The Thunder lost to Harrisburg, 3-2, in the process falling to second in the Eastern League East, behind the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. As it stands, it looks like those two clubs will battle for the division's top spot all summer long.

This wasn't Pat Venditte's night. He allowed the go-ahead two-run double to Josh Johnson in the seventh, but was OK in the eighth and ninth innings. Recent success notwithstanding, Venditte was visibly upset with the way he performed.

Before Johnson hit the double, Venditte was called for a balk for not stepping toward first on a pickoff throw. Steve Lombardozzi followed with an infield single, and Johnson drove both men in a few pitches later.

Venditte said he wasn't particularly unnerved by the call against him, nor did he let it hinder his concentration.

"There was still already one out in the inning, and I knew if I could make a good pitch, make a couple of good pitches, I could get a couple of quick outs and maybe get out of the inning. I got ahead there on (Johnson), 0-1 fastball away, threw the same pitch again and he put a good swing on it to left field. It's just one of those nights where things didn't go my way and I didn't execute."

Even with a few hiccups of late, Venditte has been gangbusters since May 5, when his ERA was a ghastly 6.61. Since then, he's lowered that mark to 3.20, and he credits the success to a cut fastball from the right side.

"That was an awful start to the season. Luckily, Phelpsie stuck with me and was working with me every day in the bullpen. He showed a cutter to me, which I've been throwing a ton from the right side. That's helped me immensely to go out there and get right-on-right hitters out. It's been a big confidence-booster for me. I'm just very fortunate he stuck with me and he keeps going to me."

- Craig Heyer, despite a career high-tying four walks, permitted just one run. It came on Tyler Moore's RBI triple in the first, an inning in which he walked nobody. He wasn't terribly pleased with his stuff or his outing afterward, but was thankful that he escaped relatively unscathed after six innings.

"I just didn't command the ball too well today. My change-up wasn't there. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. ... Allowing five or six hits, plus four walks is over 10 baserunners a game, so to be able to get out of it, that's a positive."

- DeAngelo Mack had two hits tonight, and he's hitting .323/.475/.548 over his last 10 games. He's got a double, two longballs, six RBIs and six walks in that time.

- Cody Johnson also had two hits, one a double just inside the left-field line, and the other a bullet off of starting pitcher Tanner Roark that drove in the Thunder's second run.

- Brad Suttle's RBI double brought home Ray Kruml with Trenton's first run.

- Jose Pirela flashed excellent range in the seventh inning after Venditte's balk. He corralled Lombardozzi's grounder to short and had the presence of mind to fire behind Jonathan Tucker at second. The throw was in plenty of time to nab Tucker, but second baseman Corban Joseph flubbed the tag.

- Not only is Kei Igawa back with the Thunder, he's back in the starting rotation too. He'll take the ball on Saturday in Binghamton.

After eight games on the road, there's obviously going to be a fair amount of ground to cover in the clubhouse. Today is no exception. Here's what various members of the Thunder had to say:

Pitching coach Tommy Phelps, on Manny Banuelos' mechanics, and how they've affected his control this season:

"He's just getting late with his separation and his rhythm's off. (We're) just trying to get his tempo a little quicker and get some rhythm in his delivery so he can be more natural and be like he used to be. Sometimes he gets real slow and deliberate, and it gets too mechanical and he can't let his natural ability take over."

On whether the problems mechanically are causing his command issues this season:

"I think so. ... Even last year, he didn't command the ball really well. He threw a lot of strikes, but there's a difference between commanding and throwing strikes. He's starting to get really good to the glove side of the plate, which is good for a pitcher. His arm side's getting better; a lot of times his ball will run off the plate, but he's getting better at commanding the fastball."

Phelps, on Pat Venditte's mental struggles and how a pitching coach deals with that side of the game:

"That's a part you deal with. It's not just mechanics, curveball, fastball; there's a lot of mental aspects that are a part of it. I think it's just him getting comfortable and realizing his stuff is good enough here to get hitters out, as it was at every other level."

"You support him and you give him positive feedback. Keep pushing him in the right direction, and when he starts having success, the confidence naturally comes right after that. It's just a matter of him getting out there and getting the opportunities and doing it over and over again. He's going to have success with his stuff, and he's a great competitor."

