Willie Randolph talked to reporters after yesterday’s intrasquad game, and had the following to say regarding…
…Duaner Sanchez, who threw 26 pitches during the game…
“It was good to see Sanchez let it loose a little bit. I thought he ran out of gas a bit, since it was his first time on the mound in a while. So, his legs got a little heavy. But, it was very encouraging to see him out there moving around…He threw back-to-back change ups at times, and he looks like he’s on the way back…It’s just very positive to see him go out there and get his work in…It’s not easy facing hitters for the first time in a year and a half. It’s a different feel…He is in better shape (than before the taxi cab accident), but he still needs to get that real good feel back. I’m sure he’s optimistic, and he should be, he’s worked real hard, and if all of this stays together and translates into him feeling good about himself, and if physically he feels better, than that could make him a better guy. I hope that’s the case, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
…Jon Niese, a left-handed prospect who threw a shaky inning…
“He’s a cool customer from what I’ve seen, and I think he was a little bit nervous before he started. We were getting ready to start the game, and he was sitting in the dugout, I’m looking at him like, ‘Hey, let’s go, are you gonna go out there and pitch.’ (Laughing). It was like he didn’t know the game was gonna start. So, it was probably just a little bit if jitters…But, yeah, he’s impressed me all spring with the way he’s used all of his pitches, especially his curve ball. You don’t see a lot of curve balls from lefties, and it had a nice little break to it.”
