Johnson strikes out six Twins over 6 1/3 sharp innings
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com



FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Randy Johnson is ready for Opening Day. Now, he just has to wait another nine days to take the ball.

Johnson made his penultimate start of the spring on Friday, limiting the Twins to one run over 6 1/3 innings while striking out six. With one start remaining, Johnson looks to be in midseason form.

"I got my work in, went deep in the game, and felt like I was pretty comfortable with all of my pitches," said Johnson, who threw 88 pitches. "I feel like my last three starts have been good starts, so I've been able to build on those."

"He was really good," said manager Joe Torre. "He looked very smooth and had a good pace going."

Johnson's final start will come on Wednesday, most likely at the Yankees' Minor League complex instead of in Lakeland against the Tigers. Johnson will throw four or five innings in the game for a final tuneup, then do a bullpen session on Saturday in Arizona.

Johnson came to camp in February with the goal of throwing between 27-30 innings, compared to the 21 1/3 he threw last spring. He has 24 1/3 frames under his belt with one outing remaining, so he should have no trouble reaching that number.

Johnson has allowed eight earned runs on 24 hits, posting a 2.96 ERA. He has struck out 24 while walking just three, a good sign for the left-hander.

"For me, it's a progressional thing," he said. "If I wasn't getting better, then it might be something to worry about. My stamina is getting there, my location is much better and I'm throwing strikes. That's the bottom line."

"His stuff is as consistent as we've seen, time after time," Torre said.

Opener in question for Jorge: Jorge Posada remained at home on Friday, two days after breaking his nose while playing catch.

Posada, who is still suffering from headaches, spoke with Torre on Friday morning, and the manager told his catcher to take his time in returning to action, even if it meant missing the regular-season opener on April 3.


"I told him, 'I'm still saying you'll be ready Opening Day, but that's not necessary,'" Torre said. "Instead of having him rush back, we need to have him feel better. We'll see how much work he can get in before we have to decide on that."

Posada also broke his nose in May 2004, causing him to miss five days. It is unclear when he will begin working out again, but Torre has no plans to pressure him into coming back before he's ready.

"I don't think we can really make a statement either way until we see him," Torre said of Posada's availability for the opener. "When he comes out and starts working out, we'll see how comfortable he is. Whether it's Opening Day or two days later is no big deal for us."

Surging Sturtze? Tanyon Sturtze allowed a solo home run on his first pitch on Thursday night, but Torre is pleased with what he has seen lately from the reliever.

Sturtze is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA this spring, but he has started to find his command, which escaped him in his early outings. Sturtze didn't pitch in games until March 12 as a result of his shoulder rehab program, but Torre is confident that he will be ready to go by Opening Day.

"I thought he was good yesterday," Torre said. "He finally feels satisfied with his stuff, which we've been trying to convince him of for a while. I think he's free and easy, the ball is jumping. It's fine with me."

Torre plans to use Sturtze and Kyle Farnsworth in the late innings to set up Mariano Rivera, alternating the two right-handers in the seventh or eighth innings to keep them fresh.

"I still have the same mind-set that both of those guys are in the same category," Torre said.

Minor Moose: Mike Mussina will pitch in a Minor League game on Saturday, as he was scheduled to pitch against Tampa Bay in each of his final two spring starts.

Mussina will face Triple-A Durham at the Yankees' Minor League complex. He will make his final start on Thursday against the Devil Rays at Legends Field before the Yankees head west for two exhibition games against the Diamondbacks.

Coming up: The Yankees travel to St. Petersburg on Saturday to take on the Devil Rays at 1:05 p.m. ET. Matt Childers gets the start for New York, while Edwin Jackson takes the mound for Tampa Bay.