"Even when he was a struggling he was a hard worker. Now that he's having success, he's working hard or harder. His focus and his determination is second to none and he comes to work to get prepared every day to get himself better, and it shows in the way he's pitching."

Thunder’s Bradley Suttle (right) awaits a late throw as New Hampshire’s Craig Stansberry slides into third safely during yesterday’s game at Waterfront Park. Trentonian Photo/GREGG SLABODA

TRENTON — Pat Venditte’s struggles in the early going came into play again last night, and the Thunder missed a chance for a sweep to open their second homestand.

The switch-pitching reliever allowed three runs in the eighth inning en route to a 5-3 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Waterfront Park.

After a quick seventh, Venditte was called on again to keep Trenton’s deficit at just a run. That thought ended quickly when Fisher Cats shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria led off with a laser beam over the left-center field wall.

When Venditte finally exited, the score was 5-1, which became particularly demoralizing when Brad Suttle’s two-run single gave Trenton its second and third runs in the bottom of the eighth.

If this were a simple case of one bad outing for Venditte, it could be easily brushed aside. Instead, days like these have become the rule and not the exception.

In nine appearances, Venditte has shut out the opposition just three times. His ERA sits at a ghastly 6.92, and he’s been hit of a .345 average against.

“I’ve had a tough time getting all (my pitches) going on the same day,” Venditte said. “There’s no one thing going wrong right now. It’s just not working out.”

His effort pushed to the backburner another stellar turn for Shaeffer Hall, the left-hander who has stepped up and filled the ace role.

Once again yesterday, Hall was in cruise control, using his mix of offspeed pitches to stymie the Fisher Cats over six innings, with three strikeouts mixed in along the way.

He allowed two runs in those six innings — the fourth consecutive time he’s allowed two or fewer in a start. Both on this afternoon were the direct result of shoddy defense.

After Mike McDade doubled with one out in the fourth, designated hitter Ricardo Nanita lofted a ball high and deep to right field that Dan Brewer appeared to lose in the sun. The ball landed on the warning track several feet behind him, and McDade trotted home to tie the score at 1-1.

In the sixth, Moises Sierra’s hard ground ball went under the glove of shortstop Yadil Mujica. And although it was called a single, Mujica certainly had a decent chance to make the play.

McDade followed with a single and Craig Stansberry’s sac fly gave the Cats the lead.

Cody Johnson got Trenton’s offense started with a long home run to right-center field that eventually found a spot in the Delaware River. The bomb was Johnson’s second of the season and 97th of his minor league career, which is in its sixth season.

A month into the year, the Thunder have been inconsistent at best.

Rarely have they pitched, hit and defended well on the same afternoon.

Frankly, it’s a bit of a concern if the team hopes to defend its EL East crown — and manager Tony Franklin knows it.

“We’re inconsistent. We’re a very inconsistent team with a lot of talent and a chance to put some things together,” he said. “It’s imperative that we do that right now.”

NOTES: Nanita was removed in the sixth inning after fouling ball off his mouth. He left the field with Thunder trainer Tim Lentych holding his jaw with a towel. ... Corban Joseph picked up another hit, extending his hitting streak to 13 games and his on-base streak to 17 games. ... Yesterday was the 52nd birthday of Thunder clubhouse manager Tom “Tonto” Kackley.

TAMPA, Fla. — Pat Venditte has been labeled many things. He’s been called a gimmick, a novelty and an act. Now, after highly successful year spent with High-A Tampa and Trenton, he’s earned another label: top prospect.

Baseball America named Venditte its 30th best Yankees prospect in its annual handbook, and the switch pitcher certainly took notice.

“That helps. I’m coming out here every day to try and prove that. At the end of the day I don’t have to just prove that to Baseball America. I have to prove that to the scouting director and the coaches with the Yankees to make sure that they like what I’m doing.”

Before he got to Trenton, the Creighton alumnus was 4-1 with a 1.73 ERA with the T-Yanks. He allowed just 49 hits in 72 2/3 innings, and fanned 85 against just 17 walks.

