nto Blue Jays roster is at

DUNEDIN, Fla. Brett Hull Jersey . -- One of the most intriguing competitions for a roster spot on the Toronto Blue Jays roster is at left field. Thats where Travis Snider, their first-round pick in the 2006 draft, will be trying to regain the position he gave up last season to Eric Thames. "Thats going to be the daily watch," manager John Farrell said Friday after his players finished a five-inning intrasquad game in preparation for Saturdays spring opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Snider played 49 games for Toronto in 2011, batting .225, an average that has dropped dramatically each of his past three seasons after hitting .301 as a rookie in 2008. His struggles got him two demotions to Triple-A Las Vegas. Thames, in his first major league season, batted .262 in 95 games last year. Snider had a double in three at-bats and Thames was 0 for 2 on Friday. "Its good to get out there and play the game," Snider said. "It gets a little, I dont want to say monotonous, but when youre facing live batting practice you just have to get locked in." Ricky Romero, starting his fourth season with the Blue Jays, is their ace, winning 13, 14 and 15 games in his first three years, with an ERA that dropped to 2.92 in 2011. Romero was accustomed to pitching with minimal run support. "I thought he did an excellent job of that a year ago," Farrell said. "As he channeled his emotions in the right way, it allowed him to execute on a consistent basis in those tight games. Thats what has allowed him to evolve into the pitcher he is now." Romero, who pitched the first inning, said he was "a little excited when I got out there, just to get on that mound and see hitters and see an umpire and all that good stuff. ... You get into game mode." At one point he escaped a man-on-third, no-out situation. "Thats where youve got to slow the game down and make pitches. Thats what I did. I know its preseason but Im a competitor, man. I dont want that guy to score, no matter if its a practice game or whatever it is. My job is to leave that guy at third." Farrell said his three areas of concern as spring training begins, "is, one, we stay healthy, two, that we get the answers from a personnel standpoint answered and, three, that we set the tone from a mindset from the starting pitchers, and really from pitching overall, to attack the (strike) zone and pitch to contact early. "There are still jobs to be won but through the first four or five days of spring training everyones going to get on the field. The guys that start (Saturday), well try to get them three at-bats, then well look to fill in behind them." At the moment, though, "Everybodys looking for a different colour (uniform) to show up and see a different team, across the field," Farrell said. "Itll be good to begin that next phase of spring training." Jay Bouwmeester Jersey . Though the Jets have not confirmed any updates to Scheifeles status, TSN Hockey Analyst Aaron Ward says early reports indicate he suffered an MCL injury and will likely out 6-8 weeks. Wayne Gretzky Jersey . - Russell Wilson is getting on the diamond again.SAN DIEGO -- Andrew Cashner is "totally aware" the San Diego Padres have never had a no-hitter in their mostly sad-sack history, which has now reached 46 seasons and 7,176 games. After throwing his second one-hitter in a span of five starts, the big Texan is the leading candidate to end that drought. "Thats one of my goals. I definitely want a no-hitter," Cashner said after allowing just one single and striking out 11 in a 6-0 victory against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. "I dont think theres any reason why I cant build off this. When you get late in a game and your pitch counts high, youve really got to bear down and grind through. I think this will build toward something down the road." Cashner took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Rajai Davis hit a one-out flare single into centre field, just past the glove of outstretched second baseman Jedd Gyorko. Davis stole second and third, and Ian Kinsler walked before Miguel Cabrera hit into a double play. Cashner ended his remarkable outing by striking out Cabrera, the AL MVP in 2012 and 2013, on a 95-mph fastball. On Sept. 16 at Pittsburgh, the right-hander carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and faced the minimum 27 batters in a one-hitter. He retired his first 18 batters before Jose Tabata grounded a clean single into right field leading off the seventh. Cashner said Friday nights one-hitter meant more. "Just with the guys in their lineup, it was a lot bigger game. Theyve got a heck of a team over there. A lot of guys can hit the ball out of the park." Chase Headley hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs. Cashner (1-1) retired 14 in a row before allowing the single. He walked two. "I felt as good as Ive felt in a while," he said. "Im conditioned to run the bases and to be a complete ballplayer." Manager Bud Black said Cashner was so good because of "tremendous movement with command" of his fastball. That was a well-pitched game. Well-pitched. As good as youre going to see." Five of his strikeouts were looking, including all three in the third, when he caught pitcher Rick Porcello, Davis and Kinsler looking at strike three. "He was just beating guys with his velocity. They just couldnt get the head out front," Black said. "But when you have a pitcher hitting the glove for called third strikes, and you see the look on the hitters, and I saw that early on, I knew he had a good feel for his fasttball.Brett Hull Blues Jersey. " Dating to Aug. 19, Cashner has allowed two or fewer earned runs in nine straight starts for an ERA of 0.96. "He pitched outstanding," said Brad Ausmus, who worked in San Diegos front office before being hired as Detroits manager in early November. "Hes always been a hard thrower. He located extremely well. His slider was extremely effective, his changeup. I know hes not a household name, but I know what h is capable of." The Padres hit Porcello hard, collecting 10 hits in his 6 1-3 innings. He left after Cashner singled. The Padres were onto Porcello from the start. Everth Cabrera hit a leadoff single, advanced on two groundouts and scored on Gyorkos triple. The ball hit the heel of right fielder Don Kellys glove and hit the ground as Kelly slammed headfirst into the wall. After being checked by a trainer, Kelly stayed in the game. Headley then doubled into the left-centre gap to bring in Gyorko. Headley homered to right on a 2-2 slider from Porcello with one out in the sixth, his first. It was estimated at 385 feet. Seth Smith was aboard on a leadoff double. Porcello (1-1) allowed five runs and struck out five. "There were a couple of balls up in the zone that the Padres hitters took advantage of," Ausmus said. "But he kept us in the game. Its really more about the way Cashner pitched more than anything else." NOTES: Padres CF Cameron Maybin, who ruptured his left biceps tendon making a diving catch in a spring game on March 2, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso. Manager Bud Black said hed like Maybin to get more than 20 at-bats during the assignment. "Right now hes restarting his spring training," Black said. "Hes in baseball shape. Now weve got to get him in baseball-ready shape." ... Black said pitcher Josh Johnson, whos also on the DL, still has soreness in his forearm. ... Black said LF Carlos Quentin, on the DL with a bone bruise in his left knee, is working in the weight room and hitting in the indoor batting cage. Black said Quentin is getting close to hitting on the field. ... The series continues Saturday night when Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 2.57 ERA) is scheduled to face RHP Ian Kennedy (1-1, 3.27). Verlander was one of several top players the Padres could have taken with the first pick in the 2004 amateur draft. Instead, they took local SS Matt Bush, who was a bust. Verlander went to the Tigers with the second overall pick. ' ' '