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DUNEDIN, Florida – On Wednesday, it was J. Martin Perez Jersey .A. Happs turn to play in the ongoing game of hot potato, better known as the competition to determine who will comprise the back end of the Blue Jays starting rotation. When the figurative music stops on March 31, Opening Day, general manager Alex Anthopoulos, manager John Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker will make whats becoming an increasingly difficult decision thanks to consistently mediocre to subpar performances by the candidates. Walker said before Wednesdays 11-6 win over the Phillies that the game was a "big start" for Happ. He needed to pitch in the strike zone. Happ needed to force Philadephias hitters to make contact. He was scheduled to pitch four or five innings with a pitch count of 70, give or take a few. Turns out Happ threw 71 pitches but did so in only 2 2/3 innings. Only 34 of those pitches were strikes. He laboured, to be generous, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks. Afterward, Happ saw his afternoon in a positive light. "It was good," he said. "I felt strong out there. Maybe a little too good but everything was good. Health was good." The health to which Happ refers is his back, an ailment which has kept him out of Grapefruit League action since he was pulled in the first inning of a March 3 start against the Twins. Happ intends to focus on developing his rhythm, interrupted due to injury, next time out. Hes looking to more consistently harness the new arm slot he employed in the final month of last season. Happ watched video of his start and noticed hed reverted to an over-the-top angle. Its all in the name of better efficiency. "Thats the same story for everybody," said Gibbons. "To be successful in the big leagues youve got to throw a lot of strikes. Youve got to throw that strike one. You fall behind guys, it turns everything in the hitters favour and just the opposite for the pitcher. Hes capable of doing that." Two weeks ago, the 31-year-old was bothered by Anthopoulos suggestion that his spot in the starting rotation was in question. Happ isnt dwelling on it now, saying he cant worry about what he cant control. Its apparent he will be on the team, as will Esmil Rogers and Todd Redmond, his competitors for a final rotation job. The question is who will be the starter and which two will work out of a bullpen which is expected to feature eight relievers. Its believed Happ is in the drivers seat, partly because Rogers doesnt throw enough of his repertoire for strikes and Redmond tends to struggle once the oppositions lineup turns over. Remember, too, that Happ is owed $5.2 million this year on an extension signed the day Ricky Romero was cut from camp last spring. The idea of having $12.7 million on the books for Happ and Romero, with neither in the starting rotation, cant be a pleasant one. "I dont feel like Im far," said Happ. "You guys, youre going to take that outing for what it was and it doesnt look pretty. Pitch-wise, like I said, Im up to 70 and next time be 85-90 and still feel strong thatll be a good thing. Im close." "Im looking forward to his next start," said Gibbons. "Thats all Ive got to say." The game of hot potato continues on Thursday when the Blue Jays visit the Phillies. Another back end of the rotation candidate gets the start. Over to you, Esmil Rogers. ROMERO AND STROMAN REASSIGNED Ricky Romero and Marcus Stroman shipped out to minor league camp on Wednesday morning. Both were outsiders, at best, to crack the opening day roster but both impressed at times during Grapefruit League play. "We just feel they both need more work," said manager John Gibbons. "As far as Ricky, hes moving in the right direction. We really like what he did this camp. Just go down there and polish it up. Stro, hes kind of the odd man out. He had trouble throwing strikes (Tuesday). Hes got to do that. They both need more work." After two down years the bar wasnt set high for Romero. With that as a consideration, its fair to say he exceeded expectations. He had two positive outings before he cratered against the Tigers on Tuesday, reverting to his wild ways. "He showed us enough in the previous two outings before (Tuesday) that you know what, hey, its coming," said Gibbons. "Its a long road and you never really know whether a guy is going to make it back or not but he was starting to show the signs of it." Stroman showed flashes of the pitcher the Blue Jays believe he will become but he was inconsistent all spring, culminating with an ugly performance on Tuesday. The Tigers knocked him around for seven runs on five hits in one-third of an inning. "We brought Stroman in, he pitched in Double-A for us and he had a legitimate shot (at making the club,") said Gibbons. "We dont think hes quite ready. Hes not polished yet so hes got to go down there and work on some things." The Jays still need to add two to a rotation which features R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow and Mark Buehrle. While the pitching coach offers praise to Drew Hutchison, Pete Walker wont yet guarantee him a spot. "Not ready to say that," said Walker. "Obviously, were extremely pleased with the way hes thrown the ball. Hes certainly shown hes capable of getting major league hitters out. His velocity, his strength, his bounce back, right now, after outings has been fantastic. Hes shown poise on the mound. Hes done everything you need to do to earn a spot, theres no question, but were just in a position right now, were sorting through some things to make sure we make the right decision." SANCHEZ AROUND FOR EXPERIENCE Aaron Sanchez is getting plenty of opportunity to pitch in Grapefruit League games, often the back end of a starters