I expected Steve Garrison would be placed on the disabled list, given the obvious injury that occurred in yesterday's game. Anderson, however, is a bit of a surprise. He's been nails so far this season, and losing him is a huge blow to the Thunder's bullpen.

Getting Josh Schmidt, however, might be a bit of a boon. He's always performed well in extensive experience in the Eastern League, and is capable of doing anything from getting one out, to going multiple innings, to starting.

In Scranton this season, Schmidt was 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA. He'd allowed six hits in 7 2/3 innings, walked four and struck out 11.

He's been moderately successful at every level, but he's seen as an organizational pitcher, and shuttling back and forth between clubs.

TRENTON — Over the last four seasons, Trenton has seen its share of outfielders who, after failing to hack it with the lumber, have tried their hand on the hill.

Mike Dunn, now a set-up man with the Marlins, pitched with the Thunder in 2008 and 2009. Wilkin De La Rosa, currently in the Dodgers system, did the same over the last two Eastern League campaigns, and had enough fans in the organization that he was part of New York’s 40-man roster until late 2010.

This season Trenton welcomes a new convert, Brian Anderson, who, unlike Dunn and De La Rosa, had a considerable amount of success in the batter’s box.

So, if he’d made it to the big leagues in his original incarnation, why make the switch?

“It just boiled down to me just being unhappy,” he explained. “The bottom line is: If you’re showing up at your job unhappy, you should get a different job. I knew I loved the game of baseball, and I knew I loved to pitch, so I thought, why not give it a shot? You only live once.”

Unhappy as he may have been, Anderson still managed to carve out a five-season big league career for himself, with a .227/.290/.370 batting line and 22 career longballs.

Coincidentally, two of his home runs came against former Thunder pitchers. One was Jeff Karstens. The other was Ron Mahay, whose career path after he put down the bat should be one Anderson tries to emulate.

Mahay, a 14-season major league veteran, started his Thunder career, in 1995, as a hitter, and ended it two years later as a hurler. He made his big league debut with the Red Sox that same season, and put together a 3-0 record with 2.52 ERA in 27 games out of Boston’s bullpen.

After pitching in the Royals’ system last year, Anderson began this year in extended spring training with the Yankees before making his 2011 debut on Thursday night.

Sporting a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a respectable breaking pitch, Anderson threw one inning and retired the side in order.

Even with the circuitous and winding road he has taken to Waterfront Park, pitching coach Tommy Phelps says Anderson comes with no special instructions on his days to pitch.

“Just go out and let him get some innings,” Phelps explained. “He’ll probably only pitch one to two innings at a time, and some back-to-back days, but he doesn’t have a lot of innings under his belt.”

Anderson realizes that, unlike Dunn, De La Rosa and Mahay, his transition has come at a very late point in his career, and the chance for success is both slim and fleeting.

Still, he pitched in high school and with the University of Arizona, and the fire to compete is still there. So, until he proves he can’t do it anymore, he’ll try to claw his way back to the top.

“No time is the perfect time to make that choice that late in your career,” he admitted. “I just turned 29. I hope I can bang this out as long as I can, hopefully six or seven more years.

TAMPA, Fla. – When the Yankees declined to add him to their 40-man roster, Lance Pendleton knew it meant a chance to show another organization what he could do on the mound. As optimistic as he was for that opportunity, the Texan was downright thrilled when it was Houston that called his name in December’s Rule 5 draft.

“I was really excited,” he said yesterday after a bullpen session at the Yankees’ minor league complex. “It’s a good experience to be taken in that Rule 5 draft, and (with) a hometown team. It was really exciting to have that experience and opportunity. Wish it would have worked out, but you can’t cry over spilled milk.”

Ultimately, poor control spelled the end of his brief Astros’ audition. He gave up nine hits and issued eight walks over 7 2/3 innings with Houston before being returned to the Yankees earlier this week.

He’s slated to return to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start 2011, this time in a bullpen role. He was scheduled to be a reliever last season with the Thunder, but an early injury to Christian Garcia pushed him quickly back into the rotation.

Even though he’d prefer to be plying his trade in the major leagues, Pendleton says ready to begin a new phase in his development.

“It’s just going to be a different routine, something to learn. It’ll be good to get that opportunity and experience that way, and that way it’s just another aspect of my game I can learn.”

…

The whispers around camp about Kei Igawa’s possible assignment to Trenton have gotten louder in recent days. Word is the organization has grown frustrated with the left-hander blocking the progress of some of their other relievers, like Josh Schmidt, who has produced excellent numbers in Double-A each of the last two seasons but has barely sniffed Scranton.

Although he’s been a massive bust as far as the big club is concerned, Igawa, 31, would be a boon for the Thunder’s bullpen.

Over his four seasons with Triple-A, Igawa has produced a 32-22 mark with a 3.87 ERA and 361 strikeouts against 123 walks. The win total also stands as the best in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre history.

…

There’s another intriguing name that’s begun getting mentioned as a possibility for the Thunder’s relief corps: Brian Anderson, the former outfielder with the White Sox.

Eight seasons after Chicago made him its first-round selection, Anderson signed a minor-league deal this offseason to try to resurrect his career – as a pitcher.

If he were to make the Thunder’s bullpen, he certainly wouldn’t be the first pitcher they’ve had who’s comfortable with a bat in his hand.

Wilkin De La Rosa, now with the Dodgers, as well as Marlins reliever Mike Dunn both started their careers as outfielders in New York’s system. When they failed to produce at the plate, the Yankees took advantage of their strong arms by converting them to pitchers.

So far, it seems to have taken quite well for Dunn, who, despite being dealt twice in the past two offseasons – once for Javier Vazquez and once for Dan Uggla –has established himself as a powerful left-handed specialist.

…

Once again, heavy rains in the Tampa area – estimates at the airport were in the 4-inch range – forced cancellation of all scheduled minor league games at the Yankees’ minor-league complex. Tomorrow, depending on how the fields in Dunedin fared, the upper-level work groups are scheduled to play Toronto’s affiliates on the road.

On Sunday, the final day of camp, the Yankees will hold a pair of split-squad games before the team breaks camp and players begin the journey toward their various destinations.