Phillies Notebook: Movement in Phillies' pitching plans

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The composition of the Phillies' pitching staff appeared to come into focus Sunday morning, when three relievers were sent to minor league camp shortly after the sun rose at the Carpenter Complex.

Justin De Fratus, Jake Diekman and Cesar Jimenez were among four players shipped to the minor league clubhouse, along with infielder Josh Fields. Diekman and De Fratus were on the short list of candidates for big-league jobs.

The dwindling numbers of pitchers in major league camp left five competing for three openings in the bullpen: righthanders Phillippe Aumont, Mike Stutes, Zach Miner and lefthanders Jeremy Horst and Raul Valdes.

But a few hours later, the veteran starters in camp without a place in the rotation may have seen their odds of claiming a roster spot increase after the developments in the Phillies-Orioles game at Bright House Field.

Five days after Roy Halladay complained of being "lethargic" in a start that saw him yield seven runs in 2 2/3 innings, the two-time Cy Young Award winner had an even earlier exit. Halladay left after one inning with a stomach illness.

Whether Halladay was sick or whether he's battling something more - he did fight back and shoulder soreness throughout 2012 - righthanders Rodrigo Lopez and Aaron Cook could figure more prominently into the Phillies' 25-man roster plans.

Both Lopez and Cook, who have made a combined 439 major league starts in their respective careers, are scheduled to pitch Monday against Atlanta in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Cook is scheduled to start.

Cook and Lopez combined for five scoreless innings on Thursday against the Pirates and drew praise from the coaching staff.

Pitching coach Rich Dubee said of Lopez, who pitched for the Phils in 2009: "He's a good competitor. He knows what he's doing out there." Dubee said of Cook: "He's been a dominant sinkerball guy in a tough environment at Coors Field."

Halladay, however, is expected to have enough time to prepare for the regular season. Although the Phillies leave camp a week from Thursday, it's possible for Halladay to make three more starts and still jump into the rotation during the first week of the regular season.

But if he has a setback before then, the value of Cook and Lopez could increase.

As for departed relievers De Fratus and Diekman, Dubee said both will likely still figure into the team's 2013 plans.

"They're valuable pieces," Dubee said of them. "Right now, they're not there, but they're in the picture for sure. We expect if we have an issue or something, those guys will be mentioned for sure."

Diekman dazzled at times this spring, drawing praise from teammates. But while he struck out 14 batters in 10 innings, he also allowed five earned runs in five games. "I feel like I'm really close," Diekman said. "It's just consistency with my secondary pitches and using them back in the count, knowing where to put it."

Delmon Young is progressing toward getting on the field for the first time in 2013.

Young ran on flat ground both days this weekend, marking the first time he's run on consecutive days in his rehab from November microfracture surgery on his right ankle. Young had been running on a treadmill for the last week before he moved outdoors Thursday.

"Right now everything is going good," Young said Sunday. "Hitting feels fine, throwing feels fine. I'm just running, trying to build up the strength in my foot and my legs, and the stamina in general."

Young, who has hit with the Phillies in pregame batting practice for close to 2 weeks, will continue to progress on a day-to-day basis. He is expected to start the season on the disabled list.

Phillippe Aumont is one of the favorites for a remaining bullpen job because of the sheer talent in his right arm. But he has a habit of occasionally doing his best Mitch Williams impression, too. In his second outing since returning from the World Baseball Classic, Aumont threw balls on 10 of his first 11 pitches in the sixth inning Sunday.

But after two straight walks to begin the inning, he got three straight outs: striking out two in a row before inducing an inning-ending groundout.

"He was wild at first, but he got them out," manager Charlie Manuel said. "It was good for him. At first he was having a hard time finding the strike zone. That's what you have in a young pitcher that's inexperienced. It takes them a while to relax, be focused and levelheaded enough to know what they're doing."

Chase Utley took his own round of postgame batting practice Sunday at Bright House Field for about 45 minutes. A healthy portion of the record crowd of 11,100 stuck around and cheered Utley throughout the BP session. Utley went 1-for-4 on Sunday and is hitting .200 (8-for-40) with three extra-base hits in 15 games . . . Freddy Galvis hit his second home run of the spring and is batting .278 (15-for-54) with nine extra-base hits in 18 games. Galvis has homered on St. Patrick's Day for three consecutive springs . . . Jimmy Rollins will return to camp Monday and play in a minor league game at the Carpenter Complex. Rollins was given an extra day to return from the World Baseball Classic; his American team was knocked out of the tournament Friday night.