I was privileged enough to attend the 783rd consecutive sellout at Fenway Park on Friday night when the Red Sox took on the Blue Jays. There's just one problem with that, though. In order to have a sellout, you really need to have the seats filled, don't you? I don't think this gets the job done.

Nice sellout, wouldn't you say, John Henry?

Sunday's TV schedule, complete with channels and times, customized for the Boston sports fan. Click on any team's name for complete schedules, scores, and previews, plus an active community devoted to your team. All times ET.

National Football League:

New England Patriots vs. Tennessee Titans - 1 p.m. (TV/Radio: Ch.4/WBZ-FM 98.5) Tom Brady and the Patriots begin their 2012 regular season as they visit Chris Johnson and the Titans. Can the Pats get the year started off on the right foot? Follow along with this StoryStream and Pats Pulpit.

Major League Baseball

Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays - 1:35 p.m. (TV/Radio: NESN/WEEI 850, 93.7) The Red Sox try to stop a three-game losing streak as they send Clay Buchholz to the mound against the Blue Jays. Stay updated on this game and the series with this StoryStream and Over The Monster.

More sports on TV Sunday after the jump.

National Football League

Washington Redskins vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. (Ch. 25)

San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers, 4:35 p.m. (Ch. 25)

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos, 8:20 p.m. (Ch. 7)

Major League Baseball

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles, 1:30 p.m. (TBS)

Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:35 p.m. (WGN)

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Tennis

U.S. Open Men's Semifinal: Novak Djokovic vs. David Ferrer, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)

U.S. Open Women's Final: Serena Williams vs. Victoria Azarenka, 4:30 p.m. (Ch. 4)

Golf

BMW Championship, noon ET (Golf Channel)

BMW Championship, 2 p.m. ET (Ch. 7)

Saturday's TV schedule, complete with channels and times, customized for the Boston sports fan. Click on any team's name for complete schedules, scores, and previews, plus an active community devoted to your team. All times are Eastern.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays - 1 p.m. (TV/Radio: NESN/WEEI): The Red Sox send Clay Buchholz to the mound to face Carlos Villanueva and the Blue Jays in Toronto.

New England Revolution vs. D.C. United - 7:30 p.m. (TV/Radio: CSN/WBZ-FM 98.5): The Revolution travel to Washington, D.C. in search of their second-straight win.

Boston College Eagles vs. Northwestern Wildcats - 3:30 p.m. (TV/Radio/WEEI) Boston College faces Northwestern out of the Big Ten as they go on the road for the first time this season.

More sports on TV Saturday, including a large slate of college football games, after the jump.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Wake Forest vs. Florida State (Noon) ESPN

California vs. Ohio State (Noon) ABC

William & Mary vs. Towson (Noon) NBC Sports Network

Arkansas State vs. Nebraska (Noon) ESPN2

TCU vs. Kansas (Noon) FX

Virginia Tech vs. Pittsburgh (Noon) ESPNU

Northern Illinois vs. Army (Noon) CBS Sports

Western Michigan vs. Minnesota (Noon) Big Ten Network

Rhode Island vs. Villanova (3:30 p.m.) CSN

North Carolina vs. Louisville (3:30 p.m.) ESPN2

Navy vs. Penn State (3:30 p.m.) ABC

Alabama vs. Arkansas (3:30 p.m.) CBS

Virginia vs. Georgia Tech (3:30 p.m.) ESPNU

East Carolina vs. Southern Mississippi (3:30 p.m.) CBS Sports

Miami (OH) vs. Boise State (4 p.m.) NBC Sports Network

Portland State vs. Washington (4 p.m.) FX

Florida vs. Tennessee (6 p.m.) ESPN

Western Kentucky vs. Kentucky (7 p.m.) ESPNU

Arizona State vs. Missouri (7 p.m.) ESPN2

Southern California vs. Stanford (7:30 p.m.) FOX

Colorado vs. Fresno State (8 p.m.) CBS Sports

Notre Dame vs. Michigan State (8:07 p.m.) ABC

Texas vs. Mississippi (9:15 p.m.) ESPN

BYU vs. Utah (10 p.m.) ESPN2

Howard vs. Norfolk State (10:30 p.m.) ESPNU

Utah State vs. Wisconsin (8 p.m.) Big Ten Network

MLB

Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees (3:30 p.m.) FOX

SOCCER

Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders (3:30 p.m.) NBC

Yunel Escobar has been pulling his best Ozzie Guillen impression all week long. First, the Toronto Blue Jays player (justifiably) drew fire for wearing a homophobic slur on his eye black, then managed to fill his "public apology" with a slew of tired gay stereotypes. But Escobar does have one ally in baseball at the moment. Who is that, you may ask? Why, Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen! And now we have come full circle, my friends.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet grabbed a couple of extremely unfortunate quotes from the Guillen, who keeps cramming his feet into his mouth as hard and as often as he possibly can. The hot-water-dwelling manager fairly leaped at the chance to defend the slur "maricon" as a problem of semantics.

