De La Rosa's second outing much better than the first

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The final inning was a struggle, but Jorge De La Rosa's second Cactus League outing was an improvement over his first.

The left-hander allowed a leadoff single and retired the next six batters before giving up one run on two hits and walking one in his third and final inning in Friday's 7-2 victory over the Angels at Salt River Fields.

"I think I was overthrowing in the last inning and I got a little tired, but that's why -- I threw too many pitches," De La Rosa said.

But he got out of it, which is vintage De La Rosa, manager Walt Weiss said.

"He did what he does so well -- he minimized the inning [and] gets out of it with very little damage," Weiss said. "He was real good at that last year, just pitching his way out of things. A lot of that has to do with his changeup and his ability to keep the ball off the barrel, and that's what he did today."

Despite the long third inning, De La Rosa's overall performance was much better than it was on Sunday, when he surrendered four runs on four hits (one home run) and two walks.

"There's definitely improvement," De La Rosa said. "Especially my fastball command was a little better this time. I have to keep working on my breaking ball, throwing it for a strike."