Many MLB teams cross their fingers and hope their pitchers stay healthy

La Velle's 3-2 Pitch: Three observations and two predictions on Sundays.

It's been challenging for major league pitching coaches the past two-plus seasons.

They had to deal with two training camps in 2020 because of the pandemic, one on schedule, the other after the season was suspended. Then they wanted to be careful in 2021 because routines were altered so much in 2020.

When 2022 looked to be a season in which pitchers could have a normal offseason and spring training, labor strife interfered. The lockout delayed the opening of camps until March 12, forcing teams to have an abbreviated, and accelerated, spring training.

The regular season is now upon us, but many clubs enter it with fingers crossed.

Because of the lockout, teams could not contact their players during the offseason to check on workouts and the ramp-up to spring training. This particularly affects pitchers.

The Cardinals were stunned to find out after the lockout ended that righthander Jack Flaherty experienced discomfort in his shoulder while preparing for the unknown start of camp. Mets ace Jacob deGrom will miss several weeks with a shoulder blade issue. Max Scherzer, the Mets' other ace, is treating a sore hamstring. White Sox righthander Lance Lynn pulled up in a recent spring game and needed knee surgery. The Padres' Mike Clevinger, coming back from Tommy John surgery, landed on the injured list with a sore knee.

There is concern that this is just the beginning of pitchers breaking down early.

It is entirely possible that some teams and players ignored the gag order, or used back channels to send messages to each other. Regardless, this is the era of treating pitchers as carefully as possible. The lockout interfered with clubs keeping tabs on their pitchers.

Some pitchers might be pushing too hard to be ready for Opening Day when a long-term view should be taken.

The Twins are being cautious with their arms, preparing them to throw 60 to 65 pitches their first time through the rotation. Sonny Gray threw 48 pitches in his final spring outing, with no extra work in the bullpen. Bailey Ober threw 56 in his final start. The Twins normally are cautious with their pitchers' workloads, but they announced after the trade for Chris Paddack on Thursday that they will use a six-man rotation the first week of the season.

What does that say about the Twins' concerns about the health of their arms?

Other teams have not been as cautious. The Phillies' Aaron Nola threw 70 pitches in his last spring training outing. Teammate Kyle Gibson threw 72. The Tigers' Casey Mize threw 77. The Tigers' Eduardo Rodriguez threw 83. And the Dodgers' Walker Buehler tossed 85. We will see how these different approaches work.

And if there is a rash of injuries in April, it will be another reason to blame the lockout. A greater effort to reach a labor agreement in January would have avoided all of this.

Roy Williams in the spotlight

The focus last weekend was on Mike Krzyzewski's final days as Duke men's basketball coach, with his long run ending with a loss to North Carolina in the national semifinals.

I was fixated on something else. A Roy Williams bowl. And the Tar Heels' victory over the Blue Devils made it possible as Kansas, once coached by Williams, edged North Carolina, Williams' alma mater and where he ended his career.

Having worked at the Kansas City Star for nine years, I crossed paths with Williams a couple of times as he took the Jayhawks to four Final Fours. He's also a big baseball fan.

So it was neat to see Williams in the stands during North Carolina's run to the title game. He let it be known that his affection for his Tar Heels is deeper than it is for Kansas. But it's too bad Williams couldn't have been used on the CBS broadcast before the championship game.

Remembering Challenger

This is the third time in five seasons the Twins have opened their home schedule against the Mariners. In 2018, Seattle was part of one of the more memorable Opening Days in Twins history.

While the players were lined up and local singer Dessa belted out "The Star-Spangled Banner," a bald eagle named Challenger was to fly into the stadium and land on the arm of its handler near home plate. But Challenger became confused upon entry and flew into left field, where Mariners lefthander James Paxton — Seattle's starting pitcher that day — stood.

After landing on the ground, Challenger flew over to Paxton and attempted to land on his right shoulder before sliding off. A packed Target Field reacted in astonishment. Paxton just stood there. "I'm not going to outrun an eagle," he told reporters later.

And yes, the Twins thought about bringing Challenger back on Friday.

"We looked into it," Dave St. Peter said. "But Challenger is retired and/or deceased. Not sure which one."

... AND TWO PREDICTIONS ...

Winning at WAR

Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco will each have a WAR over 5.0 this season. The world champion Atlanta Braves didn't have that many last year.