Ozzie Guillen on Escobar: In my house we call that word every 20 seconds. Ive got three kids. For us its like `Whats up bro? Whats up dude?'

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) September 18, 2012

It's just like "Hey, bro!" It's JUST LIKE THAT, you guys.

More Ozzie Guillen: It's how you say it and to who you say it. But that's our country. We have to respect this country.

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) September 18, 2012

Not content to leave the pass-the-buck entitlement talk at "common usage changes the meaning of words!" he ALSO managed to touch on the "well maybe it's just a cultural thing" argument as well. He's like a one-stop shop of apologist rhetoric!

If Ozzie is trying to further pad his resume for his upcoming job hunt, this ... this is not the way to do that.

For more news and information on the Miami Marlins, please visit Fish Stripes. For updates and perspective on the Toronto Blue Jays, head on over to Bluebird Banter.

The Minnesota Twins have worked their way into an unsavory race to avoid landing in last place in the American League at the end of the 2012 regular season -- something they couldn't manage to escape in 2011 -- so it's scoreboard watching time for fans that hope to retain some modicum of dignity heading into the offseason. The Twins and Cleveland Indians are locked up in last with identical 62-88 records heading into action on Friday, Sept. 21, and the remaining schedules for each team include matchups against playoff-caliber competition.

The Indians have been awful in the second half of the 2012 season, going 18-47 since the All-Star break, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Twins are safe from getting locked in the AL cellar for the winter. Joe Christiansen of the Star Tribune has broken down the remaining schedules for each team, and here is what lies ahead for the Twins and Indians:

Twins: at Tigers (3), vs. Yankees (3), vs. Tigers (3), at Blue Jays (3)

Indians: at Royals (3), at White Sox (3), vs. Royals (3), vs. White Sox (3)

For more on the Twins, visit TwinkieTown. For more on the MLB, visit Baseball Nation.

I've looked at Jays from both sides now, from win and lose and still somehow . . .

• Remember a few weeks ago when we were wondering when the sell-off in Toronto was going to start? Heck, I think it might have even been last week. All that has changed now that the Blue Jays have won 11 games in a row, tied for a franchise record. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous is trying to keep his feet on the ground, both with the earlier awful start to the season and the current hot start. He credits the starting pitching for the turnaround, but admits the Jays still have a ways to go to make the post-season.
• Jays slugger Jose Bautista and Orioles reliever Darren O'Day got into a war of words on the field on Saturday that ended with Bautista taking O'Day deep for the game-winning home run. Bautista continued to rip on O'Day after the game, saying "He ran his mouth pretty good and I didn't appreciate it." However, O'Day decided to drop the matter.
• Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has never been known as Mr. Sunshine, but lately he's been walking around with a rain cloud over his head. First, closer Jonathan Papelbon criticized the team's lack of fundamentals after he blew a save, and Manuel said he'd talk to Papelbon about his comments. Later, Manuel admitted that he didn't know if the Phillies had what it takes to turn their season around.
• Next, Manuel got into a heated exchange with a local reporter. Admittedly, the reporter was baiting him.
• Phil Rogers speculates (and yes, that's all it is) that Ryne Sandberg's time is nigh in Philly.
• Rockies manager Walt Weiss called Michael Cuddyer"one of the better kept secrets in the game." For example, did you know he has a 21 game hitting streak? I sure as heck didn't.
• With Lucas Duda going on the DL, the Mets need a first baseman, but for now, Ike Davis is going to stay in Las Vegas.
• Rays owner Stuart Sternberg talks to Jon Paul Morosi about the David Price, Tropicana Field and the possibility of baseball returning to Montreal.
• A former Cubs 43rd round draft pick hit 87 mph on the gun when he was throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at AT&T Park. Yeah, but I heard there wasn't any movement on it.
• The Red Sox named Koji Ueharatheir new closer. The Tigers named Joaquin Benoittheir new closer. Always be closing.
• Mariano Rivera doesn't want to start the All-Star game, he wants to finish it.
• Kendrys Moralesforgot the count. It's pretty funny.
• Troy Renck thinks Troy Tulowitzki, like George Washington, is the indispensable man on the Rockies.
• It's been a long time since anyone came up with a new sports celebration. It's been almost 30 years and they're still doing the Gatorade bath. But it looks like the Diamondbacks have a new one: the bubblegum shower.
• The Diamondbacks continued to show class, holding a press conference with their 34th round pick, Cory Hahn, who was paralyzed playing for Arizona State. The Diamondbacks are planning to hire him to work in the front office after he gets his degree.
• Terry Pluto thinks the 2013 Indiansare resilient.
• Bryce Harper thinks he needs more time before starting his rehab assignment. Just a day or two.
• The Angels want Howie Kendrick to start pulling the ball, but he's having too much success going the other way right now.
• Do you want to know why they waited so long to play last night's Cardinals/Rangers game? Here's why.
• The Orioles TV ratings are soaring along with the team's fortunes.
• The umpires think they called a play involving Daniel Nava correctly, but the Red Sox disagree. Who's going to win that argument?
• Tim Kawakami thinks the Giants are vulnerable, but they're not in trouble yet.
• Max Scherzer is 11-0. The secret to his, and the rest of the Tigers rotation's success? They're smart, says Jeff Passan. Ah, the Greg Maddux formula.
• Ken Rosenthal says that MLB may announce any suspensions from the Biogenesis case before the players have a chance to appeal. That way, if an arbiter reverses the suspensions, they still get to publicly shame those players. Also, they may have trouble suspending players such as Melky Cabrera and Yasmani Grandal, because they've already been suspended and you can't be suspended twice for the same offense.
• Tim Brown thinks the key to the Pirates success this season is to avoid a summer swoon like in years past. Really? Ya think? Next he's going to tell me the best way to win a game is to score more runs than you allow.
• Speaking of the Pirates, a big reason for their success this season is their closer Jason Grilli. It turns out, Grilli's agent is a former teammate of his, Gary Sheffield. Grilli is the only major league player that Sheffield represents, but he's also a bit of a coach and an adviser as well as an agent. Sheffield told him he had closer stuff and he needed to concentrate on his fastball/slider combination.
• Finally, if you're my age, you grew up watching the Dodgers on the Game of the Week most weekends. You also knew by heart their infield of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey. The Los Angeles Times takes a look back at the longest continual infield in baseball history. I've got one minor nit with the article. It says that because of free agency, we'll never again see an entire infield stay together that long. I've got news. We never saw an infield stay together that long in the 100 years of baseball before then. They were sui generis. But from 1973 to 1981, you always knew who the infielders for the Dodgers were.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.

