Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge gave up three hits and a run in an inning of work Thursday, and the right-hander was very encouraged with the results of his first action against live batters this spring.
"My knee felt outstanding, and right now the main goal is to get my arm speed up to normal," Lidge said after throwing 16 pitches in a minor-league game at the Phillies' spring complex. "But the strength in my lower half is great right now."
Lidge is recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee and elbow. While it's unlikely he'll be ready to go on opening day, he has targeted the Houston Astros series on April 9 or the April 12 home opener against the Washington Nationals.
More drug use admission by Washington: A day after acknowledging he failed a drug test for cocaine last year, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington acknowledged he used marijuana and amphetamines while he was a player.
"When you're young, you make mistakes," Washington said Thursday. "I wish I could take back some of the mistakes I may have made, but I can't."
Washington made his latest admission before Texas played a "B" game against the Milwaukee Brewers on a practice field.
On Wednesday, Washington said he tested positive for cocaine in a Major League Baseball test in July. He told Rangers management and MLB about the cocaine - he said he used it only once - before the test result and offered to resign. Texas president Nolan Ryan and team management allowed him to keep his job.
Washington did not detail how often he used marijuana and amphetamines, or describe what kind of amphetamines he took.
Washington, 57, played 10 seasons in the majors, mostly as an infielder for the Minnesota Twins in the 1980s.
Willis sharp: Dontrelle Willis is making a case for a spot in the Detroit Tigers' rotation, pitching three scoreless innings in a 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Thursday.
Willis struggled after straining his back in the first but gave up just one hit. He hit one batter and walked another. He also hurt his right thumb fielding a line drive. That came one batter after another line drive glanced off his right knee.
Willis said he wanted to go longer but was having back spasms and was willing to settle for three innings. Tigers manager Jim Leyland said there was no reason to risk further injury to Willis, who has a 1.29 ERA after three starts this spring.
Thome homers: Jim Thome slugged his first home run in a Twins uniform as Minnesota defeated Pittsburgh 5-4 on Thursday. Thome, signed to be a pinch hitter and DH, returned to the lineup for the first time since Saturday after resting his sore back.
