(Sports Network) - The Toronto Blue Jays are finally starting to play up to expectations. They will be put to the test this weekend, as they start a three-game series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Thanks to a few offseason deals that landed them reigning NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, as well as Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, Toronto was expected to compete. However, the new acquisitions have either struggled or been injured and the Blue Jays sit seven games under .500 and eight games back of the American League East-leading Yankees. Toronto, though, heads to New York having won four in a row and seven of its last 10. It could be getting hot at the right time. Following this set in the Bronx, the Blue Jays can further chip into their division deficit, as they host series against both Tampa Bay and Baltimore. "All we can do from here on out is play good consistent baseball," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "Weve dug a pretty big hole, and theres a lot of good teams in our division ... so it wont be easy. There still is a lot of time, but you got to play better baseball from here on out. "Lets face it, weve got to have some pretty good streaks in there, too." Getting the call on Friday will be one of Torontos newcomers, Buehrle, who is just 1-2 with a 6.19 ERA. Buehrle pitched well his last time out in Boston, but did not get a decision, despite yielding a run and five hits in seven innings of a 3-2 win. Buehrle could have his work cut out for him on Friday, as he is just 1-9 lifetime versus the Yankees with a 6.19 ERA in 14 starts. Hes 0-1 in two starts against them this year and has allowed seven earned runs in 12 1/3 innings of those outings, both Toronto losses. He hasnt beaten them since April 10, 2004. New York, meanwhile, will counter with Japanese righty Hiroki Kuroda, who has won five of his last six decisions. Kuroda beat the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, limiting them to a pair of runs and six hits in 7 2/3 innings to run his record to 5-2 to go along with a 2.31 ERA. Kuroda defeated the Blue Jays back on April 25 and is 3-1 in five starts against them with a 3.82. New York could use a big start from Kuroda on Friday, as it enters this series having dropped two of three to the Seattle Mariners after falling 3-2 in Thursdays rubber match. Curtis Granderson finished 3-for-4 and scored a run for New York, which saw Andy Pettitte (4-3) depart after 4 2/3 innings due to a tight left trapezius muscle. The veteran left-hander, making his 499th career start, gave up two runs on four hits, walked three and struck out five. "Its been a battle my last four starts," said Pettitte. "My command just isnt what I want it to be." While the Pettitte injury doesnt seem too bad, the Yankees also lost catcher Chris Stewart to a groin injury that could land him on the disabled list. "When he went around the base and stopped, he said he felt something," Yankees skipper Joe Girardi said of his catcher. "He said it didnt pop. He said he was OK, but when we saw him run, he said it continued to hurt." The Yankees swept a four-game set from the Jays the last time these teams met in the Bronx and have won 16 of the last 18 meetings at home in this series. Authentic Geron Christian Jersey . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Redskins Jerseys Authentic China . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. http://www.cheapredskinsjerseysauthentic.com/ . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. Authentic Shaun Dion Hamilton Jersey . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Cheap Redskins Jerseys Authentic . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Isaiah Briscoe expected all those NBA workouts focused on improving his game to pay off with efforts like this.Judging from how newcomer DeAaron Fox shook off a rough start, Briscoe picked up some leadership pointers as well.Briscoe and Fox each scored a career-high 21 points, Malik Monk added 16 and No. 2 Kentucky pulled away from Canisius early in the second half for a 93-69 victory Sunday night.Briscoe topped his previous high of 20 last December at UCLA behind 9-of-13 shooting that helped Kentucky (2-0) rally from a seven-point first half deficit to build a 44-35 halftime advantage.I was just doing whatever I needed to do to keep my team in the game, said Briscoe, who attended those camps before returning for his sophomore season. We came out sluggish, we werent hitting shots, so I had to keep us in the game.Freshmen and fellow guards Fox and Monk combined to shoot 11 of 24 en route to career scoring bests in their short careers, while 6-foot-10 newcomer Bam Adebayo had 14 points and 11 rebounds a game after a foul-plagued debut Friday night.Those contributions came only after the Wildcats endured some early struggles. A 9-2 deficit forced Kentucky coach John Calipari to call timeout and calm his team down.When youre playing so many young guys, sometimes you just have to settle them down, he said.Briscoe spoke up as well, and the Wildcats responded with steady play that spoke volumes.Weve had to face that adversity since weve been here, Fox said, but hes done that in a few games last year. We all just listened to what he was saying.Kentucky shot 51 percent from the field.Kassius Robertson had 16 points, Jermaine Crumpton 13 and Phil Valenti 12 for Canisius (0-1) in the coaching debut of Reggie Witherspoon. The Golden Griffins initially pushed the pace and had Kentucky reacting but had no long-term answer for the Wildcats pace and backcourt.THE BIG PICTURECanisius: Solid shooting initially helped the Golden Griffins, whoo made 46 percent in the first half and played Kentucky nearly even on the boards (39-36).dddddddddddd But they committed 18 turnovers leading to 29 Kentucky points and cooled off to 37 percent shooting after the break and finished 42 percent overall.I thought it was a fast-paced game, probably a little faster than our depth handled tonight, Witherspoon said. We were able to move the ball and get some good looks, but a team like this (Kentucky) recovers quickly and sometimes a good look can still be difficult. We had pockets where we played well, but werent able to sustain it.Kentucky: The Wildcats also shot a respectable 46 percent in the first half behind Briscoes 7-of-8 performance and had some nice ball movement between the guards down the stretch. They were less generous with the ball compared to the opener, finishing with just 10 assists on 31 baskets.POLL IMPLICATIONSNext week might provide a definitive answer as Kentucky steps up the competition Tuesday night against No. 12 Michigan State at the Champions Classic in New York.BAMS BOUNCE-BACKAdebayo had plenty of room to grow from a five-point, one-rebound debut limited to just 15 minutes by four fouls. The freshman committed just two fouls against Canisius and earned initial career bests with points, rebounds and 27 minutes.I just wasnt as focused as much as I should have, and tonight I just started focusing, he said.UP NEXTCanisius: Visits Cleveland State on Tuesday night in the second game of the Bluegrass Showcase, an event that also features Duquesne, Cleveland State and UT Martin playing games at campus sites.Kentucky: Faces Michigan State on Tuesday in New York. The schools last met in the same event two years ago in Chicago, a 78-74 Spartans victory that brought them within 12-11 in the series.---More AP College Basketball: collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '