to move on when they signed

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels threw off the mound for the first time this spring on Wednesday morning, an important step in his eventual return to the rotation. Hamels made his first career opening day start in 2013 and is unlikely to be ready for the assignment this year. Hamels entered camp behind schedule after battling biceps soreness in November. He was told to stop throwing and halt his weightlifting program for the rest of the winter. On the mound, Hamels threw 35 pitches in his side session. "Very encouraging," manager Ryne Sandberg said. Although the Phillies expect Hamels to be ready at some point in April, they are not going to push him in an effort to get him to the mound on opening day or the first week of the season. "If you do that with a guy, hes pressing to get ready for one, and thats the last thing we want to do," pitching coach Bob McClure said. "Two, if hes only up to 60 pitches or something like that, now youre going to tax your bullpen. I know hes anxious because he feels so good. But I think we kind of need to take a cautious road here." McClure said Hamels looked "really, really good" in his workout. The 30-year-old Hamels is in the second season since signing the most lucrative contract in Phillies history, a six-year deal worth $144 million. Hamels often pitched in bad luck last year, racking up just one win in the seasons first two months. But he had a 2.68 ERA in the seasons final three months and reached the 200-inning plateau for the fourth straight season. Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP, finished at 8-14 with a 3.60 ERA in 33 starts. Andrew Heaney Jersey . With a win tonight, Buehrle will match Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka for the most wins in the majors with 11. Buehrle is 10-4 with a 2.32 earned run average, but has lost his last three starts, including a 7-3 setback at Yankee Stadium last Wednesday. Bud Norris Jersey .C. -- The shot that would have beaten No. http://www.baseballangelslockroom.com/cliff-pennington-angels-jersey/ . - Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que. Custom Los Angeles Angels Jerseys . PAUL, Minn. Darin Erstad Jersey .com) - The Milwaukee Bucks will try to get another win on this homestand Thursday night when they welcome the Utah Jazz to the Bradley Center. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Royals ace James Shields is open to staying in Kansas City beyond this season. That news should make the thousands of fans, already flying high over the teams strong finish a year ago, feel even better as they turned out for their annual FanFest on Friday. The Royals exercised their $13.5 million option on Shieldss contract shortly after going 86-76 last season, their best finish since 1989. The durable right-hander was a big reason behind the success, going 13-9 with a 3.15 ERA in an American League-leading 228.2 innings. Shields told a small group of reporters at Bartle Hall that he was willing to discuss an extension, but he said those talks with general manager Dayton Moore have not taken place. "Id definitely be open-minded to it," Shields said. "A player in my position, where I have one more year left before free agency, I mean, Im definitely open to it. I like Kansas City. I like the organization and I like the direction were going." If Shields went to the open market, its unlikely that the Royals would be a player in the chase. There were reports this off-season that he would seek a contract similar to that of former Royals star Zack Greinke, who signed a $147 million, six-year deal with the Dodgers last season. "Thats absolutely not true at all," Shields said. "I have no clue where he got that from, to be honest with you. Ive had no discussions with Dayton at all. "If Dayton wants to talk about it, Im more than willing to sit and talk about it. But during the season, my main focus is trying to win games and get some wins for this team." Pitchers and catchers are due to report to Surprise, Ariz., for the start of spring training on Feb. 14. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 20. Most of the Royals key pieces return from lasst season, when they contended into September for the first time in a decade.dddddddddddd Their two biggest holes were filled by trading reliever Will Smith to Milwaukee for right field Norichika Aoki and signing Omar Infante to solidify second base. "I didnt think our defence could get any better," Shields said, "but theyre definitely filling some holes that we had. And theyre great additions to our lineup." Then theres the starting rotation, where Ervin Santana has become a free agent. While the right-hander has yet to sign elsewhere, the Royals appeared to move on when they signed left-hander Jason Vargas to a contract early in the off-season. Along with Jeremy Guthrie, the first three spots in the rotation are set. That leaves two up for grabs among a handful of candidates, including starters-turned-relievers Wade Davis and Luke Hochevar, veteran Bruce Chen, left-hander Danny Duffy and flame-thrower Yordano Ventura. "Ive just been working hard, resting my arm," said Ventura, who had a 3.52 ERA in three late-season starts in Kansas City. "Ive just been getting ready because I want to get out there and make the team." That doesnt figure to be an easy task given the glut of competition. "Its a competitive game anyway," Davis said. "Why not do it from within a little bit?" Davis said that he spent the off-season in the weight room, and pronounced himself more ready for this season than any previous year. He also said that hes already been throwing some bullpen sessions, giving him a head start on reporting for spring training. 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