The San Francisco Giants will activate Pablo Sandoval off the disabled list on Monday, Giants manager Bruce Bochy told Andrew Owens of MLB.com.

Sandoval has been out since June 8 with a strained tendon in his left foot. The infielder just completed a two-game rehab assignment, where he collected four hits, including two home runs.

The third baseman swung the bat well before heading to the DL, hitting .289/.326/.427 in 242 plate appearances. Sandoval is third on the team with 37 RBI, and tied with Buster Posey for second with eight home runs.

San Francisco has lost six out of their past nine games, and hope that Sandoval can provide a spark to the lineup. Bochy talked with Owens about the impact Sandoval could have on the club.

"It certainly should do something for the club. We need a lift right now. He's a big presence in the lineup and hopefully it will keep guys from trying to do too much."

The Giants cleared space for Sandoval by optioning Nick Noonan to Triple-A Fresno. Noonan hit .212/.256/.235 in 90 plate appearances this season.

More from SB Nation:

• Neyer: Can Blue Jays keep flying high?

• The butterfly effect of Carlos Less and the NL West

• Giancarlo Stanton not on the block, supposedly

• Enhance: Little Big League's baffling 'Runaround Sue' montage

• Why don't teams trade in June?

I had been working under the, very reasonable, assumption that Munenori Kawasaki would be sent down when Jose Reyes returns. But I'm coming around to the idea that he might be staying.

Every now and then, baseball front offices have to remember that baseball is entertainment, and who is more entertaining than Munenori? He has charisma that we haven't seen around here in a long time. His teammates seem to love him, which doesn't hurt. He takes a lot of pressure off the guys that don't want to be on camera after games. He's just a great guy.

He's made himself into a fan favorite. Yesterday, when the Orioles came up and inside on Kawasaki, I thought we might see the first time that fans charge the mound after a hit batter (at least in modern times). We've grown to like the guy. We've taken ownership of him, you knock him down at your own risk. I can't remember a player that we grew to love so quickly. John McDonald was a fav, but it took a few seasons for us to love him. People liked Joe Inglett, but not like this.

And he's playing good baseball. We've had fun pushing for people to write in his name on the All-Star ballot, but really, Derek Jeter has over a half million votes and he hasn't played. I mean, Munenori might not be an All-Star, but, you know, baseball is supposed to be fun and the All-Star game is supposed to be even more fun. Can you imagine how great it would be to have him at the All-Star game? Go vote.

Over the 11 game win streak, Munenori has hit .292/.393/.625 with 1 home run, 2 triples, 1 double, 4 walks and 3 strikeouts. I never expected the home run:

via images.ftw.usatoday.com

And then, in he hits a ball another long ball, just foul, into the second deck.

I didn't think we'd ever seen a home run from him, but perhaps he can turn on a pitch, once every few weeks. Even John McDonald hit 6 home runs, back in 2010. If McDonald can learn to pull a pitch, Kawasaki can.

And he takes a lot of pitches. He sees 4.18 per at bat. Not quite as many as Colby Rasmus (4.21) but slightly better than Jose Bautista (4.16). He's second on the team.

His defense? Well, Fangraphs doesn't like it much, he's got a -0.8 UZR/150. I don't know, I think his defense is is ok. The throw from deep short is a little much for him, but makes most of the plays. He has made 5 errors, and most of the have been at the worst of moments, but then, earlier in the season, every error seemed to come at the worst possible moment. I think he'll be better at second base, the throw isn't as long.

