More Clues

Some more clues from Sunday's 7-6 win over the Royals: 1. Carlos Villanueva made his first relief appearance of the spring...Ned Yost was coy when asked if this meant Villanueva is being groomed for the pen. My guess--they just want to get him some more experience against major leaguers, as well as to see him pitch a bit more. 2. Tony Graffanino's 0-for-4 run on the day lowered his Cactus League BA to .233...hopefully this slump is a temporary thing. 3. As expected, Zach Jackson was sent to Nashville...this leaves only 15 pitchers left in Maryvale, leaving Aquino, Balfour, Capellan, Villanueva, Thatcher and Spurling as the front-runners for the last 1-2 spots. Capellan's future with the club is purportedly in doubt, due to his 6.75 ERA in Cactus League play...oh, and 17 hits and 4 BB's allowed in 8.0 IP. Capellan is scheduled to pitch tomorrow, according to Adam McCalvy of mlb.com. David Hannes Copyright 2007