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BY SCOTT LAUBER
(Twitter: @ScottLauber)
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- So, the sun has returned here in Florida, but for 14 players in the Phillies' major-league camp, this morning brought the gloom of a return to life in the minors. Each of them, with one notable exception, expected this. But Scott Mathieson believed he had a chance to win a spot in the Phillies' bullpen, so for him, the news had to be jarring.
The others -- pitchers Phillippe Aumont, Yohan Flande, Drew Naylor, J.C. Ramirez, Jesus Sanchez, Joe Savery and Bill White; catchers Tuffy Gosewisch, Kevin Nelson and John Suomi; shortstop Freddy Galvis; outfielders Quintin Berry and Tyson Gillies -- have already reported to the Phillies' rebuilt minor-league clubhouse, which resembles an army barracks compared with the accomodations on the major-league side. Mathieson (photo: Getty) hasn't checked in yet. He's not slated to throw in a minor-league intrasquad game today, so it's possible he won't show up until tomorrow.
Mathieson, a 26-year-old right-hander, has been the embodiment of perserverance over the past few seasons, overcoming three elbow surgeries, including two ligament reconstruction ("Tommy John") procedures. He logged 32-1/3 innings in the minors last summer, then pitched in the Arizona Fall League and allowed one run in one inning of a Grapefruit League game earlier this week against the Yankees. The feeling within the organization, it seems, is that he still must continue to work on his secondary pitches (changeup, slider) before he's ready to return to the majors. Mathieson likely will start the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and it still wouldn't be a surprise to see him called up to the Phillies at some point.
"Scott has to pitch," Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "He has to refine some of his stuff. I think he's got over the hump, physically. I just think he has to get the point where he has to get reps and pitching time. He's a guy we didn't feel was going to be ready to go in April and be refined enough in his secondary stuff to be able to compete for a job at the big-league level. He's just a guy who needs to go out there and pitch."
Aumont, Gillies and Ramirez have gotten a lot of attention this spring because they were acquired from the Mariners for Cliff Lee. That said, they were all expected to start the season in the minors, likely Double-A Reading. Galvis, a slick-fielding shortstop prospect, is expected to join them there.
"I'm leaving on a good note," said Aumont, who has been working to lower his arm slot and readjust to starting after being a reliever in the Mariners' system last season. "I got some experience. I'll go down there, get that pitch count up and get my arm ready for the season. I'm actually excited about it."
Gillies, the high-energy center fielder who does everything at warp speed, said: "It was a great experience for me. Being able to see the way these superstars go about their business was really exciting, watching how they prepare every day, seeing their daily routines. I learned the things I need to be successful, and where consistency starts. Charlie [Manuel] told me the things I need to work on, slowing things down. Slower. Slower when I'm hitting. He wants me to be slow with the feet, and quick with the hands. Basically just stay back a little bit more. Keep my hands and everything back and try not to lunge at everything. Let the ball come to me."
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After the rain and the cuts, we have revised pitching rotations for the next week. The highlight is that Jamie Moyer will throw in another B-game before he makes his Grapefruit League debut next Saturday. Moyer, coming off three surgeries in 3-1/2 months, reported to camp healthy, but the Phillies have eased him into game action by giving him his first three starts in B-games. Brad Lidge is expected to pitch in a game Monday, but thus far, there's been no word whether it will be a B-game, a minor-league game or a Grapefruit League game. The full rotation:
Tomorrow at Orioles (Sarasota): Kyle Kendrick, Andrew Carpenter, Sergio Escalona.
Monday at Pirates (Bradenton): Roy Halladay, Chad Durbin, David Herndon.
Monday B-game at Blue Jays (Dunedin): Moyer, Ryan Vogelsong, Mike Zagurski.
Tuesday vs. Tigers (Clearwater): Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson, Antonio Bastardo, Danys Baez.
Wednesday vs. Yankees (Clearwater): Joe Blanton, Jose Contreras, Escalona, Durbin, Herndon.
Thursday: Off day; J.A. Happ will throw.
Friday vs. Orioles (Clearwater): Kendrick, Carpenter, Vogelsong, Bastardo, Baez, Madson.
Saturday at Tigers (Lakeland): Halladay, Moyer, Contreras, Herndon, Durbin, Escalona.
More later ...