PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. _ Steven Matz made it through a 55-pitch flat-ground session Monday morning, despite his recent elbow flare-up, but his status for the first week of the regular season remains in doubt.
Matz was scratched from Monday's scheduled Grapefruit League start because of elbow tenderness. In its place, Matz threw from roughly 70 feet, in four separate, inning-type parts, with a pause between, under the guidance of pitching coach Dan Warthen.
"I wasn't too worried about it," Matz said. "Just had to back it down. It felt good."
Warthen did see a potential flaw in Matz's delivery, however, that the two tried to correct during Monday's session. As Warthen explained, he was trying to "shorten" Matz's arm angle, in an effort to cause "less bang" on the elbow. Matz had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and had a large bone spur removed from the elbow last October.
"I guess sometimes I get a little long when I'm out there in the game, when I'm trying to throw harder," Matz said. "[Now] just trying to get back to my normal arm slot. You just create havoc sometimes. That's something Dan noticed."
What the two failed to address, however, is a timeline for Matz's return. Sandy Alderson said Sunday that the team's medical staff assured him the elbow was structurally sound. But Terry Collins sounded skeptical Matz could return to the rotation for the beginning of the season if he doesn't make another start this week. As for Matz, he's trying not to look that far ahead.
"I haven't put too much thought in it, honestly," Matz said. "I'm just focused on today. I got through a good day throwing, and I'll focus on tomorrow now. Then whatever happens, happens. It's out of my control. I'm just going to try to do the best I can to get on that mound. So whatever works out, works out."
With Matz limited to Monday's flat-ground session, the two competitors for his potential vacancy in the rotation each had split-squad, Grapefruit League starts: Zack Wheeler against the Cardinals in Jupiter, and Seth Lugo facing the Nationals at First Data Field. When asked this recent bout of elbow discomfort was like anything he had felt before, Matz declined to elaborate.
"I don't know," Matz said. "It's in the past. I'm just worried about today, honestly. I don't want to overthink anything."
That includes how he might feel Tuesday morning, which will determine the next step.
"We'll keep our fingers crossed," Warthen said.
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