By Bob Mcmanaman, The Sports Xchange
MARYVALE, Ariz. — Take a spin around the Cactus League with “Three Up, Three Down,” an inside look at what is coming up and what went down on Friday.
THREE UP
1. The Milwaukee Brewers put an end to the biggest question in the Cactus League this spring — offering positive proof that their unofficial mascot, Hank the Dog, is indeed the real Hank and certainly no imposter, which had been theorized on the Internet in recent days. The team even staged a tongue-in-cheek news conference in Milwaukee on Friday to put an end to the canine caper.
Brewers executive Rick Schlesinger presented a notarized letter from a veterinarian, along with dental records and microchip evidence, that the fluffy white pooch that wandered into the club’s spring-training facility in Maryvale in 2014 is the same dog.
“This is definitely the original Hank,” wrote the vet, Dr. William S. Rice.
2. Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez faced hitters for the first time this spring on Friday when he threw batting practice to a group of minor leaguers. One of them, 20-year-old outfield prospect Tyler O’Neil, blasted one of his fastballs over the fence. O’Neil followed up his home run by shouting “Got him!” and that made King Felix take notice.
“He didn’t want to hit again,” the veteran pitcher said, adding he’ll be ready to make his Cactus League debut on March 14 against the Colorado Rockies.
3. San Francisco Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto has been scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against the Rangers out of concern for his heavy workload last season when he pitched 212 innings during the regular season and an additional 25 innings in the postseason.
It’s another in a similar series of moves made by manager Bruce Bochy, who doesn’t want to overtax any of his key components. Through an interpreter, Cueto said there’s nothing wrong with him, physically.
“I just pitched a lot,” he said. “The team is holding me back to be cautious with me and I just appreciate what they’re doing for me.”
THREE DOWN
1. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ new $206.5 million ace, Zack Greinke, made his Cactus League debut on Friday with two scoreless innings against the A’s in front of nearly 10,000 at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale.
Greinke only allowed one hit, a leadoff single to Yonder Alonso to shallow left field that Yasmany Tomas quickly gathered and rifled to second base, where Jean Segura applied the tag on Alonso for the out.
“It was all right,” Greinke said of his first outing, which included a 75 mph changeup on the first pitch to Billy Burns. “Decent location. Some OK off-speed and not all of them perfect, but they were OK, and then some good pitches and some not quite as good, but overall pretty good.”
2. A year after he failed to make the team coming out of spring training, third baseman Kris Bryant on Friday agreed to a one-year contract worth $625,000. The new deal represents a raise in pay of about $145,000 for the National League Rookie of the Year.
“It’s pretty cool to see some of the fruits of your labor and hard work paying off,” Bryant told reporters. “It’s cool.”
3. Billy Hamilton, penciled in as the Cincinnati Reds’ designated hitter on Friday, was scratched because of a stiff right shoulder. Hamilton underwent surgery on his right shoulder in September and has been trying to work his way back this spring.