Times wires
Sunday, March 13, 2011
TAMPA — Yankees manager Joe Girardi needed just one word to describe closer Mariano Rivera's first spring training appearance: "Silly."
Rivera struck out all three batters he faced during his initial outing, New York's 9-2 loss to a Twins split-squad Sunday.
"It felt great," Rivera said. "I can't complain."
Jason Kubel and pinch-hitter Matt Brown struck out looking, and Luke Hughes went down swinging against Rivera, who threw nine of 12 pitches for strikes during the sixth inning.
"What did he throw? 10 pitches?" Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. "He throws strikes. It doesn't surprise me."
Rivera, 41, has taken a slower approach in recent years to prepare for the regular season. He had a 1.80 ERA and 33 saves in 38 chances last season. The 11-time All-Star has 559 regular-season saves, second to Trevor Hoffman's 601, and a record 42 in the postseason.
"Mo has a plan and regimen, and it works for him," Girardi said. "He does it as good as anybody I've seen."
Phils: Making a case
FORT MYERS — A pitcher who isn't supposed to make the team is turning some heads.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel tested hard-throwing RHP Mike Stutes, 24, by starting him against a Twins lineup that included All-Stars Justin Morneau and Jim Thome, Stutes proved he was up to it with three hitless innings.
"(It's going) much better than I expected," Stutes said after Philadelphia's 6-3 victory. "I haven't gone three innings in more than a year."
Stutes wound up throwing 32 pitches, 19 for strikes. In six spring outings, he has allowed one run in 10 innings, walked one and struck out 12.
"It's tough for him right now to make our team, but that doesn't mean won't or can't," Manuel said.
"I think anytime you're wearing a big-league uniform and we keep running you out there to look at you, I think, yeah, I want him to go out there and pitch with the idea that he's going to do the best that he can. Make us make a decision on him."
Jays: Dodging bullet
DUNEDIN — Brandon Morrow took a liner off his right shoulder in the second inning.
Luckily for the Blue Jays, it looked a lot worse than it was.
The right-hander shook off the comebacker and pitched four innings in the 9-3 win over the Rays.
"I flinched and blocked it," Morrow said of SS Tim Beckham's hard-hit ball. "It hit more of my finger (sticking out of his glove), so that's sore, but I went out the next inning."
Morrow threw to first to retire Beckham and end the inning. Manager John Farrell thought about pulling him at that point but "I said I was all right," Morrow said, grinning.
Still, the Blue Jays cut short his outing by one inning. He allowed two runs, one earned, and three hits, struck out six and walked none.
"In a way we dodged a bullet," Farrell said, "and it factored into our decision."
ROSTER CUTS: SS Adeiny Hechavarria, one of the team's top prospects, was one of six cuts to bring the total number of players in camp to 48. Hechavarria, 21, who played at Double-A New Hampshire last season, was sent to minor-league camp with C Brian Jeroloman, OF Moises Sierra and RHPs Josh Roenicke and Robert Ray and LHP Luis Perez.