Clan-Members » anislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourn

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - When Ramon Ortiz throws a pitch in the first inning of Fridays game in Boston, he will become the oldest player (39 years and 352 days) to start a game for the Blue Jays since Dave Stieb (41 years, 55 days) on September 15, 1998. Its not how general manager Alex Anthoupolos drew it up. The rotation was supposed to be a strength coming in to the season, but injuries to Josh Johnson, J.A. Happ and Brandon Morrow mean Ortiz will take the ball at Fenway Park. "I think any time you lose members of your rotation, you can never replace those guys otherwise those guys would be in the rotation to begin with," said Anthopoulos. "You know youre not the first team to go through it, you know youre not going to go through a season using five starters, thats just reality." Compounding matters is the plight of Ricky Romero, who stood at his locker after Wednesday nights disastrous start and insisted he belonged in the major leagues. The Blue Jays clearly dont agree, having optioned the left-hander to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday morning. Romero, working through a mechanical overhaul of his delivery, had but one minor league start prior to his recall last Friday. While the outing for class-A Dunedin was effective, it seemed unreasonable to expect Romero to perform at a high level so soon. In the wake of the Johnson arm injury was Romero recalled too soon? "Hindsight is 20-20, I dont know if we would have brought him up two weeks later, three weeks later, would this have occurred," said Anthopoulos. You look at other players, weve had Travis Snider go down and I know he doesnt pitch, but weve had position players go down for months, come back and have to go back down again. Sometimes it takes time." "Its easy to say now, but under the circumstances, I know Danes been working with him hard," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "The reports have been great – even the side sessions, bullpens, simulated games, extended games, Dunedin. Looking back, I guess thats easy to say from the outside but I know the reports that Dane had and the people that have seen him down there were all very positive. I can see why. I see some good results in what hes done, but they just didnt translate on the field." So Romero will pitch for Buffalo, for an unspecified amount of time, under the tutelage of Bisons pitching coach Bob Stanley. Roving pitching instructor Dane Johnson, whos worked with Romero since March, will continue to consult but is expected to be less hands-on. The rotation for the series at Fenway Park is expected to be Ortiz on Friday, Mark Buehrle on Saturday and Morrow on Sunday, health permitting. Then comes an unusual scheduling quirk. The Jays have Monday off and play a two-game series against the Giants on Tuesday and Wednesday before another off day on Thursday. The club will be able to work a four-man starting rotation until May 21, the next time a fifth starter will be needed. Its unlikely Johnson, whos just started playing catch as he works through triceps inflammation, would be ready to pitch by then. In fact, the Blue Jays have pegged the 21st as the day of Johnsons first minor league rehab start. In the meantime, J.A. Happ is expected to need four to six weeks of recovery time after suffering a skull fracture and sprained right knee when he was hit in the head by a line drive on Tuesday night. DOWN ON THE FARM Right-hander Roberto Osuna, 18, one of the Blue Jays top pitching prospects may be headed for Tommy John Surgery. Osuna, who has pitching for class-A Lansing, left his last start with discomfort in his elbow. "He went and got examined by Dr. Andrews and right now they said just to give him a few days and start playing catch," said Anthopoulos. "Hes going to throw to 60-feet (on Friday.) Right now its basically rest and rehab. But there is a scenario if he does have a flare up again in the next few weeks that ultimately he may need Tommy John." Marcus Stroman, 22, is eligible to be reinstated from a 50-game drug-related suspension on May 19. Anthopoulos says Stroman, who the Blue Jays took with the 22nd overall pick in last Junes draft, was topping out at 96-mph on his fastball in an extended spring training start earlier this week. Expect Stroman to be assigned to Double-A New Hampshire when his suspension ends.Gump Worsley Jersey .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Craig Hartsburg Stars Jersey . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. 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A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne.Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - The Florida Panthers announced on Monday that they have signed center Aleksander Barkov, the second overall pick in the 2013 draft, to an entry-level contract. The 17-year-old Finnish center currently plays for Tappara Tempre of SM-liiga. In 53 games with Tappara last season, he scored 21 goals and added 27 assists. "We are pleased to have signed Aleksander," said Florida general manager Dale Tallon. "He is a mature, sstrong and skilled forward who plays well at both ends of the ice and strengthens our line-up down the middle.dddddddddddd Aleksander is a creative and dynamic player who our fans will enjoy watching. We look forward to his contributions to our organization both on and off the ice." Barkov also represented Finland at the World Junior Championships the past two years. He notched three goals with four assists in six games at the last tournament. ' ' '