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By JOHN C. COTEY, Times wires and STEVE LEE
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 24, 2001
Daal enjoys "best spring"
CLEARWATER -- Phillies opening-day starter Omar Daal pitched seven solid innings Friday night against Pittsburgh.
Daal followed a rocky first inning, one in which he gave up three earned runs, with 52/3 scoreless innings. Daal had four 1-2-3 innings and allowed just two hits after the first.
He struck out four of the last seven.
"I think this has been my best spring so far," Daal said. "I've had just three walks in 19 innings. I'm finding the inside corner, and now my mechanics are where I need them."
It was Daal's third straight good outing. Two weeks ago, he held the Rays to four hits and a run in four innings before the game was canceled. Sunday, he allowed five hits and two runs in six innings against Syracuse at the Blue Jays complex.
Daal had a 1.13 ERA entering Friday's game, which was his first win.
Daal, 16-9 with a 3.65 ERA in helping Arizona to the playoffs in 1999, had a dreadful 2000 season. After a 2-10 start, he was traded to Philadelphia in the Curt Schilling deal and went 2-9 with the Phillies, though his ERA was more than two runs better.
HOT STICKS: No. 3 hitter Bobby Abreu has hit in seven of his past eight games after doubling. Cleanup hitter Scott Rolen singled in a run and has hit in eight of nine. No. 5 hitter Pat Burrell doubled in two runs and singled. He is 17-for-40 (.425) in his past 10 games, raising his average to .387.
The biggest surprise continues to be Travis Lee, whom Arizona gave up on last year. He had two run-scoring hits in a 6-5 win.
LATE ARRIVALS: Seung Lee and Il Kim, Korean pitchers signed March 6, are expected to arrive Friday and remain in Clearwater for extended spring training. -- JOHN C. COTEY
PORT CHARLOTTE -- Yankees pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez (right elbow) played long toss, but his return date has not been determined.
Hernandez has not made a game appearance since March 9. He has pitched just four innings this spring.
"I think he's trying to be safe," manager Joe Torre said. "He has no pain, he's assured me of that."
Torre said Hernandez might throw in the bullpen this weekend. If that is successful, he might pitch Tuesday or Wednesday:
"You'd like to see him a couple times before we start. I think he needs a couple shots down here."
HELP OUT THE NEW GUY: Chuck Knoblauch jogged 53 steps from the visitor's dugout on the third-base side of Charlotte County Stadium to leftfield.
And then he waited.
Only in the fifth inning did he finally get to make a play, backing up to the warning track to catch Alex Rodriguez's high sacrifice fly.
"I ended up throwing to the wrong base. I'll learn from that," Knoblauch said.
Rodriguez hit his fly with runners on first and third. Knoblauch should have thrown to second base, Instead, he saw shortstop Luis Sojo far to the left side of the infield and threw to third.
"We didn't help him out any because Sojo was lined up to the plate," Torre said. "That's inexperience."
Playing his new position against major-leaguers for the first time, that was his only play in a 6-5 loss to the Rangers.
He fidgeted, hopping up on his feet. He tossed the ball to minor-league catcher Michel Hernandez, in the Yankees' bullpen down the leftfield line, between innings -- and the throws were on target.
Knoblauch spoke with centerfielder Michael Coleman a few times to go over positioning.
ETC.: Christian Parker, the front-runner for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, pitches today against the Phillies. ... Shortstop Derek Jeter (quadriceps) resumed running. Torre said he could play in several minor-league games as the designated hitter. -- TIMES WIRES
DUNEDIN -- Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay, bidding for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, had his longest stint of the spring Friday.
Unfortunately for the 6-foot-6 right-hander, it was not his most impressive.
Halladay, 23, allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in five innings and fell to 0-2 in the Blue Jays' 8-4 loss to Minnesota.
Manager Buck Martinez said Halladay would get more work on the mound before Toronto's April 1 opener.
"Nobody's giving up on Doc at all," Martinez said. "We see some talent there. We just need to see him bring it to the surface and show some command."
"Arm-wise, I feel good," Halladay said. "My changeup and my curveball need some work."
Halladay struggled in three of his five innings. In his final inning, he gave up a two-run home run to Denny Hocking.
SWEET SWING: Carlos Delgado increased his team-leading totals in home runs (six) and RBI (12). Friday's homer was his second in two days. Not coincidentally, both homers came after batting coach Cito Gaston's hitting session. "Cito has a knack for getting him going," Martinez said.
BUSH HOBBLED: Second baseman Homer Bush bruised his right shin when he collided with Twins catcher Tom Prince in fifth. Bush, trying to score from third on a fly to rightfield, was thrown out at the plate by Jay Canizaro. Martinez said Bush would not play for a few days as a precaution.
ROSTER REDUCED: Infielder Mickey Morandini, 34, was released and three players were sent to the minors, leaving 37 on the roster. Morandini, a 10-year veteran, had a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder and was batting .083 (1-for-12).
-- STEVE LEE