The 2008 baseball season had already been hectic and confusing enough for Mike MacDonald just two weeks into it.

The Camden native and former University of Maine star pitcher had gone from longtime starter to reliever, and also been told he was going from Triple-A Syracuse back down to Double-A New Hampshire in the same breath.

So after just four relief appearances total all spring – three of them for the Eastern League’s New Hampshire Fisher Cats – the former 15th- round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays was switched again, back to Syracuse and the starting rotation.

“Well, I did go back to Syracuse, but I only started in that first game back,” MacDonald said of his April 18 start against Buffalo. “I filled in to spot start for David Pearcy when he was called up, but I made my last two appearances in relief.”

Since his promotion, MacDonald is 0-0 with a 7.56 ERA. He has allowed 12 hits and five walks while striking out six batters in 8 1/3 innings with the Chiefs.

“It’s always nice to be promoted to the next level and it’s nice to be back,” the 26-year-old MacDonald said. “It’s still a battle and I’m still trying to make adjustments. For the most part, I think I’m going to be more of a long relief guy, pitching two or more innings at a time.”

Before his promotion, the right-handed former Camden-Rockport High School two-sport star (he was also an all-state basketball player) was 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in four games with New Hampshire.

Ironically, MacDonald’s Fisher Cats were due to play in his native state against the Sea Dogs in Portland just before he was summoned to Syracuse, but he said the move didn’t hurt any of his family’s plans.

“My parents hadn’t made any plans to come see me pitch. They might have tried to catch one later in the weekend, but it was a lot easier when I was starting because they’d always know what day I was pitching,” he said.

As far as the continuing relief pitcher transition, MacDonald said he’s making progress.

“I think it’s starting to settle down a little bit,” he explained. “You have that initial adjustment period, but things are starting to come around now that the first month of the season’s under way. There’s plenty of time to iron things out and things will start to come together.”

Rising sunny side up for Kinney

Former Bangor High School two-sport star Matt Kinney is enjoying a solid season in the Japanese Baseball League.

The former Boston Red Sox sixth draft pick (1995) is ranked 16th among all Pacific Division pitchers with a 3.09 ERA after five appearances.

The 31-year-old righthander is 2-1 with 21 hits, eight walks and 21 strikeouts in 32 innings as a starter for the Seibu Lions, the former team of Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

The Lions are leading the Pacific Division with a 29-11 record, 11/2 games ahead of Rakuten.

aneff@bangordailynews.net

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