Spring Training News & Notes, 3/10: Catching Up With Everyone

Blue Jays: Maybe there is  hope after all in the A.R. -- After Roy. Kyle Drabek, one of the prospects back in the trade that sent Roy Halladay to the Phillies, allowed a hit and one walk in two innings of work. ... Would divisional realignment help the Blue Jays? Maybe, but it could create more problems in the long run.

Orioles: Luke Scott showed up for Baltimore on Wednesday, grabbing two pivotal RBIs in an O's win. ... Brad Bergesen made his first start of the spring, showing no shoulder pain.

Rays: After David Price took a maple bat to the hand on Tuesday, members of Rays Nation are calling for a change. Manager Joe Maddon said, "The maple bat is turning into the Claymore mine of baseball. ... I don't like it. If we're going to wait for somebody to actually get killed or impaled, we're going to wait way too long. Something needs to be done." ... At SB Nation's DRays Bay, they're trying to evaluate just how good their catchers are defensively.

Red Sox: The big news today was Nomar Garciaparra re-signing with the Red Sox -- and then retiring. Garciaparra signed a minor league deal for $30 so he could retire with the team he came through the big leagues with. Sox fans seem to like the move. ... Red Sox outfielder Jeremy Hermida was never sure if he could live up to expectations.

Yankees: Two Yankees prospects were suspended for positive drug tests on Wednesday. Pitcher Israel Tolentino and catcher Josue Rodriguez are members of the Yankees' Dominican Summer League team. ... Nick Johnson's flash of power on Tuesday is coming as no surprise after working with hitting coach Kevin Long.

Diamondbacks First-base prospect Brandon Allen has adjusted his stance, becoming more upright, and it seems to have had a positive effect. And pity poor Bob Howry, who gave up a home-run Wednesday afternoon to the Dodgers’ Andre Ethier…even though it wasn’t Ethier’s turn to bat.

Dodgers The club announced that Eric Stults, Josh Towers and Charlie Haeger will pitch for LA during their upcoming weekend series in Taiwan – the bulk of the squad left Wednesday for the Far East. Manager Joe Torre also said the team would name a starting second-baseman next week, after their return. Blake Dewitt seems to be the front-runner for the position. Details on both topics, and more, at True Blue LA.

Giants Over at McCovey Chronicles, and inspired by the retiral of Garrett Broshius, Grant muses over The Personal Side of Baseball. Does knowing more about the players enhance enjoyment of the game? As the piece says, “It’s easier not to know anything about the players we root for, but it’s also a hell of a lot less interesting.”

Padres San Diego catcher Yorvit Torrealba still fears for his family’s safety. Nine months ago, Torrealba’s son was kidnapped – though released unhurt, the player still has a number of relations living in Venezuela. Happily, his kid shows no signs of having been affected by the ordeal, and is at school in Miami with the sons of Manny Ramirez and Magglio Ordonez.

Rockies On Purple Row, Jeff Aberle is boldly “guaranteeing a NL West crown for the Rockies this year,” stating they are “the best team in the division… without caveat or qualification.” At time of writing, the accompanying poll shows more than 90% expect that or better for Colorado. Even given usual spring optimism, this is an impressive degree of confidence, a month before the first game of the season.

Nationals: C Jesus Flores will make the ever ominous journey to Alabama to see Dr. James Andrews…Will Nieves will likely join Ivan Rodriguez on the Nats’ opening day roster, with Flores on the DL…Matt Caps looked less than sharp in Grapefruit action on Wednesday, yielding 2 runs in one inning. His ineffectiveness could give prospect Drew Storen a shot at the closer job.

Braves: Atlanta’s Spring Training revolves around Jason Heyward, but on the seventh day the Lord rested with minor contusions to his neck and back…Speaking of Heyward, Bobby Cox was pretty frank about the phenom’s role in keeping him out of a retirement. That means he’s making the team, right?…Opening-Day starter Derek Lowe exited his start early Wednesday when a usually-taped blister on his toe acted up…Lowe expects to make his next start but feels “depressed” about the wasted day.

Marlins: The Fish missed out on Hank Blalock to their state-rival Rays, but were only considering him as a bench piece…Meanwhile, injury news is looking up for the Marlins. C John Baker, expected to miss all of Spring Training with a strained forearm, may be in the lineup as a DH soon. Cody Ross also appears close to game action, while Cameron Maybin, also suffering a strained groin, may need more time.

Phillies: The oft-over analyzed Philadelphia ace Cole Hamels worked to put fans’ minds at ease Wednesday, retiring the first nine batters he faced in 3 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays…Kyle Drabek, sent to the Blue Jays in the Roy Halladay trade, debuted a cutter against his former team Wednesday. No word on whether he was also in the best shape of his life…Ryan Howard’s number is being retired by the Low-A Lakewood BlueClaws. He played in Lakewood for one season, in which he posted a .827 OPS, his worst at any level.

Mets: GM Omar Minaya held a press conference to confirm that Jose Reyes does have “elevated thyroid levels,” which kind of sort of contradicts statements made by his agent earlier and definitely contradicts what Reyes told ESPN Deportes. The team is optimistic, but uncertain, he will be ready for opening day.

Indians: Jerry Crasnick essentially says Grady Sizemore is awesome and important to the Tribe's chances. The DiaTribe discusses the enigmatic Carmona. And Ryan Garko just can't believe how different the Indians' roster looks these days. "Jarring," is how he describes it. Oh, the terrible effects of time on all we love and all we are.

