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| | . Guthrie took one for the team, throwing 103 pitc (26th Jul 16 at 9:31am UTC) | | | TORONTO – It was nearing the end of a Monday practice and Randy Carlyle was flashing a menacing grin. Cheap Green Bay Packers Jerseys . All those under the age of 24, he said, were due an extra round of skating from sideboard to sideboard. Amid the Leafs longest losing streak of the season and a dismal November, which included two regulation wins in 13 games (4-6-3,) Carlyle is doing his best to remain calm. "Stress varies in coaching," said Carlyle, ahead of a Tuesday tilt with the scorching San Jose Sharks, who have won eight of their past 10 games. "Id say its always high, but [not getting] to the boiling point, its real difficult at times." "Our job is to be the calming influence," he continued, "and our job is to show leadership. Leaders, you cant be going off on your players on a continual basis because they become numb. I think that the screaming and hollering, weve done enough of that at times. Now is the time to accentuate the positives that they bring, correct and instruct and coach the negatives out of our group." Not much went right for his team in the second month of the season, one that ended with four straight losses, nine defeats in 13 games and a seven-game road losing skid. Their defensive troubles remained constant, their offence struggled to produce at even-strength, and one-half of their previously dominant special teams took a hit, their penalty kill dipping to 24th overall. Even the goaltending, superb under considerable strain for the opening six weeks, finally buckled somewhat under a heavy load in recent days. Though their record said otherwise (10-4-0,) October offered many of the same concerning traits to Carlyle and his coaching staff (save for goaltending and special teams.) But, because the wins kept coming, urgency amongst his players remained relatively low. "When youre winning youre winning," said Phil Kessel, who cooled in November with just six points in 14 games. "Its a result-based business. You want to win, so youre always positive when youre winning games. Obviously [the] last month has been a little tougher. We didnt win as many games as wed like and we didnt play as well as wed like. But its a long season. Theres ups and downs. Well get out of that and stay positive." With much of their October luck disappearing in recent weeks – their save percentage and shooting percentage both trending downward – Carlyles message, which urged the need for improvement throughout, is now carrying more weight with it. His early concerns have finally bubbled into real trouble, the Leafs now fifth in the Atlantic Division. "The one thing about what happens is when you continue to have success and youre doing it that way its not as drastic," said Carlyle. "But weve been hit right with a hammer right now so we know where were at and we know what we need to do to correct ourselves. All weve asked of our players is we want 10 per cent more from every individual in there and, in some cases, I believe theres 20 per cent more for people to give." "When a coach tells you that, obviously, you look yourself in the mirror, you think over your practice habits, your game habits, your routine and you just make sure that theres nothing slipping in that you need to change," said James Reimer, who has allowed nine goals in his past two starts. "Once you realize that, you put your nose to the grindstone and work your butt off." The Leafs have yet to consistently brand themselves in the fashion that Carlyle would like, that of an aggressive blue-collar hockey club. Of late, hes been troubled by the quality of opportunities for the opposition in the "critical areas" of the ice, the increasing amount of odd-man rushes against and ongoing problems with discipline, the Leafs guilty of the third-most minor penalties this season. "Thus our penalty killing has been taxed," said Carlyle. That penalty kill, ranked second overall last season, allowed 15 goals in November and was successful to the tune of just 70 per cent. Troubles in that regard only accentuated the hefty strain on the two goaltenders, Reimer and Jonathan Bernier victim to the most shots against nightly this season (36 per game.) Improbably saving the day early and often, the tandem has predictably cooled in recent weeks. Reimer and Bernier have combined for an .894 save percentage in the past six games. "Were giving up a lot of chances," said Kessel. “"You cant give as many chances as weve been giving up." While their power-play has remained effective, still ranked as the 5th best this season, the Leafs productivity at even-strength has fallen on hard times. They scored just 18 such goals in 13 November games, managing two goals (overall) or fewer in nine of 13 games. Hoping to spark some change in that respect, Carlyle decided hed enough, for the moment, with the combination of Nazem Kadri and David Clarkson. Clarkson was replaced by Nik Kulemin on a line that also features Mason Raymond. "Were not creating enough," said Carlyle. "Were not creating enough chances and were not creating enough from an offensive standpoint. For me and for us we waited to do an analysis over the three games and we just felt there wasnt enough there." Depth offensively continues to be an issue. Of the 72 goals the Leafs have scored this season, 59 or 82 per cent have come for a group of just seven players, one of them being the injured Dave Bolland. Led by Dion Phaneuf, the defence has just three goals all season. "Were always looking and reviewing the