Rick van den Hurk of the Florida Marlins is pitching in the Puerto Rican Winter League in the next couple of weeks. The right-hander tries to make up some innings he missed during the first half of the year due to an elbow injury he suffered during the World Baseball Classic in March.
Van den Hurk made his first start for Gigantes de Carolina on Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits in five smooth innings. He struck out five. He was left with a no-decision and Carolina lost 6-7 against Mayaguez. Geno Espineli, who pitched for Team USA in the IBAF Baseball World Cup took the loss. Van den Hurk was supposed to make his Puerto Rican debut already on Sunday, but rain postponed his first start until Tuesday.