Change-up: Buchanan starts, Williams enters in relief

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Phillie Phanatic waved toward the bullpen Tuesday afternoon. That is where the public-address announcer said Jerome Williams was warming up before the Phillies opened Grapefruit League play with a 5-5 tie against the New York Yankees.

Except it was not Williams pitching behind the left-field wall at Bright House Field. The 33-year-old said he was told in the morning that he would no longer be starting. It was instead David Buchanan, who yielded one run in two innings.

"I came in and [bullpen coach Rod Nichols] came up to me and said, 'Hey, you're not going to start today'," Williams said. "OK, cool. It's no biggie. It's still early in spring, first game. I'm not really worried about anything like that. I just want to go out there and pitch."

Williams, Buchanan, Joely Rodriguez, and Jeanmar Gomez pitched two innings each to give the Phillies a four-run lead after eight innings. Mario Hollands started the ninth, allowing a three-run homer that tied the game. Both teams agreed to end the game as a tie after the Phillies went scoreless in the bottom half.

Buchanan was eating breakfast when Nichols told him he would start.

"I was like, all right," said Buchanan, who is competing for the final spot in the team's rotation.

Manager Ryne Sandberg said the plan was always to have Buchanan start with Williams relieving him. Buchanan, 25, allowed five hits, all ground balls. The righthander loaded the bases in the first inning, but allowed only one run.

"That's the kind of pitcher that I am, I try to throw strikes and put the ball on the ground," Buchanan said. "Unfortunately, they found holes today. I definitely found a lot of things that I can work on as far as getting balls more down in the zone."

Williams needed just 17 pitches to breeze through the third and fourth innings. The righthander's only runner reached on a walk. He returned to the bullpen after he was removed and threw 10 more pitches. He said he wanted to work more on his curveball, which he threw just once in the game.

Williams signed a one-year contract extension last October to return to the Phillies. He will likely enter the season as the team's fourth starter. He joined the Phillies last August and made nine starts with a 2.83 ERA.

"With the guys coming back, I felt real comfortable," Williams said. "I felt real comfortable with the catchers. It was a no-brainer for me."