PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida – Aaron Sanchez was so impressive on Friday afternoon against the Rays big league line-up, he had Tampa Bays hitters giving him props to catcher Dioner Navarro. St.Louis Blues Pro Shop . "Theyve never seen him," said Navarro. "Theyve never faced him and they get this young, lanky, tall guy whos throwing cheese and hes got pretty good movement. I think his composure on the mound was pretty good, his demeanour was pretty good, his body language, everything around him was pretty good today." Sanchez played the role of top prospect, shutting out the Rays over five-and-a-third innings in Torontos 5-0 win. He allowed three hits, all singles, and walked three, but helped his cause be forcing three double-play balls. One each came off the bats of Evan Longoria and Wil Myers. Sanchez struck out two, his fastball was clocked consistently in the mid-90s and his patented curveball was sharp. "It was extremely impressive, theres no doubt about it," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "He came out throwing strikes. He was composed. Faced their line-up, Im sure close to their opening day line-up, faced all their big hitters and certainly handled them pretty well. Pounded the zone, got ahead of the hitters, didnt work from behind in the count, showed an explosive fastball and, like I said, a lot of poise and a lot of ground-ball outs." Watching Sanchez pitch on Saturday, its easy to fall in love with his stuff, his composure, and easy to forget about where he is in his career. The Blue Jays have taken great care, some would say too much care, since drafting him 34th-overall in 2010. Hes only 21, turns 22 on Canada Day, and hasnt thrown a pitch in pro ball above High-A Dunedin. Sanchez hasnt exceeded 100 innings in three pro seasons, although factoring in Arizona Fall League appearances, combined with his time in Dunedin, he tossed 109 2/3 last year. If the Blue Jays increase his innings load by 20 per cent this year, hed throw approximately 130. A 30 per cent increase and Sanchez would throw about 140 innings. He authored a 3.34 ERA in 22 appearances, 20 starts, for Dunedin in 2013. His strikeouts per nine innings dropped to 7.8, but that was by design. Hes worked to become a better ground ball pitcher, which was evidenced by the double play turns in Fridays game. Its tempting for a coaching staff that can see the future but knows another failed season likely means it wont be a part of it; a coaching staff which knows theres at least one glaring hole in the current composition of its starting rotation. "I guess it would be hard not to just from watching and laying eyes on him," said Walker of whether he thinks about Sanchez breaking camp. "But obviously we want to make sure hes ready when the time comes." Hes an affable young man, but also smart. Sanchez doesnt make much noise around the clubhouse; he knows his role as a young player. Hes the Blue Jays top pitching prospect but restricts the projection of swagger and confidence to his mound appearances. "Its good to get my feet wet," said Sanchez of his first big league camp. "Coming into camp, for me, it was to soak everything all in, learn from the veteran guys, just go out and have fun." "I think some of the intangible things that you try to look for in young players in an atmosphere that can be uncomfortable at times, you know, is he so reserved? Is he getting involved in the drills and some of the meetings? Hes handled himself very well and that says a lot about his character and who he is," said bench coach DeMarlo Hale, who served as manager on Friday. It remains to be seen whether Sanchez will throw again for the Blue Jays in spring training. Walker will sit down with manager John Gibbons and draw up a schedule. Sanchez likely starts his season at Double-A New Hampshire. A good showing there and its next stop, Buffalo. Or, maybe, Toronto. THE PIGGYBACK Theres been open musing in the press box about the idea of Dustin McGowan joining R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow, Mark Buehrle and Drew Hutchison in the starting rotation. Why not cap McGowan at four or five innings as he builds up arm strength and piggyback him with one of two long relievers, either Esmil Rogers or Todd Redmond? "Still trying to sort through it," said pitching coach Pete Walker when presented with the idea. "Obviously, theres still some time left in spring training. Guys are going to get the ball; get their opportunities to stand out right now. Obviously, Dustin looked great yesterday and Sanchez looked great today and the other guys, Redmond and Rogers, have thrown the ball well. Obviously, wed like to see [J.A.] Happ pitch well on the 25th and well continue to take a look at how it works out." Walker didnt have the opportunity to speak to McGowan before leaving for Port Charlotte, but said reports are the 31-year-old "felt fine" after throwing three scoreless innings against