PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Canadian Erik Bedard pitched into the fifth inning in his bid to win a spot in Tampa Bays rotation, helping the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Saturday. Bedard, from Navan, Ont., allowed three runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings. The left-hander is competing with Jake Odorizzi and Cesar Ramos to earn the fifth starters job as a fill-in for the injured Jeremy Hellickson, whos recovering from elbow surgery and expected to miss the first six to eight weeks of the season. The 35-year-old started 26 games and was 4-12 with a 4.59 ERA in 32 appearances with the Astros last season. Through four spring appearances, including two starts, hes 2-1 with a 7.15 ERA. Rays manager Joe Maddon reiterated that the decision on the No. 5 starter will not be based on statistics alone. "Thats good because the ERA isnt good now," Bedard said. "Every teams different. Sometimes they look at that and some teams dont," the former Orioles and Mariners pitcher added. "They know its spring and youre working on your stuff and just getting ready for the season." Mikie Mahtook hit a grand slam and Evan Longoria added a RBI single off Blue Jays starter Sean Nolin, who allowed five second-inning runs. Four Tampa Bay relievers -- Brandon Gomes, Grant Balfour, Joel Peralta and Brad Boxberger -- combined to hold the Blue Jays hitless over the final 4 2-3 innings. Kevin Pillar had a RBI triple off Bedard, then scored on the leftys wild pitch for a 2-0 Toronto lead in the second. "The pitching was spectacular," Rays manager Joe Maddon said, noting that Gomes, whose ERA remained at 0.00, was exceptionally sharp in 1 2-3 innings. "He cant throw any better than he is right now," Maddon added. STARTING TIME Blue Jays: Nolin began with a perfect first, then walked three and allowed five hits during Tampa Bays five-run second. His spring training ERA ballooned from 4.91 to 11.81 after the 1 2-3 inning outing. Rays: Maddon said Bedard, Odorizzi and Ramos likely will all have at least one more appearance before a decision is made on the fifth starter. "Theyre all three in the running," Maddon said, declining to say who has the inside track. Bedard is trying to keep the competition in perspective. "Im not really worried. Ill just do what I can, and the decisions theirs," Bedard said. "Theyll do what they want, and thats fine with me." TRAINERS ROOM OF Wil Myers fouled a pitch off his right quad muscle during the Rays split-squad game against the Pirates in Bradenton and was removed from the lineup for precautionary reasons. Rays RH Juan Carlos Oviedo has resolved visa issues in the Dominican Republic and reported to camp Saturday. The former Royals and Marlins reliever spent the entire 2013 season on the disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery. He will throw to some batters during Mondays off day, and a decision on when hell pitch in a game will be made after that. HOWS IT GOIN? Toronto infielder Ryan Goins went 0 for 3, leaving him at .171 with no extra-base hits and no RBIs in 12 spring games. He spent time at second base and shortstop against the Rays, the positions he played last season while making his major league debut. The 26-year-old Goins hit .252 with two home runs and eight RBIs for Toronto after being called up in August. Toronto manager John Gibbons said Goins might be pressing a bit. "He knows he belongs in the big leagues," Gibbons said. "Hes a young kid." NO WORRIES Most of Torontos top hitters got the day off and didnt make the 2-hour drive. Jose Bautista, Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera were among the regulars out of the lineup. The Blue Jays havent scored more than five runs for 12 straight games against big league squads. "We havent had that big outburst yet," Gibbons said. David Robertson Jersey . They were expecting him there all along. The Pacers announced Friday night that George has been cleared "to return to normal basketball activity," a decision made three days after he was concussed in Game 2 of the Indiana-Miami series. Phillies Jerseys 2020 .The McLaren MP4-30 was launched on Thursday, with chief executive Ron Dennis saying it marks the start of a lengthy journey back to winning grands prix and eventually world championships.McLaren, which hasnt won a grand prix since 2012, will be using Honda engines for the first time since 1992, and has signed two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to partner Jenson Button for the upcoming season. https://www.cheapphilliesjerseys.us/457n...y-phillies.html. -- Deshorn