I am hoping the Jays keep Kawasaki around. My hope isn't so much based on his ability, though I think he's an ok player, it is more based on the fact that I like to be entertained.

Alex Rodriguez is the subject of much love or derision, largely depending on how much sports talk radio the fan in question listens to. That makes the idea of something like being on Twitter kind of alarming -- someone with the following, for good or bad, that Rodriguez commands, opening himself up to the public who can love or hate him fully and completely depending on the outcome of his most recent at-bat, could result in some cringe-worthy social media moments.

We won't have to hypothesize about potential Twitter disasters for much longer, as Rodriguez is on Twitter, officially, and even has the fancy blue verification check mark that tells us it's indeed him. His handle is @AROD, which brings up the question of how no one had already claimed something so obvious for their own use, or, at the least, simply to withhold it from Rodriguez should he ever want it.

I'm kind of proud of you for not doing that, internet, and proud of Rodriguez for not actually using the kind of bulky handles that fakes have come up with in the past.

He's not following anyone yet (start taking bets on which national sportswriter he will follow first in the comments, please, and if that'll happen before he follows a teammate), and has tweeted all of eight times. It also appears as if he mostly has it to tweet out his (admittedly adorable) Instagram pictures. If you check out that link soon enough, you can see some of the A-Rod haters in action in the picture comments!

Seriously, though, I'm not looking forward to viewing his mentions if he happens to strike out or pop out or muff a grounder in an important situation in October.

More from SB Nation:

• Neyer: Can Blue Jays keep flying high?

• The butterfly effect of Carlos Lee and the NL West

• Giancarlo Stanton not on the block, supposedly

• Enhance: Little Big League's baffling 'Runaround Sue' montage

• Why don't teams trade in June?

There are only four games tonight and none of them include the Yankees. If you want to watch baseball, feel free to talk about it here. You have:

Cleveland Indians @ Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 pm
Ubaldo Jimenez vs. Zach Britton

The Orioles are just two games out of first place in the AL East and hold a half game lead over the Yankees in the Wild Card. The Indians are four games back from the first place Tigers and three games out of a Wild Card spot. Nick Swisher is back in the lineup after missing time with a shoulder injury and any game with Manny Machado and Chris Davis in it is going to be exciting, but you should be rooting for the Indians tonight.

Toronto Blue Jays @ Tampa Bay Rays at 7:10 pm
Esmil Rogers vs. Jeremy Hellickson

Root for the asteroid. The Jays have won eleven in a row to bring them back into relevancy and tie the Rays for last place in the division. You might not know who to root for if you want Toronto's hot streak to end, but also want to see Tampa Bay in last place.

Philadelphia Phillies @ San Diego Padres at 10:10 pm
Cliff Lee vs. Eric Stults

The Phillies are under .500, 7.5 games behind the Braves, and 8.5 games outside of a Wild Card spot. The Padres, on the other hand, are at .500 and 3.5 games out of first place in the NL West. The Padres being successful sounds like fun and no one wants to root for Philly.

San Francisco Giants @ Los Angeles Dodgers at 10:10 pm
Madison Bumgarner vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu

Dodgers vs. Giants is always exciting, but one is in last place and the other is clinging to three games out of first place in the NL West and is in danger of being overtaken by the Rockies and Padres. Enjoy some Yasiel Puig and wish that the Yankees could get talent like that.

More From Pinstriped Bible

Hot Stove: Should the Yankees trade Robinson Cano?

Austin Romine and the Negative OPS+ Club

Mark Teixeira injury update: Wrist pain not responding to cortisone shot; surgery possible

San Francisco Giants center fielder Angel Pagan will have surgery to repair a torn hamstring and will be out for 12 weeks, manager Bruce Bochy announced Monday night.

Pagan last played for the Giants on May 25 and was placed on the 15-day disabled list with the hamstring injury on May 28. He played in his first minor-league rehab game Thursday and was 0-for-1 with a walk before the ninth inning, when he hit a ground ball to second and collapsed on his way down the first-base line. He was carted off the field, re-aggravating the hamstring that now needs surgery that may end his 2013 season altogether.

Pagan's last game on May 25 was memorable. With two outs in the bottom of the 10th and the Giants trailing 5-4, Pagan hit the first walk-off, inside-the-park home run in the majors since 2004.

Pagan, who is in the first year of a four-year, $45 million deal with San Francisco, was batting .262/.314/.374 OPS in 204 plate appearances before the injury. In his absence, Gregor Blanco has taken over the team's center-field duties, and he's batting .304/.357/.406 in 238 plate appearances.

More from SB Nation:

• Neyer: Can Blue Jays keep flying high?

• The butterfly effect of Carlos Lee and the NL West

• Giancarlo Stanton not on the block, supposedly

• Enhance: Little Big League's baffling 'Runaround Sue' montage

• Why don't teams trade in June?

The Baltimore Orioles optioned pitcher Freddy Garcia on Monday afternoon to Triple-A Norfolk, and the 36-year-old righty may refuse the assignment, according to the Associated Press.

