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DUNEDIN, Florida – On Tuesday afternoon, TSN. Kevin Faulk Jersey .ca sat down with Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker for an exclusive 1-on-1 at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Last season, thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness, Torontos starting rotation posted a 4.81 ERA, second-worst in all of baseball. If the Jays are going to compete in the ultra-tough American League East, the staff will have to drastically improve that number. This discussion focuses on the makeup of the rotation, early favourites to earn a spot and whether Walker truly believes this club has enough major league-ready, quality arms to be playing meaningful games in August and September. To listen to the interview, click here. TSN.ca: Pete, weve got a lot to get to here so Im going to fire some bullets here and hope you dont dodge them. Here we go: Drew Hutchison, first and foremost, very, very impressive on Saturday in Sarasota with a fastball clocked in the mid-90s. Could you foresee him on the starting staff when we break camp on March 30, March 31? WALKER: You know, its definitely early in camp but watching him work, watching him go about his business and the way hes carrying himself right now and the way the ball is coming out of his hand, the command, the poise, the power, its a pretty good group of pitches there. Right now, hes just doing everything he needs to do to set himself apart from some of the other guys. Again, its his first outing. You dont want to put too much stock in it but the evidence points to him being on top of his game right now, feeling great coming back from the Tommy John surgery and, again, you cant say enough about the first impression in camp for Drew. The way its going for him, if he continues to pitch this way and continues to throw the ball the way hes throwing, hes certainly a strong candidate for that rotation. TSN.ca: Were looking at whats a pretty obvious top three here right now. R.A. (Dickey) is going to get the opening day start. Brandon Morrow will slot in behind and Mark Buehrle will slot in behind. Then there is that much, much larger grouping of which Hutchison is one, that includes J.A. Happ, Esmil Rogers, Todd Redmond, Kyle Drabek and the list goes on and on and on. In terms of how youre assessing the back end the rotation right now, is there one spot available or are there two spots available? WALKER: Were looking at it as one. Certainly, J.A. hasnt gotten off to a great start for him right now. We would love him to be in that rotation. Certainly, hes a guy whos pitched in the big leagues and had some success. We like where his slot is right now. Obviously, the last outing didnt go very well for him. We want to make sure hes feeling as good as he needs to be physically and were going to get him out there many more times this spring. Hes a guy we want in that rotation, theres no question about it but with that being said, theres a competition down here and the guys coming in that are performing well, obviously you dont want to put too much stock in spring training, but the guys that come in ready to go, its hard to deny the way theyre throwing the ball and if they continue to throw the ball that way on a positive note, they could definitely see themselves being mentioned in that fourth and fifth slot. TSN.ca: The business side at this time of year can be just as involved in decision-making as the performance side and Esmil Rogers and Todd Redmond are two guys who contributed to your starting rotation, really in a pinch, late last season and did reasonably well. Both are out of options, which for the uninitiated means they could not be sent to the minors without going through waivers and you run the risk of losing them. How much of a factor do options play in the ultimate decision-making process here? WALKER: Its a fine line. I mean, obviously, from a player development standpoint you want to make sure the guys who are young are ready to come up here and obviously, you dont want to lose good arms through the waiver process with guys that have had success in the big leagues like Redmond and Rogers. Those guys did a great job for us last year. Were looking forward to them being part of the staff but again, youve got to watch these younger guys, Hutchison, Stroman and watch the way they throw the ball this spring. If those are the guys that are going to give us the best chance to win in April, then you have to strongly consider it. You certainly, over the course of a long season, dont want to lose quality arms, thats for sure because at some point, youre going to need those guys. Rogers is potentially a number four or five starter in the big leagues, going out there every fifth day with the stuff that he throws out there. Certainly at times last year, he looked like it. Redmonds the same. I mean, he did a fantastic job for us late in the season. You cant just overlook those guys; they did do a nice job for us, they are candidates, viable candidates to fill those positions and guys were very confident in. But it is hard to deny that you see a guy like Hutchison and Stroman and see how poised they are and see how theyre doing over the course of spring training and the way they carry themselves that they act and look like big leaguers, theres no doubt about it. Itll be interesting to watch the rest of the spring because theres a lot of pitching left for these guys and certainly guys will have the ability to step up or take a step back. TSN.ca: Have there been any changes in the way that you guys want to approach hitters this season? WALKER: From a pitching philosophy standpoint? TSN.ca: Yes. WALKER: No doubt. Obviously last year didnt go well for a number of reasons. You always look back on the season and you find reasons why. You look to evaluate certain areas and you look to make adjustments I guess as a player, as a coach, its a constant changing so to speak so were always looking to improve. I think, this year, the one thing we do want to