ANAHEIM – Erik Kratz is back with the Blue Jays for a third time, recalled on Wednesday when the club placed outfielder Cole Gillespie on the disabled list with an abdominal strain. Now 34 years old and with approximately a year-and-a-half of major league service time under his belt, Kratz is veteran enough to understand the ins and outs of baseballs business. "At different points in your career, you figure out how to deal with certain things and you figure out that baseball moves need to be made," said Kratz. "But Ill be honest. I was disappointed to be down there. I wasnt happy-go-lucky but I wasnt going to allow that to affect my play." Kratz worked with R.A. Dickey throughout spring training, catching each of his Grapefruit League appearances in an attempt to become comfortable receiving the knuckleball. He made sense as the second catcher behind Dioner Navarro, a right-handed bat with some pop. He lost out to Josh Thole, Dickeys personal catcher dating back to their days in New York. Kratz acknowledged his disappointment. "The first time I got sent down this year, I let it affect my play," said Kratz. Manager John Gibbons is a vocal supporter of Kratzs. The catchers most recent option to Buffalo, on June 23, wasnt a reflection of his performance. The Jays had just lost Brett Lawrie to a fractured finger and Jose Bautista to hamstring tightness. Carrying three catchers on the roster was no longer viable. He followed his teammates struggles from a distance, hitting .405 for the Bisons dating back to June 29, and wished he could help. "It was frustrating knowing I could be up here helping the team," said Kratz. "Everybody thinks they should be up here but when you get sent down, its all about how you respond mentally so that when they do call you back up, youre ready to play." Kratz describes a positive attitude in Buffalo. Like any Triple-A club, its mixed with young hopefuls whove tasted the big leagues, Anthony Gose and Kevin Pillar come to mind, and veterans like Dan Johnson, who are hoping for another opportunity. "If your attitude in Triple-A is I shouldnt be here, well, take a number," Thats something that can happen a lot in Triple A. That mentality can infect a clubhouse, that mentality of I should be up there. Oh, really? Should you really? How good did you do the last time up there? If you were 10-for-your-last-10, Im sure they wouldnt have sent you down." Offence Coming Around? Hitting coach Kevin Seitzer is seeing progress. After his charges were held to four runs in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Athletics, Seitzer is hopeful the Jays bats have turned a corner in Anaheim, reflected in a four-run, 14-hit performance on Tuesday evening. "I felt like our at-bats the first night here were better too and then (Tuesday) night they were really, really good," said Seitzer. "I mean we played a very solid, well-rounded game of baseball. Offence, defence, pitching, the whole deal came together (Tuesday) night." "The message that I really tried to drive home in our advanced meeting is weve got to focus on getting our singles," said Seitzer. "Thats what got us going in May was trying to single teams to death and stay in the middle of the field and take what the pitcher gives you and try and beat shifts and have team at-bats and really just focus on getting our base hits." Jays Miss Lawrie Anyone who doubted Brett Lawries importance to the Blue Jays lineup has been silenced by his absence. The club misses his gold-glove caliber third base and his ability to move to second base seamlessly, to say nothing of his bat behind the middle of the order. Lawries hit a career-high 12 home runs and was slugging .419 at the time of his injury. With Lawrie and Edwin Encarnacion both on the disabled list and no suitable replacements to be found, the established players who remain in the lineup are pressing and its part of the reason the offence is slumping. "I think thats been a big part of it right there," said hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. "With Brett Lawries intensity and passion and the energy that he brings not only to the lineup but to the dugout and the defence throughout the game, you know, we lost that. That was a big hit for us just from an energy standpoint. The guy plays with more heart or passion probably than anyone Ive ever been around." Lawrie suffered a fractured right index finger when he was hit by a Johnny Cueto pitch on June 22 in Cincinnati. His injury requires a healing period of three to six weeks. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . The 49ers announced the deal Tuesday. San Francisco selected Lloyd in the fourth round of the 2003 draft. Cyber Monday Jerseys ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other. https://www.fakejerseyswholesale.com/. Yet coming off consecutive series losses at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Los Angeles needed some sort of spark as August approaches. The Dodgers found it in the ballpark of their biggest rival, and left the Bay Area in first place following an emphatic three-game swing. Cheap Nike Jerseys . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. Cheap Authentic Jerseys . - After spending the morning in the hospital, Logan Couture gave the San Jose Sharks the spark they needed.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Chiefs general manager John Dorsey said Friday that he does not anticipate using the franchise tag on any free agents, something the team has done each of the past three seasons. The Chiefs are poised to lose several key players from last years 11-5 team, including Pro Bowl left tackle Branden Albert, Pro Bowl punt returner Dexter McCluster and starting defensive end Tyson Jackson, safety Kendrick Lewis and offensive guards Jon Asamoah and Geoff Schwartz. The deadline to use the franchise tag is March 3. "Probably not," Dorsey said. "We probably wont use it." The Chiefs used the tag on Albert last season, paying him more than $9.8 million -- the average of the top five salaries at his position the previous year. They could franchise him again but would be on the hook for 120 per cent of Alberts salary, a massive financial commitment for a team that is already bumping along just below the salary cap. Kansas City used the franchise tag on linebacker Tamba Hali two years ago, eventually signing him to a long-term contract. The same story unfolded last year for wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who signed a $56 million, five-year contract one year after receiving the tag. Dorsey did say that hes having "ongoing conversations" with representatives of all of the Chiefs free agents, including Albert, but refused to get into the specifics. "We will continue to have ongoing discussions with his representatives here at the combine," Dorsey said. "Weve done is weve reached out to every representative for every unrestricted free agent that we have, and weve also talked to Alex Smiths representative as well." Smith wont become a free agent until after the 2014 season, but signing him to an extension would not only lock hiim up but also offer some salary cap relief.dddddddddddd Smiths number this is season is $8 million, but the Chiefs could trim that roughly in half with an extension. The Chiefs have already waived defensive back Dunta Robinson to free up salary, and its likely they will either restructure current contracts or part ways with some of their veterans in order to create more off-season flexibility. "I dont think its fair to talk about a players contract in a setting like this," Dorsey said. "I think thats not the proper business that you like to do." Dorsey did address several other issues at the combine, including his belief in building through the draft. Thats the same philosophy followed by his mentor, Ted Thompson of the Green Bay Packers, and one espoused by Chiefs coach Andy Reid. That means that the Chiefs are unlikely to be quite as active as they were in free agency last year, when they turned over roughly half of their roster. Free agency begins March 1. Still, there are plenty of holes to fill, especially along the offensive line. "We look at everybody right now and make sure that you cover all the positions," Reid said Thursday. "One of the tricks of the draft is that you take the best players available, if you can stay that disciplined to do so and make yourself a better football team." Other positions of need include free safety, where Lewis struggled much of the season, and wide receiver, where the Chiefs kept shuffling through options with little success. "We have a pretty good group of young players to form a nice nucleus," Reid said. "I look forward to adding guys too, and Im a big believer that you build your team through the draft. Free agency can be a bit of a tease at times, and I think you have to be real careful." ' ' '