Garcia, whom rookie Kevin Gausman replaced on the Orioles' 25-man roster, can either accept the assignment to Norfolk or become a free agent. From the AP:

Manager Buck Showalter says, "Freddy has a decision to make. He can stay with us and go to Triple-A or do something else. Hoping he stays."

Garcia has 10 starts in 11 appearances for Baltimore this season. He has a 5.77 ERA in 53 innings pitched to go with a 26-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's surrendered 16 home runs in 53 innings, and his 2.72 home runs per nine innings is the highest ratio among pitchers with at least 50 innings in 2013.

Gausman, the fourth overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, made his major-league debut on May 23 and has a 7.66 ERA in five starts for Baltimore. Showalter said the plan is to use Gausman, at least for now, out of the Orioles' bullpen.

More from SB Nation:

• Neyer: Can Blue Jays keep flying high?

• The butterfly effect of Carlos Lee and the NL West

• Giancarlo Stanton not on the block, supposedly

• Enhance: Little Big League's baffling 'Runaround Sue' montage

• Why don't teams trade in June?

Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan says he's not worried about right fielder Nelson Cruz missing playing time in the wake of Cruz's reported involvement in the Biogenesis investigation, according to ESPNDallas.com's Todd Willis.

Cruz's name was linked to the ongoing investigation in a report on ESPN's "Outside the Lines." Any suspension for performance-enhancing drugs would penalize a would-be first-time offender (like Cruz) 50 games, but Ryan says that he is not concerned his right fielder will miss time in the wake of the scandal.

"I don't know that there's a time frame that they're dealing with," Ryan said. "I know that they're in a fact-finding mode right now, so we'll just have to wait and see how that plays out. But do I worry about losing Nellie here shortly? No, I don't. I really think he'll be with us and we'll just have to see where that goes."

Cruz was one of about 20 players that "Outside the Lines" linked to the scandal. The 32-year-old has 19 home runs and is batting .271/.331/.524 for the first-place Rangers this season. He'll enter his first free agency period next year.

More from SB Nation:

• Neyer: Can Blue Jays keep flying high?

• The butterfly effect of Carlos Lee and the NL West

• Giancarlo Stanton not on the block, supposedly

• Enhance: Little Big League's baffling 'Runaround Sue' montage

• Why don't teams trade in June?

Blue Jays 1 Rays 4

Can't expect to win when you only get 4 singles. The offense took the night off against Jeremy Hellickson. We couldn't do anything against him. He pitched 7 innings of 1 hit, 4 walk ball with 4 strikeouts against our Jays,

We did make an effort in the 8th, loading the bases against Alex Torres, with just 1 out. But Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion could only plate one.

Esmil Rogers gave up back-to-back-to-back home runs in the 2nd inning. James Loney, Wil Myers and Sam Fuld took Esmil deep. Beyond that, he allowed just 1 more run. In total, 6 innings he allowed 7 hits, 4 earned, 3 walks and 2 strikeouts. If our bats had been working the way they had for the last 11 games, it would have been good enough. Rogers took out his frustrations on a throw to first, on a grounder back to him. I bet he hit 95 on that throw to Lind.

It was just a blah game. Not much for excitement, though if Edwin or Jose had come through in the 8, it would be a different story.

Edwin did do something I don't remember seeing before, he tossed 2 bats into the stands on one at bats. The first one hit a rather cute Jays fan. I hope she's alright.

via i.imgur.com

No JoD. Rasmus had the high number at .051, just ahead of JP (.049) who had 2 of our 4 singles (and a sad looking strikeout).

Suckage goes to Rogers (-.251) and Maicer Izturis (-.162, 0 for 4 with a k), but really almost any of the bats could get the award.

Tomorrow Mark Buehrle (4-4, 4.60) goes against Matt Moore (9-3, 4.13). I hope the bats arrive from Toronto in time for the game.

After the game, the Jays announce that Jose Reyes has been 'demoted' to New Hampshire (just because it is closer to Boston, where he will join with the Jays Thursday.

We had another good GameThread (though I didn't notice until now that Carm used the wrong 'you're' in the title, dock her pay I will - Yoda). 69 of us posted 1,229 comments, pretty good considering how lifeless the game was. Pikachu led the way with a gritty performance.

The Blue Jays are going to reactivate shortstop Jose Reyes from the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday, reported various beat reporters on Twitter just an hour after Toronto's 11-game winning streak was halted with a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The news might have been a little buried: the first tweet from Arash Madani came just a couple of minutes after the Chicago Blackhawks' Dave Bolland scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal.

BREAKING: The #Bluejays are activating Jose Reyes off the DL for Wednesday's game here at The Trop. #Jays

— Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) June 25, 2013

Originally, after playing four games with the Buffalo Bisons, the plan was to send Reyes to play for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats before having him rejoin the team in Fenway Park on Friday. However, today general manager Alex Anthopoulos had driven down to Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo to see the rehabbing Reyes play in person. He obviously liked what he saw during the game, because from his quotes prior to the game, Anthopoulos had wanted to see more rehab time for Reyes.

