The first workout has ended

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter is pleased with how smoothly today's workout ran. No injuries that he's aware of, no reason to be alarmed in any way. "We got through it," he said. "I haven't talked to the trainers and coaches yet, but so far, so good. We got most everybody here with the exception of (Alfredo) Simon, obviously. No red flags yet health-wise. "The physicals were pretty good. Just some of the normal precautions that we already knew about." Pitchers Brandon Erbe is on a more restricted schedule after undergoing surgery in August to repair a torn labrum.The goal is to get Erbe and Luis Lebron (elbow) to the minor league camp without any setbacks. They won't throw in any exhibition games here. Showalter spoke to reliever Koji Uehara about making sure he knows "where the finish line is." "It's not March 1," Showalter said. In other words, make sure you're healthy on opening day. Take care of the hamstring. Don't overdo it. Uehara can't compete for the closer's job if he's sidelined. Uehara threw his fourth bullpen session today and seemed pleased with the results. He also did some light running. Showalter noticed all the weight that reliever Jason Berken lost during the winter. Berken claimed at FanFest that he dropped about 30 pounds. "Players were giving him some good natured kidding last year. They even tried to use me to get involved with it," Showalter said. "He looks great. It's good to see young guys getting their arms around things like that so they don't become an issue. There are enough challenges between the lines. It just became a priority for him. It shows you something. His shoulder feels good, too. It was good to see him get out there today." Jeremy Guthrie threw outdoors for the first time today and said he felt great. He took a hard fall when his left foot slipped, but he joked afterward that he didn't receive "a scare," as one reporter suggested. He was amused by the term. "It wasn't a scary moment," Guthrie said. "My foot just slipped out from underneath me." Turning his attention to his side session, Guthrie said, "It was a good bullpen. Really good to be out there on the mound outside. Everything felt really good. Pitches were down in the zone and I had a good feel for the changeup, which is important." Guthrie didn't notice much difference in the way Showalter ran today's camp compared to past managers. "I think things will be very similar to the way they've been run," Guthrie said. "Every manager has a little bit different desire for his team to get ready for the season, but I think his goals are ultimately the same: Get the pitchers ready, get the hitters ready to hit and have all your defenses and things ready to go, so that when we get into the season, we can just play and go off instinct." Asked about the renovations to the stadium, Guthrie said, "They're going to be beautiful. Fans will be very happy to come here and watch a game. And players will be happy to be able to work out in a good facility." Justin Duchscherer will throw tomorrow.



Leftovers from today's first workout
A few workout notes
 

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