Kevin Millwood threw eight innings against the Tampa Bay Rays Triple-A players on one of the back fields at the Ed Smith Stadium complex and declared himself ready for the season, at least in terms of endurance. He threw 102 pitches, but said he will scale that down to 50 or 60 in his final tuneup before the season opener. He has not been announced as the Opening Day starter, but that is a formality.
"Everything felt good,'' he said. "It was like a normal day on the mound. I felt like I located my fastball well, threw some good changeups and I thought my slider was good."