the Phillies on Thursday. TUIASOSOPOS NUMBERS General manager Alex Anthopoulos ist shy about scouring the waiver wire for players. On Thursday, he picked up Matt Tuiasosopo from the Diamondbacks. "Played well for the Tigers last year and we had good reports on him," said Anthopoulos in a statement. "He gives us a right-handed bat that gives us positional versatility. Obviously, there isnt a lot of time left but hell come in and compete for a spot." Time is of the essence and Tuiasosopo is going to need more of it than usual to join the ballclub. He was in Australia, where the Diamondbacks are opening their regular season with two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Its difficult to see, on the surface, where Tuiasosopo fits in. Hes a right-handed bat who got off to a strong start with the Tigers last season, hitting six of his seven home runs before the All-Star break, including four in a personal five-game span between June 18 and July 11. He can play the corner outfield positions, first base and third base in a pinch. "Youre talking about, maybe, from the right side where there could be an option there," said bench coach DeMarlo Hale. Tuiasosopo hasnt proven he can hit left-handers at the big league level. In 194 at-bats against lefties, Tuiasosopo has hit .196/.287/.345 with eight home runs. Against right-handers, his slash line is .221/.287/.368. Over his major league career, Tuiasosopo has struck out in 31.7 per cent of his big league at-bats. By comparison, while acknowledging the sample size is small, Moises Sierra hits left-handers at a .267/.327/.478 clip with four home runs. "Decisions havent been made, Im sure of that," said Hale. "I cant speak for Alex and Gibby, but it becomes added depth and well see what hes got over these next four or five days left of spring training.” Like Sierra, Tuiasosopo is out of options, meaning he would first have to pass through waivers before being assigned to the minor leagues. If the Blue Jays go with an eight-man bullpen to start the season, carrying both is out of the question. The back-up catcher, likely Erik Kratz, and Maicer Izturis must be accounted for, which leaves only one additional roster spot. Blues Jerseys China . - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to meet with Richie Incognito to determine if one of the central figures in the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal can help their struggling offensive line. Blues Jerseys 2020 . They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66.MILWAUKEE -- Josh Gasser scored 12 points on four 3-pointers, 7-footer Frank Kaminsky added 15 points and 10 rebounds and No. 2 Wisconsin managed a 49-38 win Saturday over Marquette. The Badgers (8-1) shot 32 per cent while contending with a 2-3 zone defence by the undersized Golden Eagles, who dont have a starter taller than 6-7. But Wisconsin looked sloppy at times in the second half, and Marquette (4-4) chipped away at a 10-point halftime deficit. Two foul shots by Sandy Cohen III with 8:57 left cut the lead to 35-33 at the Bradley Center. Gasser steadied Wisconsin with a 3 on the next trip down the floor, and the Badgers fended off Marquette for their second straight victory in the in-state rivalry. Matt Carlino had 18 points for Marquette, which hung around despite shooting 28 per cent. NO. 3 ARIZONA, NO. 9 GONZAGA 63, OT TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- T.J. McConnell scored six of his 12 points in overtime and Arizona held on for the win after Byron Wesley air-balled the first of three missed free throws with 3.3 seconds left. Arizona (8-0) rallied from a poor-shooting first half and a couple of deficits in the second half to force overtime. Brandon Ashley had 14 points in the Wildcats 26th straight home win. Gonzaga (7-1) shot well inside, but went 4 for 17 from 3-point range and had two key turnovers late in overtime. Wesley had a chance to tie the game after being fouled on a 3-pointer, but was well short on his first attempt and clanged away the other two. Kyle Wiltjer led the Bulldogs with 15 points. Kevin Pangos had six assists, but was held to eight points on 3-of-10 shooting. NO. 7 VIRGINIA 74, VCU 57 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Justin Anderson scored 21 points, and Virginia ended VCUs 22-game home winning streak. Anderson showed no signs of the twisted right ankle that knocked him out of Virginias victory at Maryland on Wednesday night. He hit 6 of 7 shots while helping the Cavaliers move to 9-0 for the first time since 2001-02. Anthony Gill added 18 points and Malcolm Brogdon had 15 for the Cavaliers. Treveon Graham scored 17 for the Rams (5-3). Melvin Johnson had 15 points. NO. 8 WICHITA STATE 81, SAINT LOUIS 52 WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- Ron Baker scored 18 points, and Wichita State rebounded from Wednesdays overtime loss at Utah. Evan Wessel and Rauno Nurger had 15 points apiece for the Shockers (5-1). The