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DUNEDIN, Fla. - Manager John Gibbons offered a glimpse Sunday of the Blue Jays much-debated pitching rotation. He helped fill in some of the gaps when he said the pitching questions remaining are who will be the fifth starter and whether the team will carry seven or eight in the bullpen. Previously GM Alex Anthopoulos had talked of two openings left to fill in a starting rotation that already features R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Brandon Morrow. A gaggle of pitchers has been competing for the fourth and fifth sports with J.A. Happ, Drew Hutchison and Ricky Romero the leading contenders although Happs back issues had muddied the waters somewhat. Asked Sunday if Happ was the fourth starter with one position still open, Gibbons replied: "Yeah, Im a big Happ fan. I think hes going to have a heck of a year for us and all indications the other day are his backs fine. He threw very well (in a minor league game Friday). That was a big question. "Now if his back flares up, that might be a different story." Hutchison is widely believed to have already pitched his way into the rotation. In three outings this spring, the 23-year-old right-hander has given up three runs in 9 2-3 innings for an ERA of 2.79. He has struck out 16 and walked one. "Hes been pitching great," Gibbons acknowledged. "Arguably the best of anybody in camp." Then he clammed up, returning to his stock response that the lineup will be announced at the end of the spring. "So keep asking. You aint getting nothing," he said devilishly. Gibbons confirmed Dickey will pitch first with left-hander Buehrle third in the rotation. Morrow reportedly will throw fifth, which would put him on the mound for the home opener April 4 against the Yankees. The Jays open March 31 with a four-game series in Tampa. The manager declined comment on Morrow pitching fifth. But he rejected the suggestion that a veteran was needed to handle the pressure of pitching the home opener. "Its a big day but, you know what, if you dont think they can handle that day they probably shouldnt be there." Gibbons also said he had no issue with southpaws Buehrle and Happ pitching back-to-back. "Theyre both left-handers but theyre different type of pitchers," he said. In case a second opinion on the starting rotation is needed, the Jays asked fans via Twitter on Sunday to offer their suggestions. "Who do you think should be included in the @BlueJays Opening Day Pitching Rotation? Send us your 5 pitchers and rank them 1-5," the team tweeted Sunday on its official account. Gibbons confirmed locks in the bullpen are Casey Janssen, Sergio Santos, Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup and Steve Delabar. "Theyre not going anywhere," Gibbons said. "Your other guys will be your middle and long (relief) guys so were covered with our late-inning go-to guys." Pitchers Esmil Rogers, Todd Redmond, Jeremy Jeffress and Dustin McGowan are out of options, meaning the team could lose them if they are sent down. McGowan is expected to be part of the opening bullpen, despite his desire to be a starter. "Theres some pretty good pitchers out there that are out of options and you cant keep them all," said Gibbons. "We also think the guys we cut loose will probably get grabbed," he added. A seven-man bullpen would give the Jays a four-man bench. "Thats the risk you take. If you take that extra bullpen guy, youre shorter on the bench." said Gibbons. "Thats not ideal but it might cover our rotation a little bit, make the pitching staff that much stronger if we go with eight." Despite the options complication, Gibbons insisted the team would take the best 25 players north. Also Sunday, the Jays optioned pitchers Kyle Drabek, Chad Jenkins and Sean Nolin to triple-A Buffalo. Reliever Neil Wagner was sent down Friday. 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Daley had a goal and an assist, Kari Lehtonen recorded his fifth shutout of the season, and the Stars clinched their first playoff berth since 2008 with a 3-0 victory against the St.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Blue Jays will attempt to salvage a split of this weekends four-game series with the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. The Blue Jays were defeated in each of the first two games of the weekend, but they came back in a big way on Saturday. Jose Bautista got things started in the first inning, roping a RBI double to right center to kick off a seven-run first inning. Toronto would add to that total throughout the day en route to a 12-2 victory. Bautista finished 2-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored, while Adam Lind (3- for-4, 2 RBI, 4 runs), Brett Lawrie (2-for-3, 3 RBI) and Juan Francisco (3- for-4, 4 RBI) all had big days at the plate. Marcus Stroman, who was a late replacement for scheduled starter Drew Hutchison, was the beneficiary of the offensive eruption. Stroman made his first career start in just his sixth Major League game and allowed just one run on five hits while striking out six in six innings. "It was a pretty unbelievable game to be a part of. The offense is just so special," said Stroman. Aaron Brooks was making his first career start on the other side for Kansas City, but he did not fare as well. Brooks allowed all seven runs in the first inning and was relieved after recording only two outs. He gave up five hits and three walks. "I just couldnt control the zone," said Brooks. "I was just trying to do a little too much I guess." Jeremy Guthrie will attempt to keep up a recent string of success when he takes the mound for Kansas City on Sunday. Although he was tagged with the loss in his last start, Guthrie allowed just one run over six innings of work against Houston. That outing came oon the heels of a seven-inning, one-run effort against the White Sox in his previous start.dddddddddddd Guthrie has not been so consistently effective this season, as he is just 2-4 with an ERA of 4.14. In fact, after winning his first two starts of the season, Guthrie has taken a loss in four straight decisions. The good news for the Royals is that they are 6-5 when Guthrie is on the mound. In his 11 seasons in the majors, Guthrie has only three wins in 21 chances against the Blue Jays. He has also taken eight losses, but worked a respectable 3.46 ERA. MLB wins leader Mark Buehrle will try to add to his total when he gets the ball for the Blue Jays. The veteran left-hander has been extremely impressive this season, racking up a 9-1 record in 11 starts, while keeping his ERA to just 2.33. It is quite the turnaround for Buehrle, who went just 12-10 with a 4.15 ERA in 33 starts last season. Buehrle earned his ninth win this past Tuesday, despite letting up four runs, three of which were earned, and failing to get out of the seventh inning. Luckily the Blue Jays bats picked him up, leading to a 9-6 victory over Tampa Bay. There is plenty of familiarity between Buehrle and the Royals, as the left- hander spent his first 12 seasons playing for the division rival White Sox. In 53 appearances, 51 of which were starts, Buehrle has accumulated a 24-12 record and an ERA of 3.64 against the Royals. Toronto had won five straight series entering this weekend. Kansas City has a chance to win its first series since taking two from Colorado on May 13 and May 14. The Royals have not won a four-game series since taking three out of four from the White Sox in the final four games of last season. ' ' '