Monday.Rays: SS Matt Duffy (strained left Achilles tendon

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Rookie quarterback EJ Manuel took a big step forward in the competition to win the Buffalo Bills starting job after the team released veteran Tarvaris Jackson on Monday. The move was announced by the team in a one-sentence release. And it came a day before the Bills open a three-day mandatory minicamp -- the teams final sessions before the start of training camp next month. The timing of the decision immediately frees up additional practice time for Manuel to further his development and become comfortable running the offence under rookie coach Doug Marrone. Selected 16th overall out of Florida State, Manuel was the only quarterback taken in the first round of the draft. Jacksons departure leaves Manuel competing with Kevin Kolb, a sixth-year player the Bills signed in free agency in April. Kolb and Jackson had mostly evenly split practice time with the first-team offence during the Bills 10 voluntary spring minicamps. Kolb appeared to have a better grasp of the offence. Marrone had indicated two weeks ago that he wanted to increase Manuels practice time. In the end, Jackson never received a shot in Buffalo after being acquired by the Bills in a trade with Seattle in August. The seventh-year player spent all of last season as Buffalos third-string quarterback. Jackson then signed a one-year contract to return to Buffalo in February, believing he would have an opportunity to compete for a starting job. That chance hardly materialized, and his release is not regarded as a surprise. Manuel is being groomed to take over the starting job sooner than later. And the Bills targeted Kolb in free agency, believing he could serve as a temporary stop-gap until Manuels ready. Kolb has shown flashes of success in going 9-12 as a starter with Philadelphia and Arizona, but his career has been hampered by a series of injuries. For Jackson, this marks the second consecutive off-season during which hes been the odd-man out in a three-way quarterback competition. Jackson was deemed expendable by the Seahawks last summer after rookie Russell Wilson secured the starting job ahead of Jackson and free-agent addition Matt Flynn. The Seahawks advanced to the NFC divisional round with Wilson under centre, losing to Atlanta, 30-28. Jackson acknowledged last month that the odds might be stacked against him in Buffalo. "They invest a lot in the players in the first round," Jackson said, referring to Manuel. "I know how it goes. I just come out here and do my best. And sometimes, in certain situations, your best might not be good enough." Jackson was selected in the second round of the 2006 draft by Minnesota. The Alabama State product has appeared in 51 games, and has starting experience with both the Vikings and Seahawks. Jacksons best season came in 2011, his one and only year with Seattle. He went 7-7, putting up career highs with 14 touchdowns, 271 completions and 3,091 yards. Denver Nuggets Jerseys . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. Jarred Vanderbilt Jersey . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. http://www.nuggetsprostore.com/kids-michael-porter-nuggets-jersey/ . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. Carmelo Anthony Jersey . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Malik Beasley Jersey . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Minnesota Twins had a chance to move past Tampa Bay and out of last place in the American League, but they ran into the Rays at their best.Evan Longoria, Bobby Wilson and Logan Forsythe all homered to back Chris Archers six strong innings as the Rays beat the Twins 7-3 on Saturday night.A win would have pulled Minnesota a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay 2 1/2 months after the Twins dismal 11-34 start. But at 44-66, they still have the worst record in the AL, 1 1/2 games behind the Rays 45-64.Archer (6-15) won for the third time in his last 15 starts, giving up one run and three hits and striking out seven to regain the American League lead in strikeouts with 168.Hes been trying to find ways to win games this year and tonight it seemed like he had it going, said Twins manager Paul Molitor. No question Archer was the difference in the game.Archer won for the first time in his last nine starts at home.I feel lately Ive been pretty efficient, even when Im not getting a lot of strikeouts, he said. Tonight the sixth inning got away from me a little bit but Im not even worried about it. Six was all the team needed tonight. I definitely wanted to go deeper but its not all about me, its about getting a team win.Alex Colome got the final two outs for his 27th save after the Twins rallied for two runs in the ninth. The Rays clinched their first winning homestand of the season, improving to 6-3 with the finale on Sunday.Longoria and Wilson homered off Minnesota starter Jose Berrios, who gave up four runs and six hits in five innings.Berrios (2-2) said Archers strong start added no additional pressure.I go out there and compete with my team, he said. Tonight that didnt happen but I tried to do my best. ... I made two or three mistakes tonight.Longorias 24th home run gave the Rays a 2-0 lead in the third. Wilson, re-acquired by the Rays off waivers from Texas on Thursday, homered in his second at bat and drove in another run with a single. Forsythe added his 11th home run in the seventh off reliever Trevor May.ddddddddddddrian Dozier drove in the Twins first run with a double in the sixth, extending his career-high hitting streak to 15 games.It is the longest current streak in the AL and the longest by a Twin since Joe Mauers 16-game streak two years ago.HOMERLESS FOR A NIGHTThe Twins, who have 29 home runs from Dozier and Max Kepler alone since June 19, went homerless on Saturday night. Molitor still doesnt consider them a home run-hitting team. We have athletic players, too, guys that can run, guys that can spray the ball around, run the bases, he said. Youll take the home runs, but I think overall, a consistent offense in terms of some of other things probably plays better over the long season.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: 3B Trevor Plouffe, on the disabled list with a fractured left rib, homered in the seventh inning for Triple-A Rochester to break up a perfect game Saturday night. The Twins expect to activate Plouffe as early as Monday.Rays: SS Matt Duffy (strained left Achilles tendon) plans to make his Tampa Bay debut Friday night at the New York Yankees. Duffy, acquired from San Francisco on Monday, said running the bases in a rehab game Friday with Class A Charlotte felt almost like nothing happened. ... The Rays placed OF Desmond Jennings (bruised left knee) on the 15-day disabled day and reinstated OF Mikie Mahtook (fractured left hand) from the DL. ... OF Oswaldo Arcia (strained right elbow) and 1B Logan Morrison (strained right forearm) could be ready for minor league games in the next week.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson (3-6) will pitch the series finale. He is 0-4 with an 8.85 ERA in four starts against the Rays.Rays: RHP Matt Andriese (6-2) expects to be held to a pitch count around 80 in his second start since spending more than a month in the bullpen. ' ' '