on Friday. "I think its a good thi

TORONTO -- The Tampa Bay Rays were officially eliminated Monday night from playoff contention with a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.They showed that their hearts were still in the task at hand, however, at the end of the game Monday when both benches emptied over a misunderstanding.The Blue Jays can expect the Rays to remain as tough as they always are in the second game of the series on Tuesday.Steven Souza Jr. made the final out Monday on a blast that looked as if it had every chance to be a two-run homer before it was caught deep in center field by Kevin Pillar.Souza admitted that he admired the ball a little too long after it left his bat.That led to the misunderstanding and benches emptied before order was quickly restored.Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin told Souza that he had crushed the ball and that he thought it was going to be a homer. Then Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said something to Souza and the teams poured onto the field.I thought Russ was saying something about (admiring the hit), which would have been on me, totally, Souza said. And I was saying, Dude, Im sorry, I thought I got it. There was miscommunication in that he actually said, I thought you got it. And so I said, Oh, my bad, and walked away. But then Troy decided to jump in and say some things that werent really necessary.It was just a misunderstanding, Martin said. I just told him he crushed that ball, I thought he got it and before I could really get my message across, Tulo jumped in and was like a ball of fire.It was soon over but Souza did find something positive from an unnecessary and overblown incident. To see my team get behind me like that, it was cool to rally together, he said.That showed a lot about us, said Brad Miller, who homered on Monday. Regardless of our spot in the standings, were all fighting for something.The Rays still lead the season series over the Blue Jays 9-8 with two games left between the teams.The Blue Jays will start Marcus Stroman (9-7, 4.56 ERA) against Rays left-hander Drew Smyly (6-11, 5.05).Stroman, who will be seeking his first win since Aug. 14, has faced the Rays four times this season and is 2-2 with a 4.55 ERA. In six career starts against Tampa Bay, he is 3-3 with a 4.89 ERA.Smyly is 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in nine career outings, including six starts, against the Blue Jays. He is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA at Rogers Centre in five appearances (three starts).In four previous starts against Toronto this season, he is 2-2 with a 3.80 ERA. He has won his past two starts against the Blue Jays, May 16 and Aug. 9, both at Rogers Centre.The Blue Jays are 3-7 in September, and 2-2 against the Rays for the month.Theyre very talented over there, said Jose Bautista, who homered Monday night for Toronto. Weve struggled this year against them because theyve got very good pitching. I dont feel like its been more difficult as of late. Its just sometimes we have been executing and sometimes we havent.Anders Lee Islanders Jersey . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Josh Bailey Islanders Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.islanderssale.com/customized/ . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. Denis Potvin Islanders Jersey . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Matt Martin Islanders Jersey . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing.NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez says he wont play again this season.The three-time AL MVP was released Saturday by the New York Yankees, who owed him about $27 million for the rest of his contract, which runs through 2017.Any team could sign A-Rod for a prorated share of the major league minimum of $507,500, and Rodriguezs hometown Miami Marlins said Sunday they were discussing whether to reach out to the 41-year-old.Rodriguez spokesman Ron Berkowitz says in a statement Monday: I want to put all this talk to rest about Alex plaaying for any team this season.ddddddddddddBerkowitz adds: Its not happening. Like he said Friday night, he is happy and he is going to take some time to relax and hang with his family and friends.Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that once Rodriguez left Yankee Stadium, he didnt expect the star to join another team. But, Girardi added Monday night, nothing that Alex does should ever surprise us. ' ' '