By Times Staff and Wire Reports
Published March 27, 2004
FORT MYERS - Roy Halladay's cakewalk through spring training came to an abrupt end.
In the first inning against the Twins opening-day lineup, Halladay gave up five runs on five hits.
Halladay gave up an additional unearned run, and in five innings - 89 pitches - he gave up nine hits and walked his first two batters of the spring.
"I think my pitch location could have been a little better but I think they're a good offensive team and to me it was a lot like that game I pitched in Oakland (a 7-3 loss) where I felt like I made good pitches and they'd beat balls off the hands in the holes and the bad pitches were doubles in the gap," Halladay said. "I think my location could have been better, especially with my fastball. I don't think I was getting it in as far as I wanted to."
He has one more start in Florida before opening day.
"I feel pretty good about things," he said. "I'd like to maybe throw a few more changeups (in his final tuneup) than I did today. I feel good and I'm happy with where I'm at."
CUTS COMING: Manager Carlos Tosca said the Jays will trim their roster of 34 "pretty close to the final roster" this weekend.
"We'll have our team by next week," he said. "There won't be a big need for extra people as the guys will go seven to nine innings each game."
- MIKE RUTSEY
Millwood pitches well
SARASOTA - Kevin Millwood gave a reassuring performance for the Phillies, but the Reds' Wily Mo Pena's eighth-inning grand slam drained any positive feeling.
Pena's opposite-field homer highlighted a five-run eighth off Rheal Cormier, who walked a batter and hit two in the Phillies' 6-1 loss.
Millwood made his first solid start in an otherwise tough spring, giving up one run, six hits and two walks in six innings. Adam Dunn homered off him in the fourth.
Millwood missed one start this spring because of a bruised left shoulder, suffered during fielding drills. In his three appearances, he gave up 13 runs, 15 hits and five homers in 71/3 innings.
The right-hander used all four of his pitches Friday, approaching it like a game that mattered.
"In this one and the next, I want to go out and actually pitch, and pitch like I'm trying to win the game instead of working on some things," Millwood said. "I threw six or seven changeups and a good many curves and sliders."
First baseman Jim Thome went 1-for-3 with two RBIs as the DH in a minor-league game. "It was great," Thome said. "Everything was good. No setbacks at all. Now I need to get the at-bats." Thome, who broke the tip of his finger on March 5, said he would make the trip to Fort Myers today for a game against the Red Sox.
