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The Toronto Blue Jays go after their 10th straight win tonight when they kick off a four-game series versus the Kansas City Royals. Toronto has relied on the home run for the better part of its winning streak, but on Wednesday found a new way to win, as Anthony Goses ninth-inning bunt proved to be the game-winner as the Blue Jays defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-2, to complete the series sweep. Dioner Navarro led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to right and was replaced by pinch-runner Kevin Pillar. Gose then laid down a bunt toward the first-base line. Pitcher Juan Carlos Oviedo (1-1) picked up the ball and whipped it wide right of first baseman James Loney. Pillar hustled from first and dove headfirst at home plate to elude the tag of catcher Roman Solis as the Blue Jays notched their third straight series sweep. "Its a pretty exciting win all around for the team," said Gose. Edwin Encarnacion drove in two runs and Jose Reyes supplied three hits for Toronto while Aaron Loup (2-1) earned the win after pitching a scoreless top of the ninth. Starter Liam Hendriks gave up two runs on three hits with five strikeouts in six innings of work. The Blue Jays, who won 11 games in a row last June, have won 14 of their past 16 games and 19 of 24 overall. They are also just one win shy of the franchise mark for a single month, which was set at 21 in May 2003. Toronto may stay in the win column on Thursday, as it hands the ball to former National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, who had his best outing of the season on Saturday. Dickey won for the fourth time in his last five decisions, as he beat Oakland, holding the As to a pair of runs and five hits in 8 1/3 innings. He is now 5-4 on the year with a 3.95 ERA. Dickey has faced the Royals 12 times (6 starts) and is 3-3 against them with a 4.33 ERA. Kansas City, meanwhile, will counter with an impressive veteran of its own in righty James Shields, who is 6-3 with a 2.95 ERA. Shields has won six of his last seven decisions, but did not receive one on Saturday in Anaheim, as the Angels reached him for four runs in six innings of his teams 7-4 win. Shields is 12-6 lifetime versus the Blue Jays with a 3.09 ERA in 23 starts. Hes been dominant lately against them, though, posting a 6-1 mark over his last eight matchups with a 1.13 ERA - the lowest among pitchers with at least five starts against the Blue Jays since the start of 2011. Kansas City enters this tilt on a bit of a sour note, as it has dropped four in a row after getting swept in a three-game set by the Houston Astros. The Royals were outscored 21-5 in the series with the Astros and lost, 9-3, on Wednesday. "Right now we are not doing our job at the plate, but we will get better," said Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson. 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The struggling New Orleans Pelicans were simply overmatched. Crawford hit seven 3s on his way to 24 points, and the Clippers beat the Pelicans 123-110 on Monday night. "We understand what we do well. If we all do what we do well, well make our team stronger," Crawford said.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Lance Stephenson doesnt want to be known as the guy who blew in LeBron James ear. Stephenson said during his introductory news conference Friday in Charlotte hes "a little upset" that the ear-blowing incident in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami is how some people have defined him as a player. "I feel like it overshadowed my play on the court," Stephenson said. "I bring more to the table than just blowing in someones ear. Im a great player." Hornets general manager Rich Cho agrees, which is why the club signed Stephenson to a three-year, $27 million contract Friday. The deal includes a team option for the third season. Cho says the 23-year-old Stephenson brings competitiveness, scoring ability, a defensive presence and a wealth of playoff experience — all things the Hornets need to take the next step and become a perennial playoff contender. "I think hell be a great fit," Cho said. The Hornets, who ranked near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage last season, expect Stephenson will help them in that area. Stephenson shot 35 per cent from beyond the arc last season. He also proved versatile in other ways. He led the NBA with five triple-doubles and posted career highs in points (13.6), rebounds (6.9) and assists (4.2). But Stephensons intense competitiveness also has a dark side. He was called for 17 technical fouls last season — third-most in the NBA — and was also involved in a practice scuffle with teammate Evan Turner. Hes been known to talk trash, occasionally taking himself out of the game and hurting his team. Hornets coach Steve Clifford is well aware of that, but after doing some background checks — even going back to talk to his high school coaches — he felt good about bringing Stephenson into a locker room that boasted great chemistry last season. "Whats thhe old saying? Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness," Clifford said.dddddddddddd "I think those things are a byproduct of the fact that he badly wants to win. To be honest, that is one of the things we all liked about him so much." Clifford said Hornets owner Michael Jordan addressed those issues with Stephenson in a meeting Tuesday night in Las Vegas. "He talked to him about what we can work on — and (Stephenson) knows that," Clifford said. "Lance knows that sometimes he has crossed the line a little bit. But I think he does it out of competitiveness." Stephenson acknowledged he has to mature as a player. But he said after talking to Jordan he knew he wanted to join the Hornets. "He loves my game and what I bring to the table," said Stephenson, who turned down a five-year, $45 million deal to stay in Indiana. "He loves that Im a great passer and I play with my teammates, and he loves the competitive edge that I have." As for the ear-blowing incident, Stephenson stopped short of saying he regretted his actions but explained his intentions. "During the series I was trying to play hard against LeBron and help my team win," Stephenson said. "Im very competitive and I know some of the antics were over the border — but I was just trying to do whatever it takes to win." Stephenson said that off the court, hes funny and likes to fool around with teammates and friends. On the court, hes as intense as they come and says "I have no friends" on the opposing team. For the Hornets, landing Stephenson is a sign the organization is headed in the right direction. This marks the second straight year theyve landed a big-name free agent after agreeing to a three-year, $41 million deal with centre Al Jefferson last summer. "It shows this is a great free agent destination," Cho said. ' ' '