Not much relief from bullpens

Here’s what happened today, when the schedule of exhibition games expanded to nine, with five of those between teams that both ostensibly were made up of major league players.
A trend was terrible relief pitching, which is understandable because especially this early in the spring, a number of even the late-inning relievers are pitchers who won’t even get a sniff of the majors in 2010.
The Tigers had some encouraging developments. RHP Jeremy Bonderman started and pitched two scoreless innings. OF Casper Wells, whom we introduced to you Tuesday, drove in a run with a triple to tie the game in the ninth inning, then scored the winning run in a 7-6 victory over the Blue Jays. However, LHP Daniel Schlereth, part of Detroit’s big trade with the Diamondbacks and Yankees, blew a lead by giving up four runs in the bottom of the eighth – with three of those on a home run by minor league journeyman Chris Lubanski.
There was similar bullpen failure in the Giants’ 8-7 victory in 10 innings over the Mariners. San Francisco allowed two runs to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. 1B Aubrey Huff homered for the Giants. RHP Tim Lincecum gave up three runs in just one inning. He noted that his violent motion has “a lot of moving parts” and that he has to refine each one of those to get his delivery working right. There’s no need to panic now, but remember that there’s a possibility he might not be able to put everything back together just right.
The Orioles hit six home runs in a 12-2 rout of the Rays, but the most interesting homer in that game might have been by 2B Sean Rodriguez. He’s fighting for the starting job in Tampa Bay. If he wins that, Ben Zobrist could start in right field. I predict that if Zobrist plays regularly at second base, the Rays have a good chance to make the playoffs, but if Rodriguez or Reid Brignac is in the usual starting lineup, TB will be a weaker, non-playoff team.
Anyway, today Baltimore got two home runs apiece from DH Josh Bell and 1B Rhyne Hughes. Don’t go putting them on your draft or auction list. Bell hit a homer against RHP Matt Garza, a legitimate major leaguer, but the other was against LHP Heath Phillips. Hughes, who already is 26 years old, hit his blasts against journeyman Phillips and 29-year-old Jason Cromer. You might see similar performances by these players this season – if you’re at a Triple-A game.
Here’s an idea for the majors. Take a page from the NBA’s book and have a few teams that are hopelessly overmatched in a major professional league.
In spring training, baseball pretty much does that by scheduling exhibitions against college teams. The major league teams won all four games against collegians today, by a composite score of 53-10. That’s 6-0 in favor of a handful of major leaguers and the professional minor leaguers representing MLB cities.
The Red Sox swept Northeastern 15-0 and Boston College 6-1 in a pair of seven-inning games. The Marlins played all nine against the University of Miami for a 19-3 victory. In an eight-inning contest, the Phillies overcame Florida State’s 6-4 lead to win 13-6. Seminoles pitchers walked 16 batters. Bad news for Philadelphia was that RHP prospect Phillippe Aumont lasted just two-thirds of an inning and allowed five runs.
The Yankees didn’t play a college team, but they did find a willing opponent in the Pirates. New York didn’t win until OF Colin Curtis hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth against Pittsburgh RHP Virgil Vasquez for a 6-3 victory.
Position changes:
SS Miguel Tejada opened the exhibition season with the Orioles at his new position, third base.
White Sox 3B prospect Dayan Viciedo will start at first base in their opening exhibition.
Failed SS prospect Sergio Santos is now with the White Sox trying to make it as a righthanded pitcher.
Injuries:
White Sox CF Alex Rios is out because of a sore right shoulder. He seems to be becoming somewhat brittle. Expect him to miss 30-40 games this season.
Astros 1B Lance Berkman (bruised left knee) will miss Thursday’s game. If he plays Friday, that would be as a DH.
Cardinals SS Brendan Ryan seems impatient to get back as he recovers from surgery on his right wrist. Beware his trying to come back too soon and missing a significant part of this season as well.
Indians DH Travis Hafner has missed much of the past two seasons, and still has to prove he has regained his former strength and form 17 months after arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
News and notes:
The Diamondbacks and RF Justin Upton have officially agreed on a six-year, $51.25-million contract.
Padres RHP Heath Bell is working to add a changeup to the fastball and curve he already was throwing. You might not realize this, but even with just two pitches he led the National League with 42 saves in 2009.

