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SACRAMENTO - Some say that living well is the best revenge. Nike Koston 3 Hyperfeel White . At least four players on the Raptors roster subscribe to that philosophy. When Torontos Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, Greivis Vasquez and Chuck Hayes return to Sacramentos Sleep Train Arena Wednesday, theyll be feeling a lot better about themselves than when they were last in the building, when they called it home. Its been nearly two full months since that fateful night in Los Angeles when a seven-player trade shook the foundation of the Raptors franchise. As reports began to circulate hours before tip-off, the timing of the deal caught everyone off guard. In exchange for the bloated contract and modest production of Rudy Gay - along with Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray - Toronto took back four veteran wild cards. Each of the four had experienced some level of individual success in the league. Vasquez and Patterson - the youngest of the four - were both coming off career seasons, one in New Orleans, the other in Houston. Hayes - a nine-year vet - had been a starter with the Rockets and Salmons, now in his 12th season, was a key contributor to playoff teams in Chicago and Milwaukee. At 34 and 30 respectfully, Salmons and Hayes immediately became the elder statesmen on a young Raptors squad. Each of them had started in at least one of Sacramentos first 18 games. They were rotation players for a team that was 5-13 at the time of the trade. "Coming from here in Sacramento, things werent that great," Salmons said, candidly reflecting back on the trade after wrapping up practice in the Kings gym Tuesday. "So when we got the opportunity to come here we just wanted to take advantage of it. Losings not fun and this team had a chance to make a run at the playoffs." Without Gay, who was shooting 39 per cent and hoisting just under 19 shots per game, most anticipated there would be at least some addition by subtraction but no one - even internally - knew what to expect from the incoming Kings players. Likewise, they didnt know what to expect from a Raptors team that had a 6-12 record prior to that game in LA on Dec. 8. "I mean you hear stuff about other teams, but the only thing you really know is their record," Salmons added. "You know their record, you know their roster but you dont know the whole story. So coming in all we saw was the record, we didnt know that the locker room was full of good guys." Toronto has gone 19-10 since the trade was made official, 19-9 since the acquired players made their Raptor debuts, good for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference over that stretch. Not only did the trade improve the Raptors bench, it made their bench. On most nights, Dwane Casey has settled into a strict nine-man rotation, using the four ex-Kings as his primary reserves. Torontos bench combined for 35 points on 52 per cent shooting in Mondays win over the Jazz. They have scored 30 or more in three of the last five contests and are averaging 26.6 points since the trade. Casey has entrusted them to be on the floor in key situations. Quite frankly, theyve earned it. "I feel like we got four veteran, solid players that really helped us in a lot of different ways and gave us some toughness off the bench," the Raptors coach said. "Right now, obviously [Toronto is] playing at a very high level," said Kings coach Mike Malone. "I think all four of our guys are helping them at different points." The newcomers have each put their stamp on the teams run. Often the first player off the bench, Patterson is logging fewer minutes than he was in Sacramento, yet averaging three more points per game, contributing nearly 10 as a Raptor. Hayes has carved out a niche as a reliable, savvy and hardworking stopper and rebounder. Salmons, a two-way player, has become Torontos third ball handler. Of the four, Vasquez is the only one who has seen his scoring average dip since coming to the Raptors. Still, hes not complaining. "Im in a different situation right now and Im pretty happy," said Vasquez, who has stepped in as a reliable backup to Kyle Lowry, something the team was desperately searching for early in the season. "I think winning really makes everything so much better. Id rather be in a winning program right now than going through a tough time [in Sacramento]." You would have to be naive to think that Wednesdays return to Sacramento is just another game for those four. The Kings are 11-19 since sending them to Toronto and the statement theyre hoping to make has more to do with their collective success than individual performances. "You always look forward to playing the team that traded you," said Vasquez, averaging seven points and four assists with the Raptors. "More than that its about winning. At the end of the day, whether I play well, whether I dont play well, I just want to go back to Sacramento with a win." Vasquez was only with the Kings for a couple months to begin the season. For Salmons, his connection with the Sacramento franchise goes back seven years. In 2006, the Philadelphia-native pulled out of a deal with the Raptors to sign in Sacramento. After being moved to the Bulls, then to the Bucks, Salmons eventually found his way back to the Kings but became expendable when new ownership decided to take the team in a different direction. The trade to Toronto was Salmons fifth since being drafted out of Miami in 2002 but he took this one more personally than the others. He felt slighted by an organization that he had spent most of his career playing for. "When I got traded I had mixed feelings, strong mixed feelings," he admitted. "Im not going to say I was totally mad at the [Kings] organization it was just, I dont know, it was just a little tougher this time." Now, as he and his teammates get set to make their much-anticipated return, that animosity is water under the bridge, more or less. Salmons, like the other three, is sincerely happy to be a Raptor. Winning is the best medicine. "Guys enjoy winning," said Salmons. "Theres the old saying, winning cures everything so the more we win the more people want to sacrifice to continue winning." Balenciaga Speed Trainer White . - Andrew McCutchen went 4 for 5 and finished a home run short of a cycle, and Jordy Mercer drove in a career-high four runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-2 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. Balenciaga Speed Trainer Knit Mens/Womens High Runner Olive/White Sale . -- Stanley Johnson scored all 18 of his points in the second half, T.