There was a bit of news on some Orioles arms this morning, as Rich Dubroff of PressBoxOnline.com was among those to report (Twitter link). Veteran righty Chris Tillman was able to make it through a flat-ground throwing session without incident, which bodes well as he attempts to get on track to join the rotation early in the upcoming campaign. There’s still a longer way to go for young right-hander Hunter Harvey, who is working back from Tommy John surgery. The organization expects him to be ready for game action by July, per manager Buck Showalter, which would represent a return within a year of his procedure.
- Rays infielder Matt Duffy is expected to be ready to return to the field by mid-March, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. His surgically repaired heel appears to be on the mend, but it’s still not quite clear whether he’ll be ready to go for Opening Day.
- While Red Sox camp has largely been a quiet affair, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing at stake, as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. In particular, the battle over the final two rotation jobs still appears unresolved. Cafardo takes an interesting look at the situation, with Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright discussing their approach this spring. Young lefty Eduardo Rodriguez is the third competitor for a rotation spot.
- Meanwhile, Red Sox southpaw David Price is fully assured a spot on the staff. But he will need to make a slight adaptation to his pitching approach. As ESPN.com’s Buster Olney explains, the league has asked Price (and others with a similar delivery) to make clear to umps whether they are working from the stretch or the windup when there’s a runner on third.
I hope Pomeranz doesn’t make the cut. I hate watching him pitch, mainly because he has such a stiff looking delivery and doesn’t look like he uses his legs at all. A guy his size, being a lefty, and also having the curveball he has should just be blowing guys away.
I’m still mad that SF traded away Duffy, I hope he has a monster year!!!
Must be the sale high issue with Duffy, they obviously think he won’t be this good consistently
no it was a out getting a starting pitcher in return and having his replacement in arroyo near MLB ready
no it was about getting a starting pitcher in return and having his replacement in arroyo near MLB ready