Brown scored twice, the first coming 13 seconds into the game, and the Colorado Rapids beat the undermanned Seattle Sounders 5-1 Saturday night. Del Ennis Jersey . PETERSBURG, Florida – Its been almost seven years since the Blue Jays last won a series at Tropicana Field. Jim Thome Jersey . -- Lara Gut of Switzerland regained the overall World Cup lead with Sundays super-G win in Lake Louise, Alta. MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City smashed through the 100-goal barrier in the Premier League with a 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday that moved the team two points clear with a game left and within touching distance of a second title in three years. City turned a match gripped with tension into a procession with four goals in the final 26 minutes, with Edin Dzekos double ending Villas stubborn resistance and Yaya Toures spectacular solo goal completing the scoring in injury time. A draw at home to West Ham on Sunday will be enough for City to settle a thrilling title race, with only Liverpool capable of stopping them. Chelsea, in third place, has been knocked out of contention. If City does go on to capture the championship, it will have done so in style under attack-minded coach Manuel Pellegrini -- just as was desired by the clubs Abu Dhabi owners. "In the way we play, I am very happy to win the title this way," said Pellegrini, speaking as if the Premier League trophy was already in Citys hands. "There are different ways to win titles -- I choose this one with attractive football ... Maybe you can win titles other ways. For me, the esthetic part is very important." City has been most pundits favourite the whole season but the team is doing it the hard way -- just like in 2012 when it won the title with two injury-time goals in its final match. Pellegrinis side has been top for just 11 days this season - compared to 59 for Liverpool, 64 for third-place Chelsea and 128 for fourth-place Arsenal. But City has hit form just as Liverpool has started to blunder, dropping five points in its last two games. City, by contrast, has won its last four matches and has a superior goal difference of 13 to Liverpool. Also Wednesday, Sunderland beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to guarantee another season in the Premier League and virtually relegate Norwich, which is three points behind West Brom but with a much inferior goal difference. There was a party atmosphere inside Etihad Stadium as City fans celebrated Toures brilliant goal, a powerful run through Villas defennce from inside his own half.dddddddddddd For the first 63 minutes, however, it had been very different. Villas packed defence had held firm under constant pressure and it was looking like one of those nights for City. Pellegrini remained calm on the touchline, though, and the hosts didnt abandon their passing philosophy, eventually making the breakthrough in the 64th when full back Pablo Zabaleta -- on yet another raid down the right -- crossed for Dzeko to steer home from close range. The goal was greeted by an outpouring of relief by the home fans but Dzeko -- and Zabaleta for that matter -- werent finished. From another teasing centre by Zabaleta, Samir Nasris effort was saved by goalkeeper Brad Guzan but the ball landed at the feet of Dzeko, who dribbled the ball into the corner in the 72nd for his fifth goal in three games. Villa started to push forward and that played into Citys hands. Toure cut the ball back for substitute Stevan Jovetic to curl a low shot into the corner from the edge of the area in the 89th, before the Ivory Coast midfielder capped the win with an emphatic fourth, his 20th of the campaign. "An amazing amount of goals," Pellegrini said, who hailed Toure as "the absolute complete midfielder." Chelseas Frank Lampard is the only other central midfielder to score 20 or more goals in the Premier League era, in the 2009-10 season. A month ago, Sunderland manager Gus Poyet said it would be a "miracle" if his team stayed up but thats exactly what it has done after first-half goals by Jack Colback and Fabio Borini against West Brom. Sunderland has picked up 13 points from its last five matches -- including wins over Chelsea and Manchester United and a draw at City. "I dont know if you will see something similar ever again," said Poyet, whose team is only the second since the Premier League started in 1992 to be last at Christmas and stay up. Despite the loss, West Brom is effectively safe as it is three points clear of Norwich but with a goal difference 17 better ahead of Sundays final round of the season. ' ' '