Sports

Diamond hopes to heal by opener

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Feb 14, 2013 at 7:03 am

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) Scott Diamond was the only Minnesota Twins starter who pitched well enough last season to retain his spot in the rotation for this year.

The left-hander's 2012 breakthrough featured a 12-9 record for a 96-loss team and a 3.54 ERA in 27 starts. Acquired before the 2011 season in the Rule 5 major league draft, Diamond struggled his first year with the Twins organization until finding his groove last spring.

His next challenge will be to get healthy in time for the regular season.

Diamond had surgery in December to remove a bone spur and chips from his pitching elbow. The 26-year-old said Wednesday on the first day of pitchers and catchers workouts that he hopes to be ready for opening day.