MILWAUKEE – Get out a pencil and a piece of paper. Allen Robinson Bears Jersey . Its time for rudimentary math; time to let the players worry about winning today while others concern themselves with the broader, increasingly bleak, picture. Write down the numbers one to 12 in ascending order. Each time Toronto loses a game, mark an X through the corresponding number. Why 13? Given the way the season is trending, the Blue Jays need to win at least 88 games to qualify for a playoff spot. With a record of 64-62 after Tuesdays action, in order to be 88-74 by seasons end Toronto had to go 24-12. Thats just for a chance. The American League East leading Orioles are on pace for 94 wins. In the race for the second wild card spot, the leader Mariners are eyeing an 88-win season; the runner up Tigers are looking at 88 victories (rounded up on percentage points); the Yankees are on pace for 83 wins. The Blue Jays, playing at a .508 clip, would end up in the 82-win neighbourhood. Thats not going to get it done. Whats more disconcerting are signs of fraying in the starting rotation. Through the first seven games of this eight-game road trip, Toronto pitching had allowed 11 first inning runs (two on Tuesday night). "Just another game where we gave up a lot of runs early and we couldnt do anything with (Brewers starter Mike) Fiers," said manager John Gibbons. "He did a nice job. A lot lately weve been giving up some runs early." Playing come-from-behind on a near-daily basis isnt ideal for an offence which has gone cold. In 16 games this month, the Jays have scored 48 runs or exactly three per game. One of the main culprits is the decline in home run production. Despite the recent downturn the Jays season total of 141 remains tied for second-most in baseball (with Colorado) behind Baltimores 157. The Jays have hit only seven long balls in the month of August (16 games). "Power comes and goes," said hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. "Its kind of one of those things when guys get hot they can usually get hot together and home runs are usually just a by-product of good at-bats and good swings and catching balls out front a little bit more." The Jays are one of three teams in the American League which require the home run to cash more than 40-percent of their runs scored, which is to say if Toronto doesnt hit the long ball, most of the time it wont score enough. Entering Tuesdays play, 225 of Torontos 558 runs (40.3-percent) were cashed via the home run. Theyre joined by Baltimore (251 of 531 – 47.2-percent) and Houston (219 of 501 – 43.7-percent). Nine teams come in the 30-39.9-percent range and the remainder fall below. The hope is the recent returns of Edwin Encarnacion (26 home runs) and Adam Lind (who despite having only four home runs, is a crucial middle-of-the-order bat against right-handed starting pitching) from injury will lengthen the lineup and pave the way to more pop. "A lot of times when guys try to compensate because of a lack of power and try to do a little too much then it works against you," said Seitzer. "I think thats kind of where were at right now. As far as overall as a team we didnt start off very good home run-wise the first month of the season and then all of a sudden in May it came in bunches and it came for a long time." Seitzer is looking to hits with runners in scoring position (RISP), specifically hits with runners in scoring position and two outs. Hes sensing players, especially the Jays best, are pressing. One example would be Jose Bautista, whos a .300 hitter with RISP this season but that number dwindles to .111 (4-for-36) with RISP and two outs. With Tuesday nights loss, Cleveland pulled even with the Blue Jays in the wild card race. The more teams youre chasing, the less likely it is you can gain ground on a nightly basis. Time is ticking away. Dont lose sight of your pencil. Trey Burton Bears Jersey . -- Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew practiced in a limited capacity Friday, a positive sign he might be able to play against the Tennessee Titans. Taylor Gabriel Jersey . The 28-year-old from Rochester, Alta., was selected by the Redblacks from the Saskatchewan Roughriders roster in the 2013 CFL Expansion Draft.John Stones is the future for England, but Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill should start against Russia, according to Terry Butcher. The Three Lions legend believes that Stones, despite his difficult season at Everton, is a quality talent, and the 22-year-old has been linked with a summer move to Barcelona or Manchester City. He is an international player, Butcher told Sky Sports. He brings the ball out of the back with real quality. He hits the most successful passes for a centre-half. We need to let him play.  John Stones in action for England When Glenn Hoddle played in my era, he got criticised for not flying into tackles, not tracking back, and people forgot what an incredible player Glenn Hoddle was. It is the same with John Stones. People criticise him whenever he loses the ball at the back, saying that he shouldnt be doing that. Terry Butcher earned 77 caps for England in defence and famously played on despite suffering a serious head injury against Sweden in 1989 Instead we should be praising him for having the gumption for trying to do that in the first place. It is no wonder that all the top sides - Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich - are reportedly interested in Stones. They see him as a top international defender. He may have tried to do too much too soon. He just needs to lead in the right way. He has pace, strength and awareness that stand out. He may be a work in progress, but he is a star for the future. Ray Wilkins picks his preferred starting XI for Englands Euro 2016 match against Russia Despite his praise, Butcher still believes England boss Roy Hodgson should opt with the pairing of Smalling and Cahill for their Euro 2016 opener on Saturday night due to their experience. Custom Chicago Bears Jerseys. I have gone with Smalling and Cahill because there is not much experience in the side, Butcher said. England defender Gary Cahill (L) gestures alongside Chris Smalling You need as much experience as you can down the spine of the team. (Eric) Dier doesnt have a great deal, but (Wayne) Rooney and (Joe) Hart more than make up for that, but you need that experience in defence.Cahill and Smalling have a tough job to form that bond, but they have played together enough times, including in the win in Germany. I am looking more for John Stones for Russia (in 2018), he is the future. 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