Danks, Garland both trying to make the 'cut'
TUCSON, Ariz. - White Sox lefthander John Danks struck out two men with cut fastballs.
Arizona right-hander Jon Garland is developing a cutter - and one of his ended up on a grassy embankment far beyond the wall in right-center.
Danks gave up 1 hit and struck out two in two innings but wasn't impressed with his stuff as the White Sox defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-1 on Friday.
"I didn't feel real sharp," Danks said after his first spring start. "I think it's more of a case of, it's early for the hitters. The hitters aren't quite there yet. Obviously, the goal going into the game was to get my work in and be healthy whenever I finished."
Danks may not have felt sharp, but he looked it.
He struck out the first two Diamondbacks - Felipe Lopez and Augie Ojeda - with cutters. In the second, Danks gave up a single to Chad Tracy before ending the inning, and his outing, by getting Tony Clark to ground into a 5-4-3 double play.
Danks is set to be the Sox's No. 3 starter, slotted behind Mark Buehrle and Gavin Floyd.
Garland pitched for the White Sox from 2000-07, but the club traded him to the Los Angeles Angels for shortstop Orlando Cabrera in November 2007.
Looking to replace lefty Randy Johnson in their rotation, the Diamondbacks in January signed Garland to a one-year, $6.25 million deal with a mutual option for the 2010 season, which would carry a $10 million tag.
Garland said he's been working on adding a cutter to his repertoire.
"I know people say I've thrown it in the past, but that's just what the ball's done," he said. "I'm actually working on it this spring. That's my one big thing that I'd like to have down before we leave here."
That's why Garland wasn't particularly worried when he left a cutter over the plate and Dayan Viciedo, a touted White Sox prospect, hammered it onto the grassy embankment beyond the right-field fence for a solo home run.
The White Sox hope the 19-year-old Viciedo can be the latest in a line of acquisitions from Cuba, following Alexei Ramirez and Jose Contreras to excel. The White Sox signed Viciedo to a four-year, $10 million contract, and his goal is to win a spot on the major league team.
The homer was the only hit allowed by Garland, who walked one and threw a wild pitch.
Arizona manager Bob Melvin said Garland has also been working on a curveball this spring.
"It's a lot easier for a veteran guy to work on something than a kid that's trying to impress here," Melvin said.
Danks said he noticed that Garland was throwing cutters, and Danks said White Sox hitters commented on the pitch as they returned to the dugout.
"I think they said it was dirty," Danks said. "They said it was hard. I don't know if it was a slider or a cutter, but it was hard, and had a little cut on it. Good for him. It was a good pitch for me."
Paul Konerko, Ben Broussard and Chris Stewart also homered for the White Sox.
The Sox were making their first appearance at Tucson Electric Park since they moved their spring training base to Glendale, Ariz., where they share a new ballpark with the Los Angeles Dodgers.