Brad Bergesen was more upbeat about his performance in his second start of the spring than he was after his first.
"Actually, (I felt) a lot better than the first outing, as far as mechanics go,'' he said. "I felt much more smooth and that much more like myself. That was the positive. The negative was really the one pitch to Ortiz. That was really it."
That one glitch was a slider to David Ortiz, who knocked it over the right field fence for a two-run homer.
"I fell behind him 3-1 and ended up hanging a slider,'' Bergesen said. "Right on his sweet spot."
Bergesen said he's feeling progressively more comfortable, but still has some work to do to get back where he was when that wicked comebacker by Billy Butler knocked him out the 2009 season.
"I still don't feel quite where I need to be but it's good that it is spring training right now and I am able to get about three more outings before the season starts,'' Bergesen said. "This one was that much better than last one as far as getting back to where I need to be and hopefully I can just keep doing that the next three or four outings and be ready for the season."
And the two injuries he is coming back from?
"That's not on my mind right now,'' he said. "I'm just trying to locate in the strike zone. I'm working behind too many hitters."