implement more is the off-speed pitch, you know, the changeup. We had guys with great stuff that got hurt sometimes because they didnt change speeds well enough, you know disrupt hitters timing. I think, this year, were looking to do that a little bit more. I think its very important from a pitching perspective, in those advanced meetings on the opposing side that they recognize we have good off-speed stuff as well as the power, just to disrupt their timing so thats something were definitely looking into. Aside from that, strike one more consistently and minimizing the walks. Our walks were too high last year. We want to attack the zone, again it was a philosophy last year it just didnt really follow through but were definitely emphasizing it more this spring, changing speeds and really going after the hitters early on. TSN.ca: I dont know if it shows much on TV but when you walk around and you look at Brandon Morrow, you definitely notice a different body type. Hes put on some muscle and he shared with us that he tipped the scales at 219 pounds. This time last year, he was 189 pounds on his way to 203 by opening day. Is he healthy? How is he feeling? How confident are you that he can be the guy to give you 180-200 innings and win you 15-18 games because looking at the rotation, that seems to be awfully important? WALKER: His track record isnt great, you cant deny that but he definitely came into camp ready to go. He looks strong, he feels strong, the balls coming out of his hand great. He said he feels great so we are counting on him to be a workhorse for us. We need him to be a workhorse for this staff and be a leader out there and take the ball every fifth day. Obviously, if that doesnt happen, thats going to be a big blow to this staff. We need him to be out there. I think he recognizes that and, like I said, hes come to camp in great shape. Hes stronger. To me, he looks more durable and, like I said, the ball is coming out nice for this time of the spring. Were counting on him heavily. He knows it and I feel like hes ready for the challenge. TSN.ca: Whats your relationship like with R.A. Dickey because, as a conventional pitcher, you were one of about 99 per cent of the pitchers all-time who were fastball and you work through your repertoire. Hes a knuckleballer and youve had him now for a year. How do you help him? What kind of tips do you give him? What does he ask of you because its obviously not a pitch youre familiar with? WALKER: Ive certainly learned a lot about the pitch, thats for sure, and the mechanics of the pitch. There are some traditional things that he does with his delivery that we look at, no question about it but Ive learned over the course of our side sessions and the terminology that hes used in the past, Ive learned certain things that were looking for in his delivery when they break down to let him know. He watches video. He prepares as well as anybody in the game, from a pitching standpoint, to recognize hitters weaknesses and what their strengths are. Its one of those things, over the course of the year, we learned a lot about each other. He is a determined worker. I know last year didnt go the way he expected or we expected initially. I do believe the WBC and the issues early on physically affected him. This year, he is more focused than I remember last year, thats for sure. His mind is in the right place, hes very determined and hes setting a great example for the younger guys. To me, he looks like hes on a mission to have a very successful season right from the get-go. The ball is coming out of his hand great right now, the movement on the ball, the velocity on the ball is better than last spring. Hes in a good place and, again, we need him to not only take the ball every fifth day but be a leader on this team and show the younger guys how its supposed to be done. TSN.ca: Two more for you, one is a look back and one is a look ahead. How long did you dwell on last season once you were able to get home and get away for a little bit? With some sober second thought, out of the heat of the battle, how did you assess what went on and some of the reasons why? WALKER: It was obviously a very difficult season for everybody involved. There were some sleepless nights. I felt like, at the end of the season, Id thrown 162 games and thats the way it should be as a pitching coach. You take it to heart. It definitely bothered me but going into the offseason, it was like starting with a clean slate, wanting to come into spring training with a fresh outlook and we certainly have. The guys are coming in, like I said were healthy, we need to be healthy, we need to stay healthy so were staying on top of those things. Were also coming in with a different frame of mind. I want these guys to believe in their stuff and take charge of their game. Last year, there were times when I think we just expected that we were going to do well and we were all guilty of it. But this year, I think theres a different look in these guys faces, the pitchers especially and I know theres been a couple of tough games these past two games but overall, the starters and the guys competing for spots are very focused and I like the way theyre going about their business and Im very pleased with where they are. TSN.ca: Pete, looking ahead, youll know this as much as anybody else, there is some concern amongst a large portion of the fan base up in Toronto that general manager Alex Anthopoulos did not add to the pitch staff externally this offseason, via free agency or via trade. So the question is, youve mentioned Hutchison, you did use Stromans name in an answer, Aaron Sanchez as well, how close are we to seeing Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and some of those guys not just come up and make their big league debuts but potentially contribute every fifth day to a successful team? WALKER: I think theyre real close, especially Drew Hutchison and Marcus Stroman. Whether that had something to do with Alexs decision or not this offseason, I know he was working very hard on a daily