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DUNEDIN, Florida – Brandon Morrow arrived to camp healthy and with a noticeably heavier upper body, but when pressed to reflect upon a miserable 2013 season, he lightened his load by getting some pent-up emotions off his chest. "Really, we pitched like garbage," said Morrow. "Starting pitchers were awful the first month, myself included. None of us were pitching like we wanted to, whether it was just bad luck we were going through at that time or just putting pressure on ourselves." Manager John Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker are counting on this year to be different. The club needs R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle to pitch like they did post-All Star Break. J.A. Happ appears a favourite to secure either the fourth or fifth starters spot and must be more consistent. Theres a void at the back end of the rotation which will be sorted out this spring. Morrow is a lock, provided he doesnt get hurt. Staying healthy would mean bucking a troubling trend of the last two seasons. After making 30 starts and throwing almost 180 innings in 2011, arguably his best as a starter in the big leagues, Morrows been limited to just 31 starts over the last two seasons. A strained oblique cost him almost three months in 2012; an entrapped nerve in Morrows pitching forearm ultimately shut him down at the end of May last year. Coaches and players alike lamented Morrows latest injury, feeling bad for a fallen comrade but also disappointed because they viewed the flamethrower as the backbone of the rotation. In fact, last September, Mark DeRosa opined that losing Morrow "killed us." There are questions Morrow, who turns 30 on July 26, can answer only with time. Can he pitch 180 innings? How about 200? While pitchers dont enjoy sole control over their win totals, can Morrow pitch effectively, deep enough into games to blow past his single-season career-high win total of 11? "Theres no question, its important," said Walker of Morrow pitching healthy and pitching well. "Hes definitely someone were counting on to give us quality innings, to give us a good opportunity to win ball games. We need him out there every fifth day. We want him to be a workhorse for us. Thats what we envision for the season." Pitchers completed their medicals on Sunday and Morrow weighed in at 219 pounds, a full 30 pounds heavier than a year ago. The change is noticeable. His shoulders are broader. His chest is bigger. "He looks like hes supposed to look," said Gibbons. "Last year, he didnt look like that. He looks like a good, strong, durable pitcher. But the fact that hes out there and he feels good is big for us." Filling out the Rotation As of today, Dickey, Morrow and Buehrle are the Jays top three starters. Working off the assumption that Happ also has a spot, as many as seven pitchers will battle for the fifth job. They are Esmil Rogers, Todd Redmond, Drew Hutchison, Sean Nolin, Marcus Stroman, Kyle Drabek and Ricky Romero. "Somebody is going to rise to the top and somebody is going to, obviously, pitch well enough to take that (spot,)" said Morrow. "Theres like eight guys vying for that position and I couldnt tell you who its going to be but I know all the guys are capable of stepping into that spot." While they both admit there are favourites, Gibbons and Walker wont say who has the inside track. Rogers and Redmond each enjoyed periodic success in the rotation last summer, filling in when the likes of Morrow, Johnson and Happ were hurt. Kratz Catches Dickey Catcher Erik Kratz, acquired in the deal that sent reliever Brad Lincoln to the Phillies, is back with the organization that drafted him. He caught R.A. Dickeys bullpen session on Monday and with the coaching staff leaning against having Dioner Navarro catch Dickeys knuckleball, the honour will go to the man who wins the second catchers job. "Its really all about the reps," said Kratz. "If you step in and catch him perfectly right off the bat, youre probably not trying that hard. Thats really, for me, just a matter of not pushing it too much, not trying to be too perfect. Just trying to sit and wait for it to come to me." Kratz travelled to Nashville during the offseason and spent about a week with Dickey, catching a couple of bullpen sessions. Kratz, 33, is a 64", 255-pound, righthanded hitting catcher. The Jays selected Kratz in the 29th round of the 2002 draft. He made his major league debut with the Pirates in 2010 before moving on to Philadelphia. Oklahoma City Thunder Jerseys . As if he had been rehearsing it, Vasquez looked around with a grimacing stare as he clinched two fists and flexed his muscles. What do you think of DeMar DeRozans face after he hits a big shot, he was asked moments earlier. Custom Oklahoma City Thunder Jerseys . Some members of the U.S. Congress arent so sure. 