(6-1), who bounced back from a loss at Louisville on Tuesday

BALTIMORE – Kevin Seitzer does not have a doctorate in psychology and the Blue Jays recent offensive slump has him wishing he did. "Now would be a good time to have one," Seitzer joked to TSN.ca before Friday nights game against the Orioles. Its been a tough week. Entering Fridays action, the Blue Jays had lost five of their last six games, scoring a total of eight runs in that span. Baseballs leader with 91 home runs as a team, Toronto didnt hit any in the five defeats. The frustration is mounting, not that Seitzer needed anyone to point it out. "Its mental, emotional stuff," said Seitzer. "We were having so much fun and playing so well that when you hit a little bump in the road nobody likes it. When you dont like it you get mad and when you get mad after an at-bat and you go up for your next at-bat and it doesnt work out the way you want then you get more mad." Now is the time Seitzer gets away from swing-tweaking and mechanical suggestions. He becomes more a mental coach, inviting his group to take a seat on the proverbial couch. "I said, I want you guys to stay aggressive. I want you to compete your butt off on every at-bat but keep the emotions out of it," said Seitzer. "Weve got to keep the emotions in check. Understand that umpires are going to make bad calls you dont like, pitchers are going to hit spots that theyre not used to hitting consistently, were going to go through a little phase where we get painted up a little bit with guys who arent used to doing that." Hes talking about a guy like Minnesotas Kevin Correia, who entered Tuesday nights start with an ERA above six but shut the Jays offence down over six innings. Hes talking about a guy like Jaime Garcia of the Cardinals, who baffled Toronto over seven innings last Sunday. Garcia has a pedigree but is only recently returned from a year-long layoff following complicated shoulder surgery. Young Orioles fireballer Kevin Gausman held Toronto to a run over six innings on Thursday but Seitzer felt his offence had its best outing in a week. Gausmans fastball tops out at 98 miles per hour; he has a nasty splitter and a tough slider and hes learned a changeup, an effective weapon to keep hitters off balance. Seitzer liked, despite Gausmans relative dominance, his pitch count hitting 100 in the sixth inning, which forced him from the game. Theres also been some griping about recent umpires strike zones. Players have done a good job of not embarrassing the men in blue, quietly voicing displeasure without causing a scene. Seitzer had a way of handling such situations when he played. "Dont show them up, dont show body language, dont get them all mad but you have to let them know that you know that pitch was outside," said Seitzer. If Seitzer felt a called strike was a few inches off the plate, hed murmur as much to the umpire. A third baseman and first baseman in his playing days, Seitzer often would speak to the same umpire the next day and would receive admissions of missed calls. He said the conversations often helped to develop friendships with the umpires. One thing he doesnt want his pupils doing: going out of the strike zone because the umpire has a wide one. "The thing Im telling the guys is you cant change your zone," said Seitzer. "You dont want to expand because once you start expanding a little bit then youll expand more. You dont even want to deal with those pitches until two strikes when youre battling and protecting but I dont want you protecting four inches off the plate even with two strikes because, number one, you probably will miss it and number two, if you do put it in play youre going to be out because itll be softly hit." Seitzers ability to relate to hitters is, in part, a result of the experiences he had during his own career. In 1993, following his release by Oakland, Seitzer returned for a second stint with the Milwaukee Brewers. He made a decision. As an experiment, he would no longer allow himself to be affected by negative thoughts. If he went 0-for-5 in a game, hed arrive at the park the next day repeating to himself Youre hot, youre hot until he was convinced the previous nights donut was an aberration. There were times when his hitting coach thought he was crazy. Seitzer said he never went into a prolonged slump in either 1994 or 1995 and in those two seasons he posted OPSs of .828 and .815. Reflecting, Seitzer said his mental experiment laid the groundwork for his future career in coaching although he didnt know it at the time. Hed like Jays hitters to apply his theory. "We have to let that transition again back to the good," said Seitzer. "I said dont fight, dont force, dont try and do too much and dont get mad about it and just keep competing; compete each at-bat." Despite the recent team-wide slump, Toronto continues to lead baseball with 91 home runs (Colorado is second with 84) and is second in OPS (.769). Blips happen. The statistics suggest the Blue Jays will come around. A tough week doesnt negate a strong two-month stretch. "Ill admit I was extremely spoiled rotten watching this offence go night after night," said Seitzer. "Hopefully we can get this sucker turned around quick." Michael Del Zotto Jersey .Y. - Geno Smith shouted a couple of mighty expensive expletives. Trevor Linden Jersey . Funny, they looked like longtime friends during Pittsburghs 5-1 demolition of Dallas on Tuesday night. Quick to the puck and even quicker to the net, the Penguins top line overwhelmed the suddenly struggling Stars as Pittsburgh bounced back from a dismal weekend sweep at the hands of Philadelphia by jumping on Dallas early. http://www.officialcanuckspro.com/Igor-larionov-canucks-jersey/ . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Brock Boeser Jersey . Gough finished in fourth, 0.433 seconds behind American Erin Hamlin, who took the bronze medal at the Sanki Sliding Center in Rzhanaya Polyana. Daniel Sedin Jersey . For the first time all night, as the Raptors were on the clock to make the 20th overall selection, no one had the slightest idea what was about to happen. No leaks, no whispers, nothing.Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - DAngelo Russell scored 19 points to lead No. 14 Ohio State in a 70-50 rout of Colgate on Saturday. Marc Loving posted 17 points and five rebounds while Kam Williams gave 11 points for the Buckeyes (6-1), who bounced back from a loss at Louisville on Tuesday. Ethan Jacobs scored 18 points with five rebounds and Damon Sherman-Newsome scored 12 points with four boards for the Raiders (1-7), who have dropped five straight. Ohio State scored the first 10 points and led the half from start to finish, but Colgate kept it close and a 3-pointer from Sherman-Newsome cut the teams deficit to 16-13 with 11 1/2 minutes left in the first half. An 8-0 run from the Buckeyes in the latter stages of the fiirst half gave the team a 31-21 lead at the break.dddddddddddd The teams traded baskets for much of the second half as Ohio State was unable to pull away. A jumper from Austin Tillotson followed by a 3-ball from Jacobs cut the Raiders deficit to 52-43 with 8 1/2 minutes left. A bit later, though, the Buckeyes put the game away with an 11-0 run, capped on a 4-point play from Williams that gave the team a 66-46 lead with five minutes to play. Game Notes Ohio State shot 46.6 percent while holding Colgate to just 33.3 percent ... Ohio State leads the series with Colgate, 2-1. The last time these teams met was in the 1980-81 season ... Ohio State hosts High Point on Wednesday. ' ' '