He may have allowed his first run in an Angels uniform on Thursday, but lefty C.J. Wilson turned in his third straight solid start as the Angels knocked off the Reds, 3-1, at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Jeff Luhnow, then working in scouting and player development for the St. Louis Cardinals, remembers how touted the kid was. “I've been a Landon Powell fan since the [2004] Draft,” the Astros' new general manager said.

Nationals right-hander Chien-Ming Wang left Thursday's game against the Yankees in the third inning after falling down while running toward first base after fielding a ground ball.

They may have expected the news, but that did not make it any less disappointing for Mets top pitching prospects Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia. Harvey and Familia were among 11 players in the first round of cuts from big league camp Thursday morning.

Fortunately for the Reds, the season isn't about to start. If it were, they'd likely be short three relievers from their projected seven-man bullpen — closer Ryan Madson and setup men Nick Masset and Bill Bray.

Braves right fielder Jason Heyward spent countless hours during the offseason conditioning his body and reconstructing a once potent swing that he had lost while battling a sore right shoulder and consistent stretches of frustration last year.

Outfielder Josh Hamilton was back in the lineup on Thursday, but Mike Napoli remains sidelined with a strained left groin muscle. Hamilton, who started in center, had to come out of Wednesday's game with a jammed right heel that occurred while chasing down a double into the corner.

Building Josh Johnson up to 100 pitches by Opening Day isn't the Marlins' top priority. Getting their ace sharp and staying healthy is of bigger concern.

While Giancarlo Stanton's left wrist is showing improvement, the Marlins' slugger is also dealing with a sore knee.

Michael Pineda was asked about the velocity of his fastball after Thursday's start against the Nationals, and he shrugged.

Astros Minor League pitcher Angel Heredia has received a 50-game suspension after he tested positive for two performance-enhancing substances, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

A year ago tomorrow, Kyle Drabek recorded his second win of the 2011 Grapefruit League season and seemed to be on a promising path toward greatness.

Endy Chavez added another accomplishment to his already impressive spring, leading off Thursday's game by blasting a solo homer off Justin Verlander. Chavez finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs, boosting his Grapefruit League batting average to .421.

Earlier this week at Port St. Lucie, Fla., R.A. Dickey watched as Frank Viola III climbed atop a bullpen mound and began throwing desperation pitches one by one. Some knuckled. Some did not. But enough of them fluttered with enough potential to catch his mentor's eye.

Chase Utley has not played a single inning in a single Grapefruit League game, with Opening Day just three weeks away. He has not fielded a ground ball during batting practice or participated in fielding drills in weeks.

When converted to closing, most pitchers see a dramatic leap in their strikeout rates. Yet in his first season as a full-time closer, Joel Hanrahan averaged fewer than a strikeout an inning.

Make no mistake about it: Joe Mauer is still the face of this franchise. As he goes, so go the Twins.