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Kevin Kiermaiers youthful exuberance is becoming a major asset for the Tampa Bay Rays. The rookie had three hits and drove three runs Saturday, helping right-hander Jake Odorizzi beat the struggling Toronto Blue Jays 10-3. Matt Joyce also drove in three runs and Ben Zobrist had two RBIs. But it was Kiermaier who set the tone for a big day offensively, leading off the bottom of the first by stretching what should have been a routine single into a double. The speedy outfielder tagged up and hustled to third when Zobrists flied to centre field, then scored on Joyces sacrifice fly for a quick 1-0 lead. The same type of aggressiveness of defence contributed to the 24-year-old playing Colby Rasmus sinking hit into a triple in the second inning, setting up Torontos first run. Still, Rays manager Joe Maddon likes what he called Kiermaiers "hair on fire" style. "Youve got to take the bad with the good sometimes," Maddon said. "The way he started that game, it set a tone for us," the manager added. "Thats the kind of baseball I like to see us play. Thats the kind of baseball thats made us successful. The more people we get to buy into that plan, the better off were going to be." Kiermaier appreciated the managers support. "My thing is I want people to see the way I play and maybe come off contagious a little bit," Kiermaier said. "I guess you can call it my hair on fire, but its the only way I know -- 100 per cent, all out," he added after boosting his batting average to .310 with eight homers and 24 RBIs in 47 games. "I look like an idiot sometimes, but for the most part I try to be under control with everything and know when to push the limit and when not to." Pitching a day earlier than scheduled because All-Star David Price was ill, Odorizzi (5-8) allowed three runs and six hits over 6 2-3 innings. The 24-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out seven to improve to 3-1 over his last five starts. Kiermaier, Zobrist and Joyce -- the 1-2-3 hitters in the Rays lineup -- combined to drive in five runs during a six-run sixth inning. Pinch hitter Cole Figueroa drove in the first run of the inning, drawing a bases-loaded walk from Drew Hutchison (6-8) to snap a 2-2 tie. The loss was the seventh in nine games for the second-place Blue Jays, who remained three games behind division-leading Baltimore in the AL East. Despite its recent struggles, Torontos 49 wins are the most the Blue Jays have had before the All-Star break since 2006. Nike Air Max Tailwind 7 Mens. . A win Sunday would give them their first road series victory over Tampa Bay since April 2007, as well as 50 wins before the break for the first time since 1992. "It was a good ball game until it imploded on us," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. The Rays stopped a four-game losing streak against their division rivals, winning for just the third time in nine tries against Toronto this season. Hutchison beat Tampa Bay 4-2 on April 1 at Tropicana Field and 10-5 in Toronto on May 26, despite not pitching six innings in either outing. He didnt make it through the middle innings against them this time, either, running into trouble when the Rays loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth on a single and two walks. The Blue Jays starter fanned Jose Molina, but watched the go-ahead run cross the plate when Figueroa walked after fouling off three pitches on a full count. "I faced five guys in that inning, got ahead of all of them, but I walked three and gave up a two-strike hit. Thats just not going to get the job done," Hutchison said. "Its embarrassing, and thats about all there is to say about it." J.A. Happ replaced Hutchison, but couldnt shut down the rally. Kiermaier, Zobrist and Joyce hit consecutive ground ball singles through the left side of the Toronto infield, building Odorizzis lead to 8-2. Hutchison was charged with six runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings. He walked five and struck out seven. Rasmus scored on Juan Franciscos second-inning sacrifice fly for Toronto. Dioner Navarro had an RBI single in the fourth and Anthony Gose added a run-scoring single in the seventh for the Blue Jays. NOTES: Maddon said Price will start Sundays season finale against R.A. ickey, which would make it a matchup of Cy Young ward winners. ... Tampa Bay CF Desmond Jennings (bruised left knee) and C Ryan Hanigan (soreness left side) were held out of the lineup, though Maddon said both were able to play in case of an emergency. ... The Blue Jays placed OF Nolan Reimould on the 15-day DL with a strained left calf and recalled Gose from Triple-A Buffalo. ... Toronto INF Munenori Kawasaki, who left Friday nights game because of tightness in his right hamstring, did not start but was available off the bench. ... Musician Joan Jett, who performed a postgame concert, threw out the ceremonial first pitch and also handled the public address announcers job for two innings. ' ' '