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A winter highlighted by -- among other things -- the Philadelphia Phillies putting together one of the strongest pitching rotations in recent memory ends this weekend when spring training games begin.
"Obviously, they have an outstanding rotation," says Yankees manager Joe Girardi, whose first two games Saturday and Sunday are against the back end of that rotation -- Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton. "But I remember (Atlanta's Greg) Maddux, (Tom) Glavine, (John) Smoltz, (Steve) Avery. There's three sure Hall of Famers."
Girardi's Saturday starter, meanwhile, is Bartolo Colon, who didn't pitch in the majors last year and is 14-21 since winning 21 games in 2005. Colon, 37, impressed Yankees coach Tony Pena, who managed his winter league team.
Besides, the Yankees have at least one opening in their rotation. Not so for the Phillies, unless they are inclined to trade from their greatest strength. If so, Blanton would be the most likely candidate.
That's what spring training games are about -- battling for jobs, trying to extend a career, showcasing for potential trades or just tuning up for a season.
Today's one game at Scottsdale, Ariz. features the World Series champion San Francisco Giants againt the Arizona Diamondbacks. Seven more games are scheduled for Saturday, including first at the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, just outside Scottsdale. That's a matchup between the new complex's tenants, the Diamondbacks and Rockies.
After 11 more games Sunday, every team will have played except the Orioles, White Sox, Marlins, Astros, Mets, Cardinals and Nationals. They're in action Monday as part of the spring's first full 16-game schedule.
For the second year in a row, split-squad games are more common than in previous years, thanks to the 15-15 split of teams between Florida and Arizona.
The exhibition season ends Wednesday, March 30 and the regular season begins the next day with six games, a departure from the Sunday night opener in recent years.
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