He is 1-2 with a 2.76 ERA in four career starts against

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Joe DeCamillis said he felt like a substitute teacher, in which case the Denver Broncos had better brace themselves for the headmasters return to work Monday.Gary Kubiak has a mess on his hands when he gets back from his medically mandated sabbatical.The Broncos (4-2) have lost two games in five days, dropping them out of first place in the AFC West for the first time since Peyton Manning had to use a GPS to get around Denver in September of 2012.The Broncos 21-13 loss at San Diego on Thursday night was a repeat of Denvers 23-16 loss to Atlanta on Sunday night.They fell behind early and never recovered because of a mixture of conservative calls, costly flags and a defense that showed up late again.Aside from one flare-up when kicker Brandon McManus booted a touchback on a kickoff instead of burying the Chargers deep, DeCamillis was emotionless on the sideline and nobody picked up the slack.I didnt look at it like I was a head coach, DeCamillis said Friday. I was almost like a substitute teacher. I was trying to help a friend, help a coach and help win a game. I have a new respect for what he goes through and what he goes through in a game and the preparation. I have a new respect for that. After I got through the game, I felt pretty good. I think I can do it.The Super Bowl champs have been dogged by slow starts all season, surrendering points on their first defensive series in five of their six games and on their second series in the other one.This time, they allowed a touchdown drive and then a 10-minute, 18-play field goal drive that gave San Diego a 10-0 lead and had their offense on the sideline for all but 2:22 of the games first 19+ minutes.So, why do they keep deferring when they win the coin toss?Yeah, that came up, DeCamillis said ... But I still think with our defense Im going to put our money on them stopping them every time to be honest with you.The Broncos gave up a 5-yard TD toss by Philip Rivers to start the game, then kept the Chargers out of the end zone the rest of the night.That wasnt enough to extend their NFL-record 15-game divisional road winning streak because:-Their ground game remains stuck in neutral, although Devontae Bookers 46 yards on five carries might force the Broncos to give him more carries than C.J. Anderson, whose biggest runs were negated by holding calls.-All five of their offensive linemen were whistled for penalties.-Demaryius Thomas coughed up the football in the closing minutes.-Emmanuel Sanders was hobbled by a hip injury in the closing minutes.-Trevor Siemian rushed his Hail Mary and the heave came up well short of the end zone.Right tackle Donald Stephenson had three flags in his return to the lineup after a three-week absence with a strained left calf and left tackle Russell Okung had two holding penalties, one of which resulted in a safety and the other nullified a touchdown.DeCamillis said Kubiak still plans to return to work Monday but hasnt revealed any changes he might make to his daily schedule. This is the second time in three years hes missed a game after a health scare. In 2013, he had a mini-stroke while coaching the Houston Texans and was out 10 days.Kubiak was transported by ambulance to a hospital after Denvers loss to the Falcons on Sunday. He was diagnosed with a complex migraine condition and ordered to take a week off.On Thursday night, Okung was taken by ambulance to a San Diego hospital after experiencing concussion symptoms. He was released and flew home with the team.DeCamillis said Okung is in the leagues concussion protocol as is wide receiver Cody Latimer.The Broncos were given three days off and will return to work Monday to try to fix things.Weve been in this situation before, DeCamillis said. We have to make sure that our team stays together, which they will. We lost two games (in a row) twice last year and it turned our pretty well. I think our guys have a really good perspective. Theyre prideful. They want to come back and show they can do a better job, just like the coaches do.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton . 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LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. TORONTO -- Melvin Upton Jr.s first game for his new team likely will be against the team he just left.Upton is expected to start in right field Wednesday afternoon for the Toronto Blue Jays against the San Diego Padres with Jose Bautista, just coming off a toe injury, possibly starting at DH. Like all lineup proposals, it is subject to change but the Blue Jays did acquire Upton to play him.Upton was acquired by the Blue Jays in a trade with the Padres on Tuesday. The Padres acquired minor league right-handed pitcher Hansel Rodriguez.The Padres are at Rogers Centre for a three-game series with the Blue Jays but it wasnt as easy for Upton as crossing the field to change dugouts.Before he could officially join the Blue Jays he had to visit customs at Queenston, N.Y., about a 90-minute drive away.I guess I had to get a working visa, Upton said upon his return About an hour-and-a-half ride there, sat at border patrol for a little while, jumped in the car and came back. But it all went pretty smoothly.Upton was at Rogers Centre more than two hours before game time and did get one at-bat, a fielders choice grounder in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter for Toronto in the 7-6 win over the Padres in 12 innings.The outfielder will be used primarily against left-handed pitching and goes from a non-contending team in the Padres (43-58) to a contending team in the Blue Jays (57-44). The Blue Jays enter Wednesdays games in second place in the American League East, two games behind the Baltimore Orioles. Upton played several seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.This is all where it started, in this division, Upton said. I definitely know the cities, and its a tough division. But this is a really good ball club all around. Its definitely not uncomfortable, and Im definitely looking forward to it.He will get tasted of life in the AL East on Friday when the Orioles visit Rogers Centre for a three-game series.We love everything Melvin did for us, the way he played, how he defended the field, how he swung the bat, Padres manager Andy Green said. But were looking at what were going to do in the future. We want to give these younger guys a real look.First, the Blue Jays must deal with the Padres and will bee going for a three-game sweep.ddddddddddddhe Padres have hit home runs in a club-record 24 straight games but it has not helped them win either of their first two games at Rogers Centre.Its a fun thing to keep track of, said Alex Dickerson who has homered in three consecutive games including a three-run shot Tuesday. And its showing that were able to create quick offense on a consistent basis. Weve just got to be able to string that together more often.The Blue Jays made an adjustment in the rotation for Wednesday, electing to go with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (7-11, 4.44 ERA) on Wednesday with three days rest against the Padres. Marco Estrada, the schedule starter on Wednesday, going Friday in the opener against the Orioles. The Blue Jays feel it is a better matchup.The Padres will counter with right-hander Luis Perdomo (4-4, 6.93 ERA), who has never faced the Blue Jays before.Dickey is 2-7 in 16 career games, including 13 starts, against the Orioles despite a 3.90 ERA so it was decided to pitch him against San Diego. He is 1-2 with a 2.76 ERA in four career starts against the Padres. He will be pitching on three days rest after allowing seven hits and six runs in three-plus innings in a 14-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. He used only 72 pitches in the start and Josh Thole, his regular catcher, was slated to play Wednesday afternoon anyway in place of regular catcher Russell Martin who played all 12 innings Tuesday.The 23-year-old rookie earned his fifth win of the season Friday when he worked a career-best seven innings, allowing four hits, one walk and two runs against the Washington Nationals. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts.But the focus will be on Upton, who received a rousing ovation when he came to bat Tuesday.When asked about facing his former team, Upton said. Ive thought about it, but man, its part of the game, Upton said. You rarely see it happen in the same series, but I think, as professionals, we know that anything is a possibility. Luckily, its only for two games and we dont have to play them again. ' ' '