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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mark Buehrle allowed two walks and both runners ended up scoring. So despite pitching into the seventh inning Thursday night, and helping the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals that staved off a series sweep, the veteran left-hander still had something to ruminate over in the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium. "Id rather give up 10 hits and no walks. I hate it. Make them earn it," Buehrle said. "But you know, our offence bounced back and the defence played well behind me." Apparently, nobody is tougher on Buehrle than Buehrle. Juan Francisco and Colby Rasmus each homered and drove in two runs, and Anthony Gose also had a pair of RBIs after getting recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to start in place of injured outfielder Melky Cabrera, helping Toronto avoid its first three-game sweep by the Royals since 1993. Buehrle (5-1) worked through plenty of trouble in 6 2-3 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and those two walks. Aaron Loup pitched 2 1-3 shutout innings for his third career save. "(Buehrle) pitches to win," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "Hes going to do whatever it takes, and hes on a nice little roll. Hes having a good year for us." The Royals Jeremy Guthrie (2-2) left trailing 4-3 after six innings, but his bullpen was unable to keep it close. Billy Butler drove in a pair of runs, but that was just about it for Kansas City, which had its three-game winning streak come to an end. "He mixes speeds. He locates. He frustrates you," Butler said of Buehrle, no stranger to Kansas City having pitched for the AL Central rival White Sox. "He feeds off your over aggressiveness." The teams traded blows most of the way. Toronto struck first when Chris Getz singled in the first inning and then swiped bases all the way to third, where Edwin Encarnacion drove him in with a fielders choice. Kansas City answered in the second when Justin Maxwell walked and Alcides Escobar singled to right. Jose Bautista flubbed the pickup, allowing Maxwell to score easily. The Royals pulled ahead in the third on Butlers single, though they squandered another scoring opportunity when Eric Hosmer was thrown out at home for the second straight night. The Blue Jays regained the lead the next half inning when Francisco, who had two homers in three at-bats off Guthrie last season, hit a two-run shot over the bullpen in right field. But the Royals answered again on Butlers two-out double to left in the bottom of the fifth. "Im seeing the ball good now," Butler said. "I knew it was going to come." The Royals kept shifting dramatically to deal with the Blue Jays left-handed power hitters, but it didnt matter when Rasmus came to bat in the sixth. He powered a 1-2 pitch right over the defence for a two-out homer that gave Toronto a 4-3 lead. "I was trying to go down and in and didnt get it there," Guthrie said. Guthrie finished off the inning, but was lifted after allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks in just six innings. His bumpy night stood in stark contrast to his last four outings against the Blue Jays, when he went 1-0 with a 1.44 ERA. The Blue Jays tacked on some insurance in the eighth. Rasmus drew a bases-loaded walk off Michael Mariot, and then Gose hit a two-run double off Louis Coleman that broke the game open. "It was definitely a big win," Loup said. "Close game like it was, back and forth, back and forth. Hopefully it gets us on a roll, gets us some wins." NOTES: Toronto selected the contract of INF Steve Tolleson from Triple-A Buffalo. INF Jonathan Diaz was optioned to Buffalo and OF Moises Sierra designated for assignment. ... Royals LHP Bruce Chen (back inflammation) is expected to go on the DL, manager Ned Yost said. It was unclear who will start in his place Saturday against Detroit. ... Cabrera got the night off after getting hit in the left shin Wednesday. Gibbons said he should be available for this weekends series in Pittsburgh. Antonio Brown Youth Jersey . -- Fresh off their surprising run in the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers have signed head coach Terry Stotts to a multi-year contract extension. Mike Webster Womens Jersey . Not because it was right, but because referees werent allowed to determine it was wrong. http://www.steelerspronfl.com/Youth-Terry-Bradshaw-Elite-Jersey/ . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Ernie Stautner Youth Jersey . - The New Orleans Saints have re-signed receiver Joseph Morgan for one year and have agreed to a four-year deal with free agent fullback Erik Lorig. Lynn Swann Steelers Jersey . The above paragraph could be rewritten, verbatim, with Marcus Stromans name in place of Romeros. After both men had disastrous outings in Tuesdays 18-4 mauling at the hands of the Tigers, its clear that neither is the best option to begin the season in Toronto.Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - World No. 1 Serena Williams and former top-ranked star Venus Williams secured berths in the quarterfinals at the 2015 Australian Open. Serena dropped the first set before rallying to top rising 24th-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours at Melbourne Park on Australia Day. Muguruza stunned Serena at the French Open last year, handing the American, who won just four games in that match in Paris, the worst loss of her Grand Slam career in the process. The 33-year-old American great blitzed her 21-year-old opponent with 17 aces and won 38 of 49 first-serve points on Monday. It was a great match -- congratulations to Garbine, she played so well, Serena said. The 18-time Grand Slam champion and reigning U.S. Open titlist owns five Aussie Open titles, but none since 2010. Her quarterfinal opponent will be 11th-seeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova, who doused on-the-mend Belarusian star Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Azarenka led 2-0 in the third set, but couldnt hold on against the diminutive Cibulkova. Today I wasnt thinking about the score, I was just going for it, Cibulkova said. And when I was up, I was going for it even more. I always have tough matches with Vika. The tennis she plays goes well with mine, Cibulkova added. Cibulkova was last years Aussie runner-up to since-retired Chinese star Li Na. The former world No. 1 Azarenka is a two-time Aussie Open champ and two-time U.S. Open runner-up. Her 2014 season was interrupted by a foot injury and shes been trying to re-locate her game since last spring. This marks Azarenkas earliest exit from the Aussie since 2011. I take it as progress. I think there are a lot of the positive things to take from here, she said. Overall, I can be pretty happy. In other fourth round actiion on Day 8 of the fortnight, an 18th-seeded Venus remained undefeated in 2015 by surprising sixth-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 and rising Madison Keys vanquished fellow American Madison Brengle 6-2, 6-4.dddddddddddd Brengle reached her first-ever WTA final in Hobart two weeks ago. Venus will clash with the 19-year-old Keys in an all-American quarterfinal on Wednesday. Venus is a seven-time Grand Slam champion who was the 2003 Aussie runner-up to her younger sister. Shes a perfect 9-0 this year, including a title in Auckland three weeks back. The 34-year-old Venus was asked what her inspiration has been to keep plugging away all these years. Definitely my sister Serena, she replied. Shes just the ultimate champion. She definitely gives me a lot of inspiration. And of course all of my fans, whove always stayed behind me. Keys will play in her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal when she faces Venus. It feels really good, she said. My mom texted me before the tournament. She said, Its your last Grand Slam as a teenager, and sent me a bunch of grandma faces. Im like, Thanks for reminding me mom! Thank you. Love you. But its huge. Its my last Slam as a teenager. I hope I can keep it up. The quarterfinals will get underway Tuesday, as second-seeded former No. 1 Maria Sharapova will battle seventh-seeded Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and third-seeded French Open finalist Simona Halep will take on consistent 10th-seeded Russian left-hander Ekaterina Makarova. Sharapova is 3-0 all-time against the Canadian Bouchard, including some French Open match wins in 2013 and last year, while Halep is 1-0 lifetime versus Makarova. The reigning French Open champion Sharapova was the Aussie champ in 2008 and runner-up in 2007 and 2012. ' ' '