Der Fremde » ption with one of the teams top three

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Brett Lawrie hit his first homer of the spring and the Toronto Blue Jays held AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays to just three hits in a 5-0 victory Friday. Erik Bedard, in his final bid to earn the Rays fifth rotation spot, struggled through 5 2-3 innings. He gave up four runs over 94 pitches, walking one and striking out four. Bedard is in a three-way competition with LHP Cesar Ramos and RHP Jake Odorizzi. Manager Joe Maddon said the decision on the fifth starter will come Saturday morning. "The other guys Im competing with are really good, (so) Im sure its a hard decision to make," Bedard said. "Theyre probably going to crunch some numbers and go with their gut feeling, and well see. When you dont have a guaranteed deal, you have to compete." Bedard signed a minor league deal with the Rays in February. As recently as March 18, he said he would opt out of his contract if he doesnt make the starting rotation, but he appeared to relax his position Friday. "Competition is always fun, but I guess everyone is ready to know," Bedard said. "I feel good, and maybe the numbers dont show, but they show for Ramos, who had a very good spring. Well have to see because I dont make the decision." Bedard has a 6.88 ERA over 17 innings with 13 strikeouts and two walks, while Odorizzi has a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings with eight strikeouts and six walks. Ramos has the best numbers of the competition: a 2.63 ERA over 13 1-2 innings with 11 strikeouts and a walk. "Its not easy," Maddon said. "Theyve all represented themselves extremely really well. We just got to try and figure out how this thing fits and whos going to give us the best chance to win coming out of the gate." STARTING TIME Rays: Opening-day starter David Price threw 106 pitches in a simulated game vs. minor league hitters Friday morning. Price pitched into the eighth inning and said he didnt reach a three-ball count until the last hitter in the seventh. "Curveball was extremely sharp -- it was a good day," Price said. "It was essentially a game, minus an anthem, walkout songs and umpires. Guys were out there trying to get on base and steal. It was good." Jays: Aaron Sanchez, the teams 21-year-old top pitching prospect who hasnt been above Class A, looked sharp in his first start of the spring Friday, throwing 5 1-3 scoreless innings, while giving up just three hits, walking three and striking out two over 69 pitches. Sanchez has a perfect 0.00 ERA over 12 1-3 innings of this spring, but will probably be sent to Double-A New Hampshire. "I wont be disappointed if thats what happens," Sanchez said. "Ill go there and keep working to get better." NAVARRO BACK IN AL EAST When the Blue Jays signed journeyman catcher Dioner Navarro to a two-year, $8 million deal in December, they put faith in the former Tampa Bay Rays All-Star would be able to catch more than a 100 games, something he hasnt done since 2009. "Im 100 per cent sure I can play all season," he said. "Physically, mentally and spiritually feel ready and they obviously have faith that I can, too." Navarro will be seeing familiar faces back in the AL East, and for Maddon, thats a good and bad thing. "He helped us become the Rays," Maddon said. "As a young player, he was very calm through some stressful situations and threw out some good baserunners in some big moments. I like him. Ive always like him and really happy its worked out well for him, though not liking that hes in our division now against us." Last season, Navarro started 89 games for the Chicago Cubs, hitting 13 homers with a .300 average. He knows coming back to the AL East will be a challenge. "Everyone always talks about the (AL) East -- always have, so its no different (to be back)," Navarro said. "You have to have your A game every day." TRAINERS ROOM Rays: Juan Carlos Oviedo said he wont be ready by opening day because of his visa issues getting into the country. Oviedo said hes feeling good and expects to pitch Sunday vs. Boston in Fort Myers. . Matt Joyce received more treatment for his stiff neck, and Maddon said he was uncertain about when he will return to the lineup. . Jose Molina has not played in the previous two games, but Maddon says its not injury related. Youri Tielemans Belgium Jersey . And rest hardly led to rust for the two-time defending NBA champions. Thorgan Hazard Belgium Jersey . Nine-year veteran Danny Granger did not make his debut with the Clippers because of a technicality on the teams active list, which is signed by coach Doc Rivers before every game and relayed to the officials. Grangers name was printed by hand by a member of the public relations staff under the heading: "Updated Roster Additions," but the number on the sheet was not circled along with the other active players by the required deadline of 6:30 p. http://www.soccerbelgiumfansshop.com/Adn...ium-Jersey/.com) - Oregon wasnt going to let Arizona ruin its national title dreams for a second straight season. Thomas Meunier Jersey .com) - Maria Sharapova reached her 10th career grand slam final after beating Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets at the Australian Open on Thursday. Thorgan Hazard Jersey .ca. Hello Kerry, After watching Nino Niederreiter clobber Alex Burrows with an open-ice hit on Wednesday, do you think he should have gotten more than the two minutes for interference.