MITRE EXAMINED BY DR. ANDREWS (11:48 p.m. ET)
Ailing Florida Marlins right-hander Sergio Mitre was examined today by a specialist who determined surgery is not needed. Mitre's agent says orthopedic surgeon James Andrews reaffirmed an earlier diagnosis that Mitre has minor inflammation of the ulnar nerve.
Mitre is expected to be sidelined until at least May. He won't pick up a baseball for four to six weeks. He left his first spring training game Feb. 28 after facing three batters and complained of tightness in his forearm.
--The Associated Press
HAMPTON ENCOURAGED (11:06 p.m. ET)
Mike Hampton threw a simulated game on a practice field Wednesday and walked away with a smile on his face.
Trying a comeback after missing the past two seasons with injuries, the Atlanta left-hander threw 59 pitches during a four-inning stint before the Braves' 11-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
Buddy Carlyle started against Cleveland in place of Hampton and gave up three homers, but the Braves scored nine runs in the fourth.
"It felt good," Hampton said about his outing. "I threw all my pitches, and I reached back in the last inning and put a little extra on a few."
Hampton's twice-repaired elbow hasn't been a problem this spring, but he had to leave a start last Friday against Detroit in the second inning after slightly straining his right groin.
"I didn't have any tweaks or anything go wrong," Hampton said. "I got the work in I needed and I feel I'm on track to start the season."
Hampton is scheduled to pitch again Monday, then would have time to make two more starts before the regular season begins.
Also, Atlanta LHP Chuck James, diagnosed with a slight rotator cuff tear after last season, will make his spring debut Thursday when the Braves play Detroit in Lakeland.
-- The Associated Press
REDS NEAR NEW HOME (10:49 p.m. ET)
The Cincinnati Reds moved a step closer Wednesday to relocating their spring training home.
Goodyear, Ariz., officials said the city is able to fund the estimated $33 million needed to move the Reds from Sarasota, Fla., to a new ballpark west of Phoenix. Goodyear officials declined to disclose sources of the funding.
In January, one week after authorities in Sarasota balked at upgrading their spring training facility, the Reds agreed to an exclusive, 75-day negotiation window with the city of Goodyear.
Except for a few years during World War II, the Reds have trained in Florida since 1923. They moved from Plant City to Sarasota in 1998, and last year offered to stay long-term if the county would upgrade the facilities.
Voters turned down a tax issue to fund the project last November, and Sarasota County commissioners balked at approving $18 million as their share of an upgrade for Ed Smith Stadium. With their preferred option ruled out, the Reds began serious negotiations with Goodyear.
John Allen, the team's former chief operating officer, said the Reds hope to complete an agreement with Goodyear in early April. The team is likely to move its spring training base to Arizona as soon as 2010, when it would share a complex with the Cleveland Indians.
-- The Associated Press
RHODES RETURNS TO M'S (8:24 p.m. ET)
Seattle's 38-year-old left-hander Arthur Rhodes pitched a perfect inning in his first outing since last March -- and said it felt like the World Series -- as the Mariners beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 Wednesday.
The former Oakland closer, who had ligament replacement surgery on his pitching elbow last May, walked off the field to a rousing ovation from the crowd and his teammates after appearing in a game six weeks ahead of doctors' estimates. Rhodes stood in the grass in front of Seattle's dugout and responded with a pronounced bow and both arms extended above his head.
"I was surprised," said Rhodes, who has 653 appearances since entering the major leagues in 1991 with Baltimore, where he still lives. "I was like, all right, I'm the old guy and I pitched a pretty good inning -- then I get a standing ovation. I was excited. It felt like we won a World Series.
"To tell you the truth, I walked out of the bullpen and I thought I was going to get lost going to the mound. ... I felt like a little kid."
Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki, who is 0-for-21 this spring, did not play.
-- The Associated Press
BUCHHOLZ OUTDUELS LIRIANO (6:14 p.m. ET)
Clay Buchholz has had a rough spring in his attempt to make Boston's rotation, but his latest start was a step in the right direction.
Buchholz, trying to become the fifth starter for the Red Sox, finished with three strikeouts in Boston's 12-7 victory over the Twins.
He beat Francisco Liriano, who was hit hard in two innings. Joe Mauer and Brendan Harris homered for the Twins.
Buchholz gave up three hits, two runs and one walk in 3 2/3 innings. He lowered his ERA from 12.60 to 9.35 in his third spring start, all of which have come against the Twins.
In his second spring start, Liriano needed 53 pitches to get through two-plus innings. Only 28 were strikes.
