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.
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Australias coach Darren Lehmann has hinted at a difference of opinion with his possible successor Justin Langer over the future of Mitchell Marsh, whose recent struggles in the Test team have been attributed to a lack of mental clarity over his best means of success.Marsh made a halting start against New Zealand in Canberra on Tuesday before freeing his arms to devastating effect, and Lehmann said this was the way he wanted to see the allrounder bat in the future - as a destructive middle-order player capable of changing the momentum of a game.However he also indicated that there had been plenty of people in Marshs ear in recent times with differing views as to how he should bat, and pointed towards the Perth Scorchers and Western Australia state team - both coached by Langer - as places where that may have emanated from.Its good to see him make some runs, Lehmann said of Marsh. He struggled the first 13-14 balls and then he got one away and away he went. I think he said yesterday hes got to play with a bit more freedom, and he certainly is a highly talented young player, and hes got to find his way.Youve got so many coaches and different views - a Scorchers view, a WACA view, Australia view - and different coaches around the place. For him hes got to work out what works for him, and my personal opinion is when hes playing shots hes a lot more dangerous.Langer, who coached the Australian ODI team to a victorious triangular series in the Caribbean earlier this year and is widely thought to be in line to succeed Lehmann in the future, has made a point of encouraging Marsh to be used up the batting order. He also spoke publicly about his belief that Marsh had the potential to be a top-four batsman in all formats - a role that would entail a more sophisticated method than the power hitting he exhibited at Manuka Oval.He can easily become a four or five in all formats of the game, Langer said earlier this year. Thats what hell be aspiring to do and hes certainly got the ability to do that. With maturity I think he could easily do that in all formats. Hes that talented.Marsh has batted in the top five for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield this season without once passing 50, and for his part has said he now thinks he is best suited simply trying to play with freedom. Ive had a few conversations with Boof [Lehmann] ... I think in red-ball cricket the last couple of years I probably havent played my natural game, Marsh said this week. Ive tried to be a batsman that bats time but for me Im a hitter of the cricket ball and for the next few months I think Im going to bat like that and really back myself.dddddddddddd. I might get out a few ugly ways at times, but I feel it will give me the best chance to score runs and score big runs.When youre not scoring runs you tend to try plenty of different things in the nets to make something work. The last week or two Ive simplified it to watching the ball as hard as I can and then letting my natural ability take over. I felt much better once Ive done that and really just clearing my head.Lehmann, meanwhile, was complimentary of Glenn Maxwells attitude in the wake of his team fine for comments about Victoria captain Matthew Wade. Maxwell may be slotted back into the Australian ODI team for the third match against New Zealand at the MCG on Friday as Lehmann looks to shuffle his options and potentially rest one of his fast bowlers.Hes been fantastic. Full credit to him the way hes handled it and the way hes been around the group in getting prepared to play each and every game, Lehmann said of Maxwell. Weve named the team quite late both times because weve only got down to the ground just before. Hes missed out at the last minute and hes handled that really well. For him hes just got to be ready to play, if he gets his opportunity then away he goes.More light was also shed on the leadership group that elected to fine Maxwell. Lehmann said he had instituted a group of senior players in each of the teams he had coached, starting with Brad Haddin, Shane Watson and Peter Siddle four years ago. The group is now comprised of David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, with input too from the captain, Steven Smith.Ive had that wherever Ive gone really, Lehmann said. I think thats a good idea because sometimes they might have a problem with the coach or the skipper, so its a good idea to have those senior players, and the skipper working closely with that leadership group, as staff we sit back and let them go with that.It gives them responsibility for how they want the team to run and perform and act and all those sorts of things. Weve had that the last four years, its just chopped and changed depending on whos playing and selection a little bit. Now that weve got a core group, they can pretty much do it and run it.It just gives the players a voice to us if theyre not happy or want to change something they can go through that. Some players arent happy to deal with it direct [with me] and thats fine too.
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