Cueto wasn't razor sharp, but then he usually isn't. He's usually just wild enough to make standing in the batter's box cause hitters to think they need a blindfold and a cigarette.

Cueto held the Toronto Blue Jays to one run and four hits over four innings in a 5-4 10-inning loss on Sunday, March 15.

"I was impressed with his ability to throw his fastball under the hands of righthanders when he needed that pitch," Hanigan said.

One came in a rocky first inning when he faced Scott Rolen with two outs and two on. The battle went nine pitches before he slipped a fastball under Rolen's arms for strike three on a full count.

"It was like a cool challenge because he is such a veteran hitter, a good hitter," Cueto said.

Cueto threw 73 pitches, 42 strikes - probably not enough strikes. And he threw first-pitch strikes to 11 of 18 hitters - probably not enough first-pitch strikes.

"He changed speeds well, but I would like to see him get ahead of hitters a little more," Hanigan said. "What was positive was when he did get in trouble a couple of times he really settled in and didn't panic and made pitches."

Of the at-bat against Rolen, Hanigan said, "Rolen is a great hitter, has a good swing, sees the ball and is a tough guy to strike out. Johnny worked him up and in, threw him off-speed, trying to get him to fish, then at the end threw a fastball out of the zone and won that one that time.

"He buckled down with men on base and didn't make mistakes," Hanigan added.

Cueto said his return to camp was as if somebody lifted a delivery van off his chest.

"This is fun, this feels better," he said. "There was a lot of pressure (at the World Baseball Classic), especially on the pitchers. For the Dominicans there was a lot of pressure to win."

Cueto did his part, pitching 4 2/3 scoreless innings against Panama, the one game the Dominicans won.

And there was another positive pitching appearance - one scoreless inning by relief pitcher Bill Bray, who started camp with a sore shoulder and then lost more time with a sore hamstring.

"A good day, especially a good finish (a strikeout)," Bray said. "The hamstring is great, the shoulder is great, everything is good.

"The shoulder was good two weeks ago and then, of course, I decide to go running in the outfield one day and, 'Pop.' It was kind of, 'What next?' "

Bray turned toward his locker, knocked on the wooden frame and said, "I'm looking forward to pitching the rest of the spring and getting the season started."