He gave up four hits, three runs and two walks while striking out one, struggling to control his fastball and only getting six outs until relief came two batters into the third. David Ortiz's RBI double chased him.
Liriano said he felt he was throwing at 90 to 95 percent, instead of 80 percent in his previous start.
"I'm almost there," he said. "I was trying to let it go. I think I have enough time to stretch out and be ready for the season."
--The Associated Press
CARPENTER THROWS OFF MOUND (5:57 p.m. ET)
Chris Carpenter threw 20 pitches off a mound for the second time, another baby step in a laborious process for the Cardinals' ace, who is rehabbing from reconstructive elbow surgery. Carpenter, who won the NL Cy Young Award in 2005 and is 51-18 in his three healthy seasons in St. Louis, isn't expected to help a tattered rotation until the middle of the summer.
"I think he looks like he's right where he should be at this point," pitching coach Dave Duncan said. "He's making good progress, but it is what it is. In his case, you've got to put the time in."
Carpenter said he's throwing at 60 percent effort and only fastballs. So, while he's happy to be progressing there's little sense of relief. It's way too early for that.
"I think it's going to get different when we start upping the intensity and the quantity," Carpenter said. "It's on a line and it's going in there nice with an occasional little pop in the mitt.
"I'm not firing it, but it's hard enough for right now, and I've been recovering fine and as long as that continues to progress, everything will fall into place," he said.
--The Associated PressTIGERS PLAY STARTING LINEUP (5:52 p.m. ET)
Tigers manager Jim Leyland played his projected Opening Day starting lineup for the first time this spring, and it looked pretty powerful in an 11-4 rout of the Astros.
Ivan Rodriguez batted eighth and hit two homers off Houston starter Woody Williams and the Tigers scored nine runs in the first four innings, eight off Williams.
Kenny Rogers pitched five innings for the Tigers, his longest stint of the spring. He allowed three hits and one earned run.
Former third baseman Brandon Inge never made an appearance even after the Tigers started playing back-ups. Inge has requested a trade.
--The Associated Press
ABREU HAS CHECKUP (4:21 p.m. ET)
Dodgers infielder Tony Abreu flew to Philadelphia on Wednesday to see a sports hernia specialist who performed surgery on him in October. Abreu has been out because of a pulled muscle in his right buttocks, which is thought to be a lingering effect of the surgery performed by Dr. William Meyers. He was scheduled for a checkup and was expected to return Wednesday night.
The 23-year-old was a leading candidate for the infield utility role and would have played in second baseman Jeff Kent's place while he mends from a pulled hamstring. Instead, outfielder Delwyn Young has returned to second base, which he played in the minor leagues from 2003-05.
"Abreu seems to be more hurt than I am," Kent said. "I've never seen this before. He's missing a grand opportunity to show his wares."
The 40-year-old Kent pulled his right hamstring sprinting during pregame warmups March 5. He was originally expected to be out for just a week, which has passed, but said Wednesday he would probably return to the lineup "in a few days, maybe sooner, maybe later."
"There's no rush," Kent said. "No need to prolong the injury by playing on it or risk hurting the quad because you're pulling your hamstring around."
-- The Associated Press
KOLB SENT TO MINOR LEAGUE CAMP (2:34 p.m. ET)
The Red Sox assigned reliever Dan Kolb to their minor league camp. The right-handed Kolb, who pitched in three games with Pittsburgh last year, had been invited to camp as a non-roster player.
He had his two best seasons with Milwaukee. In 2003, he had 21 saves, a 1.96 ERA and a 1-2 record. The next year, he had 39 saves, a 2.98 ERA and an 0-4 record.
Manager Terry Francona also said he told non-roster infielders Keith Ginter and Joe Thurston that they will go to the minor league camp when the Red Sox leave next Wednesday for Tokyo.
Boston plays two exhibition games there before facing Oakland in two regular-season games.
-- The Associated Press
PAULINO OUT AT LEAST A MONTH (1:11 p.m. ET)
Astros right-hander Felipe Paulino will miss at least a month because of a pinched nerve in his upper right arm.
Paulino traveled to Houston on Monday to be examined by team physician Dr. David Lintner. X-rays showed no structural damage to Paulino's right shoulder. Paulino, who will receive anti-inflammatory medication and daily treatment, won't throw for at least one month.
The 24-year-old, competing for a spot in Houston's rotation, allowed four hits and five runs in two outings this spring.
-- The Associated Press
THROWN BALL HITS EX-YANKEE SKIPPER MERRILL (12:15 p.m. ET)
Yankees special assistant to the general manager Stump Merrill was taken to a hospital after being hit just above the lip by a thrown ball during batting practice before Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay.
