Ken Hill feels healthy again, and that's good news for the Anaheim Angels.
Hill, showing signs he's all the way back from elbow surgery, pitched four effective innings Thursday in Anaheim's 13-7 victory against the Colorado Rockies."I felt comfortable, and I haven't felt comfortable the last couple of years," he said. "My splitter got to moving like it used to. Location is still the big thing. I've got to be more aggressive, establish my fastball in and out."
Hill, who struggled through elbow and shoulder problems the past two years and underwent surgery on his right elbow last June, struck out five and gave up one run on four hits.
Hill went 9-6 with a 4.98 ERA last season and is a key component as the Angels try to make the playoffs for the first time since 1986.
After finishing three games behind Texas last season, Anaheim courted free-agent starters Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown this winter. The Angels settled for Tim Belcher and are counting on big years from Chuck Finley and Hill.
"The big thing for me is mentally getting the edge back, the killer instinct," Hill said. "That's what I'm mainly trying to work on, getting a feel for everything and being aggressive."
Troy Glaus, battling Dave Hollins for the third base job, led a 21-hit Angels attack with two homers and a single and six RBIs as they scored nine runs off Brian Bohanon.
Mo Vaughn, who entered the game with just five hits in 26 at-bats, had two hits.
"It's just a matter of making adjustments," he said. "It can be a kind of slow process, but I'm getting there."
At Tampa, Fla., David Cone retired all 15 batters he faced in the Yankees' 2-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
"I always feel like I'm in a position to prove myself, so naturally you want to progress and do well," Cone said. "Even if the results were bad, but I felt good, I would still be happy."
Cone threw just 58 pitches -- including 36 strikes -- during his five-inning stint.
"It's nice to have success, no doubt about it," Cone said. "It's nice to be crisp and sharp, throw a lot of strikes and not walk anybody. I was just getting ahead. I had plenty of life on my fastball."
Cincinnati scored two runs in the eighth inning on consecutive throwing errors by shortstop Alfonso Soriano. Bernie Williams hit his first spring homer off Reds starter Jason Bere.
In Port Charlotte, Fla., Texas closer John Wetteland gave up six runs -- five earned -- in one inning for his second straight bad outing as the Rangers lost 7-2 to Minnesota in the first game of a doubleheader.
Wetteland, returning from offseason elbow surgery and struggling with a sore ankle, has allowed 12 runs in two innings this spring. Minnesota won the second game 9-7.
In St. Louis, the surgeon who removed Joe Torre's cancerous prostate gland Thursday believes the disease had not spread, and said the prognosis is excellent for the New York Yankees manager.
"It was very routine," said Dr. William Catalona, who added Torre could be back with the Yankees in 6-12 weeks. "I think he had a very early prostate cancer and it went very smoothly."
In other games:
CARDINALS (ss) 5, EXPOS (ss) 1: At Jupiter, Fla., Jose Jiminez strengthened his bid to make St. Louis' starting rotation, allowing one run and four hits in five innings. Mark McGwire added two hits for the Cardinals.
DODGERS 9, CARDINALS (ss) 3: At Vero Beach, Fla., Ismael Valdes allowed three hits and one run in five innings and Los Angeles hit four homers, including a grand slam by Adam Riggs.
MARLINS 5, ORIOLES 4: At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dave Berg's solo home run off Heathcliff Slocumb snapped an eighth-inning tie.
DEVIL RAYS 7, RED SOX 1: At Fort Myers, Fla., Rolando Arrojo pitched three scoreless innings in his spring debut and Bill Ashley drove in two runs.
TIGERS 7, INDIANS 5: At Winter Haven, Fla., Karim Garcia hit his fifth homer this spring and Juan Encarnacion tripled in two runs to lead Detroit.
PIRATES 7, PHILLIES 6: At Bradenton, Fla., Freddy Garcia's three-run homer in the eighth inning off Wayne Gomes finished a 4-for-4 day.
BRAVES 2, BLUE JAYS 1: At Dunedin, Fla., John Smoltz pitched four shutout innings and Eddie Perez drove in both runs for Atlanta.
DIAMONDBACKS 11, A'S 6: At Tucson, Ariz., Andy Benes struck out five in four innings and Edwin Diaz and Greg Colbrunn homered.
BREWERS 6, CUBS 3: At Phoenix, Steve Woodard turned in the longest outing by a Milwaukee pitcher this spring, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings.
GIANTS 8, MARINERS 7: At Scottsdale, Ariz., Damon Minor singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as San Francisco came back to win after blowing a six-run lead.
ROYALS 3, ASTROS 2: At Kissimmee, Fla., Jose Rosado had his best outing of the spring, scattering three hits in five innings, and Steve Scarsone homered.
EXPOS 16, METS 7: At Port St. Lucie, Fla., Bobby Jones gave up 10 runs and 11 hits in two innings.