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TORONTO - Drew Hutchison was roughed up by the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon; a brief, poor outing that served to highlight two trends that have developed this season. The first: Hutchison is dominant pitching on the road and has been anything but throwing at Rogers Centre. After Sundays outing in which he tossed only three innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits (two home runs) and one walk in a 5-0 Toronto loss which dropped his personal win-loss record to 4-4, the splits look like this. Hutchison at home: 5 Games Started, 1-3, 8.72 ERA, 7 HR allowed and a 1.892 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP). Hutchison on the road: 8 Games Started, 3-1, 2.03 ERA, 3 HR allowed and a 0.973 WHIP. Both Hutchison and his manager appear to be at a loss to explain the discrepancy. "Obviously I feel the same when I take the mound every time, at home and on the road," said Hutchison. "I just havent executed well here and I havent put together good games." "Some guys are like that, its hard to put a finger on it," said manager John Gibbons. "But you cant pitch him on the road every time … He wasnt very good today. They hit him around a little bit. But hes been pretty good for us." Hutchison is coming off of Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, which was performed in July, 2012. He rehabbed for a full year and pitched briefly at Triple-A late last season and then in the Arizona Fall League. His 75 innings this year surpass, by far, his allotment from the abbreviated 2013 campaign. The Blue Jays are taking care of the 23-year-old. Prior to his last start, a scoreless, seven-inning gem last Tuesday in Detroit, Gibbons gave him a full weeks rest after he struggled in a home start against the Tampa Bay Rays. That leads to the second trend. Hutchison pitches much better when hes had extra rest, five or more days in between starts, than when he pitches on the usual four days of rest to which starters are accustomed. Here are the numbers: Hutchison on four days rest: 6 Games Started, 3-3, 5.94 ERA, 14 walks, 21 strikeouts, 7 home runs allowed. Hutchison on five or more days rest: 7 Games Started, 1-1, 2.62 ERA, 5 walks, 34 strikeouts, 3 home runs allowed. Expect Gibbons to cherry pick spots to give Hutchison extra rest over the course of the season but its difficult to do at the moment due to a lack of off days. Toronto has two more before the All-Star Break, one on Monday, June 16 and another on Monday, June 30. The task becomes easier in August when there are five off days in the month and becomes difficult again in September, when there is only one. By that point, though, the Jays hope to be counting on Hutchison in important games down the stretch. Hutchison, arguably, has been the Blue Jays second-best starter to Mark Buehrle and its likely the club will allow the 23-year-old to work through the ups and downs of a long season. Few are the young pitchers who thrive every time they take the ball. With a long road trip coming up, Hutchisons next two starts are scheduled to be in Baltimore on Friday night and against the Yankees, in New York, on the following Thursday. Dont expect Gibbons to take the ball out of Hutchisons hands on either occasion. LINDS SPLITS Adam Lind is strictly a platoon player these days. Hitting coach Kevin Seitzer is bound and determined to change that. "Im working my butt off to change that because I think he can be just as effective, or almost as effective, off lefties as what he is off righties," said Seitzer. "What happens with lefties and its guys that Ive worked with in past years, they get pounded in by hard stuff and they get to chase stuff and the breaking stuff and secondary pitches in any count." The narrative is that Lind, a left-handed hitter, cannot hit left-handed pitching consistently. The talking point is backed up by his career statistics and the sample size, over nine seasons, is large enough. Lind, versus right-handers: 2,263 plate appearances, .290/.347/.512, 122 home runs, 17 per cent strikeout rate. Lind, versus left-handers: 875 plate appearances, .216/.261/.337, 21 home runs, 25.8 per cent strikeout rate. Manager John Gibbons has worked accordingly this season, relegating Lind to starts against right-handers. Entering Sundays play, Lind had 20 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers for the entire season. "We have a team thats versatile and can do a bunch of different things," said Lind. "I face lefties at the end of the game. I just dont start when they start the game. I get my share of at-bats against those guys." Lind is quick to point out that he often gets the more difficult left-handed challenges. "I dont get the normal starters but Ill take the lefty specialists." Lind faced an old nemesis in Friday nights win over the Cardinals. He drew a full count walk off left-hander Randy Choate, a guy who Lind saw frequently when Choate was with division rival Tampa Bay. He fouled off some tough pitches in that plate appearance. "I played against some lefties at the beginning of the year and had some good at-bats, hit the ball hard, just didnt get a hit," said Lind. "When youre in June and you look back at May you dont remember who you faced and you dont remember what really happened. Its just a statistic now. I get it, thats just how it goes and thats how people are going to look at it over the course of a season." Seitzer, as much a psychological coach as a mechanical instructor, wants Lind to look for pitches out over the plate. He believes positive results will follow. "Thats all it boils down to is breaking that bad wound that hes put in his brain that hes got to get to pitches inside because thats where theyre going to come," said Seitzer. DICKEY ON STROMAN Marcus Stromans curveball has been on full display during his first two big league starts. Hes baffled Royals and Cardinals hitters with the pitch and hes impressed his veteran teammates. "Its his ability to spin the baseball that separates him from other guys," said Dickey. "He can really spin a ball and that takes a lot of arm speed, a lot of God-given, innate natural ability to be able to do that. You cant learn that." Stroman is scheduled to start Wednesday afternoons series finale against the Twins. Teams are developing a book on the 23-year-old, information which will only increase each time he takes the mound. Hitters will make adjustments. Itll be up to Stroman to do the same. "Thats one of the things that makes you successful and able to endure at this level," said