Even with those gaudy numbers and the newfound respect, Venditte wasn’t satisfied. He spent the offseason back in Omaha, Neb., adhering to an amped-up workout program designed to boost his velocity from both sides.

“A lot of conditioning, that’s what I tried to focus on this year to come back in better shape. I think that’s helped out a lot,” Venditte said after an exhibition game in Bradenton, Fla.

He’s also begun to work with a change-up to add a bit of a wrinkle to his arsenal, which while effective, isn’t overpowering to begin with.

For the second year in a row, Venditte saw action in big league camp. And although he only pitched to two hitters, he had enough to pick the brains of some major league pitchers for a bit of insight into how they prepared for their workload.

“Just kind of seeing them and watching them and learning how they attack hitters in certain counts ... I just paid attention to how they go about their business.” he said.

One other thing he did notice is, although he’s never seen a second full-on ambidextrous pitcher. When told that there were kids out there who had seen him work and wanted to give switch-pitching a whirl, he had a little bit of advice for the aspiring youngsters.

“Practice as much as you can,” he said. “It takes a while to get used to it. Some people pick it up easier than others. It’s a hard process, but if you stick with it, you can do it.”

While he was warming up before his outing that afternoon, Pirates executives were coming up to one another and marveling at Venditte as he threw four pitches with right hand, three with his left hand and then a final one with his right before beginning his inning.

If his offseason work starts paying off, it won’t be long before more people start noticing him for his results, not how he gets the ball to the plate.

Every Wednesday, Minor Matters will unveil its top 10 Thunder players to watch next season. Considering that the Tampa Yankees took home the Florida State League crown in 2010, there's no reason to believe that the upcoming season will have a shortage of talent around the diamond.

No. 10 - Pat Venditte












Bio: Unless you've been living under a rock since 2008, you know this name by now. For the rock-dwellers, here's a quick recap: Venditte is an ambidextrous pitcher for whom a special rule had to be created. A 25-year-old drafted out of Creighton two years ago, Venditte absolutely destroyed the competition in the Florida State League but struggled in limited exposure at Double-A.

2010 Season: With Tampa, Venditte went 4-1 and a 1.73 ERA in 41 games that spanned 72 2/3 innings. He struck out 85, walked just 14 and allowed two home runs. He appeared in just two games with Trenton during the regular year, a scoreless inning against Akron, and a bit of a blow-up against Akron. Most disappointingly, he never switched hands during an inning with the Thunder.

What's Next: Barring an absolute shock, Venditte will make a return engagement with the Thunder bullpen next year, where he faces a career litmus test of sorts. Doubters all along have said that his stuff and his two-handed trick won't play at the upper levels. If he succeeds against more advanced hitters, he'll have gone a long way toward proving he's a real prospect.

From the top down, here are Tony Franklin, Adam Warren, Austin Romine and Manny Banuelos talking about the loss last night and what they need to do to even the series tonight in Game 4.









Also below are videos of innings from Warren and reliever Pat Venditte. Both videos contain scoreless frames.

By MIKE ASHMORE
For The Trentonian

TRENTON — It’s time to switch things up in Trenton.

The Trentonian has learned that professional baseball’s only switch-pitcher, Pat Venditte, has been promoted to the Thunder. The move was confirmed with Mark Newman, the Yankees Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations.

Venditte and another reliever — most likely righty Jonathan Ortiz — are expected to be at Waterfront Park today to replace fellow relievers George Kontos and John Van Benschoten, who were summoned to Triple-A Scranton.

The 25-year-old Venditte has garnered national attention for his unique ability to throw from both his left and right sides, and despite not being considered a prospect in most circles, he’s posted a sporty 4-1 record with a 1.63 ERA and six saves in 40 appearances with High-A Tampa.

Highlights of Venditte’s 2008 professional debut in Brooklyn, while he was a member of the Staten Island Yankees, appeared on Sportscenter and other nationally televised programs. The game was delayed for seven minutes when the Cyclones Ralph Henriquez kept switching sides in the batters box depending on which arm Venditte was going to be throwing with.

This incident led to the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation to create a new rule, usually referred to as “The Pat Vendite Rule.” It reads: The pitcher must visually indicate to the umpire, batter and runner(s) which way he will begin pitching to the batter. Engaging the rubber with the glove on a particular hand is considered a definitive commitment to which arm he will throw with. The batter will then choose which side of the plate he will bat from.

