TORONTO – Marcus Stroman grinned at the recounting of that aha moment in his last start. Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping . It was the fifth inning and his Blue Jays were leading Texas 2-0. Stroman had struck out Rougned Odor and induced a groundout from Robinson Chirinos. Hed gone to a full count with on-base machine Shin-Soo Choo. The 3-2 pitch was a sinking fastball. The opposing reactions told the story. Stroman turned, struck a pose with a glare and retreated to the dugout. Choo looked flummoxed at the plate, staring back at the umpire with confusion. This reporter, from an angled vantage point, wondered if Choo disagreed with the call. He didnt. The pitch had cut the heart of the plate. He was confused. "Just something Ive been working on," said Stroman of the sinker. It must be nice. When Stroman throws fastballs, theyre predominantly four-seamers. He can "spin" the ball with the best of them, as baseball people say in reference to his devastating array of curveballs and sliders. Stromans changeup continues to develop. By the time hes through, Stroman could be a five-pitch guy. More importantly, in the immediate, is Stromans barreling onto the scene not just as a piece of the starting rotation but as a frontline guy. The sample size is small but take a look at four of Stromans last five starts, excusing the hiccup he had on a Wednesday afternoon in Anaheim earlier this month. On June 23 at home against the Yankees: Eight innings, one earned run on three hits, a walk and seven strikeouts. This start was made more impressive by the fact the Yankees were the first team to see Stroman for a second time and the first had been less than a week earlier when he struggled in the Bronx. On June 28 at home against the White Sox: Six and two-thirds innings, two earned runs on two hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Stroman wasnt physically on the mound when a run against crossed. He left the game with a 2-0 lead, two on and two outs in the seventh. Dustin McGowan promptly entered and gave up a three-run home run to Dayan Viciedo, saddling Stroman with a no-decision in a game the Jays would eventually lose 4-3. On July 4 on the road in Oakland: Seven innings of scoreless ball on three hits, three walks and seven strikeouts. The offence didnt score any runs that day and the Jays eventually lost, 1-0. July 19 at home against the Rangers: Seven innings of scoreless ball, four hits allowed and five strikeouts. Do the math and in those four starts, with Stroman still physically in the game, hes allowed one run in 28 2/3 innings. Stroman, whose self confidence has been repeatedly discussed, is willing to admit to some surprise at how well things have gone since he returned to the big leagues and entered the rotation. "Yeah, absolutely," said Stroman. "Its definitely been a ride. Its been extremely fun. Its definitely gone a lot better, because its my first year and I feel really settled in and I feel like I belong." Dont mistake the confidence for arrogance. The 23-year-old knows he has plenty to learn and hes willing to listen. Two veteran teammates in particular have taken Stroman under their wings. One is a pitcher, Mark Buehrle. The other is a hitter, Jose Bautista. Having a guy with 15 straight seasons of 10 or more wins and another with two-time 50-plus home run credentials in your corner doesnt hurt. "Anything from mentality, anything from preparation to, hey, what would you throw in this count, to this hitter or what are you trying to do in this certain situation with guys on base? Just picking their minds like that and theyre more than happy to help out," said Stroman. "Bautista being awesome this year; hell come up to me out of nowhere, even during a game, and say, hey, when Im hitting this is what Im looking for, this is what I see, and this is how Im adjusting in-game and this is how you should attack hitters." Bautista sidled up to Stroman after his commanding performance against the Rangers. The superstar offered some praise. He also suggested areas in which Stroman could improve. Dont leave the kid satisfied. Bautista repeatedly reminds Stroman to be quick with his pace. Fielders appreciate a pitcher who gets the ball back from the catcher and immediately toes the rubber. Stroman has gone from potential trade bait to an irreplaceable member of the staff. Hes making general manager Alex Anthopoulos look good for being hesitant to part with the Duke alumnus. "To be