Jason Schmidt looks fantastic in intrasquad game

He threw 11 pitches, nine for strikes, and retired three (Juan Pierre, Mark Loretta, Matt Kemp) of the four batters he faced. Casey Blake was the only guy to reach, pulling a first-pitch smash down the third-base line on which Luis Maza made a diving stop. He threw high to first, allowing Blake to reach, but in a regular-season game, it would have been scored a hit because fielder's are rarely penalized for a bad throw after taking away a sure hit with the glove. Anyway, Schmidt said he felt great, but he admitted that he'll never have a high-90s fastball. In the same breath, he said that shouldn't mean a dramatic change to the type of pitcher he is.
``I always tried to pitch like I was a finesse guy anyway, trying to mix it up all the time and trying to hit my spots. I'll try to take the same approach. The first time I had surgery in 2000, I started off at 85 (mph) ... and I was effective then. Some of my better games were when I had less velocity. I know I can do it. It's just a matter of getting my command.''
Schmidt admitted it will take a little while for that to happen, but he said he expects it to happen sometime during spring training.
By the way, Greg Miller had a rough inning because of a defensive miscue behind him, but other than that, he was around the plate. That was good to see. He's a great kid, and everyone is rooting for him.