A reliever was warming early in Lance Lynn’s spring debut. Did it get any better?
When it comes to barbecue restaurants, the Phoenix metro area isn’t Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin or Lockhart.
But Sam Onoda, who covers Shohei Ohtani for NHK in Japan, has a nose for ‘cue and has nailed down a couple joints that would pass muster back home.
The one that has become a regular stop each time we’re in Phoenix is Little Miss BBQ. It has two locations, the original in Tempe that closes at 4 p.m. and the Sunnyslope location that isn’t exactly on the way back to Surprise, but is close enough.
Someone else can talk about bark and smoke rings.
The bottom line is this is good eating.
Here’s the Surprise Five from Texas Rangers camp on Friday.
1. Only in spring training, or if something has gone horribly wrong during the regular season, will fans see a Rangers reliever warming in the first inning of a game started by Lance Lynn.
Locke St. John, though, started heating up Friday at manager Chris Woodward’s behest as Lynn’s pitch count climbed during a two-run first inning against the Los Angeles Angels.
“I just think Woody was trying to get me going,” Lynn said.
Lynn got out of the inning and worked 1 2/3 more, much more efficiently in his Cactus League debut and the first outing this spring by a member of the projected starting rotation.
His verdict?
“I’m not going to lie: My fastball command wasn’t where I like it,” said Lynn, who threw 51 pitches. “But I threw some breaking balls. I thought I had a strikeout in the first. It was probably a strike, but it’s spring training for everybody.”
The rest of the rotation will follow in A games soon, beginning Sunday when Corey Kluber faces the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fellow right-handers Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles will follow Monday and Tuesday.
The lone left-hander is Mike Minor, who has been slowed some by a tight left hamstring. However, the 2019 All-Star is scheduled to work a simulated game Saturday and could fall behind Lynn in the rotation.
Jonathan Hernandez, a strong candidate to make the Opening Day roster in the bullpen, is the probable starter Saturday.
Pitching coach Julio Rangel said that all five starters, Minor included, have been impressive in the back-field work. None of them have voiced any complaints about how he is pitching.
Lynn said the movement on his pitches was where he likes it. He will add 15 pitches in his next outing and max out between 75-90 before the season opens March 26. He is one of three candidates to start Opening Day at Seattle.
He’s not ready to go, but he was pleased with his Cactus League debut.
“It was fun to get out there,” Lynn said. “Once I got through the first inning I got in a little rhythm after that. It was good.”
2. Ronald Guzman and Greg Bird are “neck-and-neck” in the battle to be the Rangers’ first baseman after a week of games, Woodward said, but there should be no cause for alarm that there hasn’t been any separation.
The aim of the first week is for players to get their feet wet and stay healthy. As long as they are doing the things necessary to get them on track, Woodward doesn’t have a problem with a slow start.
Guzman and Bird have been doing the right things.
Both were in the lineup against the Angels, with Bird serving as the designated hitter.
Woodward said Bird has shown a solid approach and has impressed defensively, his error Thursday notwithstanding. Guzman is sticking with the adjustments the Rangers asked him to make while showing an understanding he must win a spot on the roster.
Out of courtesy to both players, Woodward wants to declare a winner about a week before camp ends so that they can get their mind right for the season in front of them. Bird also has an out in his minor-league deal that could factor into the decision, as could Guzman’s place on the 40-man roster.
One other factor? Bird’s health. He has dealt with an injury each of the past four seasons.
So far, neither player has wowed statistically. They are a combined 2 for 22, both hits by Guzman, with 10 strikeouts.
That’s fine for Week 1. Now, though, is when players need to start moving forward.
3. Catcher Jeff Mathis moved forward Friday with his first Cactus League game of the spring, and Robinson Chirinos could be the DH on Sunday.
Chirinos said that his right hamstring is still a tad tight, but he ran bases on Friday and has been catching bullpen sessions. He doesn’t anticipate any issues going forward, but the Rangers don’t expect him to catch in a game until late next week.
Jose Trevino continues to be slowed by a bruised right index finger that is preventing him from gripping a baseball or a bat. He has been walking around squeezing a soft ball to help strengthen his grip.
Trevino is expected to start the season at Triple A Nashville, but another catcher, Blake Swihart, could break with the Rangers. Swihart can play first and second base, and has been working with outfielders.
That kind of versatility makes him a candidate for a bench spot, and his ability to catch would give Woodward freedom to play Chirinos and Mathis in the same lineup, with Chirinos at DH, while knowing he had a quality emergency catcher in reserve.
Isiah-Kiner Falefa could also fill that role, Woodward said, even though he is no longer focused on catching.
4. Speaking of Swihart, he is back at full strength after leaving the game Wednesday because of an illness. That illness was a rapid heartbeat that is believed to be brought on by sleep apnea.
Swihart said that running from first to third in the second inning pushed his blood pressure up. Though he said he could continue playing, the Rangers told him it wasn’t worth the risk.
At least he didn’t have any symptoms for coronavirus, one of which Shin-Soo Choo exhibited Thursday. He had a fever, which was gone by the afternoon, but the Rangers sent him to their local doctor anyway.
He was the butt of some jokes from teammates, and he returned the favor by threatening to hug them and by telling them that if he had coronavirus, they were all going to go down with him.
The virus, though, is not a laughing matter for Choo, whose parents still live in South Korea. As of Friday morning, there were nearly 1,800 reported cases of the disease in South Korea, and he admitted to being worried about them.
Choo traveled to Korea early in the offseason before coronavirus is believed to have first infected a human in China.
5. Mike Trout didn’t play for the Angels, which was disappointing. It’s always fun to see baseball’s best player, even if it’s only for a couple at-bats in a spring game.
Of course, not all of the DFW media was able to actually see the field from their seats in the press box. One writer opted to not even sit in the press box, which was filled with the hard-working media counterparts from Japan.
The Angels left only three sits for visiting media, and their “auxiliary press box” is needed for statisticians.
This is the kind of neglect visiting media across baseball have come to expect from the Angels. Their PR staff is friendly enough and helps when possible, but operates with its hands tied. Ownership has booted writers from a press box behind home plate at Angel Stadium and into right field or a cramped old radio booth near the plate but with obstructed views.
So, it’s no coincidence that Tempe Diablo Stadium has the worst press box in the Cactus League. Do better, Angels.
This story was originally published March 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
