Spring Training Blog: Feb. 27, 2008
NATS' JOHNSON HAS DEJA VU (1:43 a.m. ET)
Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson had a frightening flashback Wednesday night in his first game since breaking his leg 17 months ago.
In the second inning of Washington's 3-3 tie with Florida, Robert Andino lofted a high foul pop down the right-field line. Taking off in pursuit were Johnson, second baseman Felipe Lopez and right fielder Elijah Dukes, who stuck out his glove on the run to make the inning-ending grab as Johnson ducked out of the way.
Afterward, Johnson laughed at the similarity the play had with the last fly ball he chased. On Sept. 23, 2006, he broke his right leg when he collided with right fielder Austin Kearns while attempting to catch a popup against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.
"It was dead-on," Johnson said. "Right when he fouled it, I saw it off the bat and thought, here it goes. Maybe it had a little more air under it. I took a peek. A long peek."
That wasn't the only scary moment for Johnson. In his first at-bat, he was hit in the right arm guard by a pitch from Marlins starter Scott Olsen.
-- The Associated Press
WHITE SOX HONOR NIU (8:00 p.m. ET)
The Chicago White Sox wore white Northern Illinois University caps to honor the school and the victims of the recent shooting in which a 27-year-old gunman killed five people and wounded several others in a university lecture hall before committing suicide.
"Being in Illinois, everything that happens there we feel like we're connected," White Sox pitcher John Danks said. "We are trying to do what we can to help."
Afterward, White Sox players autographed the caps, which will be sent to the school in DeKalb, Ill., and auctioned off to benefit a scholarship fund in memory of the slain students.
In the game, Troy Tulowitzki homered on his first swing of the spring and Matt Holliday hit a long double and made a nice defensive play as the NL champion Colorado Rockies beat the White Sox 7-3 in an exhibition opener.
Also, White Sox center fielder Jerry Owens didn't play because of a right groin injury. Owens pulled up while running to second base in an intrasquad scrimmage Monday and said he was day-to-day.
-- The Associated Press
GWYNN HIT IN NOSE (7:58 p.m. ET)
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. was hit in the nose by a baseball while attempting to steal second base during an intrasquad game Wednesday.
Gwynn was attended to by team trainers on the field for about five minutes after being struck by catcher Vinny Rottino's throw in the fourth inning. Gwynn, son of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, had minor swelling on the left side of his face, but was able to finish the five-inning game.
"I had trouble catching my breath for a minute," Gwynn said. "It felt like I got a stinger."
In the scrimmage Gwynn played center field, a position hopes to fill while Mike Cameron serves a 25-game suspension for testing positive a second time for a banned stimulant.
Also Wednesday, the Brewers signed Carlos Villanueva to a contract for 2008 and reassigned right-hander Mark DiFelice to their minor league camp. DiFelice is recovering from knee surgery.
-- The Associated Press
MOYER GOES THREE INNINGS (7:46 p.m. ET)
Jamie Moyer has been topping younger pitchers for years. Jeremy Affeldt became the latest one.
The 45-year-old Moyer threw three scoreless innings and the Philadelphia Phillies scored six runs in the fifth off Cincinnati Reds reliever Gary Majewski in an 8-1 victory Wednesday.
Moyer looked to be in midseason form during the Grapefruit League opener for both teams. The soft-tossing left-hander allowed one hit and struck out three, while the 28-year-old Affeldt gave up one run and three hits in two innings for Cincinnati.
"I was just hoping to get to my pitch limit," said Moyer, who went 14-12 last season and led the team in innings with 199 1/3. "It's a starting point. I got away with a lot of bad pitches."
Also, Phillies lefty Cole Hamels said he has no problem with Brett Myers being picked to start on Opening Day. "There's a lot of hype that goes with Opening Day and for myself it's not really a big deal," Hamels said. "I know being 24 years old I have plenty of years. I'm trying to chase after Jamie Moyer. I know eventually I'll get one of those, but for myself, after about three-four starts it doesn't matter anymore because it's every five days. ... So after a while everyone kind of forgets about it."
-- The Associated Press
COLON GETTING CLOSER (6:43 p.m. ET)
Bartolo Colon wants to prove there's plenty left in his once-dependable right arm.
After two days of playing catch with his new pitching coach, the 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner has impressed Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
"Very pleased," Francona said Wednesday. "Probably a little bit ahead of where we expect him to be."
Those throwing sessions with John Farrell put Colon on schedule to pitch in a game in less than two weeks, probably March 9, the pitcher said. Boston is scheduled to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in an exhibition game that day, but neither Colon nor the team said whether he would pitch against them or in a minor league game.
Starting the season with Boston appears to be a long shot, but the Red Sox are encouraged. Colon was limited to 29 games the past two seasons by shoulder and elbow injuries. He missed last year's playoffs because of an inflamed elbow.
