Notes: Valverde gets even nastier
02/27/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Closer Jose Valverde has added a sinking fastball to his pitching repertoire this spring, and used it while throwing batting practice on Monday.
"It was nasty," said infielder Alex Cintron after facing Valverde.
"I changed the grip on my sinker," he said. "It moves more down now than it did last year."
Valverde's cut fastball moves in on lefties, and if he's able to throw both the cutter and sinker from the same release point, hitters will have a tough time knowing which way his pitches are going to move.
"It just gives him another weapon," said first baseman Tony Clark, who also faced Valverde on Monday. "If they look the same coming out of his hand, hitters are going to be in trouble."
Ouch: Reliever Brandon Medders suffered a setback on Monday when he again experienced discomfort below his scapula while playing catch.
The problem has bothered the right-hander since the start of camp, and he will go to Phoenix on Tuesday to be examined by team physician Michael Lee.
"I just can't throw comfortably," he said. "It's grabbing me pretty good right now. I don't think it's anything but muscle. There's really nothing in that area but muscle. It's not my shoulder or my elbow, or something like that.
"I have to really get back there and cock my arm back and get ready to throw, for it even to grab like that. I can do anything else. I can go do a full upper body lift, stretch, whatever. But as soon as I reach back to throw, it grabs."
Numbers game: The D-Backs have three backup infielders in Alex Cintron, Damion Easley and Andy Green, with only two of them likely able to stay.
"We probably have one too many right now," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "Alex is the incumbent, and he's the guy we look to first. Easley's a veteran guy that's come in here, and we expect him to be here, so Greeny's fighting hard."
There has been trade speculation involving Cintron, but so far, he's still with the club. Green, who was the Pacific Coast League's Most Valuable Player last year, is still a strong candidate to make the club.
"I've talked to him about it, and tried to keep him from thinking too much about the situation, and just going out there and doing his job and trying to impress," Melvin said. "Things will work out for him, I think, one way or the other. Sometimes you get too focused on the numbers, on 'Where do I fit in,' and that can set you back a little bit. So he's just got to go out there every day and do the best he can, and let the chips fall."
This and that: Lefty Terry Mulholland threw batting practice on Monday, and reported no problems with his back. Mulholland suffered back spasms last week, which kept him off the mound for a bit. ... It's looking more and more like the team will not reach an agreement on a multiyear deal with third baseman Chad Tracy, and instead will sign him to a one-year deal and put off talk about a multiyear deal until the offseason. Tracy is not eligible for salary arbitration until after this season.
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Closer Jose Valverde has added a sinking fastball to his pitching repertoire this spring, and used it while throwing batting practice on Monday.
"It was nasty," said infielder Alex Cintron after facing Valverde.
"I changed the grip on my sinker," he said. "It moves more down now than it did last year."
Valverde's cut fastball moves in on lefties, and if he's able to throw both the cutter and sinker from the same release point, hitters will have a tough time knowing which way his pitches are going to move.
"It just gives him another weapon," said first baseman Tony Clark, who also faced Valverde on Monday. "If they look the same coming out of his hand, hitters are going to be in trouble."
Ouch: Reliever Brandon Medders suffered a setback on Monday when he again experienced discomfort below his scapula while playing catch.
The problem has bothered the right-hander since the start of camp, and he will go to Phoenix on Tuesday to be examined by team physician Michael Lee.
"I just can't throw comfortably," he said. "It's grabbing me pretty good right now. I don't think it's anything but muscle. There's really nothing in that area but muscle. It's not my shoulder or my elbow, or something like that.
"I have to really get back there and cock my arm back and get ready to throw, for it even to grab like that. I can do anything else. I can go do a full upper body lift, stretch, whatever. But as soon as I reach back to throw, it grabs."
Numbers game: The D-Backs have three backup infielders in Alex Cintron, Damion Easley and Andy Green, with only two of them likely able to stay.
"We probably have one too many right now," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "Alex is the incumbent, and he's the guy we look to first. Easley's a veteran guy that's come in here, and we expect him to be here, so Greeny's fighting hard."
There has been trade speculation involving Cintron, but so far, he's still with the club. Green, who was the Pacific Coast League's Most Valuable Player last year, is still a strong candidate to make the club.
"I've talked to him about it, and tried to keep him from thinking too much about the situation, and just going out there and doing his job and trying to impress," Melvin said. "Things will work out for him, I think, one way or the other. Sometimes you get too focused on the numbers, on 'Where do I fit in,' and that can set you back a little bit. So he's just got to go out there every day and do the best he can, and let the chips fall."
This and that: Lefty Terry Mulholland threw batting practice on Monday, and reported no problems with his back. Mulholland suffered back spasms last week, which kept him off the mound for a bit. ... It's looking more and more like the team will not reach an agreement on a multiyear deal with third baseman Chad Tracy, and instead will sign him to a one-year deal and put off talk about a multiyear deal until the offseason. Tracy is not eligible for salary arbitration until after this season.
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
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