Dickey. "Do you have an aptitude where you have the ability to make adjustments quickly? I dont see anything that would lead me to believe he doesnt have that. Hes got a lot of moxie, too. He seems pretty confident out there, which is great." In the spring, general manager Alex Anthopoulos joked that Stroman was the first pitcher hed ever seen blow a bubble in the middle of his windup. Its a common occurrence. "We were on the bench thinking, like, what is Matt Holliday thinking when hes in the middle of his leg kick and a big bubbles in his mouth," joked Dickey. "Hes probably just thinking, Throw the ball. I mean, thats just what you think but everybody has their own little thing." BLUE JAYS SIGN TWO PICKS The Blue Jays signed their fourth and eighth round draft picks from last weeks amateur draft. Right-handed hitting catcher Matt Morgan, an 18-year-old out of Thorsby High School in Alabama, put pen to paper on a contract. He was taken 114th overall. Right-hander Justin Shafer, a 21-year-old whos completed his junior year with the University of Florida Gators, is on board. He was taken 234th overall. Mike Green Jersey . As deep as their roster is, they need their superstar. Rose scored 23 points in his return from a five-game absence due to back pain, and Chicago hung on to beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 90-79 on Monday. Nicklas Lidstrom Jersey . -- Stanley Johnson scored all 18 of his points in the second half, T. http://www.redwingshockeyauthentic.com/sergei-fedorov-jersey/ .com) - The Calgary Flames were again involved in a game in which a team was held scoreless, only this time they came out on the winning side. Custom Detroit Red Wings Jerseys . Pekovic had an MRI test Tuesday on his right ankle that revealed bursitis, which is inflammation of the fluid-filled pad that cushions the joint. Steve Yzerman Jersey . Los Angeles announced its new deal for Kupchak late in the fourth quarter of a 145-130 loss to the Houston Rockets. Kupchak had one year left on his current contract.MADRID - Accustomed to seeing some of the worlds top players join their ranks, tens of thousands of Real Madrid fans turned out at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Monday to catch the first glimpse of Gareth Bale, the latest "galactico" to join the Spanish giants. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder was introduced by president Florentino Perez amid enthusiastic chants from the supporters after earlier passing a medical test. "It is a great dream for me to play for Real Madrid," Bale said in Spanish before thanking the fans for a "great welcome." "I want to help to bring the team success," Bale said before ending his speech with "Hala Madrid," the same club chant that David Beckham used at his presentation 10 years ago. A person familiar with the deal said on Sunday that the fee for the Wales international was a world-record $132 million, making the midfielder the worlds most expensive transfer. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because financial details are not being disclosed. By pairing Bale alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, new Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will have one of the most formidable attacking combinations in football and one intended to compete with that of Spanish champion Barcelona, which features Lionel Messi and new signing Neymar. Bale, whose move was the culmination of negotiations that spanned much of the summer, acknowledged his signing had involved a complex process that had made him feel uneasy at times. "Its been difficult, but Im here now," he said. "Its been a very nervous situation, but its a dream come true." Bale said that the deal had been done correctly, with Real Madrid approaching Tottenham first, before talking to him. He said he wasnt told until late Sunday that an agreement had finally been reached — shortly before it was announced to the rest of the world. Standing in front of a large photograph of Bale when he was a little boy, wearing a Madrid shirt, Perez praised the Welsh players skill. "We are before an exceptional footballer," said Perez, pointing out that Bale had been chosen as the best player in the Premier League last season. "He is a young player with very great qualities." Perez said the player had shown "determination and solidity" throughout the negotiations, sometthing he said had helped in completing the transfer process successfully.dddddddddddd "I thank Tottenham for giving us the opportunity to count on this player," Perez said. Bale acknowledged the transfer fee had been surprisingly large, but said that aspect of the deal was strictly between Tottenham and Madrid and had not included him at any stage. "I would have come here for a penny," he said. "I just wanted to be here and in a white shirt." Despite staying away from Tottenham during the final days of negotiations, the player said he had been working on his fitness and was hoping to play for Wales in its two upcoming World Cup qualifiers. He will travel to Skopje to play Macedonia on Friday, followed by a match in Cardiff against Serbia four days later. Bale insisted that the hefty price tag didnt put any added pressure on him, but added that he already expects a lot from himself and looks forward to pitting his skills against the competition in the league. "Ive always followed Spanish football, its an amazing league. I had the (Madrid) shirt when I was nine years old," he said. He said he had already spoken briefly with Ancelotti and was not concerned about where the coach chooses to play him. "I enjoy being in all the positions Ive played in so far, and I dont know if Ive got a favourite position anymore," he said. "Ill be happy to play wherever he places me." Bale, perhaps mindful that his arrival has the potential to unsettle Reals established superstar, said Ronaldo was the best player in the world and that his desire to play alongside the Portuguese international had been "a massive factor" in wanting to join Madrid. "I want to learn off him," Bale said. With Madrid, Bale will also be playing in the Champions League again — a competition that Tottenham only reached once during his stint there. He will be wearing the same No. 11 shirt that was worn by Francisco "Paco" Gento, who helped Madrid win six European Cups in the 1950s and 60s. Bale said one of his favourite memories of Madrid was Zinedine Zidane scoring the winning goal in its 2-1 Champions League final win against Bayern Leverkusen in 2002. "Tottenham wasnt easy to leave," he said, but "my heart was always set on Real Madrid." ' ' '