TAMPA – Mark Buehrle spun a gem on his 35th birthday, pitching as if he had evening plans to celebrate. "Go home, drop the family off at the airport so time to go home and clean up the house and get it ready for getting stuff shipped," said Buehrle of what will be a quiet night. Buehrle made his noise on the mound, tossing 6 1/3 innings of seven-hit, one-run ball against a Yankees lineup that featured every starter save for an injured Jacoby Ellsbury. He threw 94 pitches, 59 for strikes and was his usual efficient self, issuing no walks. He didnt strike out anyone, either. The Blue Jays won 3-1. "Hes looked a little different this spring," said manager John Gibbons. "Everythings just right. His locations on. I think hes popping the ball a little bit better. Of course I saw him last year, I hadnt seen him in any spring before that but I know hes feeling good and I think hes a little bit surprised about how good he feels and thats a good thing." Buehrle hadnt pitched in a Grapefruit League game since March 7. On that day, he threw 31 of 44 pitches for strikes and was insistent that his changeup was the best it had been in any game in three years. In between, Buehrle made two starts in minor league games. Cognizant of his opponent, Buehrle threw fewer offspeed pitches on Sunday, focusing on his fastball. "We face these guys a lot so I came out and just said, hey, lets work on a lot of fastballs, location," said Buehrle. "I dont want to say trick them because obviously Ive been in the league for 12, 13 years so they know what I throw but just didnt want to show them everything." The plan is for Buehrle to start on Friday night in Montreal, the first of two exhibition games the Jays will play against the New York Mets at Olympic Stadium. Pitching coach Pete Walker draws up the assignments and didnt give Buehrle the choice of traveling or staying back in Florida to throw in a minor league game. Thats just fine with Buehrle, whos looking to pitch in front of a large crowd, in a large stadium, this close to opening day. "It definitely helps out," said Buehrle. "You get in that atmosphere, the adrenaline pumps a little more, theres a bigger crowd even coming here, everything just kind of clicks and it just becomes real once the game starts." Fridays start wont be Buehrles first at the Big O. His only previous outing came on June 18, 2004, an 11-7 White Sox win over the Expos. Buehrle pitched six innings but, as he put it, he got his "ass kicked." He allowed seven runs on 10 hits and got a no-decision. Reyes Update Jose Reyes wasnt in the Blue Jays lineup on Sunday, one day after leaving Saturdays win over the Tigers in the fourth inning with stiffness in his left hamstring. "It feels a little better," said manager John Gibbons. "We still dont think its a big deal." Reyes is listed as day to day. The Second Catcher Erik Kratz and Josh Thole are in a battle for the second catchers job behind Dioner Navarro. Its going down to the wire. "The number one job is going be able to catch Dickey," said Gibbons. "You want some offence but the number one thing (is) theyve got to be able to catch Dickey." Navarro played in 89 games for the Cubs last season, far and away his most since appearing in 115 games for the Rays in 2009. With that in mind, the Jays anticipate the second catcher having to play more. Kratz offers more offence but Dickey is most comfortable pitching to Thole. Dickeys thrown 565 2/3 career innings with Thole as his battery mate. Henry Blanco, at 127 innings, ranks a distant second. "I think theyve both done a good job so its a tough call," said Gibbons. Dickey, as he did last spring when the decision was made to take Blanco over Thole, insists he doesnt have, and insists he doesnt want, input in the process. Timeline for Roster Finalization Gibbons hopes to have his final roster determined before the Blue Jays leave for Montreal, where theyll play two exhibition games versus the Mets on Friday and Saturday, before the club departs on Thursday evening. "Well have a good idea before that what the roster is going to look like," said Gibbons. "Of course, well bring some extra guys with us anyway but well know in the next couple of days; with the catching, anyway." Cheap Nike Free With Free Shipping . - Frankie (The Answer) Edgar dominated B. Nike Free Clearance . We wonder if the price of a Roberts rookie card has at least gone up a few cents? Tribute Tweets #Padres Tony Gwynn had 287 career plate appearances against #Braves trio of Maddux, Glavine, & Smoltz, he hit . http://www.wholesalenikefree.com/ . 