starter Hiroki Kuro
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starter Hiroki Kuro
TORONTO - Kevin Pillar doesnt know how long his second shot with the Blue Jays will last but hes here, excited to play and eager to use the opportunity to showcase the strides hes made toward becoming a consistent major league player. Amongst Torontos starting outfielders, only Jose Bautista is signed for next season. Colby Rasmus and Melky Cabrera are in the final year of their deals. "I think guys like myself, guys like Anthony (Gose), know that theres potential for some openings in the outfield coming up," said Pillar. "Were really here to just take care of our business. Any time you get to go out on a big league field its an audition, not only for your team but all the other 29 teams out there. As guys who play the game we want to play in the major leagues. Ideally we want to play for the Blue Jays, theyre the team that drafted me and theyre dear to my heart but anytime you step onto the field you know its an audition for a major league job somewhere." Pillar joins the club red-hot at the plate. After stumbling out of the gate to a .114 batting average (5-for-44), Pillar has gone 38-for-97 (.392) since, which included an 18-game hitting streak. At the time of his recall, hed reached base safely in each of Triple-A Buffalos last 26 games. His nine walks represent an upward trend over his time with the Bisons last year. Pillar has struck out 16 times which, prorated, is a positive trend downward. "Just getting back, using the whole field and being aggressive in counts, hunting the heater and getting better pitches to hit," said Pillar of his early-season adjustments. "Kev, in the minor leagues last year, had a tremendous year," said manager John Gibbons. "He came up here, got his feet wet and it was a little bit of a struggle for him last year. Went back down there to Triple-A this year and really got it going again. Hes a good baseball player. A real good defender, good baserunner and the guy can hit." Like Chad Jenkins and Jonathan Diaz (the man whose roster spot he took – Diaz was optioned to Buffalo on Tuesday) the day before, Pillars travel day began in Charlotte and involved a complicated path to Toronto. He flew from Charlotte to Baltimore, changed planes and flew into Buffalo. After quick stops at his apartment to gather clothes and toiletries and at the Bisons home, Coca Cola Field, where he transferred his equipment to a bag with a Blue Jays logo, he picked up the waiting car service for the drive to Toronto. This time when Pillar arrived in the clubhouse, he knew what to expect. He knew where to go to find what he needed. Its nice to feel comfortable. "That was a huge difference compared to last time," said Pillar. "Coming in, I walked in on egg shells. I didnt really know anyone here. I was greeted with open arms. At least I knew where my locker was, I knew where things were at this time. Its definitely a different feeling this time." "Hes coming back the second time, you know the shock, now he knows what to expect, said Gibbons. "The awe of the big leagues is kind of out the way now. The first time you show up you dont know what to expect and youre kind of overwhelmed or you can be sometimes." Pillar started in centerfield in place of Colby Rasmus on Tuesday night. Rasmus is nursing a tight right hamstring, the condition of which Rasmus said was improving. After Monday nights game, in which Rasmus was removed to start the seventh, Gibbons offered that maybe Rasmus was in need of a stint on the disabled list. Rasmus is hoping to avoid the DL and by Tuesday afternoon Gibbons had changed his tone, sounding hopeful Rasmus would need only a day or two on the bench. Meanwhile, while hes here, Pillar just wants to relax. "I dont have those same butterflies that I did six months ago when I came here the first time," said Pillar. "I kind of feel like Im here on a business trip and Im prepared." 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Cheap Tennessee Jerseys Free Shipping . -- Kevin Stadler might be playing in the Masters for the first time, but hes already showing his old man a thing or two.Starkville, MS (SportsNetwork.com) - Dak Prescott had two touchdown passes and ran in another as top-ranked Mississippi State thumped UT Martin, 45-16. Prescott went 14-of-23 for 206 yards and added 54 yards on six carries for the Bulldogs (9-0), who also got rushing touchdowns from Ashton Shumpert and Brandon Holloway. Mississippi State has a big matchup next week at Alabama. Jarod Neal had 159 yards on 14-of-27 attempts with a touchdown passing and running for the Skyhawks (5-6), who had won four straight coming in. Mississippi State went three-and-out on its first touch, but its second possession saw the team move 96 yards in 13 plays, converting two third downs and scoring on one when Prescott tossed the ball to the right side of the end zone where Fred Brown came down with a 10-yard score. The Skyhawks answered on their ensuing possession with a 10-play, 59-yard drive that saw Jackson Redditt boot a 33-yard field goal, but the Bulldogs quickly answered as the first play of the second quarter saw Prescott keep it himself on a 48-yard touchdown run for a 14-3 lead. Later in the second, the Bulldogs started a drive near midfield and Holloway followed a 17-yard run with a 35-yarder for a score and a 21-3 lead. Mississippi State had the ball again later in thee second and lined up for a punt on 4th-and-4, but opted for a fake as Devon Bell tossed the ball to Tolando Cleveland for a 10-yard gain.dddddddddddd That led to a 27-yard field goal from Evan Sobiesk as the team took a 24-3 lead into the break. The Bulldogs kept rolling in the second half as their first touch was finished off with a deep ball when Prescott found Joe Morrow wide open for a 55-yard score. Shumperts score came on the first snap of Mississippi States next possession as he took the ball 59 yards for a 38-3 lead. Neal found Ben Axline for a 31-yard score to get the Skyhawks on the board in the second half and the team recovered a fumble that led to a Neal 1-yard score to make it a 38-16 game as the extra point on Neals score was missed. The Bulldogs, though, put any thoughts of a miracle to rest as Damian Williams found Jamoral Graham for a 44-yard score to account for the final tally. Game Notes UT-Martin controlled the ball for over 36 minutes, but Mississippi State won the yardage battle, 520-367 ... Abou Toure led all rushers with 94 yards on 19 carries for UT Martin ... This was just the second meeting between these two schools. The other was a 55-17 victory for Mississippi State on Nov. 5, 2011. 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