2-0 Game Notes

- Igawa had his best spring outing: 5 ip, 2 h, 3 bb, 3 k, 0 er (at a very concise 13 pitches per inning). Bad news is that he gave up some hard hit balls that were lucky to be caught. Good news is that he had much better control, and if not for a Jeter error, his numbers would be even better; he's definitely improving with each start. He should be in line for the #4 spot, with Karstens and Pavano battling for #5.

- Mo k'ed Ryan Howard on two changeups after two cutters. I don't believe he had gotten a single swinging strike on a change this spring until tonight. It's looking more and more likely that it will be part of his repertoire (however seldom).

- Who needs DMint with Giambi scooping balls out of the dirt like he's a gold glover? Perhaps this is what comes from playing 1b just once a week. It's a fluke though, and should not be expected from Giambi (despite Michael Kay's comments to the contrary).

- Little talk of Colter Bean. Should he make the team? With Britton apparently a given for AAA, and Villone no lock for the roster, why not Bean? He's pitched 6.2 innings, allowing two hits, no runs, no walks and eight strikeouts. Fantastic numbers. Shouldn't he be given a real shot in the majors, at least as a righty specialist (against whom he dominates)? There are only four pitchers who've gone more than five innings without allowing a run: Pettitte, Rivera, Proctor and Bean. Yeah, pretty surprising. He could face Manny, V. Wells, D. Young, Tejada, Sheffield, Dye, Guerrero, etc. Or am I being fooled by the ever ubiquitous delusion of 'small sample size'?