St. Louis Cardinals: Jason Isringhausen won't pitch in an exhibition game until next week, and the closer could start the season on the disabled list.

Isringhausen, who had surgery during the offseason to repair a frayed labrum, felt stiffness in his right shoulder Wednesday, a day before he was to appear in his first game.

"This is our first setback," Isringhausen said Thursday. "It felt 110 percent better today but they just kind of pushed me back four days."

Isringhausen had 32 saves in 38 chances last season.

"I'd rather be pitching in May than try to pitch in April and then not pitch again till June," he said. "I was going pretty quick for a while and then reality set in a little bit, but we're not in any big hurry."

St. Louis also cut four players Thursday. Right-handed reliever Mike Crudale, who had a 1.88 ERA on last season's NL Central championship team, was optioned to the minor leagues along with catcher Javier Molina. Infielder Kurt Abbott and left-handed reliever Kevin Ohme were assigned to the minor league complex.

Colorado Rockies: Left-hander Denny Neagle, battling a sore elbow, had a bullpen session and will be evaluated on Friday.

Neagle, who missed his last scheduled start due to soreness in his left elbow, threw in Tucson on Thursday before the Rockies played San Francisco in Phoenix.

Neagle is expected to throw on the side again on Saturday and Monday, and if he doesn't have any setbacks would pitch against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

"`He has to finish pitches," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "We'll see how it goes, but he might throw to hitters in the third one to heighten the adrenaline issue."

Neagle, scheduled to be Colorado's Opening-Day starter, felt soreness in his elbow after a game against Seattle on March 9. He tried to throw again on Friday, but left after one batter in the fourth inning.

Neagle had arthroscopic surgery after last season, but tests on Saturday didn't show any new inflammation or structural damage.

Hurdle said Wednesday's game will determine whether Neagle pitches the opener.

"I think he'd have to throw in the range of 75 pitches," Hurdle said. ``Historically, he's been a 20-pitch-per-inning guy. I'm looking to get at least four innings out of him."

Kansas City Royals Out since March 10 with a strained muscle on his right side, Carlos Beltran probably will begin the season on the disabled list instead of in the Royals' outfield.

"Beltran is not close," Royals manager Tony Pena said Thursday night. "I don't think he'll be ready for Opening Day."

Royals general manager Allard Baird doesn't know when Beltran might play again.

"With this type of injury, you don't want to rush it," Baird said. "We'll be very conservative on having him to come back.

"We don't want to rush him back, tear it with one swing and then be out eight to nine weeks."

Pena said if Beltran starts the season on the disabled list, Michael Tucker probably would play center field.

New York Mets: David Cone took a huge step toward landing a spot in the Mets' rotation on Thursday night, allowing one run in four innings as New York beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8-2.

The 40-year-old right-hander, trying to make a comeback after sitting out last season, gave up three hits and struck out four, including two of the final three batters he faced.

"I probably had more velocity in the fourth inning, and my best stuff too," he said. "It's encouraging to have your last inning be your strongest."

The Devil Rays touched Cone for one run in the first inning, after Carl Crawford singled to open the game, moving to third on a stolen base and ground ball and scoring on a sacrifice fly.

"I know I'm getting a legitimate look or they wouldn't be giving me all these innings," Cone said. "It's more than I could have asked for."

Cone has been in a battle with right-handers Jason Middlebrook, Aaron Heilman and Jae Weong Seo, along with left-hander Mike Bacsik to make the Mets' starting rotation.

Right-hander Pedro Astacio might miss his first two starts of the season with biceps tendinitis.

Toronto Blue Jays: Roy Halladay pitched another six shutout innings Thursday night in the longest start by any Toronto pitcher this spring, but the Blue Jays lost 1-0 to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Halladay, Toronto's Opening-Day starter, allowed four hits while walking two and striking out two. He made 73 pitches, 46 of them strikes.

Pinch hitter Tyler Houston drove in the only run with a seventh-inning single.

A 19-game winner and All-Star last year, Halladay extended his scoreless streak this spring to 15 innings over five starts.

"Things have gone well so far," Halladay said. "I certainly expect to have to battle a little more as the season unfolds."

He's scheduled to make one more start before his regular-season assignment March 31 in Toronto against the New York Yankees.

"It was good today because I got to work out of a jam," Halladay said of allowing two base runners to reach scoring position for the first time this spring. "Today was the best work I got all spring, but I would like to do my last start by finishing on the field."

Cleveland Indians: Ricky Gutierrez couldn't pick up a baseball or his kids without jolting pain.

Yet despite tingling in his arms and numbness across his shoulders, the Indians' infielder continued to play for 4½ months last season.

Eventually, he relented and said he was hurting. Only then did he learn what he risked.

Now, just four months after undergoing delicate spinal surgery, the 32-year-old Gutierrez is making an unexpected comeback.

On Thursday, Gutierrez, who has been switched from second base to third, fielded grounders in a game for the first time since Aug. 15. It was just his second game in the field since Oct. 7 when he had two vertebrae in his neck fused to take pressure off his spine.

"I'm just trying to get back into the baseball mode after not playing for so long," said Gutierrez, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI for Triple-A Buffalo. "Everything is coming along."

Gutierrez is coming along so fast, he thinks it's "50-50" he'll be ready for the season opener. Not long ago, his odds were much longer.

Indians manager Eric Wedge hasn't ruled out Gutierrez being in his Opening-Day lineup.

Atlanta Braves: Horacio Ramirez might be close to securing the fifth spot in the Braves' rotation.

The left-hander won his fourth game of spring training _ tops among National League pitchers -- and allowed two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings as the Braves beat the Montreal Expos 6-3 Thursday night.

In 18 innings, he's given up three earned runs. He struck out four and hit a batter.

"Pretty impressive," Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said. "He was excellent. He's been as good as anybody."

Rafael Furcal, playing for the first time since Friday after aggravating his sprained left ankle, had two hits.

Ramirez is trying to beat out Jason Marquis, last year's No. 5 starter. He cruised through five innings but gave up five hits and all three runs in the sixth.

Marquis, bothered by a sore shoulder early in the spring, is 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA and has started only once.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Hideo Nomo was named the Opening Day starter by Dodgers manager Jim Tracy.

Nomo, who is entering his sixth season with the club, will be making his first Opening Day start for the Dodgers when he faces Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 31 at Bank One Ballpark.

Nomo also started on Opening Day while with the Detroit Tigers in 2000.

"He's earned it. He'll do a heck of a job for us," Tracy said.

Tracy also announced that Odalis Perez will pitch the second game and Kevin Brown the third game of the opening series in Arizona. The final two spots in the rotation are being contested by Kazuhisa Ishii, Darren Dreifort and Andy Ashby.

Baltimore Orioles: The team's exhibition game on March 28 against the New York Mets has been moved from Camden Yards to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Orioles officials made the switch Thursday to give the team three more days to get Camden Yards ready for the March 31 season opener against the Cleveland Indians.

"The severe weather conditions this winter hindered our ability to prepare the ballpark for this exhibition game as well as the season itself," Orioles chief operating officer Joe Foss said.

Lagging ticket sales for the exhibition game also played a part in the decision to move the game.

The March 28 game in Fort Lauderdale is scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Orioles will conclude their exhibition season the following day against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.

Lopez relishes first Opening Day start: It's already been a remarkable month for Rodrigo Lopez, whose wife gave birth to the couple's first child two weeks ago.

Now, after being selected as Baltimore's starting pitcher against the Cleveland Indians on March 31, the right-hander is poised to reach another milestone.

"It's probably the best thing to happen to me my whole career. It didn't even happen to me in the minor leagues," Lopez said Thursday. "It means a lot. It's an honor to me that I can start on opening day."

Houston Astros: Jeriome Robertson calm and steady approach -- and the fact he showed enough in 12 appearances in the majors last season -- have put him in a neck-and-neck battle with Tim Redding for the fifth spot in Houston's rotation.

Knuckleballer Jared Fernandez dropped out at least temporarily when he was reassigned to the minor leagues on Wednesday.

Robertson offers his versatility as a possible selling point for his advance to the majors. He went to the bullpen for the first time in his career in 2001, making 57 appearances and pitching 73 2/3 innings for Double-A Round Rock.

Robertson moved back into a starting role last season at Triple-A New Orleans and compiled a 12-8 record and he led the Pacific Coast League with a 2.55 ERA and 180 innings pitched. He was named Pacific Coast League pitcher of the year.

"Jeriome's sinker and change are much better this spring," Astros pitching coach Burt Hooton said. "He changes speeds well and his ball moves. He just needs to keep the ball down at all times to be successful here, but he knows all that stuff. He's a sharp kid who's come a long way in the last two or three years."

Boston Red Sox: Pedro Martinez pitched five strong innings in his best outing of the spring as the Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 5-3 Thursday.

David Ortiz hit a two-run home run for Boston, and Nomar Garciaparra and Jeremy Giambi each added solo homers. Shea Hillenbrand went 2-for-3 to improve his spring training average to .500.

Martinez allowed one run in the first inning, then settled down and retired the last seven batters he faced and 13 of the last 14. He gave up three hits, struck out five and walked none.

"Everything seemed to be working,'' said Martinez, who won for the first time this spring. "I had a good changeup and good control of the breaking ball. I threw it against some of the young guys there who couldn't quite read it, so that gave me a little bit of an advantage.''

Starter Adam Bernero gave up three runs in five innings for Detroit, which scored two runs in the ninth on George Lombard's homer and Matt Walbeck's RBI double off Chad Fox. Bobby Higginson had two hits for the Tigers, and Dmitri Young had two hits and an RBI.

