A couple of weeks after the pitching-hungry Phillies denied interest in free agent Pedro Martinez, the agent for the 37-year-old righthander said yesterday that the club had shown strong interest in the three-time Cy Young Award winner.
Cuza also said a report that the Phillies and Martinez had agreed to terms was inaccurate, but he said Martinez could decide on a team as early as the weekend. Asked if the Phillies had made an offer, Cuza said: "No comment."
Before last night's game against Cincinnati at Citizens Bank Park, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. also denied the report that the Phillies had agreed to terms with Martinez. Amaro would not say whether the club was negotiating with him.
"He has not been signed," Amaro said. "We've seen him pitch."
Martinez pitched three innings of a simulated game against a Phillies summer league team on Tuesday in the Dominican Republic. A report in a Dominican newspaper said that a Phillies scout was surprised by how well Martinez threw and that Martinez was ready to return to the majors.
"I felt very good with my fastball and all my pitches," Martinez said in an Associated Press report out of Santo Domingo. "I feel the best I have for some time."
The report also said Martinez's fastball was clocked at 93 m.p.h.
An eight-time all-star, the frequently injured Martinez went 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA for the Mets last season. In 17 seasons, Martinez has a 214-99 record with a 2.91 ERA.
The Phillies have been searching for a starter since Brett Myers went on the disabled list in late May. Myers had hip surgery and is likely out for the remainder of the season.
Lopez update
Righthander Rodrigo Lopez, who left Wednesday's game after the fifth inning with tightness in his right shoulder, said that he was feeling better and that no tests were scheduled to determine the problem.
"Compared with [Wednesday], I feel 100 percent different," he said. "When I woke up, it seemed like everything was normal. If I felt tightness or was really sore or was in pain, then we'd think about [tests]."
Lopez said that he felt "a really weird sensation" but that it was nothing major and that he was confident he would be fine for his next scheduled start, which will not come until after the all-star break.
Lopez, 33, has made two starts since being called up from triple-A Lehigh Valley and was effective in both. He helped start the Phillies on a four-game winning streak by defeating the Mets last Friday and has a 3.18 ERA in 111/3 innings.
"I think the two games he's pitched he did pretty good," manager Charlie Manuel said. "I really like his command. He knows how to pitch."
Condrey's rehab
Middle reliever Clay Condrey, on the disabled list with a strained muscle in his left side, will begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment this weekend in Clearwater.
Condrey, 4-2 with a 3.71 ERA in 33 games, has not pitched since June 19.
Contact staff writer Ray Parrillo at 215-854-2743 or rparrillo@phillynews.com.
