Spring Training News and Notes, 3/19: Catching Up With Everyone

Blue Jays: Pitcher Dustin McGowan pitched for the first time in 21 months on Friday. He threw 36 pitches to minor leaguers and said he felt fatigued afterward. ... Bluebird Banter is wondering, with low expectations, what's the worst that could happen this season?

Orioles: Jeremy Guthrie is looking for a bounce-back season in 2010, but as it looks now, that won't be happening. ... Orioles catcher Matt Wieters will have his spring training workload increased beginning next week.

Rays: Lefthander J.P. Howell may start the season on the disabled list because of a weak shoulder. ... DRaysBay asks how valuable new closer Rafael Soriano is to his new ballclub.

Red Sox: Josh Beckett returned from an illness to pitch 3.1 innings on Friday against the Pirates. He walked two and struck out one. ... New Sox shortstop Marco Scutaro is fitting right in and starting to turn seemless double plays with his new partner Dustin Pedroia.

Yankees: Derek Jeter has been one of the MLB's best players for years now, but Pinstripe Alley wants to know: when is age going to finally catch up to him? ... Rob Neyer knows the core of the Yankees talent is aging, but he also knows to trust his gut instead of trusting numbers.

Nationals: Chien-Ming Wang threw 45 pitches in a bullpen session without pain...Nyjer Morgan will be out until Monday with tightness in his hip...Ryan Zimmermann has begun throwing. He's expected to be out until August...Josh Willingham is day-to-day with a sore neck...Manager Jim Riggleman declared shortstop an "open competition" between Ian Desmond and Christian Guzman.

Phillies: Placido Polanco is going to resume playing tomorrow in a minor league game... LHP Sergio Escalona was optioned to the minors.

Marlins: Taylor Tankersley, Cristhian Martinez, Scott Cousins and Jai Miller were optioned to AAA. Kasey Olenberger, Vinny Rottino and Danny Richar were optioned to the minors...Fredi Gonzalez clarified at least part of the bullpen picture today: Leo Nunez is the closer and Renyel Pinto and Dan Meyer will be the lefties. Brian Sanches and Jose Veras are also "strong possibilities" to make the team.

Mets: Luis Castillo is working on his poor range at second...Carlos Beltran has begun rehab and expects to return by May...Kevlim Escobar will not resume throwing until April...Manager Jerry Manuel says firstbase is still an open competition between Mike Jacobs, Daniel Murphy, and Ike Davis...Bobby Parnell and Sean Green are at risk of losing their jobs.

Braves: Heyward broke another car with a homerun...Scott Procter is back and in competition for a bullpen spot.

Royals: Royals Authority tries to take stock of the developments, or lack thereof, going on at Spring Training. Yuniesky Betancourt tries to not be the worst player in the American League.

White Sox: Oney Guillen, who is, amazingly, Ozzie Guillen's son, has resigned from his position with the White Sox. In a typical show of bullpen he-man bravado, Bobby Jenks and J.J. Putz tell the world, "we'll be ready" for all of your sundry challenges.

Tigers: Rick Porcello and Nate Robertson are independently working on things. Porcello, mechanics, Robertson, being an off-speed pitcher.

Indians: Lets Go Tribe outlines six topics of discussion regarding the Indians.

Twins: Do Twins fans have anything to be worried about? Yes, yes they do. Injuries, and a Longfellow revival, but mostly injuries. Amidst the angst, Alexi Casilla may have a roster spot locked up.

Diamondbacks The battle to be Brandon Webb’s (hopefully) temporary replacement appears to be down to Rodrigo Lopez and Kevin Mulvey after Bryan Augenstein was sent to Triple-A camp. Both men pitched in a 6-3 loss to the A’s on Thursday. Lopez pitched three shutout innings, allowing one hit; Mulvey took the loss, but was a victim of poor defense, all four runs he gave up being unearned. Only eight points of ERA separate the two men this spring.

Dodgers Iconic LA broadcaster Vin Scully was taken to hospital Thursday night after getting up from bed too quickly and bumping his head. Given his age of 82, this is largely precautionary, and he is expected to be in Arizona this weekend for a game on Sunday against Cleveland. He started with the Dodgers in 1950, making this his 60th year with the organization, easily the longest of any current broadcaster with a single team.

