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HOUSTON – The hitting coach and the player sat at the players locker stall for more than 20 minutes before Saturdays game against the Astros. They were hashing some things out. What those things are will remain between the coach and the player. Whats clear was that the discussion Kevin Seitzer was having with Colby Rasmus was animated. Seitzer, leaving not much room between him and his protégé, was moving his hands theatrically, speaking intently. To the casual observer, looking over every now and then, it appeared that Seitzer was doing a lot more of the talking than Rasmus. This has been a difficult year for Rasmus and it couldnt have come at a worse time. Hes assuredly headed to free agency for the first time in his career, the Blue Jays uninterested in bringing him back – certainly uninterested in issuing Rasmus a qualifying offer worth more than $14-million – and the feeling, its believed, is mutual. Making $7-million this season, 28-year-old Rasmus has put himself in a difficult spot as he seeks a long-term, big money contract to take him through his prime years. He was hitting .218/.281/.444 heading into Sundays action, a season interrupted for five weeks in May and June due to a hamstring injury. A high strikeout player throughout his career, Rasmus is whiffing in 32.8-percent of his plate appearances, the highest rate of any of his six big league seasons. Theres the issue of Rasmuss tardiness. He missed a hitters meeting, during which Seitzer takes players through the scouting report on the opponents pitching staff, on Thursday. Manager John Gibbons scratched Rasmus from the starting lineup although Rasmus did enter that nights game as a defensive replacement in the seventh. Where Rasmus and Seitzer disagree most is on Rasmuss stance. Rasmus, youll notice, holds his hands and bat out over the plate as he settles into the box to await the pitch. Seitzer had earlier convinced Rasmus to pull his hands in toward his body in order to get the bat through the strike zone quicker. Rasmus, who spent the All-Star Break at home, doesnt see it that way. When he pulls his hands in, he subconsciously wants to move them back out. “I feel like that Im able to close my body off that way and it keeps my hands more freed up,” said Rasmus. “Since Ive done that off the break, Ive hit quite a few balls the other way. Ive hit some balls through the shift and the idea was to just keep my body good and closed and my hands further away from me.” It would be unfair to describe the Rasmus/Seitzer relationship as contentious. Earlier this season, Seitzer told TSN.ca he believes Rasmus has a “beautiful heart,” something of which he reminds Rasmus. He knows his pupil is sensitive. Seitzer knows Rasmus has a complicated background which has left him tormented by his chosen profession. Seitzer is willing to hear Rasmus out. Its the part of Seitzers job youd title “psychologist.” When it comes to hitting, however, the two are not on the same page. “I feel more comfortable with them out away from me because I can kind of get a feel of letting my hands be free and loose,” said Rasmus. “I feel like its been working for me. Its pretty good. The last game in Boston, I hit three balls the other way that got caught. [Xander] Bogaerts dives and catches one; Jonny Gomes barely catches one and does his little tumble roll and then I hit another one to the gap and Jackie Bradley tracked it down.” Theres no question Rasmus has been robbed of a number of hits this season due to the exaggerated defensive shifts he faces. Teams routinely put three infielders on the right side of the diamond when hes at the plate, including placing the second baseman in a roving position in shallow right field. “I needed to make a change because what I was doing wasnt working,” said Rasmus. “I was just pulling balls straight into the shift. My hands were getting out away from me. I wasnt able to stay inside of any balls. I wasnt letting anything get deep and I was just crushing balls or trying to swing too hard to hit it through the shift because I was uncomfortable with what I was doing.” So it is in this strange time in the Blue Jays/Rasmus partnership. The playoff-contending team looking for contributions, Rasmus, facing an uncertain future, is playing it like Frank Sinatra: “My Way.” “I feel fine with what Im trying to do. I feel good with my approach,” said Rasmus. Stan Mikita Jersey . 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The Swiss won on the fastest run-time tiebreaker after the four-racer teams tied 2-2. Wendy Holdener and Reto Schmidiger won their final heats against Julia Mancuso and Tim Jitloff, respectively.PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Lee Stempniak have been playing together for less than two weeks. 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. Crosby scored his 32nd goal less than 5 minutes in, added his 33rd early in the third period and dished out an assist on Stempniaks first goal with the Penguins to push his point total to an NHL-leading 91. More importantly, Pittsburgh hardly looked like the team humbled by the Flyers during a forgettable home-and-home sweep. "We werent happy with those losses, we have to do better," Crosby said. "We wanted to make sure we went out there and played hard. Its a desperate team were playing and hopefully we can build that same emotion, same intensity we had tonight and carry it over to the rest of the season." Kunitz chipped in his 32nd goal after skipping two games with a leg injury and added an assist. Brandon Sutter pushed in a late short-handed goal and Jeff Zatkoff stopped 32 shots to win for the 11th time in his past 14 games. Tyler Seguin scored his 31st goal for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves, but Dallas slumped again on the road. The Stars have been outscored 12-3 over their past two games to slip out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. "I think you cant blame one guy for any of the goals," Seguin said. "This is a team matter were going to deal with. Its just about execution. Weve been showing glimpses of it lately, but too many breakdowns." A no-no when playing Crosby. The Pittsburgh captain seemed energized by the return of Kunitz. Reunited against a scuffling team trying to make a late run at the post-season, Crosby and Kunitz helped the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins rebound by playing with the chemistry that makes them one of the most potent one-two combinations in the league. The game was less than 5 minutes old when Crosby put Pittsburgh in front. Fourth-line forward Craig Adams -- finishing out his shift -- dug out a loose puck in the corner and fed it to Crosby darting through the slot.dddddddddddd Crosby deked past Dallas defenceman Sergei Gonchar then held the puck long enough for Lehtonen to commit before slipping the puck into an open net to give the Penguins some welcome momentum. Seguin tied it at 12:30 into the first with a pretty deflection off a Trevor Daley shot from the point, but the game was tied less than three minutes before Kunitz pounced on a rebound off a Stempniak shot to put the Penguins in front to stay. The Penguins acquired Stempniak from Calgary on March 5 hoping the veteran forward could patch the hole on the first line that hasnt really been filled since Pascal Dupuis was lost for the season with a knee injury in December. After a series of near misses in his first six games with Pittsburgh, Stempniak finally broke through 13:21 into the second period. He skated into the zone and dropped the puck to Crosby and sprinted to the net. The puck was on Stempniaks stick again a split second later as Kunitz hit him streaking through the slot. Stempniak knocked it in for his ninth of the season while getting tripped by Dallas Brenden Dillon in the process. "Its been a little while, its nice to get a goal," Stempniak said. "Great passing play from Sid to Chris. I went to the net and it was on my tape ... Sids so dynamic, he opens up a lot. Chris has a great shot. I just try to fit in and skate and keep up." That was more than enough for Zatkoff, who made two glove saves in the second period during Dallas best sustained pressure. Crosby banged in a rebound 1:56 into the third to push Pittsburghs lead to three and the pressure that had built after dispiriting performances against the Flyers -- games in which the Penguins said they were more concerned with the way they played than the actual score -- lifted. NOTES: Pittsburgh is 42-5-4 this season when Crosby collects at least one point. ... Dallas has lost three straight for the first time since a six-game skid from Jan. 2-12. ... The Penguins play at Detroit on Thursday. ... Dallas visits Philadelphia on Thursday. 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