Gonzo, Pie a go

Closer Mike Gonzalez came out of his warmup throws feeling good and tossed a bullpen session on Wednesday morning. Manager Dave Trembley said he was “encouraged” by the news of Gonzalez and outfielder Felix Pie, and the plan now is to have Gonzalez throw one-inning in Friday’s contest in Clearwater.

Pie threw and hit today and will play on Saturday afternoon. Trembley said he would have played Pie on Friday, but because it’s a night game, he opted to hold off for another day.

Pie hasn’t seen game action since Wednesday and has been dealing with a minor case of tendinitis in his left shoulder. Gonzalez has been slowed with lower back tightness and hasn’t pitched since Saturday’s “B” game. He was pulled after facing two batters in that contest and today’s side session was the closest he’s been to game-action since.