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| Scott Cassidy unexpectedly decided to retire Sunday, according to the AP. Cassidy didn't pitch in the majors last year, but he was very good for the Padres in 2006, holding a 2.53 ERA and 10.3 K/9 rate. It isn't known why the 32-year-old decided to hang up his cleats. |
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| Dmitri Young, 1B, Washington Nationals | Sunday 3/2, 11:44 PM CT |
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| Dmitri Young told the Washington Post that he'll likely need 3-4 days of rest for the strained muscles on his left side. "We're going to be cautious with him," manager Manny Acta said. Young hurt the muscles while taking a swing last week. This won't hurt his availability for the start of the season, but it could hurt him in his competition with Nick Johnson for playing time. |
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| Tom Gorzelanny tossed a scoreless inning Sunday, giving up one hit with no walks and no strikeouts. The left-hander's first spring start was originally scheduled for Thursday but was pushed back because of shoulder soreness. He appears to be fine now, though. "It's good," Gorzelanny said on MLB.com. "It felt fine today. It was a productive outing. I am just trying to keep getting in shape. But that's why we're here, right?" Gorzelanny had shoulder problems towards the end of last season, as well, so despite the fact that he says he's fine, this is not a good trend. Keep a close eye on him. |
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| Cole Hamels, P, Philadelphia Phillies | Sunday 3/2, 10:24 PM CT |
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| Cole Hamels is unhappy that the Phillies chose to renew his contract after the two sides were unable to agree to terms before Sunday's team-imposed deadline. Hamels will make in the neighborhood of $490,000 to $500,000. He requested $750,000. "I'm not angry," Hamels said on MLB.com. "I just feel a little... I can't think of a good word. I'm a little surprised. It's about respect, and when people don't show that to you, you're caught off guard. I thought it was a low blow." There's a chance that this could affect future negotiations between the southpaw and the team, but we're betting this ends up being a non-story. |
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| Mark DeRosa returned to Cubs camp Sunday, three days after undergoing a radiofrequency catheter ablation to correct an irregular heartbeat. "I feel great," DeRosa told MLB.com. "I'm obviously excited to be back. I was getting cabin fever. You go from practicing in 70-degree heat and sunshine to sitting in a hotel room for a week, and there's about four inches of snow on the ground and it's 10 degrees. I'm just happy it was quick. It was a success." DeRosa is a few days behind the other Cubs hitters, but he says he'll definitely be good to go on opening day. "I'll be fine," DeRosa said. "I'll be fine by Monday - I'm fine now." This shouldn't affect where you would draft DeRosa. |
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| Nick Masset twirled three scoreless innings Sunday, allowing three hits and walk with one punchout. The righty, who is out of options, is trying to win a roster spot and won't have a problem doing so with more outings like this. |
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| Felix Pie, CF, Chicago Cubs | Sunday 3/2, 6:30 PM CT |
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| Felix Pie cracked his second homer of the spring and also drew a walk Sunday. That's the good. The bad is that he also got picked off on the basepaths after the base on balls, which undoubtedly drew the ire of manager Lou Pinella. Pie is very talented and is a clear front-runner for the Cubs center field job, but he needs to cut down on his strikeouts and mental mistakes. |
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| Josh Towers pitched three scoreless frames Sunday against the A's, giving up two hits while striking out three. A candidate for the Rox rotation, Towers has given up one run in five spring innings. |
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| Mark Redman tossed three scoreless innings Sunday, not allowing a single hit while striking out five. The lefty pitched two scoreless innings in his first outing this spring. Redman entered camp as one of the favorites for the No. 5 spot in the Rockies rotation, and his performance so far this spring has done nothing but help him. |
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| Pablo Ozuna, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers | Sunday 3/2, 5:46 PM CT |
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| Pablo Ozuna was 2-for-2 with a double, a run scored and an RBI Sunday. He's batting .545 early on this spring. Ozuna will probably end up in his customary utility role with the Sox, but don't rule him out as a starter at second just yet. |
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| Carlos Villanueva tossed two scoreless innings Sunday, allowing one hit while striking out one. Villanueva is trying to win a spot in the Brewers rotation this spring and could be a nice sleeper if he comes away with a starting job. |
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| Chris Sampson was tagged for three runs on six hits Sunday in a 6-4 loss to the Braves. With the Shawn Chacon signing, Sampson was likely on the outside looking in for a starting job, and this outing certainly isn't going to change that perception. |
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| Brandon Backe pitched two hitless inning Sunday, permitting one walk with no strikeouts. The right-hander had been dealing with bone bruise on his foot, so it was good to see him effective this afternoon. |
