. "I think some of its just baseball, i

SALT LAKE CITY - Sporting a Seahawks cap during afternoon shootaround, coach Dwane Casey reinforced a sentiment hes preached over and over again since coming to Toronto. "Relentless defence wins in any sport," he said after watching the hard-hitting, opportunistic Seahawks stymie the Broncos and their high-octane offence. Casey didnt have to say much as he and his team watched Seattles dominant Super Bowl victory from their Salt Lake City hotel Sunday night. The message had already been engrained into the mindset of his players and stuck with them in Utah the following evening. "We cant control if our shots go in, we cant make every shot but we can control when we play hard on the defensive end," DeMar DeRozan said after holding Utah to 41 per cent shooting in a 94-79 win over the Jazz Monday. "Were understanding that more and more every game." Again, the Raptors got off to a slow start on the defensive end, something that plagued them in Portland Saturday as their comeback bid eventually fell short. The Jazz shot 50 per cent and scored 27 points, closing out the opening quarter with a three-point lead before Toronto tightened the screws in the second frame. Utah scored just 17 points in the second quarter, shooting 35 per cent from the field, 0-of-7 from three-point range and was held without a single assist. The Jazz didnt score more than 18 points in any quarter after the first. "Thats an issue with our team," Casey said before the game. "For whatever reason we turn up the intensity after halftime. I dont know if they like hearing me go ballistic at halftime." "Its one of our unfortunate traits, I would say, but again well take [the win]." The Raptors resiliency was tested again as Kyle Lowry - fresh off being named Eastern Conference Player of the Month - left for the locker room late in the third quarter to get treatment on a sore right knee. Lowry has been the teams most consistent contributor but seemed off his game, shooting 1-for-8 in 25 minutes before he was ruled out for the fourth quarter. The good news is the injury doesnt appear to be a serious one. Lowry has been battling soreness in the knee for about a week, playing through it and playing well, but on Monday he couldnt get it loose. "I couldnt help my team as much as I wanted to," said Lowry, who expects to play in Sacramento on Wednesday. "I trust my teammates would get the job done and thats what they did tonight." Torontos depth and team chemistry came through with Lowry on the sideline. Greivis Vasquez, who returned from a bout of the flu, stepped in at the point and scored 12 off the bench. Amir Johnson - playing on a sore right ankle - looked better, recording a double-double. Jonas Valanciunas had one of his better games in a tough matchup against Enes Kanter and John Salmons chipped in with 13 off the bench. As it has been when one Raptor struggles or gets hurt, the next man steps up. "Thats what it is, I think were playing for each other," Vasquez said. "I want Kyle to get healthy, I want the best for each and every one of us so thats important, man. When you have a team that has such a great atmosphere in the locker room, that care about each other, its going to be scary." Most importantly, it was the defensive effort that carried them to their sixth win over the last eight games. Casey preaches it every day and his troops have all bought in. Theyve seen how far it can take them. "The good thing about it is our players were talking about it last night watching the [Super Bowl]," said the Raptors coach. "Our guys were talking about how [the Seahawks] were hitting people and thats what Ive been preaching and am preaching, hit first." "Basketball-wise, its a little bit different but you can be aggressive for 48 minutes, take away options, take away passing lanes, bump cutters, box out [and] hit people coming for rebounds." Casey, an assistant with the Sonics for 11 years, resides in Seattle during the offseason and was invited to visit the Seahawks training camp a couple summers ago, where he - along with Blazers coach and good friend Terry Stotts - got the opportunity to watch Pete Carroll at work. The takeaway for Casey was to fully embrace and stay true to his philosophy as a head coach. "[Carroll is] a guy thats comfortable in his skin and Im at that point in my career too," he said. "In his first couple of tries he tried to do it the way the organization wanted to do it and he was trying to please everybody. I think you have to coach to your personality and to the personality of your team and thats what he conveyed to [Stotts] and I when we met with him" That philosophy - defence first, second and third - has been hammered home since day one and the results are beginning to reflect it. Entering Mondays games the Raptors ranked sixth in defensive efficiency, just behind the leagues heavy hitters (Indiana, Chicago, Golden State, Oklahoma City and San Antonio). On Monday they surrendered just 79 points, matching the second lowest total theyve given up all year. "I dont care who is playing, when you play the Utah Jazz, its a brand of basketball thats very difficult," Casey said. "Youre going to have to grind it out, youre going to have to earn every inch, every yard in this place and we did tonight." "The rest of the way, before the [All-Star] break, were going to have to grind it out mentally and physically," he continued. "Thats how its going to be because people are going to come out throwing haymakers at us and weve got to be physically and mentally prepared for it." On the season, theyre now 22-6 when holding teams under 100 points. Theyre 20-4 when opponents shoot below 45 per cent. Andy Isabella Jersey . After two months of mediocrity, perhaps the Washington Nationals have turned the page. Strasburg struck out 11 in seven innings Wednesday night and the Nationals kept the Philadelphia Phillies bats quiet yet again in an 8-4, rain-interrupted win. Byron Murphy Jersey . Orlando is to begin play in the MLS for the 2015 season. Kaka, who currently plays with AC Milan, is expected to be loaned out to his home club Sao Paulo for the upcoming season before joining Orlando for next season. http://www.cheaparizonacardinalsjerseysauthentic.com/. But qualifying for her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts after years of falling short in tough Manitoba provincial championships is as good as consolation prizes get for the 29-year-old