Diamondbacks right-hander Max Scherzer made his first start of the spring Tuesday and was knocked out after two-thirds of an inning, although he gave up only one hard-hit ball to the Athletics: a single up the middle by Orlando Cabrera, who had timed his fastball.Scherzer was pitching 92-96 mph with an 84-87 mph slider that was softer than it had been in the past; his changeup has improved and shows good fading action, but he still is guiding it and needs to develop more confidence in the pitch so he doesn't telegraph it.Scherzer's biggest problem was horrible command, as he constantly was behind hitters in the count and missing his targets by wide margins. He walked in a run and was generally erratic, even throwing away a ground ball that led to two runs. It was Scherzer's first outing after yet another bout of shoulder soreness -- the fourth or fifth such occurence in the past four years (I can't keep count). While he's healthy enough to show close to normal velocity, he's going to have to show both improved command and some evidence of durability (he's thrown just more than 200 innings in his two full pro seasons), and soon.Arizona got right-hander Juan Gutierrez in the Jose Valverde trade only to have his 2008 season ruined by a sore elbow. He is healthy again and could challenge for a swing role or the fifth starter's spot if Scherzer can't go. Gutierrez has four pitches but threw three Tuesday, with a fastball at 92-94 mph and a plus changeup at 84-86 with good tail and sink. His curve was fringy, with a loopy, early break, although he threw one with very good angle that was above average.Oakland rookie right-hander Vin Mazzaro reportedly has been clocked at up to 96 mph with sink while throwing primarily fastballs, but Tuesday, he worked on off-speed stuff. He was not impressive. His fastball was 90-94 with some sink and life, but his changeup was way too hard at 87-88, and his mid-80s slider had a long, hard, horizontal break that took it well out of the strike zone. Neither pitch was effective at missing bats, which has been a problem for Mazzaro since he signed. Mazzaro still is an interesting prospect, but there's no way the stuff and command he brought Tuesday could work in the big leagues right now; I assume he'll be sent over to minor league camp shortly to continue working on his secondary pitches.Arizona played catcher and Rule 5 draftee James Skelton at second base to try to buy him and the team some flexibility; he didn't look out of place and handled everything in his area. If Skelton can handle second base, it will be easier for the Snakes to carry him, and having a third catcher on the roster would mean more opportunities to use Miguel Montero as a pinch hitter or to double-switch at catcher.