the Spartans top returning scorer, needs to rediscover his offensive touch after being a non-factor the first two games. Hes averaging nearly as many turnove

ARLINGTON, Texas - Mired in one of the worst offensive slumps of his professional career, J.P. Arencibia is going back to the basics. In the bowels of Rangers Ballpark, not far from the Blue Jays clubhouse, is the visitors batting cage. Thats where, for about an hour on Friday afternoon, Arencibia and hitting coach Chad Mottola focused on the fundamentals of hitting. Not against live pitching. Not against a pitching machine. Just hitter, coach, a bat, a ball and a tee. “Its June and we shouldnt be doing this but thats where were at,” said Mottola. “Now you have to accept this. Where he thinks and the great athletes do, (they) want to play at 90 miles per hour the whole time, where I cant stand watching the same thing over and over. We have to back it up to where the balls not moving again and get that confidence back and get that correct feel back. That separation, letting your hands hit the ball rather than you jumping at the ball.” Arencibia went 0-4 in Thursdays 3-1 win over the Rangers. He has just three hits in his last 45 at bats, a span of 12 games dating back to the start of the National League road trip on May 30 in Atlanta. Hes hitting .211 for the season and with just six walks has an on base percentage of .233, the lowest in all of baseball for hitters with enough plate appearances to qualify. The strikeouts get talked about most. Hes racking them up – 76 in 228 offical at bats – which ranks him second on the Blue Jays behind Colby Rasmus (79.) Arencibia has a 0.1 WAR, the Wins Above Replacement statistic, which suggests a bench player or minor league call up would provide the Blue Jays with essentially equal productivity. He doesnt have to be presented with the numbers. Arencibia knows what they are and in one breath he tells you they need to get better. In the next, perhaps looking for the silver lining in a cloudy time, Arencibia wants to discuss areas he feels hes done well. “Even statistically, looking, obviously not my average and stuff like that but my production as far as RBIs, even though I should have more, is pretty up there for my position,” he said. “I would say my extra base hits. Its just one of those things. I think you cant really look into it other than coming in everyday and trying to work to be consistent and help the team.” Arencibias 12 home runs are second-most among catchers. Only Atlantas Evan Gattis, with 14, has more.His 30 RBI rank Arencibia ninth at his position. Most of Arencibias success, however, came earlier in the season. Slumps happen and numbers aside, players can tax themselves mentally trying to find the best methods to emerge. “(Coaches are) sitting there watching the same game everyone else is doing and we get frustrated as well but we know obviously hes not going in the box with those goals,” said Mottola. “When you have fear in this game it tends to get really fast and you are 0-2 every time. Then when you start seeing some pitches, recognizing them out of hand instead of just hoping, then were starting to go down the right path. Thats kind of where were at now. I think hes kind of hit rock bottom and seeing the results and saying ‘Okay, Im ready type thing and thats when its easier as a coach.” Arencibia, sometimes criticized for his defense, is doing his best to compartmentalize his struggles at the plate by focusing on other ways to help his team. “As soon as I put on my catchers gear I become somebody else,” said Arencibia. “I have to go out there and I have to know that that pitcher, Im trying to win the game on the defensive front and Im trying to do everything I can to win that game defensively.” INTERESTING THEORY Broadly discussing offensive slumps, hitting coach Chad Mottola believes batters most often get themselves into trouble with the games most basic pitch. “I have a theory that all slumps are started by fastballs, Mottola told TSN.ca. “They get your body fast and open it up quick and that exposes you to everything.” GIBBONS ON ALL-STAR COACHING STAFF Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, along with White Sox skipper Robin Ventura, will be part of American League manager Jim Leylands (Tigers) coaching staff. “Its a thrill,” said Gibbons. “Just to get an opportunity in Major League Baseball to go to a game like that but then to be selected by Jimmy Leyland, who I think the world of, I mean hes recognized in the baseball world as one of the top ever. His numbers speak for themselves.” Gibbons, the Mets first round pick (24th overall) in 1980, noted the connection each coach has to the host ballclub. Ventura played for the Mets for three seasons (1999-2001.) National League manager Bruce Bochy, of the San Francisco Giants, played for the Mets in 1982. His coaches are Terry Collins, the current manager of the Mets and Davey Johnson, who managed the Mets to their last world championship in 1986. ROTATION ROTATED Wednesdays rainout in Chicago provides Josh Johnson an extra day to let a blister on his right middle finger heal. R.A. Dickey will pitch, on regular four days of rest, on Saturday. Johnson will start on Sunday. Hell be on six days of rest. Nike Air Presto Sale . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Air Max 96 Sale . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/air-max-deluxe-sale/ . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Wholesale Shoes Cheap . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Sneakers Sale . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Coach Tom Izzo believes his team learns more from a loss to a ranked opponent than an easy win against a lightweight.Perhaps so, but Michigan State needs to start collecting victories.The No. 13 Spartans lost a buzzer-beater to No. 10 Arizona in the Armed Forces Classic at Honolulu, Hawaii on Friday, then got dismantled by No. 2 Kentucky 69-48 in the Champions Classic at New Yorks Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.The level of opposition drops considerably on Friday when the Spartans (0-2) face winless Mississippi Valley State at the Breslin Center. The Delta Devils have lost their first three games by an average of 34 points.Izzo isnt surprised his team is winless at this stage, considering that freshmen are playing prominent roles.Teams are beating (opponents) by 30 and getting a false feeling of where they are really at, Izzo told media outlets. I told my guys, Youre gonna get exposed. But we look at two-thirds of that (Kentucky) game and say, OK, we played pretty good. We took a couple of punches in the mouth and hung in there.Michigan States defense was not the issue against the Wildcats. It held Kentucky to 38.3 percent shooting but couldnt get into any flow with its half-court offense. The Spartans shot 32.8 percent from the field, made just five of 26 3-point tries, missed six of nine free throws and committed 20 turnovers. Kentucky turned those giveaways into 24 points, while Michigan State scored only four fast-break points.Were a little tired. Were a little worn out, Izzo said of the cross-country travel. Weve got to get back to the drawing board as ccoaches and do a better job with the execution.ddddddddddddwingman Miles Bridges, the Spartans most highly touted newcomer, had a brutal night in New York. He scored six points on 2-for-11 shooting and committed nine turnovers.Izzo believes Bridges will benefit in the long run from that experience.Miles Bridges is one of the most coachable great players, Izzo told the Detroit News. He still competed, didnt hang his head -- but he did struggle and got his butt kicked. But good players self-evaluate and get better from it, where if he scored 30 points against Sisters of the Poor, it wouldnt have mattered.Bridges is still the only Spartan averaging double figures at 13.5 points per game.Senior guard Eron Harris, the Spartans top returning scorer, needs to rediscover his offensive touch after being a non-factor the first two games. Hes averaging nearly as many turnovers (3.5) as points (4.5).Mississippi Valley State, a Southwestern Athletic Conference club, has offered little resistance in its three losses. The Delta Devils fell to another Big Ten team, Northwestern, in its opener 94-63. They were subsequently blown out by West Virginia 107-66 and Kent State 93-63.Senior guard Marcus Romain is the teams leading scorer at 12.7 points per game. Romain averaged 18.6 points last season. Senior guard Isaac Williams is the only other player averaging double digits at 10.3.Mississippi Valley State lost its first 14 games last season and finished with an 8-27 record. ' ' '