Boston's need for pitching depth grew when Curt Schilling injured his shoulder in the offseason. He is on a rehabilitation program and is expected to miss at least half the season.
On Wednesday, the team checked out 31-year-old right-hander Freddy Garcia, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last June after going 1-5 for Philadelphia. The two-time All-Star had stopped throwing in hopes of avoiding surgery and began rehabbing, then decided to have the operation.
In 2006, Garcia was 17-9 with a 4.53 ERA for the White Sox.
The Red Sox wanted to do "our due diligence" by having their medical personnel examine Garcia, Francona said.
-- The Associated Press
BILLINGSLEY PUSHED BACK (6:11 p.m. ET)
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley was scratched from Thursday's spring training opener against Atlanta because of tightness in his right groin.
He'll be replaced by non-roster invitee Jason Johnson, manager Joe Torre said Wednesday.
Billingsley will pitch a simulated game. He said the injury was "nothing serious."
In other news, Joe Torre said Nomar Garciaparra is slightly ahead of Andy LaRoche in the competition for third base because of his experience. Torre also said he was not planning on pitcher Jason Schmidt (shoulder surgery) being ready for the season opener.
-- The Associated Press
WESTBROOK START SCRATCHED (5:23 p.m. ET)
Cleveland Indians pitcher Jake Westbrook was scratched from his scheduled start in Thursday's spring training opener against the Houston Astros because of soreness in his right arm.
Westbrook doesn't expect the soreness to last. He has experienced similar discomfort in past training camps.
"I usually get this every year," he said Wednesday. "I'm not a big fan of throwing bullpens every other day. It usually acts up on me."
Westbrook will throw a bullpen session Thursday and see how his arm responds.
-- The Associated Press
JONES EASING INTO NEW ROLE WITH O'S (2:14 p.m. ET)
After an inauspicious debut on Monday in an intersquad game in which he misplayed a ball in the outfield and got picked off the bases, new Orioles outfielder Adam Jones redeemed himself with a grand slam in the team's second intersquad game on Tuesday.
Jones, who was the key player in the trade that sent Erik Bedard to the Mariners, admitted on Tuesday that perhaps he's been pressing during his short stint in Orioles camp. The home run against Fredy Deza, a pitcher manager Dave Trembley said would start the season in the minors, seemed to ease some nerves. Jones also had a single.
"The two hits today both came off easy swings," he said. "But it doesn't count for anything."
Jones is penciled in as the Orioles' starting center fielder, though a bad spring could change those plans. Jones said he's benefited from the help of the some of the veterans, including outfielder Jay Payton, who Jones is likely to displace in the outfield.
"It's been weird," Jones said of being in a new clubhouse. "But every guy has been phenomenal."
-- Jorge Arangure Jr., ESPN The Magazine
TIGERS SHUT DOWN RODNEY (1:14 p.m. ET)
The Tigers were already looking for one setup man, as Joel Zumaya recovers from shoulder surgery. Now they could be searching for a second.
Fernando Rodney has been shut down with shoulder tendinitis and told not to throw for a week. Mlive.com's Danny Knobler reported Wednesday that Rodney underwent an MRI on Tuesday that confirmed he was merely suffering from inflammation. But manager Jim Leyland said Wednesday he's "more concerned than he was a week ago."
"He has plenty of time right now [to get ready for Opening Day]," Leyland said. "But if I'm sitting here 10 days from now or two weeks from now saying the same thing, then we've got issues. ... It's way too early to say he'll definitely be ready. But it's way too early to say he won't be ready, too."
With Zumaya out until at least midseason following reconstructive surgery, a major injury to Rodney would be a big blow for the Tigers. One potential option is former Diamondbacks closer Matt Mantei, who is in camp on a minor league deal. But Mantei hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2005.
-- Jayson Stark, ESPN.com
EPSTEIN SPOTS A 'BAD APPLE' (11:45 a.m. ET)
Courtesy of Boston general manager Theo Epstein, the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry just took on more voltage.
According to a story in the Newark Star Ledger, Epstein called Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina a "bad apple" for belly-aching about New York's trip to Japan to open the 2004 season. Boston and Oakland open this season with a two-game series in Japan on March 25-26.
Epstein apparently was drawing a comparison between his players' embracing of the upcoming trip and some Yankees' reluctance to play in Japan.
"Kevin Brown and Mike Mussina spent the whole time bitching about it ... by the time the Yankees team got back from the trip they were all using it as a crutch," Epstein told Boston radio station WEEI last Friday, according to the Star Ledger.
Mussina had a sarcastic reply. "Yeah, we used it as an excuse for winning the division. ... You need a comment from me about him calling me a bad apple? I don't have one."