Guys in Mets uniforms win 1st exhibition

It was good to see some baseball on my laptop today, mlb.tv’s telecast of the Braves-Mets game in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Especially after New York manager Jerry Manuel took the starters out of the lineup because the field was wet, the players bore little resemblance to major league teams.
Just check out these Mets “stars” – the starting pitcher, RHP Nelson Figueroa; in relief, LHP Bobby Livingston, and with an eighth-inning solo homer cementing their 4-2 victory, Russ Adams. If those players are all with the Mets this season, they’ll be worse than they were in 2009.
Let’s go back to that thing about taking starters out because rain had soaked the field. The same teams that are so concerned about avoiding injury to their high-priced talent at a time of exhibition games think nothing about sending those same players out on the field to complete a regular-season delayed for hours. That’s just good business, because then they can collect the ticket money from people who long since went home and went to bed.
Anyway, the winners of today’s other two games were predictable.
The Tigers defeated Florida Southern 13-1. The only Detroit player worthy of note was OF Casper Wells, who hit a home run. He’s not worthy of note just for that homer, but because he might have a future in the majors. That future isn’t likely to be this season, but keep your eye on him.
Even the Pirates found a team they could beat: Manatee Community College-Sarasota, by a 6-1 count. Marginal major league OFs Brandon Moss and Steven Pearce hit home runs against teenaged pitchers.
Speaking of teams of imposters:
The Dodgers are sending 33 players to Taiwan for three games March 12-14. Two Taiwanese players, LHP Hong-chih Kuo and SS Chin-lung Hu, will make the trip. However, the only really recognizable regulars on the trip will be 1B James Loney, 2B Ron Belliard and LF Manny Ramirez.
For starters:
Tigers manager Jim Leyland announced that RHP Justin Verlander would be their Opening Day starter. Following him in the rotation would be RHP Max Scherzer. Detroit has a battle for a fifth starter among LHPs Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson and Phil Coke and RHPs Eddie Bonine and Armando Galarraga.
The need for speed:
In Monday’s intrasquad game, Rangers CF Julio Borbon stole two bases. He told the Dallas Morning News he expects to steal at least 50 bases as Texas’ leadoff batters. Borbon was on a pace that would have resulted in well over 50 last year after being promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Diamondbacks CF Chris B. Young hopes to steal more bases after his SB total dropped in each of the last two seasons. Here’s a bit of advice: Get on base once in a while.
Mets SS Jose Reyes hit the first pitch in their Monday intrasquad game for a triple. It wasn’t that he had an extra-base hit against rookie Tobi Stoner, who isn’t likely to see CitiField this season unless he buys a ticket. The interest was that Reyes ran swiftly and without pain in his oft-battered legs.
Enhancing performance:
We’re not saying the two paragraphs on either side of the line above are related, but Reyes is one of a number of athletes being questioned in a federal investigation of Canadian Dr. Anthony Galea, accused of arranging to smuggle human growth hormone into the United States.
Others who have testified or might have to talk to the FBI include Reyes and Mets teammates Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgaro, Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez (hmm), Rockies RHP Huston Street, Tiger Woods, swimmer Dara Torres and NFL quarterback Chris Simms.
Injuries:
Mets RHP Elmer Dessens left today’s game after being hit on the right knee by Braves C Brian McCann’s line drive.
The Red Sox are playing a low-stress doubleheader Wednesday against Northeastern University and Boston College. They’ll do that without CF Mike Cameron, who has a left groin injury. I’ll set the over/under on how many games he’ll play this year at 110 – and take the under.
Astros 1B Lance Berkman will miss their opening exhibition Thursday because of a left knee injury suffered Sunday.
Marlins RHP Derrick Turnbow has been out because of an infected left big toe.
Rocco Baldelli has rejoined the Rays, but as a special assistant and not as a player. The former outfielder couldn’t sign with anyone as a free agent because of concerns about a shoulder injury.
Unheralded rookie:
The Tigers’ second base job is Scott Sizemore’s to lose. Detroit is likely to open the season with CF Austin Jackson and Sizemore as the all-rookie 1-2 combination at the top of the batting order.
What they’re working on:
Dodgers RHP Eric Gagne, recovering from a shoulder injury, has extended his delivery and is noticing greater velocity on his pitches.
Braves 3B Chipper Jones noted that batting lefthanded last season he was taking his top hand off the bat early, and lifting his head instead of keeping it down with his eyes trained on the ball. So he’s working to overcome both bad habits.