RealGM

"I think it's important for Julio to get some at-bats right away," manager Bobby Cox said Friday. "I'm trying to get him some at-bats against lefties and righties, just to get him going."

Cox said he will use Thorman off the bench while Thorman works on a few things offensively. When asked what those things were, Thorman deadpanned, "Hitting the ball."

"It's nothing you can read in a book," he said. "It's taking your at-bats and trying to get the most out of them. Baseball is a game of failure, and you have to have a short-term memory."