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| Kyle McClellan was terrific in his first spring start for the Cardinals Sunday, tossing three scoreless innings while allowing two hits and no walks to go along with three strikeouts. McClellan had a superb season out of the bullpen at Double-A last year but is being converted to a starter. He's expected to begin the year in the Triple-A rotation. |
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| Brian Barton was 0-for-4 at the plate Sunday and is now hitless in eight at-bats against major league competition this spring. He did go 2-for-2 with a homer against St. Louis University last week. A Rule 5 pick, Barton is trying to win a reserve job with the Cards. They could use his right-handed bat in the outfield, but he'll have to pick it up. |
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| Jay Bruce, RF, Cincinnati Reds | Sunday 3/2, 4:50 PM CT |
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| Jay Bruce had to leave after a two-run double in the second inning Sunday after straining his quad. Fortunately, it doesn't look like the injury is serious. "It's no big deal," Bruce said in the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I felt it rounding first. There's no use taking any chances this early in spring. It's not serious at all." Bruce, who is batting .500 so far this spring, is considered day-to-day. |
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| Lou Piniella and Jason Marquis met for about 10 minutes Sunday morning after Marquis said Saturday that he'd want to leave Chicago if he can't win a spot in the rotation and Piniella said, "Well, if that's the case, he can go somewhere else," according to MLB.com. "First of all, I'm going to apologize," Piniella said Sunday. "I didn't handle that situation well. I overreacted to it after the ballgame we didn't play particularly well in. I can understand why a player feels that way, and we'll leave it at that. The whole thing is I wasn't expecting it and it sort of surprised me. I should've handled it better and I apologize." Hmmm. Piniella overreacting and not handling things well in the papers? That doesn't sound like Lou. Apologies aside, Marquis is going to have to earn a spot in the rotation this spring by beating out Ryan Dempster, Jon Lieber and Sean Marshall. |
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| The Brewers renewed the contracts of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Corey Hart on Sunday after failing to come to terms on new deals. Fielder is not thrilled about it, either, according to MLB.com. "I'm not happy about it at all," Fielder said. "The fact I've had to be renewed two years in a row. I'm not happy about it because there's a lot of guys who have the same amount of [major league service] time that I do, who have done a lot less and are getting paid a lot more. But my time is going to come. It's going to come quick, too." Fielder, who became the youngest player ever to hit 50 home runs in a season last year, will be eligible for salary arbitration next offseason. If he comes anywhere near the same type of production in 2008, he's correct in claiming that his time to get a big contract will come soon. |
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| Mike Hampton held the Astros to one hit over two scoreless innings during Sunday's exihibition game. 15 of his 22 pitches were for strikes, and his sinker was clocked at its typical range around 90 mph, according to the MLB.com. Hampton's missed the past two seasons due to elbow injuries, and this actually was his first action against a big league team since Aug. 19, 2005. So far, so good for 2008. |
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| Hanley Ramirez collided with Yadier Molina during Sunday's exhibition game, according to MLB.com. He didn't get up at first, though he eventually walked off the field with a slight limp with his left leg. It sounds like he's all right, but we'll have an update later as more information comes in. |
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| Alfonso Soriano missed Sunday's game after sustaining a non-displaced fracture of the tip of his right middle finger during a pre-game drill, according to MLB.com. At this point, the Cubs expect him to be limited for 3-5 days and not throw or swing a bat. Luckily this happened early enough in spring training that it shouldn't affect his regular-season status. |
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| Chipper Jones injured his right hamstring while taking batting practice on Sunday, according to SportsTicker. "You’re going to do it down here from time to time," Jones said. "(We) caught it early enough. I don’t think this should be a big deal." Jones will turn 36 next month and has missed 158 games over the past four seasons, so this is something to watch closely. |
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| Tyler Johnson was shut down Saturday after experiencing tightness and weakness in his shoulder, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We stopped him right there," trainer Barry Weinberg said. "Any time you have to stop a pitcher from throwing, there is a concern." Johnson will undergo an MRI Monday, which should give a better idea of exactly what is bothering Johnson, who missed two months last season due to biceps tendinitis. |
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| Nate McLouth was a late scratch from Saturday's game due to a tight hamstring, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Nothing serious," manager John Russell said. Hopefully, he'll be back in the mix soon, competing with Nyjer Morgan for action in center field. |
