Eddie taking it easy
Spring training is the time to get into a rhythm and smooth out rough edges.
Then there’s Eddie Guardado’s springtime.
The Seattle Mariners closer’s next scheduled outing for the Mariners will be just his third inning this month – even though today marks two weeks until opening day. Guardado is next scheduled to pitch today against Oakland at Phoenix. Or maybe it will be Tuesday against Arizona in Peoria. Whenever.
Guardado reports he is easing into serious preparation for the championship season ahead. Manager Mike Hargrove has been careful not to risk overworking a key part of Seattle’s turnaround hopes.
He pitched one inning on Saturday in a Triple-A intrasquad game, and threw at a comfortable pace. He was limited to one inning, but not a specific number of pitches. He’s pitched two innings at the major league level this month: one inning each against San Diego on March 3 and Kansas City on Wednesday.
“I pitch where they tell me,” he said. “Actually, working in a minor league game is very good, because these guys are out to show what they can do. It’s also a good place to work on things because spring training is not about putting zeros on the scoreboard.”
Now, Guardado, 38, thinks he may be on target to challenge the Seattle single-season record of 45 saves. Restored health and energized expectations for 2006 fuel his optimism.
“I came here because of the success Seattle had,” he said, referring to the team that won an American League-record 116 games in 2001.
“We have not done as that well in recent years, but I feel a certain excitement this time. For a team to reach a certain level, there has to be unity and chemistry. That’s a big word, chemistry, in any clubhouse and everyone has to be on the same page. If one wheel falls off, the car will not go.”
Yankees’ Leiter retires
Al Leiter attended the New York Yankees’ spring reunion, then decided he’s not coming back anymore.
The 19-year veteran retired Sunday after pitching to one batter in New York’s 2-0 win over the Indians. He and several Yankees had just returned from the World Baseball Classic, and New York was all together for the first time since the exhibition opener.
Leiter, a 40-year-old left-hander with two World Series rings, had hinted about calling it a career for some time.
“It feels good to be able to go out on your own terms,” Leiter said. “I love the game very much, but when you were a certain type of player for a few years, being a front-end starter, that’s the way I still think I can pitch. But the body tells you no.”
Pesky breaks leg
Johnny Pesky broke a bone in his lower leg when he was hit by a line drive at a college game, and the 86-year-old Red Sox icon was headed back to Boston.
The lovable Pesky, who serves as a Red Sox instructor during spring training, sustained a non-displaced fracture of the left fibula near his ankle on Saturday while watching a game between Suffolk University of Boston and Denison of Ohio on a back field at Red Sox camp.
He was wearing a removable boot Sunday and said his injury is expected to take four to six weeks to heal. But he’s hoping for a quicker return, by April 11 — when Boston plays its home opener against Toronto.
“I want to be ready for opening day,” he said. “I don’t want to run out there like a little pigeon.”
Clearing the bases
Juan Gonzalez, 36, limited to one at-bat last season, agreed to a minor-league contract with the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. … A.J. Burnett’s elbow problems aren’t as serious as the Blue Jays initially feared, and the pitcher could be back on the mound in about a week. Burnett left a game Saturday in the second inning but an MRI showed it was just scar tissue breaking away in his right elbow. Burnett had Tommy John surgery three years ago. … Royals closer Mike MacDougal has a strain in his upper right arm and is expected to be sidelined for about a month.