DUNEDIN, Florida – In one of his post-game scrums last summer, R. Baltimore Orioles Gear .A. Dickey referred to his knuckleball as a "capricious animal," a phrase meant to describe the unpredictability, the figurative moodiness, of his strange pitch. Erik Kratz was behind the plate to start Thursdays 7-5 win over the Phillies. He was catching Dickey for the first time in game action and afterward, could attest to his pitchers apt terminology. Asked how he thought he did on Day One, Kratz turned the tables. "How did you think I did?" He was told he did fine. "Okay, well then I did fine," said Kratz. "It wasnt perfect. I had the anticipated anxiety that I thought I would." Just how anxious was he? "I caught myself not breathing a couple of times and everything like that." Armed with a first basemans glove rather than the oversized catchers mitt preferred by most knuckleball catchers, Kratz understands hell have to be a quick study in learning both the physical and mental requirements of the job. "Just the idea of trying to relax, being out there, getting a different visual but I felt like it went very well," he said. "I felt like there is plenty of room for improvement but I think a lot of things Ive seen in his bullpen sessions, it was good to see in the game. Good to see him be able to change speeds and everything like that." Dickey laboured through the first inning, giving up a lead-off dunk single to Ben Revere. One out later, Brett Lawrie airmailed a throw to second on a Bobby Abreu chopper, putting Phillies on the corners. After Darin Ruf walked to load the bases, a Dickey knuckleball to Maikel Franco eluded Kratz for a passed ball which scored Revere from third. Its not how you would think Kratz would prefer to have drawn it up. Its his first game catching Dickey, in the first inning and the first time with a runner on third and a knuckler gets by him. But he was more than happy to make a mistake in a spring game. Passed balls are going to happen. The key is to not get psyched out; dont make the same mistake twice. "You can say, okay, well, it was a passed ball, wild pitch, it was a tough one to get but you have to be ready for the next one," said Kratz. "I was proud of myself. I was happy about the way I was able to relax." Dickey limits the in-game responsibility of his catcher to receiving his pitch. He calls his own game, communicating velocity to his catcher in ways he wont describe publicly. Hes not going to tip his hand. Dickey doesnt even want Kratz to form a hard target with his glove. "Its probably better for the catcher and for me, for that matter, if hes just nice and relaxed," said Dickey. "Im far enough along in my process where I can pick out a shin guard and hit a fastball. I dont need him to give me a target. "Plus, if hes only giving a target on fastballs then everybody in the stadium is going to know that hey, if he gives you a target its going to be a fastball and if he doesnt give you a target its going to be a knuckleball so I just like him to be nice and relaxed back there, whatever gives him the best chance to consistently catch the ball." Given the uncertainty over Dioner Navarros ability to catch more than 100 games - since Navarro hasnt done so since 2009 - the Jays are looking for more offence from their second catcher. Kratz, with 18 home runs in a back-up role over the last two seasons with the Phillies, fits the bill. Josh Thole, who caught Dickey and served as the back-up catcher after Henry Blanco was released last June, appears to be the odd man out. "Hes going to play a lot," said Gibbons. "We want to make sure he gets some playing time and then well see how it develops. Kratz is going to catch (Dickey) early on, see how that develops, and then go from there." Dickeys knuckleball topped out at 73 miles per hour on Thursday. He struck out two Phillies over two innings, one on a 61-mile-per-hour knuckler and another at 63 miles per hour. He wants his hard knuckleball at 77 by opening day, his floater at 65. Dickey says hes on target to achieve those radar gun readings, adding hes feeling much stronger than he did at the end of last February, when his knuckleball was topping out in the low-70s in early Grapefruit League action. ENCARNACION HAPPY AT FIRST BASE Edwin Encarnacion chuckled at the suggestion he wants to be, or has asked to be, a full-time designated hitter. "No, whatever the manager wants to do Im ready for it," said Encarnacion. "If I have to play every day at first, Ill play. If I have to play both, Im ready for it." Encarnacion played 79 games at first base last season. He served as the designated hitter on 55 occasions. "I like to play DH sometimes because I have more time to go to the computer, watch the pitcher, watch the video," said Encarnacion. "When you play defence you dont have time to do that but for me, if I have to play first base, I dont have a problem with that." Funny, Encarnacions numbers last season were almost indistinguishable. As a first baseman, he compiled a .272/.367/.527 slash line with 19 home runs in 294 at-bats. As a DH: .270/.374/.530 and 13 home runs in 200 at-bats. ROGERS A FATHER Congratulations to Esmil Rogers, the proud father of a baby daughter. Mom and little Elaina are in Denver and doing well. Rogers was there for the birth, returned to Dunedin on Wednesday and pitched in Thursdays game, giving up two runs in one inning of work. Orioles Jerseys 2019 .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston. Baltimore Orioles Pro Shop . Lisicki beat South African Chanelle Scheepers by a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) margin. Next up for the Wimbledon runner-up will be Slovenian Polona Hercog, who outlasted Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. https://www.cheaporioles.com/ .C. - Steve Clifford isnt exactly singing his teams praises after the Bobcats won for the sixth time in seven games.KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Thousands of Royals fans showed up Thursday to celebrate Kansas Citys best season in three decades, one day after the teams magical run came to an end with a Game 7 World Series loss to San Francisco.Chants of Lets go Royals mingled with speeches by local politicians, team officials and players masked the melancholy of the 3-2 loss.Some Kansas City-area schools were not in session because of parent-teacher conferences, giving children in Royals jerseys a chance to cheer alongside more experienced fans who remembered the last playoff appearance for the team back in 1985.We have been watching the whole World Series together as a family, said Mindy Lilyquist, 36, a stay-at-home mom from Kansas City who brought her four children, ranging in age from 3 months to 7 years old. Its almost like we know the players ... like they have been in our living room every night.Tim Duncanson, 47, of Toronto, Canada, said he became a Royals fan as a child in 1976 when the team won the AL West but lost in the ALCS to the New York Yankees. Duncanson, who works in the finance industry, brought his son to the first and seventh games of the World Series and returned to Kauffman Stadium for the rally.Though his heart was broken in 1976, and again in 1980 when the Royals lost to Philadelphia in the World Series, Duncanson said Wednesdays loss didnt cut so deeply.It wasnt as severe because they had such a great playoff run, he said. Custom Baltimore Orioles Jerseys. It was so satisfying. We were one hit away.Elsewhere, grey and brown hues normally associated with late October replaced the blue Royals playoff shirts and hats sold at local supermarkets and so common around the city over the past four weeks.Longtime fans like retired Kansas City police officer Eric Weir took the loss in stride and proclaimed their satisfaction for a post-season performance very few ever saw coming.We lost by 90 feet, said Weir, 71, in the cafeteria at a supermarket. Thats as close as you get.Newer fans, like 29-year-old convenience store clerk Katie Snelling, seemed to be more disappointed in the outcome — not so much because of their allegiance to the team, but because they had become addicted to the excitement that had gripped the city.I was a bandwagoner, but I feel like it could have been very, very different, Snelling said.Michael Klingler is a Cardinals fan who moved to Kansas City two months ago from St. Louis and got swept up in Royals fever, which he said was more intense than what he has seen in St. Louis during his teams frequent playoff appearances.Its definitely been crazier than it would have been in St. Louis, the 22-year-old said over breakfast at a downtown restaurant. Were kind of used to this. Thats not to say theres not excitement (when the Cardinals are in the playoffs), but you cant compare it to something you only get every few decades. ' ' '