Giants McCovey Chronicles likes new hitting coach Hensley Meulens, but has a request for the organization. “Something else I’d like the Giants to do, from the front office on down, is to seek out evidence when forming an opinion.” Grant reckons the team relied too much on hunches, which last season led to them “trying to find the Magic Wyvern-Repelling Laser Gun in case they were attacked by wyverns, but they were doing it when the place was on fire.”

Padres While most pundits expect slugging first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez to leave San Diego, there is still discussion between the two sides over a possible extension. Gonzalez is not averse to deferring some money as part of the deal, but a follow-up tweet from the author says the Padres are only willing to do so if no interest is applied to the money.

Rockies A sigh of relief from Colorado, as the MRI on closer Huston Street showed no structural damage. Tim Redding will pitch out of the bullpen today, possibly moving there as part of the Street situation. Another of their injured relievers, Rafael Betancourt, will throw a simulated game on Saturday, and if that goes well, should see action in multiple contests next week. There are also unconfirmed reports the team is looking at Royals’ reliever Juan Cruz.

Mariners: The Mariners have had their eye on Rockies NRI Paul Lo Duca this spring, although with Rob Johnson looking healthy, it's unlikely that anything happens here...Mike Sweeney smacked a triple on Thursday as he continues to make his bid for the team. The odds are against him, but Ryan Garko has options.

Angels: Ervin Santana, who lost more than 2mph off his average fastball in 2009, claims to be feeling pretty close to his 2008 form, when he was a legitimate ace...the Angels are feeling a little thin in the outfield, with Reggie Willits battling a hamstring issue.

Athletics: Injury update: Michael Wuertz felt good after throwing 21 pitches in a minor league game Thursday. Craig Breslow and Andrew Bailey are near a return. Joey Devine thinks he could throw again in a few days. Rajai Davis and Coco Crisp are optimistic as well...the A's held a tryout for 17 year old Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo. The Cardinals signed Mateo to a $3.1m contract a year ago, but that deal was voided when they found out he has a degenerative eye condition...Tyson Ross is the longest of shots to make the team, but don't tell Tyson Ross - he struck out seven in three innings on Thursday...Athletics Nation takes a look at whether Adam Rosales could win a starting job.

Rangers: Tommy Hunter strained his left oblique Thursday and now looks doubtful for Opening Day, as oblique injuries take a little while to heal and have a nasty tendency to linger. Good news for the other rotation competitors...Matt Harrison struck out seven of the first eight Brewers he faced Thursday, impressing everyone as he makes his rotation case...Josh Hamilton homered again, a good sign for the talented outfielder coming off a down season.

Astros: Bud Norris was scheduled to start against the Blue Jays Thursday, but will skip a turn in the rotation instead after coming down with the stomach flu. Norris told Alden Gonzalez that the only thing he had to eat on Thursday was an apple, and it took him an hour to finish it. He’s confident he’ll be able to bounce back in time for his next start.

Pirates: Big league camp is over for two more of the team’s top prospects, as they optioned third baseman Pedro Alvarez and outfielder Jose Tabata to the minors yesterday. GM Neal Huntington said the Pirates would have liked to keep the pair in camp a little longer, but cited a somewhat obscure roster deadline involving options and players with no major league service time as the reason for the early demotion.

Cubs: Angel Guzman will have surgery on his right shoulder on Tuesday to repair a torn ligament. Guzman consulted with Dr. James Andrews before deciding to have surgery after a March 5 MRI showed the tear. He was shut down in September with shoulder soreness, and was unable to throw off a mound this spring.

Cardinals: Mitchell Boggs remains a candidate for a prominent role in the Cardinals bullpen, but is having a tough time getting his mechanics straight after last season’s switch from the rotation to the bullpen. Boggs pitched in his fourth Cactus League game on Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while also striking out two. Overall, he’s allowed seven earned runs on 12 hits and two walks in six innings this spring.

Reds: Pitcher Ben Jukich, selected by the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft, has been returned to Reds camp after making just one Grapefruit League appearance for the Cardinals. Jukich pitched for Louisville in AAA last season. Dusty Baker told John Fay he’s close to the major leagues, but not quite ready yet.

Brewers: Top prospect Mat Gamel, a third baseman with an outside shot to make the team, will open the season on the DL instead after a an MRI revealed a slight tear in the latissimus dorsi muscle behind his right shoulder. Gamel will be held out of action for at least six weeks.