O’s closer Mike Gonzalez says there’s no need to worry about his slow start

New Orioles closer Mike Gonzalez told the Baltimore Sun that questions about his health and pitch velocity are unwarranted and his arm feels just fine. Gonzalez, who has pitched only twice so far this spring, left Saturday’s "B" game against the Marlins because of soreness in his lower back, not his arm.

"My arm feels great and everything else," Gonzalez told the newspaper. "I just had a little tightness in my lower back. It’s just one of those couple-of-day things. I just have to stay on top of it. It’s not a big deal at all. I’ve felt it before. It’s just one of those things where you take a couple of days and you’re fine."

And his velocity, which has been in the mid-80s instead the low-to-mid-90s that scouts are accustomed to seeing? "I really don’t look at velocity. I never have," Gonzalez said. "It was the same thing last year at spring training. They were questioning my velocity. I was anywhere from 86 to 89. Then I come out opening day and I’m 93 to 95. That’s just how it is, man."