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TORONTO -- Blue Jays rookie Marcus Stroman always wanted a sinker in his pitching repertoire but he could never find a grip to his liking. That all changed a couple months ago when he finally found something that worked. "I was just fooling around with the ball and just gripped a two-seam kind of awkwardly and it was super-comfortable in my hand," Stroman said. "The next day I came to the ballpark and started throwing it. Ever since then, Ive been throwing it." That sinker has become one of his go-to weapons and it was on full display Monday as Stroman threw his first career complete-game shutout in an 8-0 rout of the Chicago Cubs. Stroman (10-5) allowed only three hits and struck out eight in the opener of a three-game series at Rogers Centre. "It doesnt get any better than that," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "It really starts, you know, hes commanding that fastball, I thought his breaking ball for a couple games kind of deserted him a little bit but it was back there tonight ... it was a dominating performance." Stroman, who threw 66 of his 93 pitches for strikes, became the first Toronto rookie to win 10 games since Ricky Romero won 13 games in 2009. Jose Bautista hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning as eight different Blue Jays scored a run apiece. Bautistas no-doubt blast was his 32nd homer of the season and 200th of his Blue Jays career. "Im very proud and honoured to have done it here," Bautista said. "Im just really happy but I think Im going to enjoy this one -- again, just like I always say with personal goals -- more in the off-season than anything. "We have a bigger goal that were focused on right now and thats trying to make the playoffs." Toronto (74-69) started the day five games out of a wild-card spot. Jacob Turner (5-9) shouldered the loss for Chicago (64-80), losers of four straight. Stroman gave up a single to Jorge Soler in the second inning and retired 19 straight before allowing a single to Mike Olt in the eighth. "It was awesome, it was fun," Stroman said. "Me and (catcher Dioner Navarro) were on a pretty good roll, I had all my pitches working, locating pretty good and I was down in the zone." Navarro, Adam Lind and Kevin Pillar had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who outhit Chicago 12-3. Stromans performance was the first complete-game shutout since Drew Hutchisons win over the Texas Rangers on May 16. "Stroman was very, very good," said Cubs manager Rick Renteria. "Very aggressive, attacked the strike zone, first-pitch strikes were very high with him. Good life to his pitches, threw very, very well. He did a great job." Stroman was given a scare after throwing his second pitch of the night. Leadoff man Chris Coghlan lashed a fastball back to the mound that just missed Stromans head. The ball deflected off his glove and bounced to shortstop Jose Reyes, who made the throw to first in time. Stroman came up smiling after dusting himself off and went on to retire the side in order. "That was the first time Ive ever had a ball hit like that back at me," Stroman said. "Praise the Lord I got out of the way. Just pure reaction. It ended up being a (complete game), I could have been out after the second pitch of the game." Stroman showed his athleticism in the third inning. Logan Watkins hit a slow grounder near the mound that Stroman backhanded before turning in the air and making an off-balance throw that was just in time for the out. Toronto scratched out a run in the second inning and added another in the fourth when Edwin Encarnacion led off with a single before moving to third on Linds flare to right field. Navarro hit a sacrifice fly to deep centre field that easily scored Encarnacion. In the fifth, Ryan Goins and Anthony Gose reached on back-to-back singles before Bautista turned on a 2-1 pitch that landed in the second deck. "Hes on some kind of roll but you guys have all seen that before," Gibbons told reporters. "Hes one of the top hitters in the game. I mean hes been that way for a few years now." The Blue Jays scored a single run in the seventh inning and added two more insurance runs in the eighth. Announced attendance was 16,879 and the game took two hours 20 minutes to play. Notes: Goins provided a highlight-reel play to end the game by barehanding a chopper and throwing Javier Baez out at first base. ... Bautista is fifth on the franchise list for home runs hit as a Blue Jay. George Bell is next with 202 and Carlos Delgado owns top spot with 336. ... Bautista has 243 career homers in all. ... Stroman threw nine innings in a 3-2 win over Detroit on Aug. 9 but settled for a no-decision. That game was tied at two when he left and the Blue Jays won it in the 10th. ... Toronto will send left-hander Mark Buehrle (11-9, 3.34 ERA) to the mound Tuesday night against right-hander Jake Arrieta (8-5, 2.81). ... This is the fourth series between the teams and third to be played at Rogers Centre. Chicago won two of three when the teams last met here in June 2008. ... Both clubs are well back in