basis and we do have good options here. Obviously youre seeing it play out right in front of your eyes right here during spring training and I think you will for the rest of spring training. We certainly, in our pitchers meeting before spring training started, I definitely emphasized with these guys that we have enough in this room. I look at R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle and the other pitchers in that room and with that bullpen and with the young guys coming up, we certainly have enough pitching to be competitive and to win a lot of games and put us in a position for potential postseason play. But they have to believe it. I know, based on last year, the fan base and the media, its questionable in their minds but I know in that room, those guys are healthy, theyre determined, maybe they have a little chip on their shoulders but theyre definitely looking forward to the season and I definitely feel good about the group that we have. TSN.ca: We wish you guys well, Pete, thanks so much. WALKER: Thank you. Stevan Ridley Jersey . -- Dwight Howard vs. Joe Vellano Jersey . Marian Gaborik had two goals and an assist and Martin Jones made just 17 saves to record his fourth shutout of the season as the Kings snapped a three-game losing skid with a 3-0 victory over the lowly Oilers on Thursday. OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators need more than stern words to win games. Ottawa was expected to pick up its game after general manager Bryan Murray and coach Paul MacLean addressed the team following a loss to New Jersey on Wednesday. But on Thursday the Senators came undone with a poor third period and a late collapse that ended in a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. Tom Gilbert and Tomas Kopecky each scored in the final three minutes as the Panthers won their fifth straight game and seventh in their past eight. "I thought we had a good response from (Wednesday) nights game," MacLean said. "I liked the start of the game. We played (Wednesday) and they were sitting here waiting for us so we expected they would carry it a little bit until we got our legs. The second period I thought we wasted some of our energy and that fatigue didnt help us in the third." Gilbert beat Senators netminder Craig Anderson with a one-timer on a pass from Tomas Fleischmann at 17:28 of the third period with only two seconds remaining on a high-sticking penalty to Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau. One minute later, with the Senators on a power play, Erik Karlsson fell in the Panthers zone allowing Kopecky to break out 2-on-1. He elected to shoot and beat Anderson at 18:19 with the insurance goal. Jimmy Hayes, in the first period, and Aleksander Barkov, in the second, also scored for the Panthers (14-17-50), who got a 32-save performance from Scott Clemmensen. "It was a good effort by everyone and a good road game for us," Clemmensen said. "We had a game plan and we stuck with it. This team is playing with a lot of confidence right now. We went down in the first but we stuck to it and believed in the game plan and thats probably the biggest difference between now and the beginning of the year." At the beginning of the year the Panthers won just three of their first 16 games and it cost head coach Kevin Dineen his job. Peter Horachek took over and his first game at the helm was a 3-2 loss in Ottawa on Nov. 9. Coincidentally that was the last time Ottawa had won consecutive games. "At that point I was just opening the doors," Horachek said of that first game. "I was just telling them how I feel the team should play and I think they wanted to play hard with a new coach. The structure and the confidence wwasnt there and now the guys know they are capable of winning in whatever building they are in. Ryan Allen Authentic Jersey. We have to play our game and not bend around and see how other teams are going to play." Chris Neil and Jason Spezza scored for the Senators (14-17-6), who have now lost two straight and three of their past four. "We just didnt do enough to win. We got too passive and found a way to lose," Spezza said. "Its clear were feeling pressure now and were feeling the heat. Were trying to win hockey games and the effort is there but we dont execute and we dont play loose enough with the puck and were making mistakes at the end. Thats the position weve got ourselves in and we have to find a way to get out because no one is going to give us any help." Both teams took turns taking and giving away the lead through the first two periods, starting with the Panthers. Hayes opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season as he beat Anderson from the right hash mark at 5:39 of the first period. After a review to see if the puck was kicked in, Neil was credited with the tying goal at 9:17 of the period. Clarke MacArthur took the original shot but after Clemmensen made the save the puck bounced in of Neils skate for his fifth goal of the season. The Senators took the lead in the final minute of the period when Spezza made a sensational play, first getting the puck around Panthers defenceman Dylan Olsen at the face-off circle then beating Clemmensen high and on the short side with very little space. It was Spezzas 11th goal of the season and first in his past 13 games. Barkov tied the game for the Panthers at 17:11 of the second period with his sixth of the season when he redirected Gilberts shot past Anderson. The Senators were also forced to play the final two periods without forward Mika Zibanejad who left after only five shifts and 2:38 of ice time with an upper-body injury. Notes- Defencemen Patrick Wiercioch and Eric Cryba, along with forward Cory Conacher were scratches for the Senators. Defenceman Mike Mottau and forward Scott Gomez sat for the Panthers ... The Ottawa Senators have allowed 42 first-period goals this season, the most in the NHL. Going into Thursday, the Senators had the most penalty minutes in the league with 164 and were only 24th with a 78.9 per cent efficiency on the penalty kill. ' ' '