April 6 -- HELP ON THE WAY?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Good morning, from the Sunshine State.

And, finally, there appears to be some sunshine in the Phillies' universe, too. RHP Freddy Garcia, the big offseason acquisition whose presence in the starting rotation has sparked so much of the preseason optimism around the Phillies, threw 3-2/3 scoreless innings last night in the season-opener for Class A Clearwater. Garcia, sidelined since March 21 with right biceps tendinitis, allowed three hits, walked one and struck out seven of the 14 batters he faced.

But, like with any injury rehab start, results don't matter. The true test will come later today. If Garcia has no residual pain or discomfort in his right arm, he'll make another rehab start for Clearwater, probably Tuesday night. And, if that goes well, he could be back in the Phillies' rotation as early as April 15, a Sunday game at Citizens Bank Park against the Astros.

Also, C/INF Chris Coste played in the game for Clearwater, going 1-for-2 with an RBI single in the first inning. Coste (strained right hamstring) batted cleanup and caught Garcia for four innings before leaving the game.