Left tackle Dion Dawkins scans the Buffalo Bills

ORCHARD PARK Dexter Williams Jersey , N.Y. (AP) — locker room from the vantage point of his corner stall and sees a glimpse of a young and promising future core of a team beginning to emerge.“It’s just like a freshman class at college, and we all are growing as one,” the second-year player said following practice Wednesday.The potential is all around him.To Dawkins’ far left is rookie quarterback Josh Allen’s locker. To his immediate right is rookie receiver Robert Foster’s stall, while second-year receiver Zay Jones sits a little further down.And on the far side of the room, blocked from Dawkins’ view, are two newly emptied lockers once occupied by receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Andre Holmes, who were cut a day earlier.Their departures are not lost on Dawkins, either. He realizes how the moves have created opportunities for other youngsters over the final four weeks of a season in which the Bills (4-8) are all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.“Those guys know the table is wide open, so choose wisely and go hard because they could be that guy for us if they choose to,” Dawkins said.Call it an audition or “evaluation,” as coach Sean McDermott phrased it, the Bills are turning their attention to beyond this season in determining who merits further consideration and which players don’t, such as Benjamin and Holmes.Benjamin, whose contract is about to expire, underperformed during his 13-month stint in Buffalo after the Bills acquired the 2014 first-round pick in a trade with Carolina. Holmes, signed through the end of the 2019 season, provided little value beyond being a regular on special teams.“It obviously didn’t work,” McDermott said Max Scharping Jersey , referring to Benjamin, who caught 39 of the 89 passes thrown in his direction for 571 yards and two touchdowns in 18 games in Buffalo.McDermott, however, defended the Bills’ philosophy behind trading a third- and seventh-round pick to acquire the 6-foot-5, 245-pound receiver who showed potential during three-plus seasons in Carolina.“The important thing for us is that we continue to take swings,” he said. “Some of those are going to work, and some aren’t. But the only way you get a hit is if you take a swing.”Minus Benjamin, the Bills prepare to host the New York Jets (3-9) on Sunday with an offense that could feature as many as five starters with fewer than two full seasons of NFL experience. Buffalo’s defense has four starters in their first or second NFL seasons.The youth movement is starting to show signs of gaining traction .Buffalo’s once sputtering offense, which averaged 248 yards, 18 first downs and 10.6 points through nine games, is averaging 398 yards, 22 first downs and 27 points in its past three.Allen has combined for 391 yards passing and three touchdowns with two interceptions, and 234 yards rushing and a score in his past two games since missing four with a sprained right throwing elbow.Jones is showing signs of blossoming. He’s combined for 12 catches for 160 yards and three scores in his past three games after managing just 29 catches for 299 yards and one touchdown in his first nine.Foster has 226 yards receiving and a touchdown in three games since being promoted off the practice squad.And even Isaiah McKenzie has contributed since being claimed by Buffalo after being released by Denver last month. The second-year speedster, initially projected to return punts and kickoffs, had a career-best four catches for 46 yards in a 21-17 loss to Miami last weekend.Veteran defensive tackle Kyle Williams’ spirits are buoyed by how he saw the youngsters perform against the Dolphins.It was a game in which Buffalo rallied from a 14-6 deficit to take a lead in the fourth quarter. It was decided when Allen’s fourth-down pass landed just out of tight end Charles Clay’s reach at the goal line in the final minute.Despite the loss, it instilled a belief in Williams that the Bills are on the right path.“The heart they showed,” Williams said, referring to the youngsters. “Obviously http://www.texansauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kahale-warring-jersey , the result doesn’t come back the way you want it to, but they’re growing up, and you feel it and you see it.”NOTES: Rookie CB Taron Johnson is in jeopardy of missing the remainder of the season after having surgery to repair a nagging shoulder injury. … The Bills still have one open roster spot, while signing WR Da’Mari Scott and T Andrew Lauderdale to their practice squad. Tyler Mahle tossed one-run ball into the seventh inning and the Cincinnati Reds edged the Cubs 3-2 on Friday for their fifth straight victory over Chicago.

Adam Duvall and Scooter Gennett drove in runs as the Reds won for the 14th time in 18 games and ended the Cubs’ six-game winning streak. Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati’s No. 9 hitter, had three hits and leadoff man Jose Peraza had two.

Mahle (7-6) allowed five hits and struck out four over 6 2/3 innings to win his fourth straight decision. In his last seven starts, the 23-year-old right-hander has a 2.06 ERA.

Raisel Iglesias, Cincinnati’s third reliever, got the final five outs for his 17th save in 20 chances.

