CLEARWATER, Fla. — Being an established veteran pitcher in the major leagues comes with its privileges.
Like being able to skip long bus rides.
Aaron Harang was afforded that luxury on Tuesday when he did not have to board the team bus for a 90-minute (maybe more coming home through Tampa traffic) drive to Disney World for the varsity game against the Atlanta Braves.
Harang stayed back in Clearwater and took his regular turn in a minor-league game at Carpenter Complex. He pitched five innings and gave up seven hits and three runs against a group of Pittsburgh Pirates farmhands. He walked none and struck out five.
“Everything was good,” the 36-year-old pitcher said.
That includes his lower back. He missed two starts earlier in camp with lower back soreness, but said he is over that problem now. He threw 74 pitches, 54 of which were strikes.
Concern for Harang’s back was one of the reasons team officials decided to keep the hulking 6-7 right-hander back in Clearwater. No sense in having him tighten up in a bus seat.
MLB
Controlling the setting was another reason. Pitching coach Bob McClure wanted to make sure Harang got “up and down” five or six times between innings. Harang finished his day with a few pitches in the bullpen, just to make sure he got all the ups and downs he needed.
Harang is slated to pitch again Sunday in Clearwater against Detroit. He then could pitch in the April 3 exhibition game against Pittsburgh in Philadelphia and be in line to start the second game of the regular season April 8 at Citizens Bank Park against Boston.
Over at Disney ... Minor-league prospect Severino Gonzalez got the start and pitched three scoreless innings against the Braves. The Phillies won the game, 5-3. The Phillies scored two runs in the top of the eighth to break a tie. Darin Ruf, Russ Canzler, Grady Sizemore and Jordan Danks (RBI single) had hits in the inning and Brian Bogusevic had a sacrifice fly.
Danks led off, played center field and had two hits. He is making a late push to make the club.
Ruf is warming at the plate. He had three hits, including a double and a homer.
Ryan Howard hit his third homer of the spring.
Health check
Domonic Brown says his troublesome Achilles tendon is feeling better. Still to be determined is whether he will need to start the season on the disabled list.
Chad Billingsley, recovering from a pair of surgeries on his elbow, will pitch in a minor-league game on Thursday. He could be ready to join the big-league rotation in about a month.
Up next
Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez starts Wednesday against the Houston Astros in Clearwater.