things that you do wrong and there are some things that need addressing – were not going to hide from the fact of that – but we believe that the corrections are very easily adaptable," Carlyle said after a practice which included work on defensive zone coverage, breakouts, and special teams. "Now, does it happen overnight?" he finished with a laugh. "I hope so." Cheap Jerseys China . He displayed that dominant form in a solid six-inning performance Wednesday night as Toronto defeated the Houston Astros 7-3 at Rogers Centre. Morrow struck out nine batters as the Blue Jays (5-4) locked up their first series win of the young season and moved over the . Cheap Milwaukee Brewers Jerseys .S. Open title at Pebble Beach to winning the match that gave Europe victory in the Ryder Cup. He knew an encore was going to be tough. http://www.cheapauthenticchinajerseys.us.com/ . -- New York Yankees newcomer Masahiro Tanaka has finished up his first throwing session with the team. DENVER -- The San Diego Padres restored their offensive pop with the help of a little pregame pep talk. Meeting as an offensive unit, the Padres hatched a simple plan of attack: If theyre going to mess up at the plate, at least mess up being aggressive. The new approach worked wonders as the Padres pounded out a season-high 14 hits to snap a four-game skid with a 7-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night. Chase Headley tied a team record with three doubles, and Nick Hundley drove in three runs. Up and down the lineup, the Padres were knocking the ball all over the yard, smacking seven doubles. All this from the worst-hitting team in the NL -- at least for now. "We just talked a little bit about relaxing and understanding that you play a 162-game season," Headley said. "While it looks really, really ugly right at the moment, theres a long ways to go. "But it was nice to have some breathing room." Cory Luebke (1-1) provided that, throwing seven efficient innings as he breezed through the Rockies lineup on a brisk night. He allowed just six hits and one run. "Offence did a good job setting the tone early," Luebke said. "They just went out and took a little pressure off." Jeremy Guthrie (1-1) was feeling under the weather, but gave it a go despite a sore throat. With the bullpen taxed from so much recent work, Guthrie really had no choice but to hang in there as long as possible. The righty allowed six runs and nine hits before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh. "That was one of the focuses -- getting deep and trying to compete and giving the team a chance to win," Guthrie explained. "I wasnt able to do that, but I was able to get deep. Thats important at this point." Gold Glove shortstop Troy Tulowitzki remains in a fielding funk for the Rockies as he committed his fourth error of the season on a hard grounder by Luebke, which led to a run. He had only six miscues all of last season. Not that manager Jim Tracy seemed all that concerned about his typically reliable infielder. "Its just one of those things in the early part of the season that you have to let the ebb and flow take place and let him get into a groove," Tracy said. "Tulos one of the guys whos searching to find some things and you have to allow that situation to happen. Cheap Denver Nuggets Jerseys. Thats all." Colorado scored in the second when Tyler Colvin singled in Michael Cuddyer. That would be all the damage Luebke allowed. The lefty was even permitted to work his way out of a jam in his last inning. With two on and two out, Luebke got pinch-hitter Jason Giambi to ground out to end the threat. "Those types of at bats are stepping stones for young pitchers," manager Bud Black said. "It was a great hitter against a good young pitcher. He won the battle." Headley had a solid game against the team he grew up idolizing. Hes from nearby Fountain, Colo., and always seems to hit well at Coors Field. Then again, he hits well at all stops on the road -- hitting .304 away from home. "To be honest with you, Ive been feeling pretty good for the last three or four days," Headley said. "I finally got a few pitches to hit today and was able to square them up." Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez missed a third straight game with strep throat. He said his strength is steadily returning, maybe even enough to play on Tuesday night. "I dont feel 100 per cent yet, but getting better each day," he said before the game. With their bullpen stretched thin, the Rockies needed Guthrie to go deep into the game. The relievers have already thrown 36 innings this season. Guthrie took one for the team, throwing 103 pitches. Just in case, Tracy held off on starter Jhoulys Chacins bullpen session Monday, preferring to wait to see if he might be needed in an emergency. The Rockies have a day off later in the week, so they could afford to push Chacins throwing session back. Before the game, San Diego activated utility player Mark Kotsay from the 15-day disabled list. The 36-year-old signed with the Padres last November, but missed the opening 10 games of the season due to a strained right calf muscle. NOTES: To make room on the roster for Kotsay, the Padres optioned RHP Brad Brach to Triple-A Tucson on Monday. ... Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa tossed 60 pitches a four-inning simulated game on Monday. Hes still mending from elbow surgery that sidelined him last season. ... The Rockies broke ground over the weekend on a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic. The academy will cost around $6 million. 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