Capellan remains an enigma with two weeks of Spring Training games left. There is no question about his arm and ability, but other questions abound: What should the Brewers do with Capellan immediately? Does he require more minor-league seasoning?

"We're still trying to determine," Brewers manager Ned Yost said on Thursday. "Do we want to start him? Do we want to relieve him? Or start him in Triple-A or whatever? We don't know what we're going to do."

"We're trying to figure what's best for him and us. We're still looking to see where exactly he fits in for all of us. We want to do what's right for him, and for our organization."

Capellan, who was acquired in a December trade with the Braves for Dan Kolb, made his first start on Thursday and had mixed results against the Diamondbacks, allowing nine hits and six runs in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out two, walked none and had a wild pitch, getting a no-decision in the 13-10 Brewers' loss in 10 innings.

"I was trying to throw my fastball inside, and it just stayed in the middle of the plate," Capellan said. "I had trouble commanding my fastball."

Troy Glaus inflicted the most damage off Capellan, hitting a two-run homer and a two-run double.

"The home run was a hanging curveball," Capellan said. "The double was off a fastball. I thought it was a good pitch, but sometimes you've got to give credit to the hitter."

Yost assessed Capellan's performance as "just OK."

"He threw too many pitches over the good part of the plate," Yost said. "He turned it up the last two innings. He threw some good changeups and some good curveballs, but he was too fat with his fastball. He was getting it over, but not in a good spot."

While Capellan's fastball has lit up radar guns, his changeup remains a work in progress.

"He's going to have to get a straight changeup, which he will," Yost said. "They've been working real hard with his changeup, trying to get him a feel for an offspeed pitch."

Capellan, who was mostly a starter in the minors, is 24 and started last season in Class A Myrtle Beach, but by September he was in the Majors. For the season, he was a combined 14-5 with a 2.80 ERA. His resume, however, includes only 19 games above Class A.

"In a perfect world, we would hope he could go down and pitch a little bit in the minor leagues and get ready to go," Brewers bench coach Rich Dauer said.

If Capellan does start with Nashville, the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate, he may not want to take out a long-term apartment lease.

"It might not be real long at all," Dauer said. "He's got upside, definitely a high ceiling. He throws hard and is real composed. He's still got a lot of learning to do."

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Said bullpen coach Bill Castro, "From what I've seen of him, he has a good future ahead of him. It's just a matter of getting experience and confidence at this level. If he puts it together, he can come fast. He's got the stuff."

Third base battle: Russell Branyan had three hits, including his third home run, to raise his average to .444. He also drove in two runs. Branyan is trying to wrestle the third base job from Wes Helms, who was limited to 92 games last season after missing nearly six weeks because of knee surgery.

"It's still wide open, (but) Braynan might have taken a quarter-step ahead," Yost said. "He's really swinging the bat well right now, but Wes is swinging the bat well lately, too. He got off to a poor start, 1-for-15. It's a good spot to be in."

Branyan's seventh-inning home run was a no-doubter to center. "That ball got small in a hurry," Yost said.

Helms had a run-producing single against the Diamondbacks.

A Hardy defense: Rookie shortstop J.J. Hardy added more fielding gems to a lengthy list of fine plays this March.

"He saved a run by keeping the ball from going in the outfield, but that goes unnoticed," Yost said. "We didn't do that play last year. The key for us this year, especially in our infield, is going to be our defense and J.J. has been nothing short of spectacular defensively all spring. We like J.J. a lot. We like the way J.J. swings the bat, too."

Hardy, a second-round pick in 2001, is only 22, but the Brewers have no qualms about opening the season with him at shortstop.

"For a young man, we think his makeup is on the upper end of the scale," Yost said.

"He's got a veteran mentality for a young man. He's an unusual person. It's hard to find a young man to have maturity and the confidence he does."

Injury update: Second baseman Junior Spivey was not with the team Thursday. He still has a stiff shoulder from sliding to break up a double play earlier this week.

Spring telecasts: Two Brewers Spring Training games will be televised. The games will take place on March 27 (against the Rangers, 8 p.m. CT) and April 2 (against the White Sox, 1 p.m. CT).

Up next: Right-hander Victor Santos (0-1, 11.57 ERA in two starts) will start against the Athletics on Friday at Maryvale. The A's will start right-hander Dan Haren (0-0, 2.00 ERA).