The Yankees won 101 games and the AL East title in 2004, while the Red Sox went on to win the World Series for the first time since 1918.
LIRIANO ARRIVES AT CAMP(11:03 a.m. ET)
Francisco Liriano arrived at Minnesota Twins spring training Wednesday after missing the first nine days because of visa problems in his native Dominican Republic.
The pitcher cleared up those issues Monday and hopped a Tuesday morning flight to the United States. The former All-Star is coming off Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2007.
Liriano strolled into the clubhouse shortly after 7:30 a.m. EST with a big smile on his face. He was immediately greeted by teammates eager to see the left-hander who went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 121.0 innings in 2006 before developing arm problems.
"We can start now," catcher Mike Redmond shouted across the room. "Franchise is here!"
--The Associated Press
DICE-K ADDS ANOTHER PITCH (10:20 a.m. ET)
Daisuke Matsuzaka, already known for his wide array of pitches, has added another weapon to his arsenal: a two-seam fastball.
"It's got the action that ideally the two-seamer would provide," Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said, according to the Boston Herald. "I think it's a matter of getting the repetition where he gains more comfort and confidence in the pitch to where it becomes a more consistent weapon for him."
Matsuzaka used the pitch late last season and has committed to using it on a full-time basis. And if first impressions count for anything, his 40-pitch effort in batting practice -- including getting J.D. Drew to swing and miss at three straight pitches -- suggest that he's on his game early.
"His location was good, he missed just four pitches," Farrell said, according to the Herald. "His pitches all look to be in better shape than last year. I was most impressed with his fastball's location today. His changeup was so-so but he had a good cutter."
CREDE LOOKS GOOD IN RETURN (10:01 a.m. ET)
Joe Crede, playing his first game since season-ending back surgery last June, appears to have recovered nicely.
During the White Sox intrasquad game, Crede charged a slow roller by minor league catcher Donny Lucy and made a quick stop and throw on the run to throw him out.
''The only thing I can control is my health,'' Crede, who is a free agent after this season and the subject of trade rumors, told reporters. ''I just want to play baseball. It's the game I love and what I want to do for a living, and I'm just happy to have a uniform and be able to do this every day."
CHAVEZ TRUSTS BEANE'S MOVES (9:51 a.m. ET)
Eric Chavez admits that it feels weird to look around the Oakland clubhouse and see so many veteran teammates gone -- their locker stalls now occupied by young, unknown quantities.
But Chavez also understands general manager Billy Beane's rationale in trading Dan Haren, Nick Swisher and Mark Kotsay for prospects over the winter. In addition, the A's allowed Shannon Stewart to leave through free agency and are reportedly weighing offers for starter Joe Blanton.
Beane routinely points out that teams in Oakland's financial situation can't afford to simply stand still. They either have to aggressively "go for it'' or be prepared to take a step back in order to eventually move forward.
"I think it was the right move as far as the organization is concerned,'' Chavez said, "and Billy has always taken care of the organization first. For the short term, it's hard to see that. But the league is turning over, so the value of younger guys and pitchers in general is going to be tremendous in the next five years. That's what he's doing -- loading up on young pitching.
"People don't like it, especially in Oakland. But I think he had to do it. I really do.''
-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com
THE ROYAL TREATMENT FOR KC VETS (9:38 a.m. ET)
Royals manager Trey Hillman plans to let veterans Mark Grudzielanek or Jose Guillen ease their way into the Cactus League schedule.
"Grud and Guillen probably won't play until the eighth or the ninth [of March]," Hillman said, according to the Kansas City Star. "They're veteran guys, and their bodies know how to get ready. I want them fresh for the start of the season."
Grudzielanek is pleased by the more relaxed approach. He thinks rushing to get onto the field led to the first of two knee injuries he suffered last season.
"The last two years they made it a big thing to play the first [spring] game. What's the big deal about that? So I was out there last year on the first day, when I wasn't close to being ready," he said, according to the Star.
NO KIDDING BILLY (9:32 a.m. ET)
A friendly preseason exhibition between the Mets and Michigan nearly turned nasty Tuesday when Wolverines junior center fielder Kevin Cislo dared to lay down a bunt on Mets closer Billy Wagner.
Cislo swung at the next pitch, grounding out. But Wagner was not amused. "If he got that bunt down, I would have drilled the next guy," Wagner said.
Mets manager Willie Randolph didn't think that was going to happen. "He couldn't bring himself to drill the kid," he said, according to Newsday. "Nolan Ryan might have. Nolan or Roger [Clemens] may have done it, kid or not."
Michigan, fired up to beat a major-league team, was leading the exhibition 4-2 with two outs in the ninth before Anderson Machado walked and Michel Abreu homered to center. The game ended in a 4-4 tie.
