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LAKELAND, Fla. Tarell Brown Womens Jersey . -- Drew Smyly could finally relax on the mound Monday. Then again, he hasnt looked nervous all spring. Smyly started fast and then faded in his first outing since winning a job in Detroits rotation, but the Tigers got home runs from Prince Fielder and Delmon Young in an 11-8 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Smyly has only one year of professional experience and has never pitched above Double-A, but he beat out Andy Oliver and Duane Below for the final spot in the Tigers rotation. The 22-year-old lefty, handed a 9-0 lead after two innings Monday, carried a shutout into the fifth before giving up four runs -- including a homer by Omar Vizquel. A second-round draft pick in 2010 out of Arkansas, Smyly was charged with four runs and four hits in 5 1-3 innings. He struck out four and walked two. Smyly ended the spring with a 4.00 ERA, but manager Jim Leyland said there was something about the youngster that earned him a spot on the team. "Doesnt show much emotion," Leyland said. "Hes always pretty calm, so I dont think the pressure is ever going to get to him. Its the first time he wasnt pitching for a spot and I like him a lot. He earned a spot." Smyly has been quiet and calm throughout camp. Oliver and Below both have big league experience, but Leyland said he has no concerns about Smyly. "Hes got a great delivery and can throw any of his pitches for strikes," Leyland said. "He showed today how calm he is when he is in a situation." Brett Cecil was ineffective for the Blue Jays. He gave up nine runs, seven earned, and 11 hits in four innings, increasing his spring training ERA to 6.48. "Theres concern," Toronto manager John Farrell said. "There will certainly be discussion and evaluation and internal talks that will take place today and tomorrow. Youd like to see guys kind of on the incline going into the start of the season rather than the reverse." Cecil, who went 4-11 with a 4.73 ERA last season, is a likely candidate for a spot in the Toronto rotation, but Farrells patience may be wearing thin. "He has got to start pitching to location," Farrell said. "Against a team like (Detroit), he cant pitch like that." Fielder and Young both homered off Cecil. It was Fielders fourth of the spring and Youngs sixth. Brennan Boesch and Young each had three hits for Detroit. Marcus Knecht also homered for Toronto. NOTES: The Blue Jays will hold a workout in Cleveland on Wednesday before Thursdays season opener. ... RHP Henderson Alvarez will start Tuesdays spring finale against the Tigers in Dunedin. RHP Max Scherzer will pitch for Detroit. ... Tigers C Gerald Laird is expected to be fine after spraining his left knee Friday in a collision with INF Don Kelly. ... Detroit INF Brandon Inge is still day to day with a strained left groin. He is the subject of trade speculation and Leyland said there would be news on Tuesday. ... Ramon Santiago started at second base for the Tigers with Ryan Raburn at DH. Leyland hinted that Mondays lineup could easily be the opening-day lineup pending any transactions. ... The Tigers entered Mondays game with a home attendance of 128,887, a team record for spring training. Tony Pashos Raiders Jersey . The 27-year-old from Calgary battled through the nagging injury to put together a consistent 2011-12 season that included nine top-30 World Cup finishes. Khalil Mack Jersey .com) - The National Hockey League issued a two- game suspension to Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson on Tuesday.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Kings werent playing their best hockey before the league went on break during the Winter Olympics. You can see the action on TSN2 at 10pm et/7pm pt. Given some time to sort things out, the Kings hope to get on track Wednesday night as they visit the Colorado Avalanche. Los Angeles had lost four straight and nine of 10 before picking up a home victory over Columbus in its final game before the hiatus. That gave the Kings a four-point edge over the Phoenix Coyotes for third place in the Pacific Division and an automatic playoff berth. A number of Kings skaters saw action during the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, including forward Jeff Carter and defenseman Drew Doughty for gold medal- winning Canada. It was a great tournament for Doughty, who scored four goals and had six points. The trip may have been less enjoyable for goaltender Jonathan Quick, who backstopped a Team USA that was bested by Canada in the semifinals before losing to Finland in the bronze medal game. Quick yielded 11 goals in five games during the tournament, posting a .923 save percentage. Those involved will now need to put the highs and lows of the Olympics behind them. "We understand the position that were in," forward Mike Richards told lakingsinsider.com. "Weve got 23 games left and even though we didnt play very well, were still in the same position as we were before. So we just have to look to not repeatt things. Kevin Boothe Jersey. ." Like the Kings, the Avalanche sit in third place in their division, but own a 10-point edge over the Minnesota Wild in the Central standings. Colorado also is just five points back of division co-leaders St. Louis and Chicago. Colorado went 2-0-2 on a four-game road trip before the break and has won five of its last seven overall. The Avs return a pair of medal winners to the ice in Canadian Matt Duchene and forward Gabriel Landeskog, who claimed silver with Sweden. Colorado will be without defenseman Erik Johnson for the first two contests of a three-game homestand after he picked up a two-game suspension ahead of the break. He received the ban for a two-handed slash of New York Islanders forward Frans Nielsen on Feb. 8. Johnson also will sit out Fridays game versus Phoenix. Colorado also learned it will be without veteran forward Alex Tanguay for the rest of the season after he underwent hip surgery. Tanguay sat out 36 games from Nov. 6-Jan. 21 with a hip injury, opting for rehab instead of surgery. He made his return to the lineup on Jan. 24, but was unable to play Colorados final five games before the Olympic break due to a knee issue caused by his hip injury. The Avalanche are 6-1-2 in their last nine meetings with the Kings, splitting a pair of matchups this season in Los Angeles that both went beyond regulation. Colorado has won the past three encounters on home ice. ' ' ' |
