Pressers

Here are some press notes from the team beat writers this morning:

Paul LoDuca on the mend

According to the Nationals official site, “Paul Lo Duca’s left knee continues to get better, and he hopes to start taking batting practice by Thursday or Friday and having bullpen sessions by Monday. On Tuesday, he was able to walk through the stadium without any problems. “I don’t foresee it not happening. So far, no setbacks,” Lo Duca said about batting practice and the bullpen sessions.”

Shawn Hill has the right stuff, but injury concerns linger

According to the Nationals official site, “Nationals right-hander Shawn Hill threw his second batting practice on Tuesday, and he was dominating despite experiencing right forearm soreness, the same injury that bothered him last spring. Hill had a blazing fastball and broke several bats during the session. Outfielder Alex Escobar was the only hitter who was able to manage a base hit. As usual, Hill was hard on himself after throwing batting practice. He told pitching coach Randy St. Claire that he had a tough time throwing his breaking balls for strikes. … Hill will take two days off and then have a bullpen session. He will then have another day off before having a bullpen session and starting against the Cardinals on March 5. The Nationals have said in the past that they are going to take it slow with Hill, who had left shoulder and right elbow surgery this past offseason.”

Jeremy Hermida likely candidate to hit in 3 hole for the Marlins

According to the Marlins official site, “Jeremy Hermida understands the Marlins’ need to find strength in numbers. The front-runner to bat third in the order, the 24-year-old right fielder says the best way to replace Miguel Cabrera’s statistics is for everyone else to chip in a bit more. In the second half of last season, Hermida frequently batted third in the order, ahead of Cabrera. He ended up batting .340 with a .555 slugging percentage after the All-Star break. For the season, Hermida batted .296 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs. With Cabrera now gone, traded to the Tigers, the Marlins will need a collective effort to replace the slugger’s 30-homer, 110-plus-RBI production. … Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez is tinkering with different lineups. On Tuesday in the Marlins’ exhibition against the University of Miami, Hanley Ramirez batted first, with Dan Uggla hitting second, Hermida third and Josh Willingham in the cleanup spot. Ramirez, now Florida’s top threat, could find himself either leading off or batting in the middle of the order.”

In case you missed it Ryan Braun will open the season as an OFer

According to the Brewers official site, “Manager Ned Yost’s eyes are fixed on Ryan Braun, penciled in as the Brewers’ left fielder this season. For Braun, left field will be new turf after he spent 2007 as the team’s third baseman. So Braun has a lot of adjustments ahead of him, which include the throws that he’ll have to make as an outfielder. On Monday, Yost ran his outfielders through throwing drills for the first time, and Braun showed he might be on his way to mastering that side of things, which is no simple task. An outfielder doesn’t have to make the strong, quick throws that are typical of what a third baseman faces time and again, Yost said. “Brauny looked great — nice, one hop throws everywhere,” Yost said before the intrasquad game Tuesday. “He’s doing fine.”

Frandsen expected to open the season at Shortstop

According to the Giants official site, “Manager Bruce Bochy said that Kevin Frandsen will become the Giants’ primary shortstop in Vizquel’s absence. This interrupts the active competition between Frandsen and Ray Durham for the starting second-base job, although both will continue to be evaluated to determine who remains in the lineup when Vizquel returns. Rich Aurilia, projected to be the top utility infielder, will concentrate on playing third base. … Frandsen also played shortstop in the Minors and in the 2006 Arizona Fall League.

Jason Schmidt “thrilled” about his last bullpen session

According to the Dodgers official site, “Jason Schmidt had his fourth bullpen session of Spring Training on Tuesday, and he wasn’t thrilled with it. Schmidt, recovering from major right shoulder surgery, reported no pain, but said he took longer to loosen up and didn’t feel adequately loose until near the end of his 53-pitch session. … Schmidt was not satisfied with the life or command of his fastball or his slider but said he’s always had difficulty working on a slider without a batter at the plate. His curveball, however, had sharp break. … There has never been a definitive timetable for Schmidt’s return, and whether he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season remains unknown. He is likely to need another bullpen session before he throws live batting practice, then a simulated game, Minor League game and Major League game.”

Milton Bradley a few weeks away (at minimum)

According to the Rangers official site, “Milton Bradley, the Rangers regular right fielder, is still recovering from knee surgery and is still a few weeks away from playing in an exhibition game.”

Josh Hamilton we have lift off

According to the Rangers official site, “Josh Hamilton finished batting practice with a monster home run and Melhuse said, “The radar spotted that over Luke Air Force Base. They had to shoot it down.”

Brandon McCarthy has elbow flare-up

According to the Rangers official site, “The Rangers begin their Cactus League schedule on Wednesday. They will do so with two members of their starting rotation sidelined. Brandon McCarthy has been scratched from Wednesday’s start against the Kansas City Royals with soreness in his right elbow. He will be replaced by A.J. Murray with Luis Mendoza also scheduled to pitch. McCarthy said the elbow has been aggravating him for a week, but really seemed to bother him in a bullpen session on Monday. … McCarthy still wasn’t happy about the elbow flaring up, especially considering all the work he put into his offseason conditioning program. … “McCarthy’s not serious,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “It’s precautionary. He’s still going to get a good amount of starts.”

The Joe Crede / Josh Field battle begins

According to the White Sox official site, “The true test for Joe Crede’s surgically repaired back probably will come Wednesday, when the veteran third baseman gauges how he feels after playing in Tuesday’s second intrasquad game. But Crede already showed on the field how his defense hasn’t suffered during an absence from live action dating back to June 4 of last season. With two outs in the fourth inning, Donny Lucy hit a slow roller to Crede, who bare-handed the grounder and fired a strike to first baseman Brad Eldred to end the inning. Playing with defensive excellence at third appears to be like riding a bike for Crede. … Crede finished 0-for-2 at the plate, but it was his pain-free movements that drew greater notice from the White Sox. The position battle between Crede and Josh Fields moves into high gear on Wednesday, with Fields getting the call at third base against the Rockies. Guillen explained how he wants to alternate the two, using Minor League games to get them extra at-bats. He also had no timetable set as to when a decision had to be made at third. For Crede, continued questions focusing on his potential departure via trade if he’s healthy seem to be wearing a bit thin.”