Tigers: Scott Sizemore isn't worried about his ankle being sore. The Tigers blog Take 75 North addresses the curious "move Dontrelle Willis to the outfield" meme, which I will now promulgate. Lastly, Jack Moore reminds us to once again watch Magglio Ordonez's PAs closely. Fun roster.

Royals: Jason Kendall won't let the bizarre rumors swirling around him get in the way of his magical pursuit of an OPS over .600. Greg Schaum profiles Royal prospect Tim Smith, while the Kings of Kauffman blog does the same for Chris Dwyer. Royals Authority looks at homegrown versus market talents.

White Sox: Get this, according to the Sun Times, Andruw Jones is "jonesing" for a chance to play. South Side Sox offers a projection of Freddy Garcia. Finally, let it be noted that the noble White Sox "take no joy" in Nathan's injury.

Twins: Twinkie Town offers post-Nathan hope. While the "who will get the saves?" stories continue to multiply. That's how we write baseball obituaries now. Finally, everyone's favorite writer Joe Posnanski discusses Nathan's total dominance of the AL Central (weirdly, not home to the Yankees). You'll have to click the link to see if he somehow also mentions growing up in Cleveland or Pete Rose.

Brewers: Remember the shirt-untucking? The Prince Fielder bowling ball walkoff homer against the Giants? The Brewers say they’re done with that, and will be more businesslike this year. Meanwhile, lefty reliever Scott Schoeneweis is still trying to cope with his wife’s sudden death last year.

Cubs: Ex-Cub Milton Bradley took more shots at the Cubs, their fans and the city of Chicago in an interview with ESPN’s Colleen Dominguez. Cubs GM Jim Hendry finally broke the organization’s silence, saying, among other things, “We’re all brought up in life to accept responsibility when we fail, and to judge people by how they act and how they carry themselves when things don’t go well.” And if you’re a friendly, outgoing baseball fan looking for a job, call the Cubs. They’re hiring 25-30 “fan ambassadors”.

Cardinals: Uh-oh, Cardinals fans. You know Albert Pujols has been out for a few days with back trouble. Matt Holliday has now been scratched from today’s game with “soreness in his right rib cage”. And righthanded reliever Josh Kinney had an MRI for shoulder discomfort. A healthy Brad Penny threw four shutout innings against the Nationals Wednesday afternoon.

Reds: Cincinnati.com’s Reds beat writer John Fay examines his “top five questions about the Reds”, including comments on Aaron Harang, Jay Bruce, Homer Bailey, Drew Stubbs and the competition for left field.

Astros: Bud Norris, who showed flashes of brilliance in his 11 major league appearances last year, was pleased with his first appearance of the spring. And there’s plenty of competitors for Houston’s fifth outfielder spot, though not many of them have major league experience.

Pirates: The Bucs hope to have closer Octavio Dotel ready for Opening Day; he’s hoping to pitch in Grapefruit League action by next week. Speaking of Grapefruit League action, the Pirates play their only Bradenton night game of the spring Wednesday night against the Orioles; the game will air live on the MLB Network at 7 pm EST.

Mariners: The Mariners made their first cuts of the spring Wednesday morning, bidding a temporary farewell to Ryan Feierabend, Steve Baron, Steven Shell, Chris Seddon, Luis Oliveros, Nick Hill, Mauricio Robles, and Nick Hill...Felix Hernandez threw a simulated game on Tuesday, with Rob Johnson catching, and both looked good - Felix moreso...Jason Vargas made his second consecutive shutout appearance on Tuesday and has taken the early lead in the running for the fifth rotation spot...Matt Tuiasosopo continues to play some short as the team examines whether he can be a utility player...David Aardsma threw a bullpen on Tuesday and could return from his groin injury by the end of the week...Franklin Gutierrez appears to be completely over his sore shoulder...Cliff Lee, coming off foot surgery, will make his spring debut Wednesday afternoon. Fifth starter candidate Luke French will also throw...Jack Wilson is back in the lineup on Wednesday.

Athletics: Lots of injury news here. The A's released Jay Marshall, who was claimed off waivers by the Mets but returned due to a pre-existing shoulder injury...Coco Crisp will miss several days with a hamstring strain...Joey Devine will rest for a few days with tendinitis in his right elbow, which was operated on last year...Jon Meloan will have his sore right elbow examined...Justin Duchscherer, who's been having persistent back trouble, is scheduled to throw to hitters on Friday...Travis Buck, who missed action on Tuesday with dizziness, had his ear flushed out and feels fine...Vin Mazzaro, who is competing for a rotation spot, tossed three shutout innings on Tuesday, while Trevor Cahill - who is also competing for a rotation spot - allowed three runs in two innings in a separate game.

Angels: Hideki Matsui made his spring debut on Tuesday as DH...outfield prospect Chris Pettit, who has been trying to rehab a shoulder injury for months, hasn't seen enough progress and will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum, which will end his 2010 before it begins...Joel Pineiro was scratched from his Tuesday start to get a root canal...Torii Hunter made some candid remarks on the state of African-Americans in baseball.

Rangers: Justin Smoak has been scratched from Wednesday's game with a troublesome left hip flexor...Chris Ray will return on Wednesday after dealing with fatigue...Vladimir Guerrero appears to be running well, or at least well enough to impress Mike Scioscia...Anthony Andro has a chart of current Ranger injuries...Neftali Feliz will throw multiple innings on Wednesday as the Rangers look at stretching him out.