setback against the Utes was Wichita States first regular-season loss since March 2, 2013. Baker, Nurger and Wessel were a combined 17 of 25 from the floor. Marcus Bartley scored 13 points for Saint Louis (5-3). NO. 10 VILLANOVA 74, SAINT JOSEPHS 46 VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) -- Josh Hart scored 12 points for unbeaten Villanova, and Phil Booth and Darrun Hilliard each had 11. The Wildcats (8-0) scored the first eight points, led by 15 only 6 minutes into the game and treated the rest of the afternoon like a glorified exhibition against one of their biggest rivals. Villanova thumped Saint Josephs 98-68 last year and has remained the class of Philadelphias six Division I teams. Without a true No. 1 scorer, the Wildcats continue to play solid team ball under coach Jay Wright. Up 25 in the second half, no Wildcat had hit double-digit scoring. DeAndre Bembry led the Hawks (4-4) with 13 points. NO. 14 OHIO STATE 70, COLGATE 50 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- DAngelo Russell scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half and Marc Loving added 17 points, leading Ohio State to the win. The Buckeyes (6-1) lost at No. 5 Louisville 64-55 in their last outing in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday night. Cheap Blues Jerseys. Ohio State used an 11-0 run to put Colgate away in the second half. Kam Williams capped the surge with a four-point play with 5:03 left and finished with 11 points. Ethan Jacobs had 18 points for Colgate (1-7), which has lost five in a row. Damon Sherman-Newsome scored 12, and Austin Tillotson had 11. GREEN BAY 68, NO. 15 MIAMI 55 CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- Carrington Love scored a career-high 20 points, and Green Bay deployed an effective zone defence in the second half on the way to the road win. Miami (8-1) scored only one basket in the first 12 minutes of the second half. It shot a season-low 33 per cent, including 5 for 20 from 3-point range. Love added nine rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks. Keifer Sykes had 18 points and Greg Mays scored 10 for the Phoenix (6-2). Green Bay began shooting successfully over Miamis zone early in the second half. Love sank a 3-pointer during a 13-1 run that put the Phoenix ahead 44-31 with 11 minutes left. NJIT 72, NO. 17 MICHIGAN 70 ANN Arbour, Mich. (AP) -- Damon Lynn made a critical 3-pointer and finished with 20 points to help New Jersey Institute of Technology get the upset. Willis Winfield and Ky Howard had 17 points apiece for the only independent basketball program in Division I. The Highlanders (3-5) went 11 for 17 from 3-point range. Caris LeVert scored 32 points for Michigan (6-2), which shot 42 per cent from the field. Derrick Walton added 16 points. NJIT sealed the win when Daquan Holiday corralled the ball with 4.3 seconds remaining and made two free throws. NO. 19 MICHIGAN STATE 85, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 52 EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Matt Costello and Travis Trice each scored 15 points to lead Michigan State to the easy win. Branden Dawson had 12 points and seven rebounds for Michigan State (6-3). Bryn Forbes added 12-points, making 4 of 7 3-point shots. The Spartans built a 34-point halftime lead and snapped a two-game losing streak against Kansas and Notre Dame. Marcel Mosely scored 19 points and Ghiavonnie Robinson had 13 for the Golden Lions (1-7), who have lost five in a row. NO. 21 MARYLAND 82, WINTHROP 62 COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Jake Layman scored 21 points for Maryland, and freshman Melo Trimble and Richaud Pack had 16 apiece. Jared Nickens added 12 points for the Terrapins (8-1), who bounced back from a double-digit home loss to No. 7 Virginia on Wednesday. In this one, Maryland trailed by nine points in the first half and was tied shortly after halftime before finally creating some separation. Keon Moore led Winthrop (3-4) with 20 points and Keon Johnson had 18. Its been a strange season for the Eagles, who defeated Clemson on the road but also lost to Savannah State and Jacksonville State. NO. 23 BUTLER 65, NORTHWESTERN 56 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Kellen Dunham scored 19 points, and Butler held off a late charge by Northwestern. Roosevelt Jones added 12 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs. Bryant McIntosh had 12 points for Northwestern (5-3), which shot 41 per cent. Alex Olah scored 11 points, and Vic Law finished with 10. NO. 24 ILLINOIS 70, AMERICAN 55 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- Malcolm Hill scored 13 points, powering Illinois to the win. The Illini (7-1) shot 48 per cent from the field and outrebounded the Eagles 29-18. Rayvonte Rice had 10 points for Illinois on 1-of-7 shooting. Pee Wee Gardner led American with 16 points, while Jesse Reed had 13 points. ' ' '
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