Romero Rolling

DUNEDIN, Fla.--Of all the things John Farrell can spend his spring worrying about, his staff ace appears not to be one of them.

In stark contrast to last spring when he struggled and scuffled in the pre-season before getting it all together after opening day, lefthander Ricky Romero has been almost if not quite perfect in his opening Grapefruit League outings this spring.

That includes Friday's four hitless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, a sterling performance in which Romero walked leadoff man Desmond Jennings twice but otherwise handcuffed the rest of the Tampa lineup in facing just one batter over the minimum. In 10 innings this spring, Romero has yet to allow a run and has given up only two hits.

That's pretty darn dominant.