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Panthers say theyd like to find a replacement for longtime No. 1 wide receiver Steve Smith in this years NFL draft. The big question is when theyll do it. The Panthers have the 28th overall pick, but the NFC South champions have a variety of needs after getting hit hard in free agency, and could go in a number of directions with their first-round choice. General manager Dave Gettleman said recently that wide receiver, offensive tackle and cornerback are among the teams top needs, but qualified that statement by adding he wont got out of his way to land one. "When you reach for a position of need youre in trouble," he said. Gettleman said he has some reservations about drafting a receiver in the first round because it often takes them longer to adjust to the NFL game than those who play other positions. "History tells you that its a very difficult position to assimilate into (the NFL), especially with the current game being played at the college level," Gettleman said. Gettleman called it a "wide receiver heavy" draft that includes several players whove put up big numbers. He said the trick is finding guys who can easily make the transition to the next level. "Ill look at a guy and hes caught 90 balls ... but of those 45 were flash screens," Gettleman said. "The other 45 he caught, he ran to three spots. So, do they understand coverage? Theyre going to have to learn the whole route tree. How long is it going to take them to assimilate? Its an issue. Its a problem." Smith was released in a salary cap move earlier this off-season. Replacing his toughness and production wont be easy. He caught 836 passes for 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns for the Panthers in 13 seasons. However, after averaging 76 receptions for 1,284 yards receiving and 5.5 touchdowns in his first two seasons playing with quarterback Cam Newton, Smiths numbers fell off in 2013. He caught 64 passes for 745 yards and four TDs. The Panthers signed free agents Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant and Tiquan Underwood, but none is expected to become the next No. 1 receiver in Carolina. Five things to watch from the Panthhers in the draft: ON THE FRONT BURNER: Jordan Gross retired this off-season, leaving a huge hole at left tackle — one the Panthers potentially could address in Round 1.dddddddddddd. Gettleman said there are some tackles in the draft dont have "left tackle feet," but said that doesnt necessarily matter. "There are only so many elite tackles," he said. "There are plenty of guys playing left tackle in this league that dont have classic left tackle feet." Finding a left tackle might take on added importance given Newton is coming off ankle surgery this off-season. FIRST ROUND SUCCESS: The Panthers have had tremendous success with their first-round picks the last three seasons. They grabbed defensive tackle Star Lotulelei from Utah at No. 14 in 2013, and he looks like hes going to be around the league for quite a while. They drafted linebacker Luke Kuechly at No. 11 in 2012 and quarterback Cam Newton first overall the year before that. Kuechly was the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, while Newton was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011. BLUE GOOSE: Last year, Gettleman said the Panthers needed to add some "hog mollies," or big linemen. This year, the Boston native switched gears, saying if there is a "blue goose" pass rusher available at No. 28 he wouldnt pass on him. Tough to know what a blue-winged bird native to Ethiopia has to do with building a football team, though. CORNERBACK ON RADAR: The Panthers lost starting cornerback Captain Munnerlyn to Minnesota in free agency. While they signed free agent Antoine Cason, dont rule out cornerback as an option with one of the teams top three picks. The Panthers have one pick in each of the seven rounds. DONT BE REACHING: The Panthers are determined not to reach for picks at positions of need. They followed that plan last year and took defensive tackle Kawaan Short from Purdue in the second round — even after selecting Lotulelei in the first. "Last year, K.K. (Short) was obviously the best value in that second-round pick," Gettleman said. ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '