Zito Bounces Back

I watched a little bit of yesterday's 4-3 win against the White Sox, and Barry Zito looked like he finally got his shit together. Facing pretty much Chicago's A lineup, he went 5 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while getting his first four strikeouts of the spring. Zito's next start against major leaguers will be March 31, opening day against the Dodgers. He concludes Cactus League play with a 10.31 ERA. Not great by any means, but at least he was able to finish well.

In appears, the bullpen competition has come down to four guys for the last two spots: right-handers Merkin Valdez and Keiichi Yabu, and lefties Steve Kline and Erick Threets. My hope and my guess is that youngsters Valdez and Threets get the spots, with Yabu going back to Triple-A and Kline getting traded or released.