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Most notably, Arizonas Bill Bidwill, who saw his Cardinals go 10-6 and not get in, while Green Bay (8-7-1) qualified by winning the NFC North.BALTIMORE -- After the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals expended everything they had in three consecutive spirited games, the neighbouring rivals parted ways knowing they will see each other again in August. And perhaps again after that. Steve Pearce homered and scored twice to help Wei-Yin Chen earn his ninth victory, and the Orioles beat Washington 4-3 on Thursday night for their eighth win in 10 games. Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz both drove in a run for the Orioles, who built a 4-0 lead in the third inning and held on. Baltimore took two of three from the Nationals in this rain-shortened, home-and-home interleague showdown between division leaders. "I personally enjoyed that series a lot, just cause of the proximity and the atmosphere down in D.C.," said Orioles reliever Darren ODay, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth. "Theyre top of the NL. Hopefully we get to play them a few more times, later in the year in October. That would be nice." The Orioles won the opener in Washington, needing 11 innings to do so, before rain postponed Tuesdays game until Aug. 4. The Nationals prevailed on Wednesday before coming up short in the finale. Although the teams are based only 40 miles apart, enthusiasm for the series isnt exactly Mets-Yankees or Cubs-White Sox. But theres still hope. "It was a good series. It was very well put together," losing pitcher Gio Gonzalez said. "It showed that theres a lot of hope for a Beltway Series. They looked good and we looked good. Everyone had some fun." Jayson Werth homered for Washington and Ryan Zimmerman had two hits and an RBI. Chen (9-3) gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings, walking none and striking out six. The Taiwanese left-hander is 6-1 in 12 starts since May 3, and his nine wins are most on the team. After ODay survived the eighth, Zach Britton got three outs for his 15th save, capping his 22nd consecutive scoreless appearance at home by retiring Werth with a runner on first. At that point, the Orioles and many in crowd of 30,417 breathed a collective sigh of relief. "Thats a very good team," Jones said. "We love the competition, and we love the fact that you never know what could happen in October. You could have a Battle of the Beltway when its a little coolder and bring the fans back out.dddddddddddd" Gonzalez (6-5) allowed three earned runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings. His streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings ended when Pearce connected in the first. Gonzalez won his previous three starts without giving up a run and was unbeaten in four starts following a one-month stay on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. "I felt fine," he said. "Its a tough lineup, all the way down to the last guy." Pearce put the Orioles in front for good with a drive to left on a 2-0 pitch. It was his 11th home run, more than his previous three seasons combined. Baltimore added three runs in the third after Gonzalez retired the first two batters. After an RBI double by Jones put runners at second and third, Cruz grounded a run-scoring single in the hole that shortstop Ian Desmond gloved before throwing wildly to third, allowing Jones to score. That ended Washingtons 13-game errorless streak, which matched the teams longest run since the franchise moved from Montreal in 2005. Zimmermans two-out RBI single made it 4-1 in the fourth, and Washington got runners on the corners with two outs in the fifth before Chen struck out Anthony Rendon on three pitches. The Nationals closed to 4-3 in the sixth. After Werth homered on an 0-2 pitch -- his second long ball in two nights -- Zimmerman doubled and Desmond chased Chen with an RBI double off the scoreboard in right field before Tommy Hunter retired Wilson Ramos on a groundout. Ramos later flied out with the bases full in the eighth. NOTES: Desmond got hit on the thumb with a pitch but said he was OK. ... Baltimore optioned RHP Bud Norris to Double-A Bowie and recalled RHP Preston Guilmet from Triple-A Norfolk. Norris pitched Wednesday and wont be needed against until after the All-Star break. ... The Orioles host the New York Yankees in a three-game series before heading into the All-Star break. Miguel Gonzalez (4-5) faces New Yorks Hiroki Kuroda in the opener Friday night. ... Washington closes the first half with a three-game series in Philadelphia. Jordan Zimmermann will start for the Nationals on Friday night. ... Ramos extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games, but teammate Bryce Harper went 0 for 3 and is in a 1-for-20 skid over his last six games. ' ' '