Aramis Ramirez was in good spirits before facing his former team Saturday at Maryvale Park, joking he would bunt on Ryan Dempster in his first at-bat.

Then the first pitch from Dempster was up and in, forcing Ramirez to duck out of the box.

Informed of Ramirez's pregame comment, Dempster said: "Oh really? That would have been a tough pitch to bunt."

So was it a message for his old teammate?

"Nooo," Dempster replied. "It just got away. I've seen him too many times to leave it out over the plate. … I was just trying to go inside. In the back of your mind, you don't want to hit him, so you end up letting go a little early."