BY SCOTT LAUBER
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Six up, six down.
That was Carlos Carrasco's day.
Carrasco, the Phillies' top pitching prospect, is trying to win the fifth-starter job. So far, so good. He struck out Marco Scutaro and Joe Inglett to open the first inning and fanned Jason Lane to end the second. In between, he got two groundouts and a fly ball. Unofficially, he threw 22 pitches, but we'll get an exact count from pitching coach Rich Dubee. Last week, Dubee said Carrasco is off to a fast start, mainly because he played winter ball in Venezuela. It shows.
Now, it's J.A. Happ's turn.
Happ cruised through the third inning, setting down the bottom third of the Jays' lineup. And after getting Scutaro to ground out and Inglett to foul to third, he allowed a single to Jose Bautista before Michael Barrett flew to center.
So, call the first round of Carrasco-Happ a draw: Two scoreless innings for both.
***
Big outfielder John Mayberry Jr. continues to impress. During batting practice, he crushed a ball off the thatched roof of the Frenchy's Tiki bar beyond the left-field fence. Even his teammates were impressed. Then, in the second inning, he sprinted back toward the warning track and made a nice catch to take a hit from Travis Snider. Mayberry can run a bit, too, although he was thrown out at home plate trying to score on a throwing error in the second inning. He's 6-foot-6, and his long running stride reminds me of Dave Winfield.
***
Jayson Werth didn't play yesterday. He isn't in the lineup today. And he won't make the trip to Sarasota tomorrow.
What gives?
"He's dying," Charlie Manuel said.
Seriously, though, both Manuel and Werth say there's nothing wrong. Werth, in fact, is wondering why he isn't playing. But he isn't asking questions either. Spring training is longer than ever because of the World Baseball Classic, so he'll get his at-bats.
"There's nothing going on, no reason I can't play," Werth said. "A lot of guys play winter ball, and I'm in Springfield [,Ill.], and it's negative-20 out. This is the earliest spring training has started, to my knowledge. I'm not worried."
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2 comments:
Nobody likes a tie. Who would you say looked more comfortable or in command on the mound today, Happ or Carrasco? On paper, Carrasco's 3 K's and 2 forced groundouts are more encouraging than Happ's 3 fly ball outs, but what did you notice about the two in person?
mjriley26: Carlos Ruiz said that Carrasco's changeup was awesome today, even comparing it to Cole Hamels'. Ruiz was also impressed with Happ's curveball. Both were in complete control, looking very confident, much more so than last spring. Something to keep in mind, though: At this stage of the spring, hitters are way behind pitchers. Also, the Blue Jays didn't have many of their regulars in the lineup. So, while Carrasco and Happ got off to good starts, it wasn't a particularly rigorous test today.
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