Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Morandini back with Phillies, as he wished

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Thursday, March 30, 2000

Morandini back with Phillies, as he wished
'It felt like I never left,' says 33-year-old infielder after being acquired from Montreal
Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. - Mickey Morandini always thought he would end up back in a Philadelphia Phillies' uniform.
   Morandini, traded from the Phillies to the Chicago Cubs after the 1997 season, was back with Philadelphia Wednesday, one day after being acquired from Montreal.
   "When I got traded, I thought someday I'd come back here," Morandini said. "Maybe it was wishful thinking. Obviously, I was very happy with it."
   Morandini started at second base and batted seventh in a 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees. He was hit in the foot by a pitch, singled and made all his plays in the field.
   "It felt like I never left," he said.
   The Phillies admit that Morandini has lost a step in the field the last three years.
   "I'll be diving all over the place and having some fun," Morandini said.
   A RANGERS 6, TWINS 3: Kenny Rogers pitched five scoreless innings in his final spring start and Scott Sheldon improved his chances of making the roster with a three-run homer as Texas beat Minnesota.
   Rogers, Texas' opening day starter, allowed three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Reliever Matt Perisho allowed three earned runs in the seventh, giving Minnesota a 3-1 lead, but he picked up the win when Sheldon's homer in the bottom of the inning sparked a go-ahead rally.
   Mike Munoz pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save.
   A INDIANS 3, ASTROS 2: Dave Burba pitched five scoreless innings and Jolbert Cabrera went 5 for 5 with an RBI, leading Cleveland over Houston's Triple-A New Orleans team.
   The Astros unofficially broke their Florida training camp on Tuesday, sending the majority of their roster to Houston for a practice and tour of new Enron Field before today's inaugural game against the New York Yankees.
   A RANGERS: Texas sent prospect Mike Lamb to Triple-A Oklahoma, clearing the way for Tom Evans to be their starting third baseman.
   Lamb, who hit .324 with 21 homers and 100 RBI in the minors last season, came into spring training as the favorite to replace Todd Zeile.
   But Evans, a non-roster invitee to camp who spent all last season at Triple-A, beat him out by hitting .310 and tying for second on the club with four homers, including a grand slam.
   A ASTROS-PHILLIES TRADE: Yorkis Perez was acquired by Houston from Philadelphia today for Trever Miller in a swap of left-handed relievers.
   Perez was 3-2 with a 3.94 ERA in 32 innings with the Phillies last season.
   Miller was 3-2 with a 5.07 ERA in 47 relief appearances with the Astros last season but he an erratic spring, compiling a 12.54 ERA.
   A BRAVES: First baseman Randall Simon, the apparent target of one of John Rocker's insults, was put on unconditional release waivers by Atlanta, along with reliever Rafael Medina.
   Simon, 24, hit .317 with five home runs and 25 RBI in 90 games with the Braves last season. This spring, he batted .267 (8 for 30) this with one homer and six RBI.
   During a magazine interview in December, Rocker referred to a teammate as a "fat monkey," a remark thought directed at Simon, who is from the Netherlands Antilles.
   Medina, a 25-year-old free agent signed during the offseason, was 3-7 with a 5.96 ERA the last two seasons with Florida. He was 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA this spring in 10 2-3 innings, allowing four runs and 10 hits.
   A DIAMONDBACKS: Five years ago, Matt Williams broke a bone in his right foot and came back too soon. One day after breaking the same bone, he vowed to make sure that doesn't happen again.
   Doctors estimate Williams will be sidelined at least six weeks with a non-displaced fracture of the second metatarsal, but he and manager Buck Showalter said that there will be no hard timetable.
   "In '95, I came back to soon," Williams said. "I think it was about seven weeks. I came back and played and broke it again, so it was a total of an 11-week absence. I won't make that mistake again. I'll be sure I'm ready this time."
   The 1995 break required surgery. This time, surgery won't be needed.
   "This time the bone isn't displaced," Williams said. "It's broken, but it's not crooked like it was last time, so I'll just stay off it and let it take it's course."
   Showalter said there will be no hurrying Williams back.
   "Whatever the time frame is, he'll be right when we bring him back," Showalter said. "That's something we want to be real sure about."
   A PADRES: San Diego decided the future can wait, sending highly touted catcher Ben Davis back to the minor leagues.
   Davis, 23, was optioned to Class AAA Las Vegas, clearing the way for veteran Carlos Hernandez to start and leaving rookie Wiki Gonzalez as the backup.
   "Right now, this is a better ballclub with Carlos Hernandez as the everyday catcher," general manager Kevin Towers said. "That may not be true in a couple years. Ben Davis is going to be an All-Star catcher."
   A REDS: Three days after announcing that Mark Portugal was their fifth starter, Cincinnati changed its mind and released him.
   The about-face stunned Portugal, rotation replacement Rob Bell and a clubhouse full of teammates who thought the pitching staff was set. Portugal's rough outing on Tuesday prompted general manager Jim Bowden to change his mind.
   "Bewildered is probably the best word I can come up with," right-hander Pete Harnisch said, after going six innings in a 4-3 loss to Boston. "Shocked is probably another one.
   "They tell a guy he's made the team and he probably figures he's stopped being evaluated. Obviously the man was put in a do-or-die situation to make a team (on Tuesday) and didn't even know it."
   Last Sunday, Bowden said that Portugal had won the final spot in the rotation and left-hander Hector Mercado had earned the only opening in the bullpen, completing the staff for opening day.
   A RED SOX: Doctors told Bret Saberhagen after his offseason shoulder surgery that he wouldn't be pitching for Boston until July at the earliest.
   The timetable has since been adjusted.
   The 35-year-old right-hander says he'll be back by May 15, and insists his projection isn't the product of wishful thinking, or a foolish acceleration of his rehabilitation from surgery on a torn rotator cuff.
   His shoulder feels stronger now than before the operation.
   "The first day I picked up the ball, I felt no pain," Saberhagen said. "It feels real good."
   His early return to the rotation would give the Red Sox a major boost. The 1985 World Series MVP was 10-6 with a 2.95 ERA last year, and is 25-15 over three years with Boston.
   Last season, he volunteered to pitch on three days rest in the fifth game of the ALCS against New York despite the shoulder pain, something manager Jimy Williams hasn't forgotten.
   "This guy tried to pitch with a hole in his shoulder," he said.
   But Williams said the team will be cautious about Saberhagen's return.
   "We don't have any expectations," he said. "There's no timetable. It's good that he feels good. It doesn't prove anything to rush things. We're not going to let him rush things."

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