Notes: Willis happy with adjustments

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Fresh off pitching in front of large crowds in the World Baseball Classic, Dontrelle Willis spent Sunday morning throwing in a more serene setting.

Tossing 72 pitches in a simulated game against Minor League hitters, the D-Train made some adjustments to his delivery and walked away with a positive feeling.

In a structured format at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, with no fielders behind him, three fans stumbled upon the brief outing.

"It's good to be back with the fellas," said Willis, who rejoined the Marlins after being on Team USA in the Classic. "I was making adjustments, threw strikes and saw some hitters in the box."

Willis remained in Jupiter as the rest of the Marlins traveled to Port St. Lucie to take on the Mets.

Even though the left-hander was 0-2 with a 12.71 ERA in the Classic, he called the experience of representing his country "second to none." His performance was subpar, as he walked six and hit a batter while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings.

Marlins pitching coach Rick Kranitz detected a mechanical flaw in how Willis threw in the Classic. Those adjustments were made on Sunday.

"He's getting back to what he did," manager Joe Girardi said of Willis tweaking his delivery to what worked last year. "Krany saw tapes of when he going well."

At the Classic, Willis enjoyed talking baseball with some of the legends of the sport. He spoke frequently to Roger Clemens, who one day shagged balls in the outfield with Willis and Jake Peavy. The Rocket put his arm around the young pitchers and told them they would be carrying the torch for the game.

"Some of the best players of all time were sitting in the locker room," Willis said. "It was great to see everybody having fun, taking BP. Shagging in the outfield with Roger Clemens is a child's dream.

"I didn't play well at all, but I had a great time out there. There was a playoff feel today. Everybody was worried about the intensity of baseball at that time, given this time of year. It was there. I think the tournament was a great success, as far as seeing the draw of the Mexican team, the U.S. team. It was a success. We played hard. Unfortunately, we didn't do well, but we went out there and left it on the field like everyone else. It was great."

The advice the rest of Team USA gave to Willis was what he shouldn't do.

"When I walked into the locker room, everybody said I had to stop sliding headfirst," Willis said. "Before I even got in there, they were telling me, 'Would you please stop?' Even American League guys were saying that. Vernon Wells said, 'Please stop sliding headfirst.' They all love the enthusiasm and intensity I show."

Rotation shaping up? If the next four Grapefruit League games are any indication, some hints are falling into place regarding the eventual rotation.

Off on Monday, the team returns to action on Tuesday with Jason Vargas scheduled to face the Dodgers. On Wednesday, Josh Johnson takes the mound, followed by Brian Moehler on Thursday and Willis on Friday.

The starter for Saturday is up in the air. The team appears to be deciding between Sergio Mitre, Scott Olsen and Ricky Nolasco for one spot.

Olsen threw five shutout innings in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Mets. Also on Sunday, Nolasco started in a Triple-A game on a back field at Tradition Field.

Girardi saw one inning of Olsen before watching Nolasco give up one run in 3 2/3 innings, while throwing 72 pitches.

"He struggled a little bit," Girardi said of Nolasco. "He threw 72 or 73 pitches. He got his pitch count up. He got out of some tough situations. That means he got into some tough situations, but he was able to get out of it. The pitching here (Olsen) was great today. Ollie threw well, and he got better as the day went on."

Olsen scattered four hits with one strikeout in his longest outing of the spring.

In his 63-pitch performance, he didn't walk a batter and struck out one -- Cliff Floyd looking in the fourth inning.

Two of the Mets who singled off Olsen were ultimately picked off by the left-hander. In the second inning, Lastings Milledge was nailed and David Wright was caught off first base in the fourth.

"I'm open to anything," Olsen said. "Whatever they think is best for me is probably going to be best for me. They know what they're doing. Everybody has been throwing well. It's going to be going down to the last couple of games, I guess."

Olsen threw to catcher Miguel Olivo on Sunday, while Nolasco threw to Josh Willingham. Willingham has been nursing back spasms. He said he felt better on Sunday, catching for the second straight day.

"I thought I did a good job of battling," Nolasco said. "I got out of some jams."

Nolasco faced two bases-loaded jams, and got out of both of them.

Mr. Opportunity knocks: Former manager Jack McKeon, now a special advisor to team owner Jeffrey Loria, spent the week observing the team.

McKeon talked about the opportunities available for the young Marlins. When he managed, McKeon often told the story of his former boss, the late Charlie Finley, about "Mr. Opportunity."

When Finley owned the Oakland A's, he would tell McKeon and the rest of the team about how when "Mr. Opportunity knocks, open the door and say, 'Come on in.' "

McKeon says there are plenty of chances for the Marlins' prospects.

"For these guys, if they saw the golden opportunity in front of them, man, they'd have to carry me off the field at night," McKeon said. "You have to be a salesman. You have to sell yourself to the manager, the coaches. How can you not hustle every bit of the time you're out here? This is a golden opportunity for so many guys. If they don't take advantage of this, then they ain't the kind of guy you want.

"This is an opportunity. Everybody is looking for that opportunity. The first opportunity comes easy for these guys. Now some of these guys are going to get knocked down. Now some of these guys will get a second opportunity. They've got to be prepared. They can't gripe, and say I got a raw deal. You've got to bounce back. But you've got to be prepared for the second opportunity."

Coming up: The Marlins' lone off-day of Spring Training is Monday, but Mitre is being called in to work. To remain on schedule to throw every five days, the right-hander will pitch in a Triple-A game on the back fields at Roger Dean Stadium. Also on the back fields, Yusmeiro Petit will throw in a Double-A game. Olivo will catch Mitre, while Matt Treanor will catch Petit.

The Marlins return to Grapefruit League action on Tuesday at 1:05 p.m. ET at Roger Dean Stadium against the Dodgers. Vargas will face Aaron Sele in a game that will be televised on ESPN.

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It looks like it's gonna be Willis, Moehler, Vargas, Johnson, and Olsen, Mitre, and Nolasco battling it out for this fifth spot.