Hed bounced back and forth between the Blue Jays and Triple-A, g

DUNEDIN, Fla. Caleb Sturgis Authentic Jersey . -- Brett Cecil walked into spring training last year with his career in limbo. The Toronto left-hander seemed far removed from his breakout season of 2010, when he posted a team-high 15 wins despite not making the 25-man roster out of camp. Instead, he was fresh off two years of disappointment. Hed bounced back and forth between the Blue Jays and Triple-A, going a combined 6-15 while getting demoted from the rotation. Cecil knew that if he didnt show improvement, his days in Toronto would be numbered. "There was a big discussion before the beginning of spring last year whether he was even going to make the team," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Saturday. That doubt forced the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Cecil to make a change. He began throwing a weighted baseball during pitching drills to help strengthen his arm and build velocity. It worked. After several strong outings, Cecil was informed in the final days of camp that hed made the final cut. As a reliever, in fact. Cecil took advantage of that opportunity and went 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA and one save. He was also picked as an American League All-Star for the first time. Cecil pitched in 60 games, striking out 70 in 60 2-3 innings. He signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract in the off-season. The 27-year-old Cecil said last years experience changed his mindset and made him appreciate what he has. "Completely different," he said. "Im fairly certain that I have a spot on the team. Obviously, I have to perform, but its a little bit more pressure taken off not being on the bubble." Though Cecil performed well early on in 2013, he began to wear down during the second half of the season. Extra work with the weighted-ball routine and the added stress of having to continuously prove himself took a toll on his body. In September, soreness developed in his shoulder and prematurely ended his season. "I just needed rest," Cecil said. "It was a combination of a different role, different workload and overdoing the ball program a little bit." Cecil said he is now completely healthy and understands where his limits are. He said it will be much easier to dial it back when he needs to instead of constantly going full-bore all the time. "I just dont want any red flags to be thrown up, but I am going to be a lot smarter about the time I take throwing," Cecil said. "When I feel like I really need the work, if I feel like I need to take a day, I said Im going to take a day." "(During batting practice on Friday) they told me I had 25 pitches, and I said I dont need 25 pitches, Ill do 20. If I can throw 20, Im sure I can get five more in a game down the road. I dont need that right now. I need 20 or so and that would be it. Right now, its just saving as many bullets as I can for August, September and, hopefully, October." Gibbons agreed and said it will take that approach from Cecil to help the bullpen succeed. "He had a heck of a year," Gibbons said. "Hes found a role, he likes that bullpen role and hes very good at it. The big thing is always going to be durability, because the good ones get used a lot. Hes got to be conscious of that. He can be a hero, but he also has to understand that to be good in this business." NOTES: Gibbons said LHP J.A. Happ will start the Blue Jays exhibition opener on Wednesday in Clearwater against the Philadelphia Phillies. ... RHP Liam Hendriks, claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, joined the team. ... Japanese-born SS Munenori Kawasaki said he will cheer for the Canadian mens hockey team during its Olympic gold-medal game against Sweden on Sunday. Kawasaki said he predicts a win for Canada, because his son, Issho, was born in Toronto last year. "I love Canada," Kawasaki said. "I think Canada wins 2-1. Yes, perfect. Sounds good. Lets go, Canada." Jimmy Wilson Elite Jersey . Watkins had eight catches for 105 yards and returned five kickoffs for 207 yards, including an 89-yard return in the fourth quarter to give Clemson (7-0, 4-0 ACC) a lead it never relinquished. Andre Ellington had 212 yards on 24 carries and scored twice, including a 44- yard touchdown late in the fourth that sealed the win. Knowshon Moreno Black Jersey . Smyth scored a pair of goals as the Edmonton Oilers won their fifth game in a row, beating the St.Aside from an error that led to three runs, the Winnipeg Goldeyes were nearly flawless in their second-last exhibition tune up Monday night against the Kansas City T-Bones. Goldeyes third baseman Ryan Pineda drove in three runs and the pitching staff didnt allow an earned run, as Winnipeg downed Kansas City 6-3 in American Association exhibition action at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas. Winnipeg broke open the scoreless game with three runs in the top of the second inning. After Josh Mazzola walked, Donnie Webb singled and Casey Haerther walked, Pineda hit a two-run double. Haerther then scored on a Luis Alen ground out. Webb extended the Goldeyes lead to 4-0 an inning later when he singled in Reggie Abercrombie from second base. After three scoreless innings, Pineda led off the seventh inning with a solo home run and Winnipeg had a 5-0 advantage. Kansas City broke Winnipegs shutout in the bottom of the seventh inning. With two out and two runners on base, Haerther had trouble with a fly ball that got caught in the wind. The ball fell to the ground, which allowed T-Bones third baseman Nick Giarraputo to score and the inning to continue. A couple walks and a single later, Kansas City had three runs on the board and Winnipegs lead was narrowed to 5-3. Goldeyes designated hitter Ray Sadler led off the eighth inning with a double and then scored on a Webb two-out single to restore Winnnipegs three-run lead. Dan Marino Authentic Jersey. Goldeyes starter Jason Jarvis and Nick Hernandez, who relieved Jarvis in the fourth inning and was the winning pitcher of record, combined for six scoreless innings to begin the game. "It was our first time seeing him in game action," Goldeyes pitching coach Jamie Vermilyea said of Hernandez on the Jewel 101 post-game show. "He looked really good. He was filling up the zone (with strikes), keeping them off balance and was able to throw both of his secondary pitches for strikes." Brendan Lafferty was on the hook for the three T-Bones runs in the seventh inning, but all three were unearned. Chris Kissock pitched the last out of the seventh inning and a scoreless eighth inning, while Kyle Bellamy locked down his second save of the exhibition season in the ninth inning. Pineda paced Winnipeg by going two-for-three at the plate with a home run and three RBI. Webb was also strong offensively, going a perfect three-for-three with two RBI. "They went up there with a plan and they got the job done," Vermilyea said. "You want to see productive at-bats out of your guys in exhibition and hopefully that will carry over into the season. Thats always good to see this early." The Goldeyes and T-Bones will meet again Tuesday night in Kansas City in the final exhibition game for both teams. Game time is 7:05 p.m. ' ' '