from Winnipegs Fort Rouge Curling Club. Arizona Cardinals Jerseys China . Coaches are now allowed to challenge both called and potential defensive pass interference fouls under certain conditions. Kurt Warner Jersey . -- Arizona coach Sean Miller rose from his seat every time Roberto Nelson touched the ball and yelled "Shooter!" He could have been talking about his own team, too.TSN 1050s Scott MacArthur and TSN contributors Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star and Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com discuss why the Blue Jays are so inconsistent, J.A. Happs future in the rotation and manager John Gibbons usage of R.A. Dickey. Click here to listen to The Baseball Podcast. TORONTO - R.A. Dickey may have gotten the win on Tuesday night, his fourth victory of the season, but he suggested afterward he would spend the next 18 hours beating himself up over the way that seventh inning played out. Dickey started the inning with a 5-1 lead, the Jays had just scored three in the sixth to pad their advantage, but he wouldnt finish the inning. In fact, he didnt get an out over four batters. A lead off single by Asdrubal Cabrera could have been erased on a double play ground ball by David Murphy, but Brett Lawrie booted the hot shot at second base. A walk and a hit batter later, Torontos lead was cut to 5-2 and Dickeys night was over. Aaron Loup came in and chipped his way out of Dickeys jam, although two inherited runners scored to trim the lead to 5-4. That would be the games final score. The knuckleballer wants to pitch deeper into games but he knows his stat line isnt the top priority. "We want to win ballgames," said Dickey. "Regardless of how I feel about how deeply I go. If thats the right move, its the right move and if it ends in a win, great. I just think that Im more than capable with the stuff that I possess presently to be able to go deeper into games and I think I will." Dickeys thrown 53 2/3 innings over nine starts. Thats relatively simple math: hes averaging just less than six innings per start. Last year, Dickey averaged almost 6 2/3 innings per outing. There are a lot of starts left but using the current numbers, a two out per start difference means the Jays bullpen would be asked to pick up about 70 more outs in Dickeys starts over the course of a full year. "More frustrated is kind of how I feel," said Dickey. "I think some of its just baseball, i.e. a hit batsman or a single on a 1-2 count that you should have gotten the guy out on. I dont want to over-think it or overanalyze it but at the same time I also want to be honest about the things I maybe could do differently to get us deeper into the game." Dickey is healthy, something he couldnt say this time last year as he pitched through a strained muscle in his upper back. He isnt tiring later into games, something he suggested was happening earlier this season and when he studies his velocities inning-over-inning the readings reflect improved durability. Hes pleased just as much with the movement on his knuckleball. "I think, from my end, I just have to keep feeling good," said Dickey. "I think as long as Im healthy and feeling good over the course of the next 24 starts, quite a few of them Ill be able to go deeper into the game if I can just stay healthy." Dickey was drafted way back in 1996. He laughs when hes told it was 18 years ago, as if hes hearing it for the first time and ccant believe how quickly time has passed.ddddddddddddTheres certainly some truth to the latter. He remembers breaking into the game at a time when it was assumed starters would take the ball and for better or worse, keep it. "Its obvious that the majority of pitchers now, generationally that are new that come up into the game, have this 100-pitch threshold where its almost like theyve been convinced that thats as far as they are capable of going because thats always when theyve been taken out of games," said Dickey. "Early on, and Im talking about 2000, 2001 when I was first up, guys would routinely throw 120 (pitches) like it was nothing and they would just suck up the innings as much as they could." Dickey subscribes to the notion that strict pitch counts can affect a pitchers approach as a game wears on. "A starter that sees that hes close to 100 pitches maybe starts to anticipate that his time may be done instead of thinking to himself, Im going to keep going through this because this is my game," said Dickey. "Theres been a shift in mentality for sure." He remembers a start at Fenway Park last September. Dickey threw a complete-game eight innings in a 5-2 loss to the Red Sox. He was in trouble early but settled down, gave his team a chance to win and saved the bullpen a days work. He points to Drew Hutchisons start earlier this month in Philadelphia. Staked to a 5-0 lead and cruising, Hutchison coughed up five runs in the sixth inning but hung in to pitch the seventh and eighth. The Blue Jays would win 6-5 in 10 innings that night. "I do think that there are certain times on a case by case basis, depending on the game situation, where its good for the starter to grind through that seventh and eighth inning," said Dickey. "I did that a number of times last year when I would give up four or five runs and go seven or eight innings just to save the pen. Now, were early in the year, were trying to get wins, however (Gibbons) thinks that we can do that, thats what we should do." WAGNER ON THE CAROUSEL Neil Wagner is back with the Blue Jays, recalled before Wednesdays game against the Indians. Hes up for the second time this season. As a player with options remaining, trips to and from Buffalo are to be expected when part of an organization that sees value in regular player movement. "The fact that you know that thats just kind of how it is and that theres nothing that can be done about it doesnt make it any less frustrating but the bottom line is that if you go down there and put up your numbers and do your thing," said Wagner. "If you sit and mope youre not going to come back." Wagner replaces Chad Jenkins, who was optioned back to Buffalo for a third time, already, this season. Also, the Blue Jays recalled catcher Erik Kratz from the Bisons to fill the roster spot voided by Dioner Navarro, who was placed on the bereavement/family emergency list. Navarro can return at any time and has up to seven days to be away from the team. 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