Rehabbing reliever Moylan impresses

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — With attention focused on Derek Lowe and Japanese import Kenshin Kawakami, no Braves pitchers was more impressive Sunday than rehabbing reliever Peter Moylan.

The Aussie sidearmer left hitters shaking heads and team officials smiling after he threw a slew of hard sinkers with impressive velocity and location. It was his first time facing hitters since ligament-transplant elbow surgery May 8, 2007.

“He looks absolutely great,” outfielder Matt Diaz said after mostly flailing at Moylan’s pitches. “When he’s throwing like that on Day 1 … he could have gotten people out today [in a regular game].”

Chipper Jones and Brian McCann struggled against Moylan, who didn’t look like a pitcher nine months into what’s customarily a 12-month rehab process.

“I don’t know if he’s supposed to look that good this early or not,” manager Bobby Cox said in a cautious tone.

“It feels real good. I’m excited,” said Moylan, who hopes to be ready when the season begins. “That’s how I’ve been throwing in my bullpen sessions. But it’s not until you get in front of hitters and see their reactions. … I’m excited. I don’t want to say too much, but it feels good.”

Moylan was the Braves’ best reliever in 2007, posting a 1.80 ERA in 80 appearances. He had only seven appearances in 2008 before surgery.

The Braves hope Moylan, Rafael Soriano and closer Mike Gonzalez form a dominant bullpen trio. Moylan and Soriano are coming back from elbow surgeries, and Gonzalez had elbow surgery in 2007.

Soriano had four disabled-list stints in 2008 before nerve-transposition surgery in August. He didn’t throw Sunday because of an upper-respiratory infection, but Cox said Soriano’s arm was fine.

Soriano told team officials he’s been throwing bullpen sessions in the Dominican Republic without problems. Cox said he thought Moylan and Soriano would be ready opening day.

Just a bit outside…

Kawakami never pitched in front of general manager Frank Wren or Cox until Sunday, when one of his first pitches during a bullpen session sailed over the catcher and off the top of a tarped viewing stand in the right-field bullpen. At least 25 media members, including 18 Japanese, watched intently from a spot at the top of the right-field stands about 100 feet from Kawakami.

Kawakami said afterward that he was “self-conscious” because of everyone watching his first session. He said the media were never permitted to be so close to the bullpen in Japan. Through a translator, he said of his new teammates and Braves officials: “Everyone’s been fabulous. They’re very friendly. It’s making me confident.”

Jurrjens out of WBC

Curacao native Jair Jurrjens won’t pitch for the Netherlands in next month’s World Baseball Classic. He made his decision after the Braves told him he’d have to fly back from a first-round game in Puerto Rico the day after he pitched, rejoining the Braves in Florida between WBC starts.

Jurrjens, a 13-game winner as a rookie, said he also made the decision because he wanted to be at spring training with the Braves and didn’t want to risk injury in the WBC. “It would be fun” to pitch for the Netherlands, he said, “but I need to think about my future before fun.”

Jones and McCann will play for the U.S. team, and pitchers Javier Vazquez (Puerto Rico) and Manny Acosta (Panama) plan to participate. Jorge Campillo (Mexico) hasn’t made a decision.

Jones and McCann cold miss up to three weeks of camp if the U.S. advances to the WBC final.

“I’d hate to see [McCann] gone for three weeks,” Cox said. “We’ve got three new starters in there, possibly four. You like to get a feel, what they’re throwing, what they’re thinking. It’ll be fine. It’ll work out.”