Cubs starter Mike Montgomery (3-3) allowed three runs on six hits in five innings while walking two and hitting two batters.

TIGERS 3, RANGERS 1

DETROIT – Jordan Zimmermann denied Bartolo Colon’s bid at baseball history, striking out 11 batters in eight innings as Detroit beat Texas.

Colon (5-6) as trying to become the winningest Latin-American pitcher in major league history. He remains tied with Dennis Martinez with 245 career victories.

He pitched well, allowing three runs – including homers by James McCann and JaCoby Jones – in an eight-inning complete game, but Zimmermann (4-0) was better. The Tigers right-hander allowed one run and four hits and struck out 10 or more for the first time since his no-hitter for Washington against Florida on Sept. 28, 2014.

Joe Jimenez pitched the ninth for his third save, helping the Tigers end a three-game losing streak by winning for just the third time in 17 games.

BLUE JAYS 6, YANKEES 2

TORONTO – Justin Smoak hit a three-run homer, Yangervis Solarte reached base four times and Toronto beat New York.

Smoak connected in Toronto’s five-run second inning, when the Blue Jays batted around and put an early end to struggling right-hander Sonny Gray’s latest outing.

Solarte went 3 for 4 with a walk as the Blue Jays won for the 12th time in 16 home games.

Aaron Hicks homered and had two RBIs in the opener of New York’s 11-game road trip.

Gray (5-7) allowed five runs and six hits in two innings Cullen Gillaspia Jersey , his shortest start of the season and his third straight loss. Gray lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his previous start, matching a season worst by allowing six runs in an 11-0 loss to the division-leading Boston Red Sox.

Joe Biagni (1-5) pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief for his first win of 2018.

METS 5, RAYS 1

NEW YORK – Jose Bautista’s grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted New York over Tampa Bay.

Todd Frazier walked and Devin Mesoraco singled to open the ninth against Chaz Roe (1-2) before Amed Rosario’s sacrifice advanced the runners. Roe then got pinch-hitter Dominic Smith on a comebacker and intentionally walked Brandon Nimmo to load the bases.

Bautista homered to left field on the first pitch he saw for his first career walk-off blast. It was his sixth homer of the season and gave the Mets their third win in their last 18 games at home.

Tampa Bay had a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth against New York closer Jeurys Familia (4-4) but came up short.

Jacob deGrom was once again stellar for the Mets, allowing just one run and four hits while striking out eight and issuing one walk over eight innings.

INDIANS 10, ATHLETICS 4

CLEVELAND – Carlos Carrasco returned from the disabled list – and returned to the win column – as Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion drove in three runs apiece, leading Cleveland to its fifth straight victory.

Carrasco (9-5) shook off two homers measuring over 900 combined feet in the first two innings and pitched into the sixth in his first start since being drilled on the right elbow by a line drive on June 16. He struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings and showed no rustiness despite the layoff.

Francisco Lindor stole home as the AL Central-leading Indians won their eighth straight home game. Cleveland is an MLB-best 56-21 at Progressive Field since the All-Star break last season.

Matt Olson and Dustin Fowler homered for the A’s, who lost for just the second time in 10 games since June 25. Paul Blackburn (2-3) took the loss after allowing six runs, five earned, in four innings.

NATIONALS 3, MARLINS 2

WASHINGTON – Pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run that lifted Washington past Miami.

Kyle Barraclough (0-3) fell behind Reynolds 3-0 and on 3-1 before the Nationals slugger sent a fastball into the visitor’s bullpen in left-center for his eighth home run.

Sean Doolittle (3-2) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win as Washington defeated Miami for the 13th consecutive game dating to last season.

Miami starter Dan Straily lasted six innings, allowing two runs on five hits.

Gio Gonzalez threw 114 pitches over five innings and gave up eight hits and four walks.

BREWERS 5, BRAVES 4

MILWAUKEE – Jesus Aguilar hit his 20th homer, rookie Freddy Peralta pitched six sharp innings and surging Milwaukee held off Atlanta.

Tyler Saladino also homered for the Brewers, who have won five straight to extend their NL Central lead to 2 1/2 games over the second-place Cubs.

After Peralta (4-1) departed, Atlanta rallied for three runs in the seventh off Jacob Barnes. But the Braves‘ rally faltered when they failed to score with two on and no out after Dan Jennings replaced Barnes, and then left two on with one out in the eighth against Jeremy Jeffress.

Corey Knebel worked around a one-out single in the ninth for his 11th save. Atlanta has lost a season-h