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| Shawn Hill, P, Washington Nationals | Sunday 3/2, 10:33 AM CT |
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| Shawn Hill will get a second opinion on his sore right forearm on Monday, according to the Washington Post. "Based on the MRI, we believe Shawn will be fine," GM Jim Bowden said. "This second opinion is only for precautionary reasons." That MRI, taken Saturday, revealed no torn tendons or swelling, but the Nats want to make sure there's nothing else going on with Hill. The current plan is to rest him for a few days, but that could change, depending on Monday's examination. |
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| Salomon Torres threw off a mound for the first time this spring on Saturday, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He's been brought a long slowly thus far due to some soreness, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious at this point. |
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| Brad Lidge, P, Philadelphia Phillies | Sunday 3/2, 10:02 AM CT |
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| Brad Lidge already has begun playing catch and could throw off a mound as soon as this weekend, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lidge underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday and will require 3-6 weeks to recover from the procedure. Barring any setbacks, Lidge has a good chance to be ready for opening day. |
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| Still working his way back from last year's ankle injury, Damion Easley has begun running and cutting on the bases, according to the New York Daily News. "It went well," Easley said. The utilityman's 2007 campaign ended Aug. 19 due to a severe ankle sprain, but he should be ready when this season begins. |
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| Carlos Delgado was sent back to New York Satruday to undergo an MRI, the results of which came back negative, according to the New York Daily News. However, he's been diagnosed with an impingement in his hip that will keep him sidelined for a few days. While GM Omar Minaya insisted the injury isn't believed to be serious, the ailment is in the same part of the hip as the injury that cost him a couple of weeks in September. So there must be some legitimate concern here. |
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| The Mets currently list Marlon Anderson as day-to-day with a bruised sternum, according to the New York Daily News. However, that diagnosis and timetable could change depending on the results of a CT scan. Anderson collided with Ryan Church on Saturday, and both players were injured -- Church has a concucsion. |
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| Ryan Church has been diagnosed with a Grade III concussion following his collision with Marlon Anderson on Saturday, according to the New York Daily News. That's the middle of three grades of severity given for concussions. He won't be allowed to play until all the symptoms have subsided, so consider him week-to-week at this point. |
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| Chad Gaudin threw off a mound Saturday for the first time since September, according to the San Francisco Gate. Pitching coach Curt Young said that Gaudin's arm is strong, "very lively," he said. "He wasn't holding back." Gaudin, working his way back from hip and foot surgeries, is a couple of weeks behind the rest of the A's pitchers. However, he's right on track to make his first regular-season start April 12. |
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| Jeff Baker, 2B, Colorado Rockies | Sunday 3/2, 9:19 AM CT |
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| X-ray's on Jeff Baker's elbow revealed no major damage, according to the Denver Post. Baker has a bruised elbow and will not be available for Sunday's game, but it appears it shouldn't keep him sidelined for too long. |
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| Takashi Saito was slated to make his spring debut in Tuesday's game, but he's probably not going to make it into that contest now, according to the LA Times. He came down with a cramp in his right calf on Saturday, which forced him to cut his throwing session short. He was slowed last spring by the same problem, but at this time, the Dodgers aren't concerned about the ailment. They'll just let him rest for a couple of days and hope it goes away. |
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| Cubs manager Lou Piniella was not happay that Jason Marquis said if he doesn't earn the last spot in the team's rotation, he wants to ""take my services elsewhere," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "Well, if that's the case, he can go somewhere else," said Piniella. "How's that?" Ryan Dempster and Jon Lieber are Marquis' primary competition, but he's not doing himself any favors by irritating the already irritable Piniella. |
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| It appears unlikely that the Braves will be able to lock up Jeff Francoeur to a long-term contract before the regular season begins, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I think I've made it known to everybody I want to be a Brave," said Francoeur. "I want to be here a long time. It's also got to be right on both sides." GM Frank Wren said Saturday that the only recent talks have revolved around a one-year deal, so unless he's putting up a smoke screen or things change soon, that's probably all that will be worked out. At this point, Francoeur seems fine with working through his one-year deals until he can hit salary arbitration. |
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