Venditte and possibly Ortiz are being brought up to shore up a bullpen that been in flux for most of the year. Losing Kontos and Van Benschoten certainly won’t help matters. Kontos, in a return from Tommy John surgery, posted an 0-2 record with a 3.38 ERA in 17 appearances this season.

The Northwestern alum starred for the Thunder in 2008 and early on in 2009 as a starter, but was converted to a reliever after injuring his elbow while pitching with Scranton last year.

As I wrote in this column five days ago, the September call-ups have made ripples throughout the Yankees system, including the promotion of switch-pitcher Pat Venditte to the Thunder.

The promotion was confirmed to The Trentonian by Mark Newman, the Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Mark Newman. There's one other pitcher coming north, most likely Jonathan Ortiz, but Newman wasn't ready to reveal that information just yet.

The pitchers replace relievers George Kontos and John Van Benschoten, who were out of the clubhouse yesterday.

With Tampa, Venditte finishes with a 4-1 record, a 1.63 ERA and an astonishing 47 hits in 71 2/3 innings. If Ortiz is the final call-up, he'll finish his time in the Florida State League with a 6-1 record, a 2.39 ERA and 57 strikeouts.

---

Also, Arizona Fall League rosters were announced before yesterday's game. Four current or former Thunder players made the cut, including catcher Austin Romine, third baseman Brandon Laird, second baseman Corban Joseph and Kontos. Tampa starter Craig Heyer also made the cut.

Those five will play on the Phoenix Desert Dogs, which will be managed by Yankees legend Don Mattingly.

Kevin Whelan was called up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre yesterday, leaving the team a pitcher short as it heads to the stretch run -- for now.

As most everybody who follows the Yankees system knows, there are quite a few arms in Tampa that are deserving of a call to Double-A, and not just starters. Two relievers immediately jump out as guys who needed a promotion -- yesterday.

The first is obvious: Pat Venditte. The nationally known switch pitcher has been mowing down the competition all year for the T-Yanks and, at 25, is a bit old for the level. With 78 strikeouts and just 42 hits allowed in 64 2/3 innings, it's clear High-A is no longer a challenge.

Want more proof? How about a .181 batting average against? How about a 1.81 ERA? How about two home runs allowed? How about 12 walks? No matter how you slice it, the kid deserves a call to Trenton.

The other, almost equally deserving, pitcher is Jonathan Ortiz, who has racked up 19 saves and a tidy .197 average against. Of course, that number is higher than Venditte's. Same goes for his ERA.

Both pitchers are deserving, but Venditte has done just slightly better.

I spoke with Yankees pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras earlier today about a variety of topics. Part one of that interview, with highlights about Pat Venditte, Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and the Arizona Fall League, is here. Enjoy.

JN:Do you have any idea which guys in the system are going to be in the Arizona Fall League?

NC: We’ve got a group of about eight guys, and that call will come from Mr. Mark Newman. I gave him eight names. I’m sure Pat Roessler’s given him some names. And if Mark Newman’s seen these guys, I’m sure he’s got his own names. Then I think from there we will have four, three relievers and a starter. I’m sure it will come down to innings, who’s healthy and who’s not.

JN: When you send people down there, is it just to work on things, like a particular pitch or what have you?

NC: Some need innings. They need that because they couldn’t get enough innings. Usually that’s what it is. We’ll take the guys that we’re working with sometimes to instructional league. We might take somebody that needs the work to get that in an area, and then send them to Arizona after that as that name, hoping that the work we do in the instructional league prior to going to Arizona will get them on the right foot and then let them compete out there.

JN: Would guys down there like Banuelos and Betances, who haven’t had that many innings this year, qualify?

NC: Betances will end up with more than 100 innings, and he didn’t have many last year. He’s only going about 80 pitches, so he’ll pitch five innings, four innings, six innings, and he’s hitting his start every fifth day. He won’t be part of that Arizona thing, because he’s made that jump from the very few innings of last year to (what he’s thrown now). He’s been pretty good.

JN: And Banuelos?

