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ByJohnHickey BayAreaNewsGroup GOODYEAR, ARIZ. Chris Bas- sitt's new look on the mound continues to make converts and building up the Oakland A's right-hander's confidence he's on the right track now. Having moved his position- ing on the mound so that he faces third base and doesn't tip his pitches, Bassitt proved to be a mystery to the Cincin- nati Reds on Friday. He threw three innings, allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three. The single was cheap, too, a two-out pop fly that fell in no- man's land. "His velocity and movement are looking good," manager Bob Melvin said in the wake of the A's 9-4 win over the Reds. "I think the delivery is really go- ing to help him. He's cut down on the moving parts; he's mak- ing real good progress." In two spring starts Bassitt has allowed two hits and no runs and the A's are hoping that means he's ready for more suc- cess in 2016 than he got last year when he was pitching in tough luck and had a 1-8 record despite a reasonably good 3.56 ERA. Bassitt said the new deliv- ery remains a work in progress. Right now it's something he has to focus on every pitch and keep thinking about. He'd like to get it to the point where it becomes second nature. "I'm still thinking of things out there, where to put my feet," he said. "I can't wait until it be- comes natural. "But I'm throwing with a lot of confidence and my mechanics are way more under control now than they used to be." A'S SPRING TRAINING Bassitt'sadjustmentraisingconfidence Moves his positioning on mound to face third base so he doesn't tip his pitches to hitters SUSANTRIPPPOLLARD—BAYAREANEWSGROUPFILE The Oakland Athletics' Chris Bassitt has more confidence a er making an adjustment in his mechanics. By Carl Steward Bay Area News Group SCOTTSDALE,ARIZ. Like a hun- gry tiger unleashed from his cage, Hunter Pence took out his spring training frustrations on a fastball Friday and the ball might still be bouncing some- where around the greater Phoe- nix metropolitan area. Troubled by a right Achilles' tendon strain he incurred dur- ing a baserunning drill, Pence had to wait and watch pen- sively for 10 spring games be- fore finally getting onto the field against the Seattle Mariners. Pence worked a 3-2 count in his first at-bat but wound up striking out against Mari- ners starter Hisashi Iwakuma. But in his second at-bat, he re- minded everybody why he is so crucial to the San Francisco Gi- ants' 2016 hopes after an in- jury-plagued '15 season. He ab- solutely crushed a fastball from the Mariners' Joel Peralta, and it not only cleared the fence down the line, but the visitors' bullpen and the grassy berm behind that — a 400-foot shot easy, maybe farther. Pence also got a lot of action in the outfield as Jeff Samardzi- ja's third spring start was a little more off-kilter than his first two. Pence looked a bit slow moving to his right on a first-inning hit, but before he departed the game after four innings, he made a smooth running catch of a tail- ing liner to right. If Pence hadn't done a thing, though, he would have been eu- phoric just to finally be back in his familiar spot in right field. "It felt great, pretty excit- ing for me," he said. "To me, it's special to get back out there. I waited a long time. So to be out on the field playing a game, it felt really, really good." The Achilles issue still hasn't gone completely away. Pence ad- mitted he still has some prob- lems starting and stopping when he runs, and he was actu- ally not in the lineup when the day started. During morning batting practice, trainer Dave Groeschner wanted to see him run out of the box before clear- ing him to play. Manager Bruce Bochy, to be sure, was happy he passed that test. "He was so excited today, there was no holding him back," Bochy said. Pence doesn't think he's lost much at the plate even though he hadn't had any game at-bats before Friday. "Both at-bats felt pretty good ... I felt pretty comfortable at the plate," he said. "All the good work from our B.P. guys and the machines, in the cage, my eye feels pretty good. Both at-bats I worked deep counts, saw the ball. I liked having good at-bats, especially since they were my first at-bats in a long, long time." The Giants will take it slowly with Pence's return. He'll be off Saturday, then be back in the lineup Sunday. For a player who'll turn 33 in April, the club knows it has to be more care- ful with him even though Pence says he has no plans to play more carefully. "I've had little issues happen in spring training before," he said. "You just have to get your body used to going. I have all the faith that I'm going to be fine. I feel really good, I've done all the preparing I can, but I don't think my goal is to be careful. I'm coming with everything I got." Said Bochy, "We don't want guys playing careful, either. GIANTS SPRING TRAINING Pencehomersinfirst gameafterbeinghurt Samardzija endures shaky start in loss to Mariners, allowing 3 runs in 4 innings NHAT V. MEYER — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP FILE The San Francisco Giants' Hunter Pence blasted a mammoth home run in his first spring training game Friday against the Seattle Mariners. CHRIS CARLSON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija gave up six hits and three runs over four innings Friday against the Seattle Mariners. By Mike Cranston The Associated Press AVONDALE, ARIZ. Kevin Harvick sat on a podium in the middle of his most successful track on the 15th anniversary of his first Sprint Cup victory and insisted he's not job hunting. Two days before he seeks a re- cord eighth victory at Phoenix International Raceway, the 2014 Cup champion said he expects to be driving for Stewart-Haas Racing next year when the team switches from Chevrolet to Ford. "I don't see any reason why that would change," Harvick said Fri- day. "For me, this is the best po- sition I've been in with my team." Harvick won his first Cup race on March 11, 2001, at Atlanta in a Chevrolet. He won seven times at Phoenix International Raceway, more than any driver, in a Chevy. While team owner Tony Stewart has been vocal in his support of the car change, Harvick has been quiet. While not fully endorsing Ford, Harvick indicated he has no de- sire to leave the No. 4 team. "I feel like I have the best crew chief in the garage," Harvick said NASCAR SPRINT CUP Harvick wants to stay with SHR team Team's switch from Chevy to Ford not major factor RALPH FRESO — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Kevin Harvick, right, talks with an official in the garage area before NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice Friday at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. MATT ROURKE—THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE The Broncos have acquired Mark Sanchez from Philadelphia, a move Denver general manager John Elway calls the first step toward replacing the retired Peyton Manning. By Arnie Stapleton The Associated Press DENVER Mark Sanchez is getting a change of scenery and a new job description: replacing Peyton Manning. Instead of being buried deep on Philadelphia's depth chart, the veteran quarterback has a chance to lead Denver's defense of its Su- per Bowl title. He proved early in his career that he can take a team with a great defense on a deep playoff run andhe'llbeaskedtodothesamein Denverifheemergesasthestarter. The Broncos acquired the seven-year veteran from the Ea- gles on Friday, a move Denver general manager John Elway calls the first step toward replac- ing Manning. The Super Bowl champions were left without an experienced quarterback this week when five- time MVP Manning retired and Brock Osweiler signed with Hous- ton as a free agent. So they have turned to Sanchez, who was ac- quired for a conditional 2017 draft pick. NFL Broncos get Sanchez from Eagles for pick in 2017 dra HARVICK PAGE 2 SANCHEZ PAGE 2 A'S PAGE 2 GIANTS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, March 12, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1