Matt Duffy’s RBI single with two outs in the ninth drove in the game’s only run in the Tampa Bay Rays‘ 1-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. Duffy drove in Mallex Smith Authentic Nico Hischier Jersey , who doubled with one out and moved to third base on a ground ball. Diego Castillo (1-0) got his first major league win after pitching two innings of relief. Ryan Tepera (3-2) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for the Jays, who were swept in the three-game series and have lost five of six to the Rays this season. It was the 12th time the Blue Jays have scored one run or none this season. Curtis Granderson had the first three of Toronto’s five hits, leadoff singles in the first, third and fifth innings and was the only runner to reach third base until Smith in the ninth. With two outs in the Toronto ninth, Aldemys Diaz hit a line drive that was caught by left fielder Johnny Field near the top of the wall. Toronto starter J.A. Happ, who was 3-0 in his five previous starts, gave up one hit and three walks in five innings. Rays starter Wilmer Font gave up two hits in 3 1/3 innings. TRAINER’S ROOM Blue Jays: 3B Josh Donaldson (left calf tightness) will run the bases Thursday and if all goes well could join Triple-A Buffalo on Friday. Rays: OF Johnny Field was back in the lineup after missing two games with a sprained knee. SIXTEEN NOT-SO SWEET Thursday’s game at New York marks the start of a 16-game stretch in which the Rays will play only the Yankees, Astros and Nationals. ”We’re going to really see what kind of team we have here against the best in the league,” Blake Snell said. UP NEXT Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-5, 4.33 ERA) will pitch Friday night against the Washington Nationals in the opening game of a five-game homestand. Rays: LHP Blake Snell (8-3, 2.30 ERA) will start in Thursday night’s opener of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium against Domingo German (0-4, 5.32). Snell is 3-0 with a 0.38 ERA in his past four starts. — The NFL’s offseason features plenty of intrigue beyond where Kirk Cousins and dozens of other quarterbacks will land. As the Philadelphia Eagles enjoy the city’s first NFL title since 1960 and the New England Patriots smart over their failure to win a sixth ring, 30 other teams are plotting to unseat the conference kings. That appears to be a tougher task in the AFC than in the NFC Charles Clay Jersey , where the Vikings, Saints and Rams all are on the rise and the Pack promises to get back with Aaron Rodgers under center again. Article continues below ... DeShaun Watson’s comeback from a torn ACL could put the Texans in the mix along with the resurgent Jaguars to wrest the Lamar Hunt Trophy from the grasp of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels, whose reneging on the Colts coaching job reignited the animosity between Indy and New England. At league headquarters, Roger Goodell wants to see the mystery of the NFL’s catch rule solved. Five cities are building their case to host the league’s annual draft in 2019 or 2020. This year’s extravaganza will be held April 26-28 in Jerry’s backyard at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. On Tuesday, teams can designate franchise or transition players and in a week they’ll all be at the NFL combine in Indianapolis to take a gander at this year’s top college prospects. Free agency starts March 14 with the new league year and that’s when the QB dominoes will start to fall. Teams that hired a new coach this year – the Cardinals, Bears, Lions, Colts, Giants, Raiders and Titans – get to begin offseason workouts April 2. Everyone else starts two weeks later. While baseballs soar and basketballs bounce over the next few months, some story lines that will provide a football fix: KIRK COUSINS‘ NEXT DESTINATION : With Washington acquiring Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs Adidas Ryan McDonagh Jersey , Cousins will say goodbye to the Redskins and hello to the really big bucks. The Broncos, Jets and Cardinals could jockey to see who will pay Cousins $30 million annually. JOHN ELWAY’S NEXT COMEBACK : The Broncos boss wants to quit fretting over the position he knows the most about. Landing Cousins or one of the top college QBs will allow him to move on from Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler and Trevor Siemian, who all started during Denver’s 5-11 face-plant. WHICH QB WILL GO NO. 1 ? Teams that miss out on one of the prized free agents can look to the draft, which features Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen, who are all expected to be selected in the top 10 picks. But in which order? Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph could join them as first-rounders. WILL ANDREW LUCK PLAY? Some believe the impetus for McDaniels backing out of the Colts job was the uncertainty surrounding QB Andrew Luck, who missed all of last season following shoulder surgery. Luck hopes to resume his career in 2018, but he still hasn’t thrown a football since October DID INDY LUCK OUT? McDaniels’ brush-off led the Colts to hiring ex-Eagles OC Frank Reich, who got glowing endorsements from former team president Bill Polian, ex-coach Tony Dungy and former QB Peyton Manning. Reich figured to be atop the list of hot head coaching candidates next winter, so this was a jump-start. HOW WILL RAIDERS MESH? Last summer Authentic Ryan McDonagh Jersey , Oakland QB Derek Carr signed a five-year, $125 million contract. This winter, Jon Gruden signed a 10-year, $100 million deal to return to the sideline from the broadcast booth. Now, it’s time for Gruden and Carr to make it work together. WILL PATS DEFY TIME? Brady and Belichick failed to win a sixth ring when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the Eagles. But McDaniels couldn’t leave the soon-to-be 41-year-old QB coming off an MVP season. Opponents continue to wonder when Brady will hit that wall and quit being so frustratingly good. WHO WILL LEAD MINNESOTA? The Vikings are in an odd situation at quarterback. They have an abundance in Case Keenum, who was a suburb fill-in with Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford hurt. They’re both getting healthy but none of the three are under contract for next season. WHAT’S THE PANTHERS‘ FUTURE? While former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White looks into claims of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace against Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, potential buyers are exploring purchasing the team. Goodell says he wants the team to remain in Charlotte under the new owners. WHO WILL WOW NFL ?: Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville and Cleveland-Canton are hoping to land the NFL draft in either 2019 or 2020. Representatives for each site will offer presentations before the final selections are made in May at the NFL spring meetings in Atlanta. —
