Rays' Myers bruises quad on foul ball

BRADENTON — The way RF Wil Myers yelled and limped after fouling a pitch off his right quad Saturday didn't sound — or look — good. "The initial pain kind of scared me," he said.

But Myers, who left in the third inning of a 6-3 win over the Pirates, suffered just a bad bruise. He said he expected to be sore for a day or two but believed he wouldn't be sidelined for too long.

"I probably would have stayed in if it were a regular-season game that meant something," he said. "But we just want to be cautious."

Myers, the reigning American League rookie of the year, struggled to walk initially and was helped into the dugout by athletic trainer Paul Harker.

As odd as it is for a right-handed hitter to hit a ball off his right quad, Myers said it was the third time in his career that had happened. He felt better after treatment in the clubhouse and would see how the leg responded today.

TAKING THE FIFTH: The three remaining candidates for the fifth pitching rotation spot pitched pretty well in two split-squad games. A decision is likely next week. Veteran LHP Erik Bedard thought he did okay but wanted better offspeed command after allowing three earned runs in 41/3 innings in a 6-3 win over the Blue Jays in Port Charlotte. RHP Jake Odorizzi settled down after a two-walk first to allow one run in 32/3 innings against the Pirates. LHP Cesar Ramos relieved Odorizzi and gave up two runs in 51/3 innings.

GAME DETAILS: In Port Charlotte, minor-league OF Mikie Mahtook delivered a grand slam to cap a five-run second against the Blue Jays. 3B Evan Longoria and C Ryan Hanigan each had two hits. … Manager Joe Maddon said the bullpen was spectacular against the Blue Jays, combining for 42/3 innings of hitless relief, with RHPs Grant Balfour and Joel Peralta tossing one each. RHPs Brandon Gomes and Brad Boxberger continued their case to make the team, especially if RHP Juan Carlos Oviedo isn't ready. Boxberger struck out the side for his first save. "A lot of guys throw changeups," Maddon said. "But not like that one." … In Bradenton, OF Jerry Sands continued his hot spring with a two-run single. 2B Cole Figueroa made a diving stop in the first.

AT LAST: Oviedo, absent for camp's first month while dealing with visa issues in the Dominican Republic, reported. "I'm happy to be here. I was waiting for it, I was anxious to be here, but I didn't know what was going on," Oviedo said through interpreter and bullpen mate Joel Peralta. "I just trained at home and waited for things to happen." Maddon said Oviedo, 32, was "on the edge" of having enough time to get ready for the season.

Information from the Charlotte Sun was used in this report.