piggyback. Hes thrown as many as four innings in a game and is scheduled to work in relief of Todd Redmond against the Rays on Friday. "He wont make the team," said manager John Gibbons. "We want to keep him around, pitching in some of these games for the experience factor." Sanchez, 21, is considered the Jays top pitching prospect. He threw 109 2/3 innings combined with High-A Dunedin and in the Arizona Fall League last season. Its expected he will begin the year at Double-A New Hampshire. Sam Dyson Jersey . A rainy day saw the former champion Djokovic handle 14th-seeded Frenchman Jo- Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) under the roof on the famed Centre Court. Sean Poppen Jersey .Y. -- The New York Islanders were seeking a positive finish to a frustrating season on home ice. https://www.cheaptwins.com/72t-rod-carew-jersey-twins.html . As a follow-up, TSN.ca offers you the opportunity to chime in on all the big issues with our insiders. Read up on all the questions and answers, and put in your own two cents on our popular Your Call feature.HAMILTON - It was a night of redemption for the Abbotsford Heat. Three days after falling to Hamilton, Abbotsford scored three goals in 53 seconds en route to a convincing 5-1 win over the Bulldogs Saturday in American Hockey League play. "We wish that this could have come on Wednesday, but we played a complete game tonight," said Heat forward Corey Locke. "We had everything from power-play goals to big penalty kills, and it was a whole group effort. Everyone chipped in tonight, and thats how were going to win." Locke, Chad Billins, Ben Street, Sven Baertschi and Max Reinhart each had goals for the Heat (35-23-7), who dropped 10 of their past 11 games heading into Saturday, and Aaron Dell made 36 saves for the win. Nathan Beaulieu had the lone goal for the Bulldogs (28-32-5). Dustin Tokarski stopped 19 shots before being replaced to begin the third period. Devan Dubnyk stopped all five shots he faced in relief. Tokarski made an exceptional save to keep the game scoreless 12 minutes into the first period, sliding to his right to deny the Heat in close at his far post. But a night that started so well for the Hamilton goaltender quickly turned sour. Locke, who had set up the previous chance, provided the finish as the Heat opened the scoring at 14:28. Locke moved into the low slot with Kane Lafranchise holding the puck along the boards, and tipped a slap-pass from the defenceman high and past Tokarski. Abbotsford doubled its lead just 19 seconds later, when Billins fired a wrist shot from the point that moved through a screen and surprised Tokarski. The Heat scored their third goal in quick succession at 15:21. Tokarski sprawled to deny Josh Jooris initial shot as the forward crashed the net, but Street was on hand at the post to slot the rebound into the open net. Hamilton head coach Sylvain Lefebvre rued his teams missed opportunities on the power play early in the first period, that could have radically changed the outcome. "We started pretty well, and it would have been nice if our power play had clicked to start the game," he said. "We had some scoring chances as well, but when they scored their first goal on a power play, it deflated us and we had some bad shifts. "Down 3-0 after the first, its tough to get back." Dell worked hard to preserve his shutout bid in the second period. Nick Tarnasky was unguarded in the low slot, but DDell dropped into his butterfly to deny the Hamilton winger from point-blank range six minutes in. Trevor Hildenberger Twins Jersey. Louis Leblanc was whistled for closing his hand on the puck at 9:22, and Abbotsford quickly extended its lead on the ensuing power play. The combination of Greg Olsen, Derek Smith and Baertschi sprung a three-on-two rush, and after Olsen was turned back, Smith slipped a short pass to Baertschi, who slapped a one-time shot past Tokarski from close range at 10:00 of the second. Dell was forced into action late in period, and kicked aside a tipped shot before recovering to deny another hard wrist shot with his right pad. Teammates have been impressed by the young goaltender, who played just his sixth game for the Heat on Saturday. "Hes played great," said Locke of Dell. "He gave us a chance to win both of these games in Hamilton. We couldnt do it for him on Wednesday, but here he got some run support. "He looks confident in there now, and thats what you want from a goalie." Dubnyk came in to replace Tokarski to begin the third period after Tokarski allowed four goals on 23 shots. Lefebvre argued that his decision to change goaltenders was less an indictment of Tokarskis play than an attempt to re-energize his team. "Sometimes, you try to get the troops going and you use different tactics," he said. "(Tokarski) played really well in the first two games since he came back. Tonight, he didnt make the big saves that we needed, but Im not going to make him the culprit. Thats not the case. "I was thinking that I was going to go with Dubnyk [on Tuesday], so I thought I might as well give him the period to get ready." Dells shutout bid was spoiled at 3:59 of the third. Christian Thomas initial shot from the blue-line hit a Heat defender and bounced to Beaulieu at the left faceoff dot. But with Dell out of position, the defenceman easily fired a shot into the near side of the net. It was a letdown for the Heat, who Locke believed suffered a few sluggish moments despite the win. "We would have liked to keep pushing forward," he said. "We had a few lags and a bad start to the third period. They were all over us until the first timeout, and weve got to figure those sorts of things out. "But we got the two points and we got ourselves out of our slump." Reinhart added an empty-net goal at 19:11. ' ' '