First pitches are not far away this spring. The first actual exhibition games will be Tuesday. Other teams, including the Rangers, have scheduled intrasquad games today or Tuesday. For Texas, the intrasquad contests will be both today and Tuesday.
Managers and pitching coaches have spent a lot of time constructing rotations for the first few exhibitions. They have taken into account factors such as who is in or who is trying to be in the regular-season rotation, whose arms from shoulder to fingertip are physically capable of pitching and how the schedules will line up with the regular season for the winners in the spring-training pitching derby.
Here’s a look at some of the early March rotations.
Padres: These days, pitchers making their first exhibition start pitch just two innings. That leaves plenty of innings for the bullpen. In some cases, teams will use two or more starters in the same game. That’s was San Diego has planned Thursday for the first of four games against the Mariners. RHPs Chris Young and Kevin Correia both will pitch then. On Friday, the Padres will use multiple pitchers battling for the fifth starter’s job – RHP Mat Latos, LHP Wade LeBlanc and RHP Sean Gallagher. The Saturday pitchers will include RHPs Jon Garland and Tim Stauffer, and LHP Clayton Richard and RHP Cesar Carrillo will work Sunday. Over the course of the exhibition, that list would be whittled down to five starters.
Twins: Like the Padres and Seattle in Peoria, Ariz., Minnesota’s exhibition season will open with a series against a team training in the same town: the Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla. The Twinkies will visit the Sox for the first game Thursday, with RHP Nick Blackburn scheduled to start, with RHP Kevin Slowey also pitching. The Twins will be the home team Friday, with RHP Carl Pavano starting. Back at City of Palms Park Saturday, LHP Francisco Liriano will start for Minnesota. RHP Scott Baker and LHP Brian Duensing both will start Sunday in split-squad games against the Yankees and Pirates. On Monday, Blackburn and Slowey would pitch again against the Orioles in Sarasota. The Twins will open the regular season with a rotation of Baker, Pavano, Blackburn and Slowey.
Braves: Manager Bobby Cox named RHP Derek Lowe the starter for the regular-season opener, but RHP Tommy Hanson will start the year’s first exhibition between two major league teams – Tuesday at 1:10 p.m. EST against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The game will be on mlb.tv. Atlanta and the Mets will play Wednesday in Lake Buena Vista, with RHP Tim Hudson starting for the Braves. Against the Pirates Thursday, RHP Kenshin Kawakami will start. Lowe is scheduled against the Nationals Friday. RHP Jair Jurrjens threw 15 pitches off a mound today for the first time this spring, while he’s recovering from a sore shoulder. He’ll throw again in three side sessions before joining the exhibition rotation, so RHP Kris Medlen will fill in for Sunday’s game against the Astros in Kissimmee.
Other teams have named starters for their first exhibition. Among them are the Orioles (RHP Jeremy Guthrie Wednesday against the Rays), Cubs (RHP Randy Wells Thursday vs. the Athletics) and Reds (RHP Mike Lincoln Friday against the Indians). Lincoln, who has made almost all of his major league appearances in relief, is trying to win the fifth starter’s position in a competition with LHPs Aroldis Chapman and Matt Maloney and RHPs Micah Owings, Justin Lehr, Travis Wood and Kip Wells. Good luck, Mike Lincoln.
Playing ball:
The actual first pitch of spring training is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. EST Tuesday, when the Pirates host Manatee Community College-Sarasota. The day’s other game is the Tigers’ 1:05 date with Florida Southern College. Detroit apparently feels confident enough to take on a four-year college.
Injuries:
The Blue Jays were encouraged today when RHP Dustin McGowan pitched batting practice in his first appearance against batters since July 2008.
Rangers LF Josh Hamilton sat out today’s intrasquad game because of renewed pain in his left shoulder. Better news for Texas was that LHP Derek Holland, recovering from a sprained knee, pitched batting practice. RHP Warner Madrigal (tight forearm) isn’t expected to throw again until long toss Thursday.
Money, money, money, money:
Giants RHP Tim Lincecum, a two-time National League Cy Young Award winner, will be making $10 million this season, the first under his new two-year contract. To justify his $18.5-million salary, Lincecum’s teammate, LHP Barry Zito, would have to BE Cy Young about 110 years ago.
The Angels have money to spend, but they don’t treat their moolah lightly. They allowed free-agent 3B Chone Figgins to go to the Mariners, who will pay him about $9 million. LA/Anaheim has five infielders – 1B Kendry Morales, 2B Howie Kendrick, SS Erick Aybar, 3B Brandon Wood and 3B/SS Maicer Izturis – under contract for barely more than $8. They’re all signed through 2012, though it seems dicey to be paying Wood until 2014 until he shows something in the majors.
3B/1B Troy Glaus could be a bargain for the Braves. They signed the free agent to a one-year, $2-million contract. He has noted no limitations from the right shoulder that kept him out of the majors most of last season.
The Yankees signed RHP Chan Ho Park to a one-year deal for $1.2 million, plus $300,000 in incentives. He’s not being overpaid on the gross scale that he was by the Rangers, but his salary still seems high for a long reliever.
Speaking of the Yanks’ bullpen:
RHP Mariano Rivera and LHP Damaso Marte threw for the first time today. Rivera’s debut was good news for New York fans, Marte’s not so much.
A battle:
2B/RF Ben Zobrist has a place in the Rays’ batting order. What isn’t known is where he would play. The decision will come down to whether OF Matt Joyce can show more this spring than either SS Reid Brignac or 2B Sean Rodriguez. Two of the three are expected to be on the Opening Day roster. If Joyce makes the team out of spring training, Zobrist wouldn’t be needed in the outfield and would start at second base. If the two infielders make the roster, one would start at second base and Zobrist would go to right field. Our money is on Joyce and Rodriguez to be on the roster.
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