NC: Banuelos will probably come to instructional leagues. I’m not sure if he’s allowed to go to the AFL, because he probably is owned by a team in Mexico for the winter. … If he’s able to, it’d be great, because he started late because of (the appendectomy).

JN: Pat Venditte, do you expect him to come up here toward the end, or is he in Tampa for the long haul?

NC: It’s all about movement (through the system). You’ve got Kontos and Whelan here who could be pitching in Triple-A. Schmitty could to Triple-A. It’s all about movement. Who’s going to go to the big leagues? Do we lose guys in trades? If there’s openings, then there’s movement. If there’s no openings, there’s no movement. Tampa’s in first place. (Trenton’s) in first place. Triple-A is in first place. Where we can move guys from is Charleston, who’s not in first place. In September, I would think Nova’s going to the big leagues. I would think Albaladejo’s going to the big leagues. When that happens, there’s two openings. I would say if there’s movement from here (to Scranton) and then from Tampa to here and then from Charleston to Tampa.

As mentioned earlier on the blog, Yankees pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras was in Trenton yesterday. Mike Ashmore and I sat down with him for about 10 minutes in the Thunder dugout before the game. What follows is the first half of that conversation. Enjoy.

MA: So, which teams have you seen so far this season?
NC: I've seen Tampa, I've seen Charleston and I've seen Scranton. This is the last stop.

MA: In those stops, who have you seen that you're excited about that we might be seeing here sometime soon?
NC: (Hector) Noesi has pitched well. (Adam) Warren has pitched well. ... Noesi and Warren would be the only two that have a chance right now, that are pitching well.

MA: What about those two makes them stand out?
NC: Being able to command the fastball and throw the offspeed pitches for strikes.

JN: How close a call was it to start Noesi in Trenton rather than Tampa?
NC: None at all. He just needed more time at Tampa to pitch.

JN: What about (Pat) Venditte? Is there a chance we seem here this year?
NC: There's always a chance to see anybody. Right now, no, unless someone gets hurt. Then I'd have to look in the bullpen to see who's pitching well and who's not.

Right now, anybody can come. Ortiz has pitched well closing. (Craig) Heyer has pitched well. (Brandon) Braboy is back, but he'll have to pitch a little bit more. (Dan) Kapala, we've stuck him in as a starter, and he's pitched well as a starter, but he's a reliever. Trenton Lare has pitched well at times, too.

JN: What is the situation right now with Banuelos? Was it an appendectomy?
NC: Yeah, he's still back in Mexico. We haven't seen him. It'll be a while.

JN: What is the typical recovery time for an appendectomy?
NC: I have no idea. My granddaughter, which happened just last year. The difference is: She was 5 years old. They don't take out the appendix when hers burst, because of all the infection. Adults, they go ahead and take it out.

So, I wouldn't know (about how long Banuelos might still be out of action). She (the granddaughter) was in the hospital for 32 days, in the hospital, with all the infection that was there. ... It was ugly. Hopefully that doesn't happen to us.

The first baseman/third baseman who was here last year (Jorge Vazquez). He's now back in the states, he's now hitting and working out. (He also had an appendectomy). His happened a week or two weeks before Banuelos. The time frame, I don't know, but he's back now.

I'm guessing, hoping -- hoping --that Banuelos will be coming back soon, because he's going to be a star.

MA: You've got some guys rehabbing now down in Tampa as well. Is (George) Kontos making any progress?
NC: They're all making progress. (Dellin) Betances has a chance to start at Tampa within a week or 10 days. Paul Bush will pitch tomorrow (in extended spring training) for the second time. So, I would say, one more week for him.

Kontos and (Brett) Marshall and (Andy) Shive are further away. They are doing bullpens now. They haven't started batting practices. Betances and Bush are close.

JN: What is (Andrew) Brackman working on down in Tampa?
NC: Brackman's working on, well, he's throwing strikes. That's the positive he's doing. ... His last game, numbers-wise, it looks ugly. He got two hard-hit balls against him. They day I saw him pitch was they day that -- and we weren't aware of it -- his finger was hurting him. He cut his finger during spring training. ... He had some infection and tried pitching. He gave up six, seven, eight runs the day I saw him, but everything but one ball was all groundballs in the infield or through the infield.

