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way and handled it for sure the wrong way,
ST. Jeremy Lauzon Jersey . PETERSBURG, Florida – Heading into Thursday nights action, Dioner Navarro had caught 14 innings combined from starters Drew Hutchison and Mark Buehrle. Neither allowed a run; both pitched with purpose. The catcher is the only position player on the field the entire defence can see; the others pick up the vibe the backstop puts down and after Wednesday nights 3-0 win over Tampa Bay, Jose Bautista made it clear he notices a difference this year over last. "Ill tell you what, I could really get used to the chemistry that I see between our catcher and our pitchers," said Bautista. "If they manage to keep that going for an extended period of time, were going to have a lot of fun playing this year." One can draw a number of conclusions from the statement. The first, and most basic, is that Bautista is commenting on what hes witnessed from his spot in right field. One could also deduce Bautista is firing some verbal retaliation at ex-teammate J.P. Arencibia, who suffered through a dreadful offensive season while continuing to struggle defensively and with his handling of the pitching staff. Arencibia, in a media scrum last month, said it was "refreshing" to be in Texas because the atmosphere was "baseball emphasized." Later in the same scrum, he appeared to call Torontos leadership into question. "Elvis (Andrus,) (Adrian) Beltre, you have these guys who are leaders and have been around for a while. They make it easy. Its not like you come in here and youre walking on egg shells." While this falls short of what should be qualified as a verbal spat, theres little doubt that Bautista, as informed a player as there is, hadnt heard or read Arencibias comments. Regardless, Navarro is making an impression. "Even during spring training, he came in with a real interest in learning the pitchers as fast as he could and I think it shows right now," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "He spent the spring getting a feel for these guys and I think the evidence was (Wednesday) night with Mark. I think they worked great together." "Bottom line is, the pitchers got to make the pitch, but if they have confidence in what the catcher is throwing down, thats one of those little things where they have more conviction," said manager John Gibbons. In fairness to Arencibia, it must be pointed out that the Blue Jays used 13 different starting pitchers during an injury-riddled 2013 campaign. Names like Ramon Ortiz, Aaron Laffey and Chien-Ming Wang werent long-term solutions, regardless of who was behind the plate. But the game preparation, the ability to work smart as much as work hard, is setting Navarro apart. "I wont go there," said Walker, when asked to compare Navarro to Arencibia. "Its a different feel behind the plate. In the past, weve had some good catchers here and he just brings a different element this year that Ive enjoyed watching and working with so far." If Arencibias departure was considered addition by subtraction, Navarros arrival has more than filled the void. Its calmed the pitching staff. Janssen Update Casey Janssen, whos been seen working his weighted ball program in the clubhouse over the last couple of days, threw off flat ground from roughly 120 feet on Thursday. Hes being careful as he works his way back from an abdominal/back strain. "Im trying to not piss it off," said Janssen. "It might if I do certain things but Im staying in that comfort level and I havent pissed it off. It could be completely gone but I havent tested it enough to know. I dont think today is the day to test it." Janssen is eligible to come off the disabled list on April 13 in Baltimore. Its too early to predict whether hell be back on that date. Noel Acciari Jersey . -- Andy Granatelli, the former CEO of STP motor oil company who made a mark on motorsports as a car owner, innovator and entrepreneur, has died. Gerry Cheevers Jersey . - The Cleveland Indians will place centerfielder Michael Bourn on the disabled list before their opener at Oakland on March 31.NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis has one game left to show why hes the best player under 21 years old in the NBA. For the past two games, hes looked rather good for any age, and has pulled the Pelicans out of a slump. Davis had 29 points and 14 rebounds and New Orleans defeated Milwaukee 112-104 on Friday night. Tyreke Evans scored 25 points for the Pelicans, whove won two straight after losing their previous eight games. "It feels good to get back in rhythm, winning some games," said Davis, wholl get to celebrate his 21st birthday in the Big Easy on Tuesday. "We know how that eight-game losing streak is and we dont want to get back to it, and weve got to keep working." Davis, who hit 12 of 22 shots on an array of layups, crowd-pleasing dunks and mid-range jumpers, is shooting 58 per cent (22 of 38) in his past two games. He had 28 points and 15 rebounds in a victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The 6-foot-6 Evans, meanwhile, has been thriving since being moved from the bench into the starting lineup in the small forward spot. He had 24 points against the Lakers and 27 on Monday night in a loss at Sacramento. Being on the floor with Davis, who draws so much attention from opposing defences, has certainly helped, he said. "Its been fun. Thats the way its supposed to be," Evans said. "We both like to play together. We both work hard. To see us both going like that, it just makes things better for our team." Anthony Morrow added 16 points for New Orleans, including a 3-pointer as he was fouled to give the Pelicans their largest lead at 100-90 with 4:50 left. Brian Roberts scored 14 and Eric Gordon 12 for New Orleans. "We let Anthony Morrow get away from us. He made some shots going down the stretch," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "We have a game plan against Davis and Tyreke Evans and Gordon and guys like that. Its the guys off the bench who end up hurting us." Khris Middleton scored 25 for Milwaukee, which lost its second straight. Jeff Adrien added a career-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Ramon Sessions had 16 points and Brandon Knight 15. Milwaukee entered the game without starting forward Ersan Ilyasova, suspended for throwing a punch in a game Wednesday. The Bucks then lost guard O.J. Mayo to an ejection for a flagrrant-2 foul late in the first quarter. Brad Marchand Jersey. With Ilyasova out, John Henson was thrust into the starting lineup, drawing the assignment of defending Davis. "Hes tough, man. Just as far as the activity, they run a lot of stuff where they pull out the side on a pick and roll for him," Henson said. "He attacks or he shoots the jump shot, and thats kind of what they got going over there and it really helped to push the lead up to where we couldnt come back." There were 24 lead changes in what turned out to be a highly competitive, action-filled game between a pair of struggling teams. The Pelicans shot 50 per cent (42 of 84) but were unable to build a significant lead because the Bucks shot 45 per cent (40 of 89) even without Ilyasova and Mayo, who together average 23 points per game. Milwaukee led 79-78 after Sessions driving layup opened the fourth quarter, but Davis driving layup and 15-foot jumper sparked a 10-2 run that put the Pelicans in front for good. Neither team led by more than five points in the first half, when there were 20 lead changes. Mayo had taken only one missed shot when he was ejected after less than three minutes on the court. Mayo collided with Pelicans centre Greg Stiemsma, who was setting a screen, then appeared to shove Stiemsma with a flailing arm to the chest. Pelicans coach Monty Williams rushed in to pull Stiemsma away. Officials initially called a flagrant foul, but upgraded the severity to a flagrant-2 after video review. "I reacted the wrong way and handled it for sure the wrong way," Mayo said. "I want to apologize to the Bucks fan base, the city of Milwaukee and obviously New Orleans and the (fans) who came out and watched the game. Its definitely the wrong way to conduct yourself. Ive got to be better and I will." Still, the Bucks were clinging to a one-point lead before Roberts hit a 5-foot floater as he was fouled for a three-point play, giving New Orleans a 51-49 halftime lead. NOTES: Davis has now surpassed 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game 21 times this season, and he has 29 double-doubles overall. ... Pelicans reserve centre Jeff Withey, a rookie, grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in 14:29. ... Middletons 25 points were more than double his average of 11.7 coming in and four short of his career high. 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