Brian Mazone, who made a stunning run at the situational lefty relief job until the last week of the exhibition season, then pretty much disappeared, is throwing again. Mazone developed an abcess on his right buttock that became badly infected. The treatment required a wound to be left open to prevent a recurring infection, but it also prevented Mazone from pitching. It’s now healed enough that he’s back on a mound in extended Spring Training. He had the best stats of any reliever in camp – 10 appearances, eight innings, one earned run on three hits. And he put together the best Spring under the worst circumstances, with his mother hospitalized with a serious infection. The 32-year-old Mazone has spent 11 years in professional baseball, but not one official day in the Major Leagues. — Ken Gurnick