honest, obviously its just rumours and you dont know whats true, whats not," said Stroman. "It wasnt unsettling at all. I was just focused on getting here and dominating and pitching like I know I could. Trades are something thats a part of the game and its not something that can rattle you if you over-think it." Dont worry about Stroman wilting under the brighter lights of important September baseball. If the Blue Jays hang in the division and wild card races, hell be looking forward to getting the ball every fifth day. "Zero intimidation factor. Im pretty confident," said Stroman. "Thats where I want to be. The bigger the moment, I feel like the bigger I get up for the games and the better I play." Cheap NFL Store . -- Michigan coach John Beilein is willing to give Nik Stauskas a little leeway when it comes to shot selection. Stitched Nike NFL Jerseys . Ricciardos exclusion from the results tarnished what had been a day of celebration for local fans, who were jubilant that the Red Bull driver had apparently become the first Australian to finish on the podium at his home race. However just before midnight, stewards ruled that Ricciardos car had "exceeded consistently the maximum allowed fuel flow" and that the team refused an instruction from the races technical delegate Charlie Whiting to change the fuel-flow sensor before the race and a further request during the race to reduce the fuel flow.Richmond, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Hoping to lengthen a seven-game win streak, the 20th-ranked Virginia Commonwealth Rams entertain the Saint Josephs Hawks in an Atlantic 10 Conference tilt at the Siegel Center. After starting the season ranked in the Top-25, VCU fell out of the poll after several early losses set the team back. But with seven consecutive wins, including a 71-65 win over Davidson on Wednesday night, the Rams are back on track. Saint Josephs hasnt been so lucky of late. The Hawks, who made it to the NCAA Tournament last season, have dropped three consecutive contests, and have fallen below .500 with a 6-7 overall record. The team dropped a tight 71-68 decision to Duquesne on the road Wednesday night. This will be the seventh meeting between Saint Josephs and VCU on the basketball court. Each side has won three games so far, with the Hawks taking both head-to-head clashes last season by a combined 11 points. Down late in the game Wednesday, Saint Josephs tried to make one last rally to gain the advantage. DeAndre Bembry buried a 3-pointer with less than a minute to play, but no one scored in the remaining 30 seconds as the Hawks were taken down by three. Bembry led the team with 18 points, while Aaron Brown came off the bench to net 15 points with six rebounds. Isaiah Miles chipped in 11 points with eight boards, and James Demery added 10 points. It wasnt enough to overcome a Duquesne squad that shot an even 50 percent from the floor. Bembry, fresh off a strong freshman campaign in 2013-14, has taken over as the teams go-to player when its in need of scoring. Jerseys NFL Wholesale. . The sophomore is averaging a team-leading 16.1 ppg this season, which ranks in the top 10 in the Atlantic 10, and adds a team-best 6.5 rpg mark to his resume. Miles, who is netting 10.6 ppg this season, ranks second on the squad in the scoring department, and is the only other Hawk to average a double-digit scoring total. Saint Josephs as a unit is scoring a dismal 61.5 ppg - just a 10th of a point better than Saint Louis, which ranks last in the A-10 in the category - and is allowing 64.2 ppg to opponents. Davidson had been a red-hot shooting team as it entered the game against VCU on Wednesday, but the Rams made sure to put a stop to that. The Wildcats were only able to hit on 37.3 percent from the field, while VCU connected on 42.4 percent to bury the visiting Wildcats. Treveon Graham tallied a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Rams in both categories. Melvin Johnson and Terry Larrier each netted 11 points in the winning effort for VCU. Its been a strong start to the year for Graham, who leads VCU in scoring at 16.3 ppg this season, also adding in a team-best 6.9 rpg mark as well. Johnson contributed a steady 13.8 ppg, and is the only other player to average a double-digit mark in scoring. But that hasnt stopped the Rams from gathering 75.9 ppg as a unit so far, which ranks second in the Atlantic 10 Conference behind only Davidson. VCU is allowing opponents to score 66.2 ppg this season. ' ' '