"He's not all the way there, but he says it's getting close. It's going to be good to see him and the more at-bats we get for him down here and him to go through some things, it's good for him."

"It's as much about having him get his at-bats, get his timing and stamina-wise not having to miss any time when he's back with us."

Jose Reyes went 2-for-4 in four at bats Monday night, cashing in the Bisons' only run as they lost 7-1 to the Durham Bulls. He looked like he was moving naturally, without being held back too much in the game this past Friday when I saw him in person. I hope that the Blue Jays' loss in Tampa Bay had little to do with Anthopoulos's decision. Speaking with Sportsnet's Michael Grange, Anthopoulos said that the winning streak has not dictated Reyes's timeline to return.

Asked further about who may come off the roster, Anthopoulos replied:

"Our clubhouse is strong enough, our talent is strong enough that with all due respect to whether it’s Kawasaki or a reliever or some other player, we’ll be fine."

Bisons starter Ricky Romero was ineffective in front of his GM, going just 3.1 innings, walking five and giving up five runs on six hits while only recording a couple of strike outs.

Reyes was acquired in a huge off-season trade from the Miami Marlins and was to become the Blue Jays' every day shortstop, but he was injured on April 12, just 10 games into the 2013 season sliding into second base. At the moment of his injury, Reyes was one of the only Blue Jays batters who was hitting, sporting a .395/.465/.526 line. Including Tuesday night's game, Reyes would have missed 66 team games over 73 days.

The corresponding roster move--or moves--to place Reyes on the team will be announced Wednesday. So, now it's time to really debate on what moves the Blue Jays should make on Wednesday. Tom Dakers is thinking Juan Perez's time is just about up, but I believe that the best move for the club is to option Munenori Kawasaki to Buffalo, but with that move someone will still need to be removed from the 40-man roster. Michael Schwimer may be the victim there, or perhaps the Jays would have enough justification to shift Ramon Ortiz to the 60-day disabled list.

11 games is enough. Don't be greedy, appreciate what was. Below are some links to soothe the heart ache, complements of bluebirdbanter.

JAYS LINKS

Davidi: Jays' streak comes to end in Tampa - Sportsnet.ca
"Esmil Rogers allowed three straight home runs and the offence couldn't capitalize late as the Toronto Blue Jays' winning streak came to an end with a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays Monday."

Brett Lawrie is still a couple of weeks away from a rehab assignment | HardballTalk

"Brett Lawrie has been sidelined for nearly a month with a left ankle sprain and his return doesn't exactly sound imminent. According to Gregor Chisholm of MLB."

Mike Rutsey's Q&A with Blue Jays' Jose Bautista | Blue Jays | Sports | Toronto Sun
"Jose Bautista currently is playing second fiddle in the Jays offence to good friend Edwin Encarnacion (.274, 21 HRs, 63 RBIs) but he remains as the Jays leader and go- to guy on the team."

Jose vs. The Umps | Drunk Jays Fans | Blogs | theScore.com
Apparently Jose has some legitimate beef.

Kawasaki decision gets more difficult daily - Sportsnet.ca

"His fans and teammates adore him, but there’s no starting role for Munenori Kawasaki on the Blue Jays’ roster once Jose Reyes returns this week. It won't be an easy decision for the Jays."

AL EAST LINKS

Alex Rodriguez is on Twitter and verified - SBNation.com
"See, not every A-Rod story is about injuries or Biogenesis." ARod gets twitter one day after I do. Coincidence? I think so.

Orioles send Freddy Garcia to Triple-A; are his days in MLB over? - CBSSports.com
"The Orioles removed Freddy Garcia from their roster, which might mean the end of his 15-year MLB career." Guess we may have knocked him out of the league.

Hot Stove: Should the Yankees trade Robinson Cano? - Pinstriped Bible
"The Yankees could trade Robinson Cano if they don't plan on re-signing him, but where would he be a fit and who could they get back?" I'll take him!

The Red Sox and the Kevin Youkilis trade, one year later - Over the Monster
"It's been one year to the day since the trade that sent Youkilis to the other Sox; how have things fared for both parties since?"

Austin Romine and the Negative OPS+ Club - Pinstriped Bible
"In his own (negative) way, Austin Romine is having a season for the ages."

THE REST OF THE BASEBALL UNIVERSE LINKS

Drew Smyly: Old School Relief Ace | FanGraphs Baseball
Always liked the idea of a pitcher doing the 100 inning reliever thing. Cool idea for McGowan's future?

Yuni Betancourt and Alex Gonzalez, first base, and other positional disasters - Baseball Nation
"I recently saw where the Miami Marlins' catchers this season had scored 12 runs all season. But that was a few days ago" Sad to see the Jays on here.

Carlos Gonzalez's rise to the elite goes beyond just Rocky Mountain highs - MLB - Joe Lemire - SI.com
The dude is good.

A Trade Target Leaderboard | FanGraphs Baseball
It's fun to look at something like this with the idea that the Jays might be buyers.