Despite a 1-2 record, Martinez said he feels extremely strong compared to recent springs.

"I could tell from the first day I threw on the side that my arm had some more strength and flexibility,'' Martinez said. "Compared to last year, I didn't know where to stand and I didn't feel comfortable on the mound at all. This year has been different.''

Pittsburgh Pirates: Kenny Lofton singled in his first at-bat with the Pirates and later walked and scored a run Thursday during a 7-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Lofton, 35, agreed to $1,025,000, one-year contract last Friday. He had played in three minor league games before making his debut with the major league club.

"My legs aren't exactly where I want them to be, but it's normal,'' said Lofton, who had been working out on his own.

Lofton and the Pirates faced a lineup of minor league pitchers, and none of them batted. In an unusual move, the managers agreed to use the designated hitter in a NL game.

Reds manager Bob Boone wanted to get third baseman Brandon Larson some at-bats without forcing him to play the field. Larson has been sidelined twice this spring by a strained rib cage.

Baseball gave permission to use the DH. Larson, who hadn't played since last Sunday, went 1-for-4.

Shortstop Barry Larkin was hit on the inside of the right elbow by a pitch from Pittsburgh's Joe Beimel in the third inning and left the game as a precaution.

New York Yankees: Sterling Hitchcock does not expect to be with the Yankees much longer.

The left-hander allowed six runs and nine hits over 5 2-3 innings in a minor league game Thursday.

Scouts from Colorado, Florida, Los Angeles, Montreal and Texas were on hand to watch. Cincinnati and Minnesota are among the teams that scouted Hitchcock earlier this spring.

"At this point, it's nice to be wanted -- hopefully, just get a chance to move on and get a chance to pitch somewhere,'' he said. "It would be nice to put everything behind me and know what's going to happen.''

Hitchcock would like to remain a starting pitcher.

"That's what I've done my whole life, and it's what I want to continue to do,'' Hitchcock said. "I'm looking forward to an opportunity to get out there.''

Among seven starters on the Yankees' roster, Hitchcock would be used as a long reliever if he starts the season with New York.

"I don't know how close anything has gotten at this point,'' Hitchcock said.

Hitchcock is in the final season of a $12 million, two-year contract. His agent, Tommy Tanzer, said he appreciated the fact the Yankees have given Hitchcock an opportunity to pitch as a starter in spring training.

"It's hard to keep him in a long man role,'' Tanzer said.

Chicago White Sox: White Sox right-hander Danny Wright was back on the mound Thursday, pitching in a game situation for the first time since March 4.

The 25-year-old, who entered spring training projected to be the No. 4 starter, had been sidelined with inflammation in his pitching elbow .

Head trainer Herm Schneider thought Wright tried to throw too hard in his opening game against Arizona. The team still expects Wright to be ready for his first start of the season, probably on April 6 against Detroit.

Wright did struggle with his control Thursday, pitching in an intrasquad game against White Sox minor leaguers. The rest of the big league team had the day off.

He was scheduled for 45 pitches, but threw only 30 over two innings. Wright allowed two runs and three hits, while walking one and striking out one.

"I felt good,'' he said. "Went out there and tried it out and it felt great. I didn't throw the ball where I wanted to. I was a little wild, but I felt great and that's the main thing. ... I wanted to see where I was and for sure not overthrow. Everything felt good.''

Wright was 14-12 with a 5.18 ERA last season, going 7-2 with a 3.90 ERA over his last nine starts. He reported no soreness, but didn't throw a curveball.

Chicago Cubs: Sammy Sosa hit an opposite-field, two-run homer and Trenidad Hubbard also connected as the Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 6-4 Thursday.

Winner Juan Cruz held the Padres hitless for 4 1-3 innings before rookie Xavier Nady doubled into the left-field corner. Cruz allowed just one hit and struck out six in five innings. He walked one.

Alex Gonzalez hit a two-run double with two outs in the third to start Chicago's scoring. Sosa homered on Francisco Cordova's next pitch for a 4-0 lead.

It was Sosa's second of the spring. His first homer in the regular season will be his 500th.

Hubbard, who was with the Padres last season, hit a two-run homer in the fifth off Clay Condrey.

Cordova, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2000, allowed four runs and six hits in four innings, and was the loser. He is likely to start the season in the bullpen.

Arizona Diamondbacks: David Dellucci hit a second-inning grand slam and Matt Williams followed with another homer as the Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers 15-2 Thursday.

Dellucci added a two-run single in the third. He was hit by a pitch by Mike Buddie in the fifth, prompting plate umpire Brian Knight to warn to both benches. Dellucci was 3-for-3 and scored two runs.

Winner John Patterson gave up one run and eight hits in five innings. After giving up a run and four hits in the first, Patterson scattered four hits over the next four innings, never facing more than four batters in an inning.

"I did not have my best stuff today. I knew that,'' Patterson said. "So to go out there and get it done and to get out of jams was positive.''