JUPITER, Fla.Left-hander Felix Doubront followed Josh Beckett to the mound in Thursdays 9-3 loss to the Cardinals.
Doubront, who is in the mix for the fifth starter or could go to the bullpen, started off well. In the fourth inning, he allowed an infield hit to the first batter he faced, but a double play on the next batter erased that.
In the next inning, he struck out the first two batters he faced, loaded the bases, but got out of the jam.
In the sixth, control issues caused problems for him. He opened with a walk and a single, and was charged with two runs when Matt Adams hit a bases-loaded triple off Doubronts replacement, Jesse Carlson.
Doubront has been working on the mechanics of his lower half this spring, trying to land more on the front of his foot instead of the heel. Manager Bobby Valentine said that was causing problems for him in this outing.
I thought he threw the ball extremely well, until he got a little out of his rhythm, Valentine said. He wasnt feeling good about his leg mechanic and I think he took the idea of slowing the game down a little literally, as hes been taught by some of our coaches. But he threw the ball well. Hes a pretty good pitcher.