What he is doing is throwing strikes. He's learning now, because last year he didn't throw many strikes. He's throwing strikes now, and he's learning how to command. He needs to know how to command. He's throwing his curveball. He's learning the slider and the change-up, too. He's learning some other pitches to go along with his curveball and his fastball.

Spoke with Yankees pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras before today's game, and he gave us more than a few exciting bits of news about some of the guys around the system. Here they are in bullet form, with a full transcript to follow.

- Dellin Betances, once one of the system's top prospects, is about a week to 10 days away from coming off the DL. He's been on the shelf since last season after having ligament reinforcement surgery.

- Manny Banuelos, whom Contreras called "the Mexican Whitey Ford," is still in Mexico after having an appendectomy before getting into a game. The timetable for his return is unknown.

- Paul Bush, a former Thunder pitcher, is about to start working in extended spring training

- Jorge Vazquez, a former Thunder first baseman, also had an appendectomy and has been on the disabled list since the season started.

- Pitchers Contreras thinks could wind up at Trenton at some point this season: Hector Noesi and Adam Warren. Pat Venditte was not mentioned. Said "there's always a chance to see anybody," but, as for Venditte, "not unless somebody gets hurt."

That's it for now. Much more to come later.

Thanks to Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times Tribune for this, but John Van Benschoten has been called to Triple-A to replace Boone Logan, who was called to New York to take Chan Ho Park's spot on the roster.

With the Thunder, Van Benschoten -- a first-round selection in the 2001 draft -- was 1-0 in two games, with four innings total.

There's no word of a corresponding move for the Thunder, who are now carrying 23 players. If I had to make a guess, I'd say either Cory Arbiso or Edwar Gonzalez comes off the disabled list. If they do make a real call-up, however, I would be shocked if Pat Venditte, who has been excellent with Tampa, doesn't get the call.

The Thunder just sent out what they're calling the 2010 Player List, although the pdf is entitled "roster." Here's what they have:

Pitchers
Cory Arbiso
Wilkins Arias
Jeremy Bleich
Noel Castillo
Wilkin De La Rosa
Grant Duff
Christian Garcia
D.J. Mitchell
Lance Pendleton
David Phelps
Ryan Pope
Josh Schmidt
Eric Wordekemper
Catchers
Jose Gil
Austin Romine
Infielders
Brandon Laird
Luis Nunez
David Adams
Kevin Smith
Justin Snyder
Neall French
Marcos Vechionacci
Outfielders
Dan Brewer
Edwar Gonzalez
Austin Krum
Damon Sublett

Of course, there is one major problem here: There are 26 players, two more than the Eastern League's limit. My bet is that Neall French and one other player hit the DL almost immediately. Also, it pains me to say what all of you can plainly see, but there is no Pat Venditte on this roster. It looks like Thunder fans will have to wait to see the switch-pitcher in action.

Good morning, everybody.

After a long night of sleep after a long day of travel back from Tampa (someone should have told me before I got up at 3:15 that the Tampa Airport gates don't open until 4:30), it's back to work.

Today's main goal will be acquiring and posting the roster. I know it's out there, it's just a matter of pestering the right sources long enough. This, fair readers, is what I will do for you.

Like I said on Saturday night, after confirming about two thirds of the roster, I expect the rest of the team to shake down this way:

C - Jose Gil
1B - Kevin Smith
SS - Walter Ibarra
IF - Luis Nunez
RP - Pat Venditte
RP - Grant Duff
RP - Phil Bartleski
RP - Adam Olbrychowski

That said, it wouldn't surprise me if Nunez or Ibarra were replaced by Marcos Vechionacci, or two of the relievers were replaced by Wilkins Arias and Noel Castillo, especially considering both of them spent the entire camp with the Double-A work group.

Until the roster comes out, however, here's a few more pics from the trip to tide you over (I took 524 pics down there, according to my camera). Clockwise from top, Ramiro Pena signing autographs, Andy Pettitte lounging in the bullpen, Justin Snyder talking things over with Jody Reed, and Tony Franklin throwing BP.

