Rich Hill’s first spring start on Monday coincided with Mark DeRosa’s return to the Cactus League after undergoing surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat.
While Hill was pounded for four runs on eight hits over 2 2/3 innings and DeRosa went 0-for-3, both were satisfied that everything was on the right track.
“It’s good that things were aggressive today and a step in the right direction,” Hill said, referring to his arm slot and his release point.
DeRosa felt good just to be back on the playing field, and though timing was still an issue, he was happy to report, “I didn’t strike out.”
The Cubs lost 6-4 to Milwaukee, leaving them 0-2 against the Brewers this spring. But the outcome of the game wasn’t as important as the fact that Hill and DeRosa were feeling good about themselves.
Manager Lou Piniella, however, wasn’t quite as impressed with Hill’s performance as the left-hander. Staked to a 3-0 lead, Hill gave up four runs in the second and was hit hard again in the third before being yanked.
“He didn’t have much,” Piniella said. “He’s not having nearly as good of a spring as he had last year, but it’s spring training. He struggled — threw about 60 pitches in about three innings of work. What are you going to do? Get better the next time.”
Piniella said he’s not concerned by Hill’s outing, since it was his first start following two relief appearances behind Carlos Zambrano.
“But of all the guys starting, he’s the one that needs to improve the most,” Piniella said.
Hill has a 7.04 earned-run average in three appearances. Does he have to worry about anything?
“No, I don’t think he does,” Piniella said. “I didn’t say anything about worrying. But I did say he needs to get a little sharper.”
Asked if the numbers were deceiving, Hill went back to the notion that he was working on his mental game as well as getting ready physically. He doesn’t have to pitch for a spot in the rotation after a solid year in 2007.
“Mechanically, I’m starting to figure it out,” he said. “As guys need to work on mechanics, you also need to work on how to get back into that mode of being aggressive.
“The more time you’re out there facing hitters in the face of competition, the better off you’re going to be in the long run, because you’re building up those muscles for getting aggressive. It’s not so much something you can see, like going in the gym and getting stronger physically. But this is a side I’m starting to grasp and have grasped mentally.”
DeRosa’s return was also a big step in getting mentally prepared, after going through a health scare.
“He’s ready to go,” Piniella said. “He just needs some at-bats. It’s good to see him out there.”
Is the heart episode out of his mind completely?
“I would say yes,” DeRosa said. “The first three or four days were rough — just the scare factor of it and dealing with the fact that I just had heart surgery and now I’m going to go back and play baseball. That kind of ended just when I got back in the clubhouse with the guys. They take your mind off it pretty quick.”
DeRosa will play Tuesday and get Wednesday off. He’s not concerned about getting his swing back by the start of the season, which was three weeks from Monday.
With DeRosa, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano all coming back from injuries in the last few days, the Cubs are almost at full strength for the first time.
“We’ve gotten all our people back on the field now,” Piniella said. “Sooner or later, we’ll get them all together on the same field. It’s been a while. It’s good to see.”
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psullivan@tribune.com
