GLENDALE, Ariz. — Scouts from Seattle, Pittsburgh, Texas and Cleveland trekked to a back field on Monday to watch Chris Capuano pitch seven scoreless innings in a Minor League game as the Dodgers step up efforts to move a surplus pitcher.
Barring a late injury or a setback to Zack Greinke or Chad Billingsley, the Dodgers can move any combination of veterans Capuano, Ted Lilly, Aaron Harang and Matt Guerrier. Many of those same scouts will be watching Harang when he starts Tuesday night.
A trade would make it possible for the Dodgers to keep non-roster reliever Kevin Gregg, who has allowed one run in nine innings and has more career saves (144) than the rest of the relievers in camp combined.
Lilly would be the hardest to trade of the three starters. He is 37, coming off shoulder surgery and has a $12 million salary.
Harang is 34, earns $5 million this year with a mutual option for 2014 for $8 million or a $2 million buyout. He went 10-10 with a 3.61 ERA last year. Capuano is 34, left-handed and earns $6 million in 2013 with a mutual option for 2014 for $8 million or a $1 million buyout. He went 12-12 with a 3.72 ERA last year.
Capuano allowed only three hits and struck out 11 while making 85 pitches in the Minor League game. He said he hasn’t been told when or where he would pitch next, but he’s happy that his last two outings have been “really good” mechanically and by results.
He said he’s “curious” about how the Dodgers’ pitching surplus will work out, but he hasn’t worried about it.
“All my career, I’ve just worried about myself and let things play out,” Capuano said.
Billingsley is optimistic he will start April 2
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Chad Billingsley said he was optimistic about starting the second game of the year for the Dodgers after throwing what he called a “normal” bullpen session on Monday, including seven curveballs.
Billingsley said his bruised right index finger passed that test and he was pleased with the quality of his pitches.
“I’m good. Everything felt fine,” Billingsley said. “The fingernail held up, no issues. It’s not really tender. I was a little surprised. It’s been a week and a half.”
Manager Don Mattingly indicated Billingsley would get the ball April 2 against the Giants, and not Hyun-Jin Ryu, but only if Billingsley has all of his weapons, including a curveball he hadn’t thrown since his last exhibition start on March 13. Two days later while bunting in batting practice, a pitch pinned Billingsley’s index finger against the bat, just below the fingernail.
Billingsley has maintained his throwing regimen, even pitching 4 2/3 innings of a Minor League game on Saturday without curveballs because of the discomfort and chance that his fingernail would dislodge and put him on the disabled list.
Billingsley is in line to pitch somewhere on Thursday, when the Dodgers have split-squad games against the Angels in Anaheim and against their Class A team at Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. But if Billingsley pitches in either, it would prevent the Dodgers from back-dating his placement on the disabled list if necessary.
So he might just pitch a simulated game, at which time Mattingly said he would need to show he can throw curveballs to Major League hitters.
“It’s not only throwing them pain-free,” said Mattingly. “It’s also how they look. There’s a little concern. It could go either way.”
If Billingsley can’t start April 2, Ryu would. If Billingsley does start that game, Mattingly has indicated Ryu would be inserted into the rotation by April 13.