their respective division races. Toronto entered play 10 games behind Baltimore in the A.L. East while last-place Chicago entered play 15 games behind St. Louis in the N.L. Central. ... It was the opener of a six-game, seven-day road trip for the Cubs. Chicago gets an off-day Thursday before starting a three-game series at Pittsburgh. Toronto is also off Thursday before continuing its six-game homestand with a weekend series against Tampa Bay. Aaron Ramsey Jersey . - The Oakland Athletics say they are stopping negotiations to extend their lease at the Coliseum. Olivier Giroud Arsenal Jersey . -- D. J. Williams finally has his packing strategy down. http://www.arsenalsoccerpro.com/Authent ... al-Jersey/. - Steve Stricker usually doesnt show up at a tournament on Sunday. Per Mertesacker Arsenal Jersey . That little deal worked out in a big way for the Mavericks. Nowitzki had 21 points Tuesday night to pass Oscar Robertson for 10th on the NBAs career scoring list, leading the Mavs to a 95-83 victory over the Utah Jazz. Santi Cazorla Arsenal Jersey .Y. -- Sore nose and all, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to help Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 5-3 on Friday night, snapping the Penguins mini-slump and slowing the Sabres late-season surge.MANCHESTER, England - Liverpool revived its faltering English Premier League campaign with a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion, while under-pressure Newcastle manager Alan Pardew was spared another demoralizing loss thanks to the latest brace from Papiss Cisse on Saturday. Jordan Henderson set up Liverpools opening goal by Adam Lallana, and grabbed the winner in the 61st minute with a shot from inside the area, lifting the anxiety around Anfield after the clubs run of three league games without victory. We needed to find a way to win today, said Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, whose team has struggled to maintain the form of last season that swept it to a second-place finish. Liverpools problems are nothing compared to those of Newcastle, which remained winless this season after a 2-2 draw at Swansea. The pressure on Pardew would have been fierce with another defeat but he was helped out by two equalizers from Cisse, who also scored twice in a draw against Hull two weeks ago. Anybody who saw the game today will see the players gave everything, Pardew said. Theres a lot of pressure on us and its difficult to play. They only way to get through this is keep fighting. Sunderland beat Stoke 3-1, Hull defeated Crystal Palace 2-0, and Burnley scored through a 90th-minute free kick to draw 2-2 at Leicester in a match between two promoted clubs. Manchester City could put pressure on first-place Chelsea by beating Aston Villa in the late game. The memory of Liverpools surprise challenge for the league title last season is fading after an underwhelming start to this campaign, with its only previous victories coming in August. The performance against West Brom was unconvincing, too, with Daniel Sturridge still out injured and Mario Balotelli dropped to the bench. Crucial interventions from Henderson made the difference. The England midfielders clever flick played in LLallana, who converted his first goal for Liverpool to give the hosts the lead in the 45th.dddddddddddd Saido Berahino equalized with a 56th-minute penalty he won from a challenge by Dejan Lovren that appeared to be made outside the area, but Henderson restored Liverpools lead with a goal that lifted the team into the top half of the standings. Its been frustrating, Rodgers said. We had to make changes in the summer to strengthen the squad and we missed a world-class striker (after Luis Suarezs departure to Barcelona). We will get better as we go on. Pardews unstable position has been one of the talking points of the first two months, and the draw at Swansea should keep him in situ over the upcoming international break. The sinking feeling for Newcastles disheartened fans returned when Wilfried Bony put Swansea ahead in the 17th but Cisse equalized by getting a touch on Gabriel Obertans cross to the near post. Gylfi Sigurdsson picked up another assist when he laid in Wayne Routledge for Swanseas second goal in the 51st, only for Cisse to rescue Newcastle with 15 minutes left. Its my job to try and lift the players and make sure theres fight in their belly, Pardew said. The confidence will get better and this will give us belief. Steven Fletcher scored twice to help Sunderland to its first win of the campaign, after Connor Wickham put the team ahead against Stoke, while second-half goals by Mohamed Diame and Nikica Jelavic gave Hull its first victory since the opening day of the season. Burnley broke its club record by going 10 hours 52 minutes without a goal before Michael Kightly equalized at Leicester to cancel out Jeffrey Schlupps opener. Riyad Mahrez restored the home sides lead but Ross Wallaces last-minute strike earned Burnley a point that lifted the team off the bottom of the table, where it is provisionally replaced by Queens Park Rangers. China Jerseys ' ' '