DUNEDIN, Fla. -- John Gibbons asked for strike-throwers and Drew Hutchison obliged Friday. The 23-year-old right-hander, continuing to make a strong case to become Torontos fourth starter, threw 4 2/3 strong innings in the Blue Jays 3-1 exhibition loss to the Boston Red Sox. Hutchison, who was tagged with the loss, gave up one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. He retired the first eight Red Sox he faced and threw 71 pitches with 51 strikes. "An outstanding outing," said Jays catcher Dioner Navarro. "A great performance," echoed Gibbons, who nevertheless was coy on what might lie ahead for Hutchison. Pressed by reporters, Gibbons allowed: "Hes doing everything he needs to do." Hutchison returned from Tommy John surgery last fall, pitching in the Arizona Fall League. He seems on top of his game this spring. Hutchison showed his mettle in the fourth inning Friday, striking out Mike Napoli to end the inning after a lengthy at-bat that saw the Red Sox hitter foul off a number of pitches. The Jays pitcher hit 95 miles per hour during the confrontation. "Hes got more than I thought he did," said Gibbons. "And he can pop it up pretty good -- with command. Which makes the guys that are really good really good." This spring Hutchison has given up three runs and seven hits in 9 2/3 innings while striking out 16 and walking one. Opposing batters are hitting just .200 against him. Hutchison made 11 starts for the Jays in 2012 (going 5-3 with a 4.60 ERA) before injuring his arm while warming up in the bullpen for a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Throwing strikes is his modus operandi. "Thats what he does. He was good when he was here the first time before he got hurt," said Gibbons. "Thats how he pitches. The key is just being healthy." The same can be said for J.A. Happ, another would-be starter who returned Friday from an ailing back. The six-foot-six left-hander pronounced himself happy with a three-inning performance in a minor-league game. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. "It was good. Exciting," said Happ. "I felt normal out there which is really nice." Said Gibbons: "I heard he pitched really well." A gaggle of pitchers is trying to join R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Brandon Morrow in the Jays rotation. Barring a trade, Nos. 4 and 5 will come from Hutchison, Happ, Ricky Romero, Esmil Rogers, Todd Redmond, Kyle Drabek, Marcus Stroman and Sean Nolin. Of the three main contenders, Hutchison appears to have pitched his way into the rotation. Romero is turning heads with his improved performance this spring. But Happ has had an uneasy pre-season. In two starts, he has given up six runs in just 1 1/3 innings. The back issue has further muddied the waters. Gibbons, who had yet to speak to Happ following the minor-league outing, said the major issue was making sure Happs back was healthy. Happ, in speaking to reporters, said the back was fine. The lines of communication within the Jays on Happ seem a little blurry in general. The pitcher seemed unhappy with GM Alex Anthopoulos answer late last week on whether there were one or two spots open in the starting rotation. "There could be two," Anthopoulos said at the time." I think were going to take the best team north. Especially right now, we have J.A. (Happ) and the back, the performance, things like that, we have to get him on track, stay healthy. "Obviously R.A., Mark and Brandon. Again, we expect J.A. to be in the rotation but at the same time the backs flared up on him twice. I just dont know. Look, if guys perform well and they force our hand, well take the best team." Asked on Friday if he had something to prove in the wake of those words, Happ replied: "I dont have any comment on that. My comment is no comment. "That was probably disappointing to hear but theres nothing I want to say about it." Happ has campaigned to be a starter since arriving here via trade and the issue appears to have left a chip on his shoulder. Last spring he found himself on the outside of the rotation looking in, until Romero pitched his way out of it. Happ eventually went 5-7 with a 4.56 ERA in 18 starts last year in a season disrupted by a nasty setback. Hit in the head by a ball off the bat of Desmond Jennings in a May game with the Tampa Bay Rays, he was out for three months with a skull fracture and a sprained right knee from when he toppled to the ground. While the Red Sox didnt bring all of their starters Friday, their lineup did included Mike Carp, Napoli and Jonny Gomes in the meat of the order. Boston finally got to Hutchison in the fifth. Gomes singled and came home on Corey Browns double to deep centre. The relay throw by Ryan Goins was a little high, allowing Gomes to score. The Red Sox added two more in the eighth before Jonathan Diaz scored on a Kevin Pillar double in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 3-1. Boston starter Clay Buchholz was also impressive, holding the Jays scoreless on two hits in four innings. After giving up two singles to open the first inning, he retired 11 straight for the win. The 29-year-old right-hander went 9-0 with a 1.71 earned-run average ERA in his first 12 starts last season before going on the disabled list for more than three months with shoulder and neck problems. He returned in September, finishing with a 12-1 mark and 1.74 ERA. The loss was the third straight for Toronto, which slipped to 6-9. Boston improved to 7-8. The game drew a sellout of 5,519 on a sunny 20 C day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Clearance Nike Shoes From China . 