NATIONAL LEAGUE Burnett eyes return, but Marlins cautious

A.J. Burnett says he's ready to pitch, but the Marlins haven't made a decision.
By TIM REYNOLDS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI -- A.J. Burnett says he's ready to return to the major leagues. The Florida Marlins might not be completely convinced.
Burnett, a right-hander who hasn't pitched for the Marlins since April 2003 following elbow reconstruction surgery, walked into the team's clubhouse Saturday and said he wants to start against Cincinnati next week.
"I'm ready to rock and roll," Burnett said. "Hopefully, Wednesday, June 2, that's the date. ... I'm getting kind of anxious."
But manager Jack McKeon sounded cautious when he said the team still hasn't made a decision about Burnett's availability, and indicated another rehab start is a possibility.
"We want him back for the long haul," McKeon said. "We want to get him sharp. He doesn't want to be disappointing his first time out. And when the adrenaline flows like it will, you want to try to get him to keep himself under control and not get too excited."
Performance Friday
Burnett threw 92 pitches for Triple-A Albuquerque in its 7-6 win over Memphis on Friday night. He allowed four earned runs and seven hits, struck out six and walked two. He also gave up one home run, threw one wild pitch and hit one batter.
The runs he allowed Friday were the first he had been charged with during three rehab outings this spring.
"I didn't get ahead. I was pitching behind," Burnett said. "I was fighting my delivery. One out of every three pitches I felt like I was clicking real good, really letting it go. I wasn't really fighting myself out there, but I was inconsistent."
Burnett was 12-9 with a 3.30 ERA, 203 strikeouts and five shutouts in 2002, yet was shut down after only four starts in 2003. He threw a no-hitter at San Diego in 2001.
Elbow stayed pain-free
The elbow has remained pain-free during the rehab stint, Burnett said Saturday.
"I got my work in and I recovered fine," Burnett said. "Health-wise, I made another step. I could throw (92) pitches and not be sore. So that's a good sign."
If Burnett pitches Wednesday, the Marlins' rotation could need a good amount of shifting. Assuming Dontrelle Willis -- the currently scheduled starter for Wednesday -- is pushed back a day, that could also mean Carl Pavano and Josh Beckett work on an extra day's rest in their next outings.
Tommy Phelps, who is scheduled to start Monday, will almost certainly be dropped from the rotation when Burnett returns.
Can work him in
"There's no urgency, really," McKeon said. "We're set with our rotation. He's a guy we can slide in any time we want to slide him in. The way these guys are going, there's no need to rush. If we feel like he needs another time out, maybe that would be best for him."
McKeon said he's considering scheduling Burnett's return around a road trip. Wednesday's game ends a six-game home-stand.
"If we pitch him here, it will be a big circus," McKeon said. "Is it good or is it bad? I don't know. We've got until Wednesday to decide which way we're going to go."
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