SARASOTA, FLA. -- Jason Bulger seemed like a reliever to watch for the Twins coming into spring training, but his first two outings couldn't have been much worse.
Bulger, who made the Angels opening day roster each of the past four years, gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning in today's 6-0 loss to the Orioles.
This came after he gave up five earned runs in 1/3 of an inning on Saturday against the Red Sox, so his ERA actually dropped today, from 135.00 to 81.00.
Signed to a minor-league deal, the 33-year-old righthander is trying to rediscover the form that helped him post a 3.56 ERA in 64 games for the Angels in 2009. His fastball looks OK, about 88-89 mph, which isn't bad for spring training, but he's not coming close to hitting his spots.
"Fighting a lot of things out there," Bulger said. "Obviously that's the worst start I can imagine coming into camp with a new team. I just have to put things together. There's no other reason behind it. I just have to put the ball over the plate where I need it to go."
Jared Burton, another minor-league free agent, has been just the opposite, retiring all six batters he's faced so far this spring. Burton pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning today.
Meanwhile, the Twins still like righthander Alex Burnett's raw stuff, but he's allowed three hits and two walks in two innings pitched.
I'll have more on this loss in tonight's first editions.
