Atlantic League Alums Patterson, Aldridge, Jones Make Noise in Spring Training

Atlantic League alums had a prominent day in major league spring training camps Monday, including one unlikely source.

Scott Patterson, the onetime Lancaster reliever who is not even an official invitee to the Boston Red Sox camp, was the winning pitcher in the 7-6 victory over St. Louis. Patterson, who started his pro career in an Independent league (Gateway, Sauget, IL., Frontier League) but really started impressing while in the Barnstormers bullpen, worked a scoreless top of the ninth with Boston trailing, 6-5. The 30-year-old, who has had brief major league time with both the New York Yankees and San Diego, gave up a walk, but he only faced three hitters because he also started a double play.

Onetime Newark outfielder Cory Aldridge has to be feeling pretty good after cracking a home run for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in their 13-9 win over Texas. Aldridge is now 1-for-3 for the spring.

It is obvious Minnesota plans to give another former Bears outfielder, Jacque Jones, a long look in his return to the Twins. Even though many players are limited to one or two at-bats a game early in the exhibition season, longtime major leaguer Jones has had three times at the plate in each of the last three games. The 34-year-old, who did not play except for 28 games for Newark last season, collected his first extra-base hit (double) of the spring Monday. He struck out the other two times up in Minnesota's 5-0 whitewash of Baltimore. Jones is at .273 (3-for-11) in the early going.