Phillies trade rumors: Cliff Lee, Jonathan Papelbon priced VERY HIGH - MLB Daily Dish
"The Philadelphia Phillies won't be looking to trade anytime soon and when they are ready, Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon will come at an 'very high' price, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports...."

NON-BASEBALL LINK OF THE DAY

BBC News - Knobbly reptile roamed vast ancient desert
"A bizarre reptile with knobbly growths on its head roamed a vast, isolated desert about 260 million years ago, researchers say."

The Mets had Monday evening off, and I'd assume they used that time to watch one of the more exciting ends to an NHL season I've ever seen*. Zack Wheeler probably spent the evening preparing for his second major league start though, as he's set to face Chris Sale and the White Sox this evening.

*Presumably thinking happy thoughts involving Jason Bay and home runs

Faith and Fear checked in on a few former Mets, all of whom appeared on Las Vegas 51s baseball cards from last season. I had no idea that Ruben Gotay spent last year in Vegas.

Howard Megdal spent the off-day looking at a few numbers, specifically innings pitched at Double-A and Triple-A. He came up with rough timetables of when some prospects will reach 150 or so innings at that level, which is typically when the Mets begin to consider them for promotion.

Yesterday at AA

Monday is performance meter day at AA, and yesterday brought us updates for both pitchers and position players.

Seeing as it's Wheeler day today, we mad sure to tease you a bit with a PITCHf/x review of the rookie's first start.

Does Wheeler taking the mound bring back visions of Carlos Beltran patrolling center field? Good thing we've got some highlight-reel worthy Beltran fielding in .gif form for you this morning.

A Beltran .gif is good, but hopefully a Matt Harvey version made your day even better.

Finally, we looked back at Mets history on the day that Jerry Koosman recorded his 100th win.

Around Baseball

It was a quiet night for baseball, with only four games being played. Only one of them involved an NL East team, with the Phillies doing what the Phillies do best, losing.

The Blue Jays win streak came to an end last night, as Wil Myers and the Rays beat them 4-1. Myers would have looked nice in our outfield.

Speaking of rookie outfielders that look pretty good, Yasiel Puig was at it again yesterday.

In the only other game in the majors last night, Cleveland beat Baltimore 5-2.

Even though Dustin McGowan has only appeared in 84 games in the major leagues, he actually accrued 6 years and 113 days of major league service time because his time on the disabled list counts towards his mileage. As a "veteran" with five or more years of service, McGowan receives some special rights from the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), including one where he must give written consent before being outrighted by his club. If he doesn't give consent, he can choose to refuse outright and elect free agency either immediately or effective at the end of the season.

Just a quick refresher: in order to send McGowan to the minors, the Blue Jays must send him on an outright assignment, which removes him from both the 25- and the 40-man rosters. In order for the outright assignment to go through, not only does McGowan have to give consent, but he must be placed on outright waivers, in which all 29 other teams in the MLB will have a chance to put in a claim. Should he be claimed through waivers, the claiming club pays $20,000 and accepts full responsibility for McGowan's remaining contract. Since the oft-injured McGowan is owed the remaining portion of his $1.5 million salary this year, plus $1.5 million for 2014 and a $500,000 buyout in 2015, it is assumed that not too many teams would be willing to take a risk and claim him.

Drunk Jays Fans' Andrew Stoeten wrote a nice piece summarizing the possible roster moves Alex Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays could enact to make room for Jose Reyes when he returns from the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday. Recall that players on the 60-day DL are neither on the 25- nor the 40-man roster.

I had always thought that McGowan would give up his remaining salary if he elected free agency. In my mind, electing free agency is like resigning where one does not expect termination pay; while being released is like being fired where one would expect termination pay. However, Stoeten wrote that, in his interpretation of the CBA, the Blue Jays will be on the hook for the rest of the salary guaranteed to McGowan should he refuse outright assignment and elect free agency (emphases mine):

Would he get claimed on waivers? With about $2.7-million still owed him and fewer than 25 big league innings since 2008, perhaps not. However, if my understanding of the CBA is correct– which, it’s safe to say, is a big if– that’s not so much the issue. McGowan has over six years of service time, which gives him certain rights. Specifically, if he clears waivers and the Jays attempt to assign him to a minor league affiliate, he can refuse the assignment and become a free agent. And because he has so much service time, "if he is released and signs with a new team,"Purple Row explains, "his previous team must pay the difference in salary between the two contracts if the previous contract called for a greater salary."So, he could refuse the assignment, still get all the same money, and take a league-minimum deal with a club that might actually have use for him, while leaving the Jays to pay the rest. Not exactly optimal for the club, because… what’s McGowan got to lose in that situation?

Fellow SB Nation baseball community Purple Row wrote this (emphases mine):

If the player refuses his assignment to the minors, the team must either release him, making him a free agent, or keep him on the major league roster.

Regardless, in the case of the five-year service player, the team is obligated to pay the player under the terms of his guaranteed contract. If he is released and signs with a new team, his previous team must pay the difference in salary between the two contracts if the previous contract called for a greater salary.

