14.11.2019, 03:48
DUNEDIN, Fla. Kevin Kiermaier Rays Jersey . - Manager John Gibbons offered a glimpse Sunday of the Blue Jays much-debated pitching rotation. He helped fill in some of the gaps when he said the pitching questions remaining are who will be the fifth starter and whether the team will carry seven or eight in the bullpen. Previously GM Alex Anthopoulos had talked of two openings left to fill in a starting rotation that already features R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Brandon Morrow. A gaggle of pitchers has been competing for the fourth and fifth sports with J.A. Happ, Drew Hutchison and Ricky Romero the leading contenders although Happs back issues had muddied the waters somewhat. Asked Sunday if Happ was the fourth starter with one position still open, Gibbons replied: "Yeah, Im a big Happ fan. I think hes going to have a heck of a year for us and all indications the other day are his backs fine. He threw very well (in a minor league game Friday). That was a big question. "Now if his back flares up, that might be a different story." Hutchison is widely believed to have already pitched his way into the rotation. In three outings this spring, the 23-year-old right-hander has given up three runs in 9 2-3 innings for an ERA of 2.79. He has struck out 16 and walked one. "Hes been pitching great," Gibbons acknowledged. "Arguably the best of anybody in camp." Then he clammed up, returning to his stock response that the lineup will be announced at the end of the spring. "So keep asking. You aint getting nothing," he said devilishly. Gibbons confirmed Dickey will pitch first with left-hander Buehrle third in the rotation. Morrow reportedly will throw fifth, which would put him on the mound for the home opener April 4 against the Yankees. The Jays open March 31 with a four-game series in Tampa. The manager declined comment on Morrow pitching fifth. But he rejected the suggestion that a veteran was needed to handle the pressure of pitching the home opener. "Its a big day but, you know what, if you dont think they can handle that day they probably shouldnt be there." Gibbons also said he had no issue with southpaws Buehrle and Happ pitching back-to-back. "Theyre both left-handers but theyre different type of pitchers," he said. In case a second opinion on the starting rotation is needed, the Jays asked fans via Twitter on Sunday to offer their suggestions. "Who do you think should be included in the @BlueJays Opening Day Pitching Rotation? Send us your 5 pitchers and rank them 1-5," the team tweeted Sunday on its official account. Gibbons confirmed locks in the bullpen are Casey Janssen, Sergio Santos, Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup and Steve Delabar. "Theyre not going anywhere," Gibbons said. "Your other guys will be your middle and long (relief) guys so were covered with our late-inning go-to guys." Pitchers Esmil Rogers, Todd Redmond, Jeremy Jeffress and Dustin McGowan are out of options, meaning the team could lose them if they are sent down. McGowan is expected to be part of the opening bullpen, despite his desire to be a starter. "Theres some pretty good pitchers out there that are out of options and you cant keep them all," said Gibbons. "We also think the guys we cut loose will probably get grabbed," he added. A seven-man bullpen would give the Jays a four-man bench. "Thats the risk you take. If you take that extra bullpen guy, youre shorter on the bench." said Gibbons. "Thats not ideal but it might cover our rotation a little bit, make the pitching staff that much stronger if we go with eight." Despite the options complication, Gibbons insisted the team would take the best 25 players north. Also Sunday, the Jays optioned pitchers Kyle Drabek, Chad Jenkins and Sean Nolin to triple-A Buffalo. Reliever Neil Wagner was sent down Friday. Mike Zunino Rays Jersey . This week, topics cover the World Series champion Red Sox, John Farrell and what to look forward to this off-season. Colin Poche Rays Jersey . He made that dream a reality Wednesday night. Olt, who grew up in Branford, Connecticut, attended UConn and made a nearly 2 1-2 hour trek to Boston a handful of times to watch the Red Sox, belted a two-run homer, one of four hit by Cubs in a 16-9 rout that completed a three-game interleague series sweep. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/566i-eri...-rays.html . As deep as their roster is, they need their superstar. Rose scored 23 points in his return from a five-game absence due to back pain, and Chicago hung on to beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 90-79 on Monday.The Vancouver Canucks try to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games when they host the Carolina Hurricanes in Mondays interconference battle at Rogers Arena. Vancouver earned its fourth consecutive win in Sundays home triumph against Colorado. Its the second four-game winning streak of the season for the Canucks, who also went 4-0 from Oct. 22-28. The Canucks last won five in a row during a six-game tear from March 19-28 of last season. Mike Santorelli led the way in Sundays 3-1 victory against the visiting Avalanche, recording two goals and an assist to help Vancouver improve to 2-0 on its current five-game homestand. The Canucks are 7-5-3 on home ice this season. Vancouver led 1-0 after the first period and expanded its cushion to 3-0 after scoring twice in the early stages of the third. Ryan Kesler posted his team-leading 15th goal of the season just 1:32 into the final period and Santorelli made it 3-0 at the 7:17 mark. Santorelli has eight goals in 32 games this season after posting a total of 11 markers over 94 contests during the previous two campaigns. "If you want to be successful in this league, youve got to be able to hold onto leads, and tonight we did it the right way," Santorelli said. "We wanted to come out strong and not look at the time, and thats what we did." Roberto Luongo stopped 28-of-29 shots to improve to 14-8-5 this season. Backup Eddie Lack could give Luongo a rest tonight with the Canucks playing on back- to-back days. While Vancouver takes aim at a fifth straight victory tonight, the Hurricanes will try to extend their season-best winning streak to four games. Carolina has nottched three straight positive decisions against Washington, Nashville and Carolina, giving the Canes five victories over their past seven games. Charlie Morton Rays Jersey. After earning a 5-2 road win Thursday against the Predators, the Hurricanes returned home to beat the San Jose Sharks by a 5-3 count on Friday. Rookie Elias Lindholm capped a three-point night by scoring the go-ahead goal with six minutes remaining in the third period to help Carolina down the Sharks. Lindholm, the fifth overall pick of last summers draft, had gone five straight games without a point before posting a goal and two assists on Friday. The outburst doubled his career point total, giving the 19-year-old Swede six points on three goals and three assists in 18 games. Jordan Staal, Riley Nash and Jay Harrison each had a goal and an assist, while Eric Staal scored the other goal for the Hurricanes. Cam Ward made 22 stops for Carolina in the win. "The nice thing the guys are learning if they just stay the course and play the game the right way, youre going to get certain results consistently," Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller said. Carolina will try to stay hot on the road, as the club is beginning a four- game swing on Monday. The Canes, who also are set to visit Edmonton, Calgary and Phoenix during this trip, are 6-6-1 on the road this season. The Hurricanes have not fared well in Vancouver in recent years, losing five straight at Rogers Arena. Carolina hasnt won in British Columbia since it recorded a 4-1 decision over the Canucks on Oct. 15, 1999. Vancouver has won two of three and three of the last five overall encounters in this series. ' ' '