Times wires
Monday, February 28, 2011
DUNEDIN — Florida Auto Exchange Stadium held plenty of memories for Phillies RHP Roy Halladay.
Not all were good.
Halladay, who pitched two shutout innings during a 6-3 win over the Blue Jays on Monday in his first spring start, spent 12 years in Toronto before being traded to Philadelphia. Though he eventually developed into a two-time Cy Young Award winner, he got off to a rocky start.
"I got sent down four times in the office back here," Halladay said to Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "The last time was to A ball."
So Halladay told MLB.com that he had no plans to stick around after his outing.
"I'll be glad to get out of here," he joked before leaving — for Bright House Field in Clearwater, where he continued his workout.
Halladay allowed two singles, struck out one and walked one.
"Just being in the game again is fun," he said. "You can throw as many bullpens and you want, but it's always different once you get out there."
Yanks: Help for Jeter
LAKELAND — Yankees SS Derek Jeter will be doing extra work with hitting coach Kevin Long as he adjusts to a change in his stride at the plate.
The pair are set for an additional session today at the Yankees' complex. Jeter is not scheduled to travel to Bradenton for a game against the Pirates.
"We're going to work even a little bit more than we've been working," Long said after New York fell 6-2 to the Tigers. "His timing is just a little bit off on the outside pitch. He's got to wait a little longer on those pitches. And the ones inside, he's a little late on."
Jeter is no longer striding with his left foot. He made a smaller adjustment late last season, shortening his stride after a session with Long.
Jeter batted .270 last season, 44 points below his career average. He has acknowledged that he doesn't feel comfortable at the plate.
"We can't go crazy here," Long said. "He's just starting out spring training."
PRIOR SHARP: Onetime Cubs RHP Mark Prior pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Prior, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2006, is trying to earn a job as a long reliever. "If I'm healthy, I know I can compete at this level," Prior said.
Jays: Reliever hurt
DUNEDIN — Blue Jays LH reliever Jesse Carlson was shut down with inflammation in his left shoulder and was set to have an examination later Monday.
"We're going to back him out for a couple of days," manager John Farrell told MLB.com. "He has some inflammation and some irritation in the shoulder. We'll have more on his exam after it's over and completed."
Carlson, 30, is competing for one of the final two spots in the Toronto bullpen.
BAD START: LHP Jo-Jo Reyes, bidding for one of the final two rotation spots, walked two and threw 17 of 31 pitches for strikes in two innings. "In the second inning, I got out of synch just a tiny bit," Reyes said. "My tempo was a little off. I was rushing it."