Today was just about having fun and giving the people here a chance

 A young power hitter is part of the Jays reason for optimism, an ex-Jay has a terrific start for the Cubs and a Pirates lefty may be finding his mojo again. .  Scott Cullen has the latest fantasy baseball news in his blog. - Blue Jays LF Travis Snider is proving that he could be worthy of a higher spot in the batting order.  Hitting ninth against Minnesota, Snider had 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI and 1 SB.  Twins RHP Kevin Slowey surrendered 13 hits against the Blue Jays; his previous career high was 10. - The Blue Jays, already thin in the rotation, should be worried about the forearm tightness that forced RHP Jesse Litsch from the game, as forearm troubles are often a precursor to more significant elbow problems. - Cubs LHP Ted Lilly tossed the gem of the night (6 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 8 K), locking up Colorado. - Pirates LHP Zach Duke threw a four-hit shutout against Houston and has allowed one earned run through his first two starts of the season.  The last time Duke had one earned run through back-to-back starts was in July 2005, when he was first called up to the big leagues.  - Dodgers RHP Chad Billingsley handled Giants (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 11 K)  with ease too, while LHP Randy Johnson was shelled (3 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 7 ER, 5 K).  2B Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle against the Giants. - White Sox LF Carlos Quentin is mashing, belting two homers against the Tigers, giving him four on the season.  1B Paul Konerko, like Quentin, drove in four runs against the Tigers. - Nationals SS Cristian Guzman was 5-for-5 against Philadelphia.  Hes recorded a hit in every game this season and is now hitting .515, but the news isnt all good -- he left the game in the ninth inning after suffering a hamstring injury. - The Rays stole four bases in four attempts against Yankees C Jorge Posada, including two by CF B.J. Upton in his first game of the season.  Given Posadas shoulder surgery, its going to be worth watching if more teams can take advantage on the basepaths. - Yankees RHP Chien-Ming Wang, whose fantasy value is already questionable due to low strikeout rates, lasted just one inning against Tampa Bay (6 H, 3 BB, 8 ER, 1 K), lifting his season ERA to 28.93. - Red Sox RHP Jon Lester had another tough start (6 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 5 K), the first time in his career that hes allowed 11 earned runs in back-to-back starts. - A couple of surprising winners, given their lines: Baltimore RHP Koji Uehara (5 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 7 ER, 3 K) at Texas and Cincinnati RHP Edinson Volquez (5 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 6 ER, 4 K) at Milwaukee. - Red Sox SS Jed Lowrie has joined Julio Lugo on the DL, giving journeyman Nick Green the starting job in Boston for the time being. - White Sox CF DeWayne Wise will miss 4-to-6 weeks after dislocating his shoulder, potentially giving Brian Anderson an extended look as the everyday centre fielder in Chicago. - Indians RHP Scott Lewis is out with an elbow strain and will be replaced in the rotation by soft-tossing LHP Aaron Laffey. - Kansas Citys power takes a hit as Royals 3B Alex Gordon and OF Jose Guillen are both out.  Mark Teahen and Willie Bloomquist have covered for them, and Teahens flexibility has allowed Alberto Callaspo to get into the lineup at second base. MATCHUP ADVANTAGEKC (Kyle Davies) vs. CLE (Carl Pavano) BEST PITCHING MATCHUPSSt. Louis (Chris Carpenter) at Arizona (Max Scherzer)N.Y. Yankees (A.J. Burnett) at Tampa Bay (Matt Garza) BALLPARK CHATTER"Its definitely No. 1, a career highlight.  I did a lot of things in little league, a lot of things in high school, college and minor leagues, but it definitely ranks No. 1." - Dodgers 2B Orlando Hudson, on hitting for the cycle. Scott Cullen can be reached at [e-mail] . The Blue Jackets were determined not to let that happen again. Clay Wilson had a goal and his first assist in his second NHL game to lead Columbus to a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. . Both played in their first tour final. "In the beginning I was very nervous and she started well, but after I won the first set all my nerves were gone," Bertens said. . The second-seeded Croat was in control throughout, hitting six aces and dropping serve only once. Brands wasted two break points for a 2-0 lead in the second set, and Cilic then won five games in a row. . The 19th-seeded Thornhill, Ont., native, will face a true clay test in the next round when he plays Argentinas Juan Monaco after the 13th seed defeated Czech Lukas Rosol 7-6 (4), 6-0, 7-6 (5). . Santos said a reshuffle is needed to prevent another slow start for his team, which dropped to last place in Group A after losing to the fast-paced Czech Republic 2-1 on Tuesday, conceding two goals in the first six minutes. CALGARY -- A slick throwing surface couldnt trip up Dylan Armstrong on Saturday. The 31-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., threw 21.29 metres to capture the mens shot put title at the Canadian track and field trials and cement his spot on the Olympic team for London. Armstrong, who needed only a top-three finish to clinch an Olympic spot, wasnt thrilled with the throwing circle at Foothills Athletics Park. At one point, the world silver medallist turned to another athlete and said, "The throwing circle is brutal, man. Its a sheet of glass." The distance was well off his Canadian-record toss of 22.21 he threw at last years national championships in Calgary. "Today was just about having fun and giving the people here a chance to look and see what we do," said Armstrong, one of Canadas top hopes for a medal in London. "I was really happy with the result, it was a bit challenging with the circle, it was definitely a lot slicker than last year. I think everybody had to make some technical adjustments today, but Im definitely happy where Im at right now. . quot; Justin Rodhe, also of Kamloops, was second with 20.30, while Tim Nedow of Brockville, Ont., threw 20.21 for bronze. Like Armstrong, Rodhe had achieved the Olympic qualifying standard and needed only a top-three finish at the trials to clinch a spot on the London-bound squad. Armstrongs coach Anatoliy Bondarchuk, gold medallist in hammer throw for the former Soviet Union at the 1972 Olympics, sat in a fold-out chair, offering the thrower the odd tip. Afterward, a couple of dozen fans lined up as the beefy six-foot-four, 345-pound thrower signed autographs. Earlier in the day, Rachel Seaman of Peterborough, Ont., and Inaki Gomez of Vancouver clinched their spots in the womens and mens 10,000-metre racewalk. Alex Genest of Lac-aux-Sables, Que., won the mens 3,000-metre steeplechase to earn his berth in London, while hammer throwers Heather Steacy of Lethbridge, Alta., and Sultana Frizell of Perth, Ont., finished 1-2 to clinch their spots on the squad. ' ' '