk by Fargos starting pitcher Drew Bowlin. Winnipeg added a run in the seventh when Casey Haerther singled in Ryan Pineda and another in the eighth when Luis Alen dropped a single into right field to score Abercrombie. "We came off a pretty good road trip and everybody is swinging the bat pretty well right now," Abercrombie said. Haerther led Winnipeg with three hits in the game to improve his league-leading batting average to .376. Salamida, who allowed just one run in eight innings of work and struck out seven, improved his record to 3-3 with the win. "I hated facing him when I was in Sioux Falls and I have even more praise being on his team than when I played against him," Abercrombie said of Salamida. "When hes on, its pretty hard to hit him." Bowlin suffered his first loss of the year for Fargo, while Chris Kissock pitched the ninth inning for his seventh save of the season. The second game of the four-game series between the Goldeyes and RedHawks goes Saturday night at Shaw Park. Lefty Nick Hernandez (3-0, 3.51) will take the ball for Winnipeg against Fargos Taylor Stanton (1-4, 3.72). The game was delayed 34 minutes by rain. Wei-Chieh Huang Jersey .J. -- John Elway says Peyton Manning cannot stamp himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history even if he wins the Super Bowl on Sunday. Brett Martin Jersey . The 18-year-old Januzaj has made his breakthrough at United this season, including scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Sunderland before the recent international break. His performances have sparked a debate about where his international future lies. https://www.cheaprangersbaseball.com/2302h-goose-gossage-jersey-rangers.html . Chris Johnson singled with two outs off left-hander Jerry Blevins (1-1), and Schafer pinch ran. With a 2-2 count, Schafer ran on the pitch and Upton dropped a single in front of Bryce Harper. Schafer already was rounding third when Schafer bobbled the ball.The Toronto Blue Jays continued making bold moves this offseason, acquiring a power-hitting third baseman to further bolster the middle of their batting order. Numbers Game looks at Torontos acquisition of Josh Donaldson. The Blue Jays Get: 3B Josh Donaldson. Donaldson, 28, is a premier power-hitting third baseman, slugging 53 home runs over the past two seasons while playing in Oaklands pitcher-friendly stadium. He has an .840 OPS (.363 OBP, .477 SLG) over the past two seasons, which ranks 19th among qualified hitters, and his fWAR of 14.1 over the past two years ranks third in baseball, behind only Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen. 2014 PLAYER PA HR AVG OBP SLG fWAR Josh Donaldson 695 29 .255 .342 .456 6.4 Part of the reason that Donaldson has such high overall value is that, even as a converted catcher, hes an adept fielder. Over the past two years, his 31 Defensive Runs Saved ranks fourth among third basemen and his Ultimate Zone Rating of 25.4 ranks fifth. Not only is Donaldson a really productive everyday player -- and durable enough to play every day -- but hes under team control financially. Eligible for arbitration this year, Donaldson will get a sizeable raise (projected by MLB Trade Rumors to be $4.5-million), and that will continue to escalate in the years ahead. Even so, given his place in the contract cycle, Donaldson is a veritable bargain for what he provides. The Athletics Get: 3B Brett Lawrie, LHP Sean Nolin, RHP Kendall Graveman and SS Franklin Barreto. Lawrie is a 24-year-old who has more major league experience than Donaldson, and has shown plenty of raw talent, but has not been able to stay healthy. Over the past three seasons, Lawrie has hit 34 home runs, stolen 22 bases and posted a .722 OPS (.316 OBP, .406 SLG), but has shown flashes in the field, with 24 Defensive Runs Saved, ranking sixth among third basemen. His fielding numbers were excellent in 2011 and 2012, but have fallen off the past two seasons. 2014 PLAYER PA HR AVG OBP SLG fWAR Brett Lawrie 282 12 . Charlie Hough Jersey. 247 .301 .421 1.7 Though Lawrie has more major league experience, he doesnt have the same credentials as Donaldson, so his projected arbitration award this season is $1.8-million. It means the As will save some money, but they had also better hope that Lawrie can stay healthy and live up to the potential that had him rated as high as Baseball Americas No. 40 prospect in 2011. Nolin, 24, is a polished southpaw who has fared well in 20 Triple-A starts over the past couple seasons, with a 3.17 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 87 strikeouts in 105 innings. Hes pitched a couple innings for the Blue Jays over the past couple seasons and has a change-up that gives him a chance to have success at the major league level. He should be close to ready for a legitimate shot in the majors. Graveman, a 23-year-old righthander, climbed from A through Triple-A ball last season, going 14-6 with a 1.83 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 27 starts, getting into five games with the Blue Jays late in the year. While he had a low strikeout rate (115 in 167 1/3 innings), his average fastball velocity approached 93 MPH and he mixes in a 90-plus cutter. Like Nolin, Graveman should be close to getting his shot in the big leagues. Barreto has a chance to be the real prize of the deal for Oakland, eventually. The 18-year-old shortstop played Low-A ball last season, but coupled an .865 OPS (.384 OBP, .481 SLG) with 29 stolen bases (and, incidentally, 61 RBI in 73 games). It will take time for Barreto to develop, but he if he turns out to be an everday shortstop in the major leagues, then that would be a really nice long-term play for the As. Verdict: The As gave up a really good player, at a point when hes not yet prohibitively expensive, but they didnt give him up cheaply. Given the risk that goes with prospects, though, the Blue Jays have to be happy with their side of the deal. They didnt have to give up any of their top-tier pitching prospects and if Barreto ultimately provides significant value, its going to be several years down the road. Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca ' ' '