Going back to the original document--the current CBA--we can see that perhaps there was an error in interpretation by Stoeten and Purple Row. The clauses that govern this case are Article XIX(A)(2)(a) and XIX(A)(2)(c). XIX(A)(2)(a) is the one that gives a veteran player the right to refuse outright and XIX(A)(2)(c) reads like this (again, emphasis mine):

A Player who elects to become a free agent under this paragraph (2) shall immediately be eligible to negotiate and contract with any Club without any restrictions or qualifications. Such Player shall not be entitled to receive termination pay. Such a free agent shall receive transportation and travel expenses in the same manner as he would if he had been unconditionally released except that he shall be limited to receiving travel expenses to his new club if he reports to it directly, provided such expenses are less than to his home city.

Unless there is another clause in the CBA that I missed, I think that my original thought was correct and that Dustin McGowan will give up any remaining guaranteed salary from his current contract should he refuse an outright to the minor leagues (but he would get the remaining salary for 2013 if he postpones his free agency until the end of the season). And the language is clear: a player elects to become a free agent--the club does not release him. This makes sense: why would a club pay for someone who chooses to leave? Just to be clear, "termination pay" is defined as "an amount equal to the unpaid balance of the full salary" in Article IX(C).

The conclusion is that Dustin McGowan has about 2.7 million reasons to allow the Blue Jays to outright him. Whether he makes it through without being picked up by another club is a risk that Toronto would have to make if Anthopoulos chooses to make this move.

UPDATE

According to an MLB official confirming with Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, should Dustin McGowan refuse assignment, he could effectively force the Blue Jays hand and ensure his release with full termination pay.

After seven-plus seasons, it seems that Carlos Marmol's tumultuous tenure at Wrigley Field is finally at an end. The Chicago Cubs have designated the erratic reliever for assignment, the team has announced, leaving the club 10 days to trade, release, or reassign the right-hander.

Taking Marmol's place on the active roster is journeyman outfielder Brian Bogusevic, 29. The former Houston Astro was batting .319/.418/.512 with 10 home runs in 78 games at Triple-A Iowa.

MLB Trade Deadline Basics

As we move towards the annual July 31 swapmeet, here's a primer for how to get the most out of the buildup to the big day.

When the season began, the Cubs had some hope that Marmol would pitch well enough in relief that they could get flip him for something resembling a prospect at the trade deadline. While Marmol's $9.8 million salary was likely to keep Chicago from receiving anyone of real value in exchange for him -- especially considering his 6.7 walks per nine innings over the last four seasons -- a solid first half might have at least gotten them a warm body.

Marmol struggled right out of the gate, however, and lost his closing gig just five games into the season. The right-hander settled down for a while after that and got a few more chances with the game on the line, but ultimately he could not avoid the blow-up outing. Marmol put up a 5.86 ERA in 27⅔ innings on the year, allowing six home runs in that span.

It is highly unlikely that anyone will agree to take on Marmol's salary, so don't look for him to be a waiver claim anytime soon, so there's the strong possibility that they will have to release him and eat the salary.

More from SB Nation:

• Yasiel Puig basically wins Dodgers game by himself

• Brisbee: Should Puig make the NL All-Star team?

• 5 trade destinations for Carlos Pena

• The Kevin Youkilis trade, one year later

• Neyer: Can Blue Jays keep flying high?

The Toronto Blue Jays are all set to reinstate Jose Reyes from the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday in time for their afternoon series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays, reports Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.

Reyes, 30, has been sidelined since April 12 with a severely sprained left ankle. He suffered the injury while sliding in to second base on a stolen base attempt in Kansas City.

Originally slated to return in mid-July, the All-Star shortstop has recovered much quicker than anticipated. Reyes appeared in seven rehab games between High-A and Triple-A over the last week, going an impressive 12-for-29 in that span. Any concerns that Reyes might be hesitant on the base paths were quickly put to rest, as the speedy infielder also swiped two bags.

MLB Trade Deadline Basics

As we move towards the annual July 31 swapmeet, here's a primer for how to get the most out of the buildup to the big day.

Manager John Farrell said Monday that Reyes is "not limited in anything that he can do," and should jump right back in to the leadoff spot when he returns on Wednesday. Reyes' return to the top of the order likely means that Melky Cabrera will drop down to fifth in the lineup, right behind the hot-hitting Adam Lind.

Reyes couldn't ask for a better time to rejoin the Jays. While still in the AL East cellar, Toronto is coming off an 11-game winning streak -- and 14 wins in its last 17 -- putting the club a game above .500 on the year.

No corresponding roster move will be announced until right before the game on Wednesday. Munenori Kawasaki has filled in surprisingly well at shortstop over the last two months -- hitting .225/.337/.325 with his his first and only big-league home run -- but he may be the odd man out when it comes time to crunch the roster Wednesday afternoon.

More from SB Nation:

• Yasiel Puig basically wins Dodgers game by himself

• Brisbee: Should Puig make the NL All-Star team?

• 5 trade destinations for Carlos Pena

• The Kevin Youkilis trade, one year later

• Neyer: Can Blue Jays keep flying high?