walks and a hit batter) in only 3 2-3 innings. "

TORONTO – Jose Bautista is nearing a return to the Blue Jays lineup and pinch hit in the sixth inning of Sundays series finale against the White Sox. Batting for Dioner Navarro with runners on the corners and the Jays down 2-0 at the time, Bautista grounded out to end the inning. Fans who arrived to watch batting practice were treated to Bautistas first public testing of his injured left hamstring. He was running sprints in the outfield; he estimated at about 50 to 60-percent effort and admitted to feeling some pain, which he said he expected. Bautista will work out on Mondays off day and is hopeful of being in the starting lineup on Tuesday when the Jays play a Canada Day matinee against the Brewers. He hasnt been in the starting lineup since removing himself in the third inning of the June 22 loss in Cincinnati. "You know, its huge," said Bautista of avoiding the disabled list. Then he offered a precautionary thought: "Obviously thats still not in the plans but you never know how things are going to respond," said Bautista. "I just want to make it clear that I can get back into playing and because theres a previous injury there anything can happen. Im not trying to jinx it or anything but thats just reality." Bautista has been hitting in the underneath batting cage. "I feel like hitting is much easier right now than running," he said. While its superfluous to suggest the Blue Jays miss Bautista when hes not in the lineup the matter became more pronounced as the club faced three Chicago lefthanders over the weekend. After two home games versus Milwaukee, against right-handed starters, the Jays kick off their next road trip with four games in Oakland. The As will throw three left-handers at the Blue Jays in that series. Bautistas done serious damage to southpaws this year. Seven of his 15 home runs have been hit off of lefties. Hes accomplished that in only 57 at-bats. His on-base plus slugging percentage sits at an otherworldly 1.329. Combine Bautistas absence with the predominantly right-handed lineup manager John Gibbons has played this weekend, featuring Triple-A call ups Brad Glenn and Darin Mastroianni, and offence has been in relatively short supply. Left-handed hitters Adam Lind and Colby Rasmus, when theyve played, have struggled as the numbers would suggest they would. Bautista isnt committing to whether hell be Tuesdays designated hitter or take his usual spot in right field. "If I come in and feel 100-percent and great and go out on the field and play defence and I could not feel 100-percent and ask to DH instead of playing the field," said Bautista. "It all depends on how I feel on Tuesday and I wont know that until Tuesday." If Bautistas hamstring limits him to the designated hitters role, that likely removes Adam Lind from the Canada Day starting lineup. Against a right-handed starting pitcher, thats less than ideal. Should Bautista declare himself fit to play right field, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind would both play, one as the designated hitter and the other at first base. Vans Old Skool Clearance . You can see all the action on TSN2 beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Chicago won two of three games during its stay at the United Center. The club began the homestand with a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh on March 1 and fell to Colorado on Tuesday before posting another blowout win in Thursdays tilt against Columbus. Clearance Old Skool Uk . -- Canadian womens amateur golf champion Brooke Henderson is a little less starstruck as she prepares for her second career appearance at an LPGA Tour major event. http://www.oldskoolclearanceuk.com/ . The International Ice Hockey Federation says Pavlovs avoided a two-year sanction because he acted "without significant negligence in failing to verify the safety of the supplements he was taking. Cheap Vans Old Skool For Sale . - Dominika Cibulkova erased three match points in the second set Wednesday and beat Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open. Vans Old Skool Uk Sale . -- Mississippis Andrew Ritter said his game-winning, 41-yard field goal felt good off his foot.ARLINGTON, Texas -- There are no scoring debates when Red Sox slugger David Ortiz hits towering home runs and scorching liners into the right-field corner. A night after Boston managed only one hit off Texas ace Yu Darvish, though Ortiz believes it should be two, the Red Sox were hitting from the start Saturday in an 8-3 win over the Rangers. "The attitude in the clubhouse early before the game was nothing about last night," manager John Farrell said. "It was more about how we were going to attack (Martin) Perez, and we did a very good job." Ortiz broke up Darvishs no-hit bid Friday night with a clean single with two outs in the ninth inning. There was also his towering flyball in the seventh that dropped untouched but was ruled an error after Darvish had retired the first 20 Boston hitters -- a scoring decision Ortiz indicated Saturday that he will appeal, though he felt the Red Sox as a group put their struggles behind them. "Oh, you have to. Its not like theres any other choice," Ortiz said. "You got to come back and play the game." Shane Victorino had three singles and drove in four runs. Ortiz pulled the first pitch of the third off Perez (4-3) into the right-field seats for his seventh homer. His double came an inning later, when he scored as a part of a four-run outburst for a 6-0 Red Sox lead. Asked about the unquestionable hits he had this time, Ortiz laughed, licked his thumb and made a motion with it to match what he said, "Turn the page." Jon Lester (4-4) limited Texas to three runs and four hits over seven innings. The lefty, coming off a career-high 15 strikeouts in a week earlier against Oakland, struck out eight more to match Detroits Max Scherzer at 66 for the American League lead. "I got away with a lot of pitches, we were able to keep them off balance just enough to get some foul balls and some bad contact," Lester said. "Definitely a grind tonight." The Rangers didnt have a base runner against Lester until Shin-Soo Choo led off the fourth with a double too deep centre beyond the reach of centre fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.dddddddddddd He came home on a sacrifice fly by Prince Fielder before Alex Rios added an RBI triple. Boston went ahead to stay in the second after loading the bases with two outs. Victorino singled to centre to drive in a run, but Bradley was thrown out at the plate trying to score a second run. The homer by Ortiz was his 380th with the Red Sox, breaking a tie with Dwight Evans for fourth on the career list. Jim Rice is third on the list at 382. It was his 19th homer at Texas, one short of Jason Giambi for the most by an opponent there. Victorino and Jonny Gomes each had two-run singles in the fourth. Perez lost his third consecutive start since the end of his 26-inning scoreless streak. The left-hander allowed six runs and 14 base runners (nine hits, four walks and a hit batter) in only 3 2-3 innings. "I dont know if somethings out of whack, but it didnt seem like he could get in a rhythm," manager Ron Washington said. Perez has given up 19 runs over 13 1-3 innings the past three games, and his ERA has more than tripled in that span -- from 1.42 to 4.38. "Too many balls, man. Trying to overthrow," Perez said. "I think I get mad and when I get mad I lose my mind. ... And I think that happened with me tonight." Notes: Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus, who significantly trimmed his beard reminiscent of Abraham Lincolns, stretched his hitting streak to seven games with an RBI double in the fifth. ... Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux was ejected in the eighth inning by first-base umpire Vic Carapazza. Washington said it was for arguing balls and strikes. .... Boston RH John Lackey, a Texas native, is scheduled in Sundays season series finale to make his 20th career road start against the Rangers. That will break his tie with Seattles Felix Hernandez for the most by a Texas opponent. ... Texas lefty Robbie Ross (1-3), who starts Sunday, has lost three straight starts and each of his past two games have ended as 12-1 Rangers losses. ' ' '