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Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday.ANAHEIM, Calif. - Teemu Selanne and Jean-Sebastien Giguere skated to centre ice under a spotlight on the darkened rink, their clasped hands held aloft. Before Selannes Ducks and Gigueres Colorado Avalanche head to the playoffs in a few days, these two beloved Ducks savored one last chance to feel Anaheims mighty love for them. Nick Bonino scored 1:33 into overtime, and the Ducks finished the best regular season in franchise history with a 3-2 victory over Colorado on Sunday night. But with their playoff position secure, the Ducks used the game to honour Selanne, who plans to retire after the season. Wearing the captains "C," the 43-year-old Finnish Flash got standing ovations on every shift in the third period in Anaheim, his home for 15 of his 21 NHL seasons. "It was more emotion than I ever imagined," said Selanne, the 15th-leading scorer in NHL history with 1,457 points. "Over all the years, these fans have treated me so great. I never expected that, though. It was overwhelming." The largest Ducks crowd of the season serenaded Selanne with applause all night, peaking in wild cheers whenever he touched the puck in Colorados end — even if he narrowly missed several chances to add to his 684 career goals, 11th in NHL history. Selanne took a few laps around the rink after he was awarded all three postgame stars, waving at fans and pounding his heart. When he shook hands with every player on both teams, he seized the chance to share the spotlight with Giguere, who also is leaning toward retirement. "For him to do that, its something thats very special for me, and something Ill never forget," said Giguere, who had two arena suites filled with family and friends. "Hes such a class act. I got the game puck for him. He deserves such an ovation for everything hes done for Orange County and the Ducks." During a first-period timeout, the crowd also stood to cheer Giguere, who stopped 33 shots. "Jiggy" will always be adored in Anaheim after backstopping the once-Mighty Ducks to two Stanley Cup finals, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in defeat in 2003 and hoisting the Cup in 2007. "It was the best time in my career," Giguere said of the championship season. "Theres no doubt about it, and Im sure it was Teemus, too. I cant think of a better guy to have won the Cup with." Selanne hit the outside of Gigueres post with a shot in the second, and the Flash had several fruitless chances on the power play.ddddddddddddHe got another golden opportunity with 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation, but Giguere robbed him. Selanne and Giguere were the stars of a no-stakes meeting of the Western Conferences two division champions. Anaheim clinched the Wests top spot Saturday, while Colorado won the Central earlier Sunday when St. Louis lost. The Ducks will face Dallas in the first round starting Wednesday, while the Avalanche open against Minnesota on Thursday. "I was so happy for him to play," Colorado coach Patrick Roy said of Giguere. "He wanted to play that game for a while, and we were planning to give it to him. "But obviously the plans changed for a while because we had a chance to finish first in our division. And as soon as Detroit beat St. Louis today, the first thing I did was call Jiggy and said Youre in. Enjoy the night." Patrick Maroon and Saku Koivu scored 3:13 apart to tie it early in the third period for the Ducks, who won seven of nine to close the season. John Gibson made 29 saves to remain unbeaten in his third career start. The Ducks won it when Devante Smith-Pelly controlled the puck in the slot and passed to Bonino, who scored his 22nd goal. Anaheim set club records for victories (54), points (116), goals (263) and comeback victories (26) with this big finish. "Thats going to be the more forgotten-about overtime goal in the history of the Ducks," Bonino said with a laugh. "It was Ts night, and were all happy for him." Brad Malone and Stefan Elliott scored for the Avalanche, who lost for just the third time in 11 games. The Wests most surprising team lost when leading after two periods for just the third time in 38 games this season, but still finished with a club record-tying 52 wins — a record 26 on the road. NOTES: The Ducks rested captain Ryan Getzlaf, who still finished second in the NHL scoring race with 87 points, and Corey Perry, who came in second in the Richard Trophy race with 43 goals. .. These teams opened the season in Denver. The Avalanches 6-1 victory included a shouting match between coaches Bruce Boudreau and Roy. ... Longtime Ducks star Paul Kariya made a rare return to Honda Center for the tribute game, his good friend and longtime teammate. Selanne spent the 2003-04 season with Colorado, teaming with Kariya in a fruitless attempt to win a quick Stanley Cup. Selanne returned to Anaheim after the NHL lockout. ' ' '