Today begins the last day of The Trentonian's coverage from the site of Thunder spring training, in Tampa, Fla. As I mentioned last night, I am not quite sure where I'm going to wind up today. I could be at George M. Steinbrenner Field for the Yankees vs. Future Yankees game. I could be back at the Player Development Complex, on Himes Ave., where I have been for the last three days. I also could wind up hopping a bus for Dunedin, if the Thunder are playing there today.

I seem to have received two versions of the schedule, so my day is a bit up in the air. In any case, the major goal of the day is to find that preliminary roster and get it out there. I know it was released yesterday, so it's only a matter of asking the right people.

I also hope to sit down with Pat Venditte, David Phelps, Tony Franklin and other future Thunder players. That's all for now, keep tabs with me on Twitter under the handle jnorris427.

Also, check back tonight at 8 p.m. for a Web chat chronicling my time here.

This is going to be quick, but here's a rundown of what I did today and what I plan to do tomorrow.

I interviewed Ryan Pope (check The Trentonian for a feature tomorrow), Brandon Laird, Damon Sublett and Austin Romine. All were very good and well-spoken. Sublett had some interesting things to say about his transition from second base to the outfield, Laird talked with me about facing Stephen Strasburg in the Arizona Fall League, and Austin Romine ... well, you'll just have to wait for his feature in The Trentonian's special section, which prints on April 8, the day of the Thunder's season opener.

Tomorrow I plan to report to minor league camp around 9:00-9:30, as has been the case all week. This time, though, I'm not sure how long I'll be sticking around. One schedule I have says the Thunder are traveling to Dunedin tomorrow to play the Jays again. Another, however, says they are staying in Tampa for a camp day.

There's a Yankees vs. Future Yankees exhibition game across the street at George M. Steinbrenner Field, so that's always an option, if the game features Thunder players.

If I stay at camp, some interview targets will be David Phelps, Pat Venditte and the Thunder coaching staff. More importantly, I will be trying my best to cajole the preliminary roster, which was released today but kept away from the media, out of someone.

That's all for tonight. I'll check back in the morning.

Here's a story from the Associated Press talking about probable future Thunder pitcher Pat Venditte, who is scheduled to pitch today against the Braves in a game that is currently being played.

TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees minor league ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte is expected to pitch in his first major league spring training game during Tuesday's split-squad contest against Atlanta.

Venditte, who uses a six-finger glove, pitched at Class-A Charleston and Tampa last season, posting a combined 4-2 record with 22 saves. Venditte is an Omaha, Neb., native who pitched at Creighton University.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi says he has wanted to see Venditte pitch all spring.

Girardi earlier this spring asked that Venditte be sent over for a big league game from the minor league complex.

Yankees opening day starter CC Sabathia is scheduled to start the game with the Braves.

Also, reliever Alfredo Aceves has back tightness and will not pitch for the next few days.

Opening Day at Waterfront Park is just more than two weeks away, and there are many questions that still need answers.

How will the rotation shake out?

Will Brandon Laird play first or third base?

How about shortstop?

Where does Myron Leslie fit?

All these questions — as well as many others — will be addressed starting a week from today, when I travel to Tampa, Fla. to kick off The Trentonian’s coverage of Thunder spring training.
Over those four days, I’ll be working hard to glean every piece of information needed to provide the clearest picture possible of what the team will look like come April 8.

I’ll be in attendance at the Yankees game with the Minnesota Twins on March 31, the Thunder’s home games against the Pirates and Blue Jays, respectively, on April 1 and 2, and the Yankees vs. Future Yankees game on April 3 at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Look for coverage on Twitter (jnorris427), on my blog, through videos on The Trentonian’s Web site, and, of course, in the paper itself.
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The Thunder lost yesterday, 4-1, against the Blue Jays’ Double-A work group. Here are few notable stats from the game, provided by the team through trainer Tim Lentych.
Pitching
D.J. Mitchell: 3 IP, 3 runs
Noel Castillo: 2 IP, 1 run
Jonathan Hovis: 2 IP, 0 runs
Pat Venditte: 2 IP, 0 runs
Hitting
Austin Romine: Single
Walter Ibarra: Single
Ray Kruml: Single, RBI
Jeff Farnham: Double, run