Romo gets a precious birthday gift, Sosa impresses, Velez and Schierholtz look like different hitters
BY ANDREW BAGGARLY

Sergio Romo always points at the sky when he crosses the foul line after the third out. He did it again Thursday after saving the Giants 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

But this time, it was an especially significant moment.

It was Romo's first appearance of the spring. It came in the Giants second Cactus League game and their first at Scottsdale Stadium.

It was the same exact situation as last year,” Romo said.

Except last year, he got shelled by the Dodgers. He only threw 80 mph. And then he began to feel a grinding, throbbing pain in his elbow. Tests later revealed a partially torn ligament that he was able to strengthen with rest and rehab. But he missed the remainder of the spring and he didn't appear in a major league game until May 30.

I don't care what happened today,” Romo said. I could've gotten lit up. They could've done anything against me. But my first one is over and my arm's not stuck. I felt normal. I actually felt like a pitcher today.”

Because of Romo's slight stature and arm-dragging delivery, durability always will be a question mark. But when he's healthy, he's beyond effective. His funhouse mirror stuff can overwhelm major league hitters.

He's as healthy as ever right now.

That's the best I've felt in the spring,” he said, after striking out two in a perfect ninth.

Romo also was feeling good because it was his 27th birthday. When his mother asked what he'd like to have, he responded with one word: Food.”

Empanadas and homemade guacamole. That's what he'll have tonight. He was told to invite his best buddies on the team, too, just like last spring. Pablo Sandoval was among the attendees at his birthday dinner a year ago.

And now that fried foods aren't part of the Pandas approved diet?

I thought about it, but no, that's not a good idea,” said Romo, smiling. I want a spot on this team.”

"Keep an eye on right-hander Henry Sosa, who is throwing hard again. His fastball was in the 93-95 mph range and he maintained it through his two innings against the Brewers today.

Sosa probably needs more mound time before he'd make an impact in the big leagues, but his stuff always has overwhelmed the competition whenever he's been healthy. Unfortunately for the Giants, that hasn't been the case too often.

As I've written for Baseball America in the past, Sosa injured his back and shoulder because he'd do 500 push-ups at night to try to work out all his energy after a game.

Try some valerian tea, Henry. And keep throwing strikes.

"Check the notebook later tonight for the full rundown on the Prince Fielder beaning, including the last word From Bruce Bochy on whether matters have been settled.

There's also health updates on Emmanuel Burriss, Mark DeRosa, Thomas Neal and others.

While there's plenty about Barry Zito's beanball, I didn't delve into how Zito actually pitched. The nutshell version: His fastball was 84-86 mph and his curveball command wasn't great. He said he'd focus on fastball/changeup in his next start because his feel for the curve usually comes the quickest. He's not concerned about that.

"Maybe the most impressive play Thursday was a relay from right fielder Eugenio Velez to second baseman Nick Noonan that resulted in an out at the plate.

Velez is looking more and more comfortable wherever the Giants put him in the outfield this spring. He's also hitting out of a more upright stance and has a little less weight shift going on.

But the biggest swing change difference, on an eyeball basis, belongs to Nate Schierholtz.

I wrote a little about him last month, including his new use of batting gloves. Schierholtz watched how Sandoval's bat stays so long in the strike zone and he wanted to emulate that.

But there is one other obvious change I hadn't noticed right away: Schierholtz no longer releases his left hand. He now grips the bat with both hands all the way through his swing. In theory, he's trading plate coverage for power. That's a very good trade, since he ended up rolling over most of those outside pitches, anyway.


Final play of the game? A slow roller, nicely charged and scooped by the third baseman. His name? Ryan Rohlinger.

You just knew he'd do something to beat the Brewers.