Merrill was collecting balls near a screen behind second base when he was struck by a ball thrown from the outfield. He was taken off the field on a stretcher.
The Yankees said Merrill was conscious and alert.
-- The Associated Press
PETTITTE IS IRRITATED (10:52 a.m. ET)
New York Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte was scratched from his start Wednesday against Tampa Bay because of a minor muscle irritation in his left forearm.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Pettitte will make his next scheduled start in five days, and that the injury will not keep the pitcher from being ready for the start of the regular season.
"It is nothing serious," Girardi said. "He's mad at us for not letting him throw today, but it was kind of an executive decision that we made. We figure we'll just back him off and he'll make his next start, and it won't change where he starts during the season."
-- The Associated Press
PEDRO: JOHAN'S THE MAN (10:12 a.m. ET)
Johan Santana should be the Opening Day starter for the New York Mets against the Marlins, the three-time Cy Young Award-winner said Tuesday, pre-empting an announcement by Mets manager Willie Randolph.
Not that Santana, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Twins and given a $135.5 million contract, was expected to be anything but the Opening Day starter. But what Pedro thinks still matters a great deal to the Mets. And Pedro thinks Santana should take the ball on March 31 against the Marlins.
"When Johan arrived, that was the first day [the Opening Day starter] was decided," Martinez said, according to the New York Post. "You don't pay a guy $150 million or whatever to come over here and be the No. 2 or No. 3 [starter]. It's impossible."
While Martinez deferred the Opening Day start, he looked sharp in a 59-pitch simulated game on Tuesday and expects to make his spring training debut on Sunday in a split-squad game against the Tigers.
RODNEY COULD MISS START OF SEASON (9:42 a.m. ET)
Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney might not be ready for Opening Day as he slowly works his way back from shoulder tendinitis. But he's not going to rush back just to be on the roster when the season starts.
"I want to get ready, even if I have to miss Opening Day," he said Tuesday, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Rodney said Tuesday that he isn't worried about his right shoulder, which has kept him from pitching in spring training games but is not causing him pain when he plays catch.
"I don't know how many innings I have to throw to get ready," he said, according to the Free Press. "I might need to pitch in five or six [exhibition] games."
That would leave the Tigers' Opening Day bullpen without Rodney and Joel Zumaya, who's still three months away from returning from shoulder surgery.
METS GETTING CASTILLO BACK (9:35 a.m. ET)
Mets second baseman Luis Castillo, the only regular position player yet to play in New York's spring training games, expects to return either Tuesday or Wednesday, the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., reported.
But Castillo, who's recovering from offseason knee surgery, is still waiting to see how his repaired knee will stand up to game action.
"I think the key is, once I play the game, I know what I have to do," Castillo said, according to the Star-Ledger.
Castillo, who signed a four-year deal last winter, says he'll wait and see how the knee holds up. "We'll see [today or tomorrow] when I play in the game."
O'S CLOSING IN
ON A CLOSER (9:06 a.m. ET)
The Orioles are ready to make several decisions about the team they will field after spring training. But one of those decisions is all but made: George Sherrill, acquired from Seattle in the Erik Bedard trade, is the likely closer.
Sherrill, who has four career major-league saves, has allowed just one earned run, two hits and no walks in five spring training innings to likely earn the job.
"I would say he's leading the pack right now," manager Dave Trembley said, according to The Baltimore Sun. "His spring has been far better than he told me it would be. He told me when he came in, 'Don't get excited, because I'm always a slow starter and I don't have a good spring.' It's been pretty good for me. He wants to be the guy. I know that about him."
"I just want to get through camp and get a feel for everything," added Sherrill, according to the report. "It's something I definitely want to do, but I don't feel comfortable telling the skipper what to do. I'm ready for it, though."
PRICE IS RIGHT FOR RAYS -- JUST NOT YET (8:52 a.m. ET)
The Rays optioned left-handed pitcher David Price, their No. 1 pick in last year's draft, to the minors on Tuesday. But they're expecting he'll return before too long.
The Rays were impressed with Price's ability to throw low strikes and his poise on the mound after he worked a three-up, three-down ninth inning in a win over the Twins.
"A unique young man, just like we'd heard, and unique abilities, just like we heard," manager Joe Maddon said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. "Just go back down there and return as quickly as possible."
Price had hoped to jump directly to the big leagues but knew he'd probably start the season in the minors.
"It's fine," he said, according to the report. "They came into this thing with a plan, and they're going to stick to it. That's what happens."
