azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Jack Magruder, Tribune
Brandon Lyon, who did not pitch in the majors at all last season because of an elbow injury, will pitch the ninth inning this season, earning the Diamondbacks’ closer’s job with a dominant spring training.
"Brandon is just a little ahead right now . . . and I think he has the mentality for it,’’ D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said in selecting Lyon over Greg Aquino, who entered camp with the job but missed time with an injury.
Lyon, 25, gave up four hits and no walks in 11 spring appearances over 13 innings, finishing with two saves and a 0.69 ERA. He gave up hits in only two of his outings.
"I wouldn’t say there is a mentality, maybe just a short memory, because if you do have a bad game you need to be prepared the next day,’’ said Lyon, who had nine saves as part of Boston’s closer-by-committee system early in 2003.
"You do feel like the team is counting on you to go out and shut the door, which I feel like on any given night, with my stuff, I can do that. And I feel like there are other guys in the bullpen that can do that, too. It is still pitching, whether you are pitching the ninth (inning) or the first or the sixth.’’
Aquino had 16 saves in the final two months last season but missed 16 days this spring with a strained flexor mass (elbow) suffered March 3. He had back-toback scoreless appearances against the Red Sox late last week, but Melvin said he had been leaning toward Lyon the last week or so.
"We got set back early with Aquino, and I still foresee him being a closer for us,’’ Melvin said. "He was a little disappointed.’’
BIG NUMBERS
Troy Glaus led the majors with 33 RBIs this spring while hitting .424 with seven home runs, leading Melvin to say: "You kind of want to cryogenically freeze him. (Saturday) he hit a ball that traveled 410 feet, and I think he hit it off the end of the bat.’’
As far as his spring, Glaus said: "Obviously, you want to be successful every time you go out there and play, period. Nobody likes making outs whenever it is.
"But in the eight spring trainings I’ve been to, there is really no correlation. When the games start counting, everything changes a little bit. You are getting that fourth, fifth at-bat in a game, and it’s important to stay locked in for all of those.’’
Glaus said spending time in Arizona rehabilitating his right shoulder last summer gave him plenty of opportunity to watch Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano, who will oppose the D-Backs today.
"I’ve seen him pitch on TV 10, 12, 15 times. He has great stuff; that’s a given,’’ Glaus said.
CRUZING ALONG
New center fielder Jose Cruz Jr. practiced reading balls off the center-field fence at Bank One Ballpark at a workout Sunday morning, taking fungoes from coach Brett Butler. Cruz played in BOB while with San Francisco in 2003, although he played right field (where he won a Gold Glove).
Balls can take unusual angles after hitting the fence at BOB because of the twin posts that jut out on either side of the 407-foot sign in dead center and run all the way up the 20-foot high fence.
"You have to get used to the bounces off it,’’ Cruz said. "I’m just trying to find the right depth.’’
SHORT HOPS
Catcher Chris Snyder caught Brandon Webb in the bullpen Sunday, after which he was declared ready for the start of the regular season. Snyder is one of eight DBacks who made their first major league opening-day roster. The others: Aquino, Brian Bruney, Michael Gosling, Brad Halsey, Koyie Hill, Luis Terrero and Chad Tracy. "It’s an honor,’’ Snyder said. . . .
The roof is expected to be closed today. . . .
The D-Backs believe Oscar Villarreal can help them this season but optioned him to Triple-A Tucson so he can work out issues in his delivery after he allowed 29 base runners in 12 2 /3 innings this spring. "It’s clear he’s not where he needs to be. You don’t use major league games to work on mechanics,’’ general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=39023
Brandon Lyon, who did not pitch in the majors at all last season because of an elbow injury, will pitch the ninth inning this season, earning the Diamondbacks’ closer’s job with a dominant spring training.
"Brandon is just a little ahead right now . . . and I think he has the mentality for it,’’ D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said in selecting Lyon over Greg Aquino, who entered camp with the job but missed time with an injury.
Lyon, 25, gave up four hits and no walks in 11 spring appearances over 13 innings, finishing with two saves and a 0.69 ERA. He gave up hits in only two of his outings.
"I wouldn’t say there is a mentality, maybe just a short memory, because if you do have a bad game you need to be prepared the next day,’’ said Lyon, who had nine saves as part of Boston’s closer-by-committee system early in 2003.
"You do feel like the team is counting on you to go out and shut the door, which I feel like on any given night, with my stuff, I can do that. And I feel like there are other guys in the bullpen that can do that, too. It is still pitching, whether you are pitching the ninth (inning) or the first or the sixth.’’
Aquino had 16 saves in the final two months last season but missed 16 days this spring with a strained flexor mass (elbow) suffered March 3. He had back-toback scoreless appearances against the Red Sox late last week, but Melvin said he had been leaning toward Lyon the last week or so.
"We got set back early with Aquino, and I still foresee him being a closer for us,’’ Melvin said. "He was a little disappointed.’’
BIG NUMBERS
Troy Glaus led the majors with 33 RBIs this spring while hitting .424 with seven home runs, leading Melvin to say: "You kind of want to cryogenically freeze him. (Saturday) he hit a ball that traveled 410 feet, and I think he hit it off the end of the bat.’’
As far as his spring, Glaus said: "Obviously, you want to be successful every time you go out there and play, period. Nobody likes making outs whenever it is.
"But in the eight spring trainings I’ve been to, there is really no correlation. When the games start counting, everything changes a little bit. You are getting that fourth, fifth at-bat in a game, and it’s important to stay locked in for all of those.’’
Glaus said spending time in Arizona rehabilitating his right shoulder last summer gave him plenty of opportunity to watch Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano, who will oppose the D-Backs today.
"I’ve seen him pitch on TV 10, 12, 15 times. He has great stuff; that’s a given,’’ Glaus said.
CRUZING ALONG
New center fielder Jose Cruz Jr. practiced reading balls off the center-field fence at Bank One Ballpark at a workout Sunday morning, taking fungoes from coach Brett Butler. Cruz played in BOB while with San Francisco in 2003, although he played right field (where he won a Gold Glove).
Balls can take unusual angles after hitting the fence at BOB because of the twin posts that jut out on either side of the 407-foot sign in dead center and run all the way up the 20-foot high fence.
"You have to get used to the bounces off it,’’ Cruz said. "I’m just trying to find the right depth.’’
SHORT HOPS
Catcher Chris Snyder caught Brandon Webb in the bullpen Sunday, after which he was declared ready for the start of the regular season. Snyder is one of eight DBacks who made their first major league opening-day roster. The others: Aquino, Brian Bruney, Michael Gosling, Brad Halsey, Koyie Hill, Luis Terrero and Chad Tracy. "It’s an honor,’’ Snyder said. . . .
The roof is expected to be closed today. . . .
The D-Backs believe Oscar Villarreal can help them this season but optioned him to Triple-A Tucson so he can work out issues in his delivery after he allowed 29 base runners in 12 2 /3 innings this spring. "It’s clear he’s not where he needs to be. You don’t use major league games to work on mechanics,’’ general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=39023