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The Stampeders employed a three-man rotation in 2013 mainly because of an early-season injury to Drew Tate. Kevin Glenn started the majority of games, but Bo Levi Mitchell was a busy third-stringer. He won his three starts and came off the bench to lead Calgary to another when Glenn was also injured. Glenn was taken in the off-season expansion draft by the Ottawa Redblacks and subsequently dealt to the B.C. Lions, which leaves Tate and Mitchell vying to lead the offence of a team that posted a league-best 14-4 record last season. "It brings out the best in us and I think that being said, we could be a starting point for the team," Tate said Sunday on the first day of training camp. "If the quarterbacks are battling, everyone else is battling kind of thing." Tate, 29, was anointed Calgarys starter two years ago when Henry Burris was dealt to Hamilton. But injuries have limited the six-foot, 190-pound pivot to 153 completions over the past two seasons. A throwing arm injury on July 6 last year and a subsequent setback sidelined him until October. Training camp reps will test the durability of the arm, Tate says. "Feels good right now. Just trying to be smart with it," he said. "I feel its all moderation with the volume we have. Its a lot of volume and its really hard to mimic that in the off-season, the kind of volume we have, especially in camp. "Ever since I was three feet tall, Ive only had one speed and getting injuries, it make you have to change your approach. So far so good. Its only the a.m. of Day 1, so a lot of ball left." Mitchell, 24, completed 69 per cent of his passes for 1,156 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. Six-foot-four and 204 pounds, Mitchell says theres no jealousy between he and Tate. "Were friends through and through, no matter what," Mitchell says. "When he makes a great play, Im not looking down saying Ive got to make a better one. Im going out there, congratulating him and slapping him on the butt and saying good play. "If you look at last year, we went with three quarterbacks. I know theres not many teams in the league that are going to play one guy for 18 games every single snap, so youve got to be ready. Were going to do whatever we can to help each other prepare for the season." The two Texans both signed contract extensions in the off-season and bring different qualities to the table, says head coach and general manager John Hufnagel. "I guess the best way I could explain it is Drew is more of a jitterbug," Hufnagel explained. "Hell make plays out of nothing, just because of his mobility and elusiveness and great vision and accuracy. "Bo is a little bit of a stronger-armed guy. He has the ability to move around and make plays, but hes more of a pocket guy and throw the ball down the field." The Stampeders lost in the 2013 West Division final to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who went onto win the Grey Cup in Regina. In addition to taking Glenn in the expansion draft, the Redblacks also selected Stampeder offensive lineman JMicheal Deane and safety Eric Fraser. Ottawa also hired away defensive co-ordinator Riick Campbell to be their head coach.dddddddddddd Rich Stubler replaced Campbell after two seasons as B.C.s defensive co-ordinator. Stampeder offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson signed a three-year contract extension in November. Hufnagel swung a deal with Ottawa to obtain the first overall pick the Canadian college draft in May and used it to choose Laval offensive lineman Pierre Lavertu. The hope is hes a fast adapter to the CFL as centre Brett Jones was in winning the leagues rookie award last season. Among Calgarys significant contract extensions in the off-season were CFL sack leader Charleston Hughes, receivers Maurice Price, Jabari Arthur and Joe West, as well as middle linebacker Juwan Simpson and linebacker Keon Raymond. To get some experience in his backfield, Hufnagel signed halfbacks Lin-J Shell and Josh Bell, who have experience working with Stubler in Vancouver, as well as former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Dee Webb. "In the defensive backfield, it will be interesting because of the loss of players weve had in the off-season," Hufnagel said. "Theres spots to be won." Running back Jon Cornish, the CFLs leading rusher for two seasons and most outstanding player in 2013, adopted the practice of tai chi, a Chinese martial art, in the off-season. "After doing six months of it, I understand that a lot of my movement patterns were not as efficient as they could be," said Cornish. "A lot of the things I could do on the field could be optimized. Thats what Im trying to focus on this year. "Mentally I felt I could add some aspects to my game." The Stampeders also have at camp running back Martell Mallett, the CFLs rookie of the year in 2009 when he played for the Lions. Calgarys off-season was not without its drama. The team suspended defensive back Quincy Butler nine days before main camp. He was charged with two counts of assault following an incident outside a Calgary casino. Hes due to appear in court June 26. Concordia defensive tackle Quinn Smith, Calgarys seventh overall pick in the college draft, tested positive for a steroid which he says he inadvertently ingested via a supplement. The Toronto native faces a two-year ban from Canadian university football. Smith is currently at Calgarys main camp and is subject to mandatory drug testing under the CFLs drug policy. And Price chose the first day of training camp to apologize both in a press release and in a scrum with reporters for remarks he made on Twitter over a month ago that criticized gay NFL draft pick Michael Sam. The CFL fined Price for those comments. "I just wanted to come here and be face to face with the guys and not do it from a distance," Price said. "Thats why I waited until this day to just apologize. Im aware my comments were offensive and I just want to apologize to the Stamps fans, the CFL and especially Mr. Michael Sam himself." The Stampeders are training on new turf at McMahon Stadium, which makes the pounding of two-a-days feel a little less painful. "Its a lot better, 1,000 per cent better," Price said. "Thats vacation for the joints, the ankles, the knees. Im glad they got that done. That old turf was worn out and hard. When it was snowing it was icy and hard and just rough on the legs." ' ' '