Rafael Devers homers twice as Red Sox snap skid with 5-3 win over Rays

The Red Sox put an end to a three-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon with a 5-3 win over the Rays at JetBlue Park. Boston improved to 7-3 in Grapefruit League play on the back of four home runs from a trio of expected regulars.

Matched up against Corey Kluber to begin things on Saturday, the Sox got to the Rays starter right away in the first inning. With no outs and the bases empty, Rafael Devers got his productive day at the plate started by crushing a solo shot over the right field wall and into the Boston bullpen.

An inning later, Bobby Dalbec reached base via a one-out single and came into score when Jackie Bradley Jr. clubbed a towering two-run homer off Kluber to give his side an early 3-0 advantage.

Those two home runs provided Red Sox starter Michael Wacha with a bit of a cushion out of the gate. Making his second start of the spring, the veteran right-hander retired six of the first even Rays batters he faced before running into some trouble in the third.

There, Wacha yielded a single and double in consecutive order to lead off the frame. Randy Arozarena then drove in Tampa Bay’s first run of the day on an RBI groundout before young phenom Wander Franco plated another on a line-drive single that Christian Arroyo could not come up with at second base.

As a result, Boston’s lead was cut down to just one run at 3-2. The Sox quickly got one of those runs back, though, as Devers came through and led off the bottom of the third with his second big fly of the afternoon and third of the spring.

Wacha, in turn, came back out for the fourth and finished his outing on a positive note with a 1-2-3 frame. The 30-year-old hurler wound up allowing two earned runs on four hits, no walks, and one strikeout.

In relief of Wacha, Ryan Brasier got the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen beginning in the fifth. After a rough spring debut on Wednesday, the righty issued a leadoff walk to Brett Phillips, who proceeded to steal second base and score on an RBI double off the bat of Ford Proctor.

That again, trimmed the Sox’ lead down to one run at 4-3, but the Boston bats responded immediately when Enrique Hernandez led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo blast over the Fenway South Green Monster off of newly-inserted reliever Matt Wisler.

Hernandez’s second homer of the Grapefruit League campaign gave the Red Sox another two-run lead at 5-3. From there, the Sox bullpen held the Rays at bay as Zack Kelly tossed a scoreless sixth and Phillips Valdez closed things out with a good, old-fashioned three-inning save.

All told, four different Red Sox pitchers (Wacha, Brasier, Kelly, and Valdez) limited the Rays to just three runs on seven hits, four walks, and nine strikeouts over nine combined innings of work.

Next up: Whitlock vs. Ryan

The Red Sox will make the crosstown trek to take on the Twins at Hammond Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Boston currently leads the race for the 2022 Chairman’s Cup at two-games-to-one.

In an intriguing twist, Garrett Whitlock will make his first start and second overall appearance of the spring for the Sox. He will be opposed by fellow right-hander Joe Ryan for the Twins.

First pitch on Sunday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time. The game will be televised on NESN.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox lose two players on waivers as Jeisson Rosario is claimed by Yankees and Kyle Tyler is claimed by Padres

The Red Sox lost two players on waivers to two different teams on Saturday. Recently designted outfielder Jeisson Rosario was claimed by the division rival Yankees, while recently designated right-hander Kyle Tyler was claimed by the Padres.

Rosario, 22, was one of two players the Sox acquired from the Padres in the August 2020 trade that sent veteran first baseman Mitch Moreland to San Diego. Hudson Potts, the other prospect Boston got in that deal, was designated for assignment himself on Monday but cleared waivers and remains in the organization.

After being added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster in November 2020 to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft, Rosario came into the 2021 season regarded by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The speedy left-handed hitter spent the entirety of the year with Double-A Portland and slashed an underwhelming .232/.335/.307 with three home runs, 36 RBIs, 48 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases over 98 games spanning 405 plate appearances.

On the heels of such a disappointing season, Rosario was clearly on the bubble coming into major-league camp this spring. He officially lost his spot on the Sox’ 40-man roster when the club signed announced their signing of free-agent infielder Trevor Story.

Tyler, on the other hand, had a much briefer stay with the Red Sox. The 25-year-old right-hander was claimed off waivers from the Angels on Tuesday but was then designated for assignment on Thursday when fellow righty Ralph Garza was claimed off waivers from the Twins.

A former 20th-round draft pick of the Halos out of the University of Oklahoma, Tyler debuted for Los Angeles last September and posted a 2.92 ERA and 5.20 FIP to go along with six strikeouts and six walks across five appearances (12 1/3 innings pitched) out of the bullpen.

In the wake of these moves being made, the Red Sox’ 40-man roster remains at full capacity. They also have 56 players on their spring training roster with less than two weeks until Opening Day.

(Picture of Jeisson Rosario: Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Red Sox option top pitching prospect Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have optioned right-hander Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester, the club announced following Friday’s 6-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Braves.

Bello, who turns 23 next month, is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking first among pitchers in the organization.

Boston added Bello to their 40-man roster last November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He had been participating in his first major-league spring training and will now make his way to minor-league camp.

Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic for just $28,000 in July 2017, Bello made his Grapefruit League debut against the Braves on Friday and needed 13 pitches to get through a scoreless eighth inning in which he struck out one.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Bello is coming off a 2021 season in which he made it as far as Double-A Portland, represented the Red Sox in the All-Star Futures Game, and was named the organization’s Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year.

The 22-year-old fireballer may have been optioned to the WooSox on Friday, but it seems more likely he will return to the Sea Dogs’ starting rotation for the start of the 2022 minor-league season.

Either way, Bello being optioned to the minor-leagues means the Red Sox now have 56 players at major-league camp. As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, this number could soon change with two players (Jeisson Rosario and Kyle Tyler) awaiting their fates after being designated for assignment earlier this week.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Tanner Houck struggles with command, walks 5 as Red Sox drop third straight in 6-3 loss to Braves

The Red Sox dropped their third straight Grapefruit League contest on Friday afternoon with a 6-3 loss to the Braves at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla. After winning six games in a row out of the gate, Boston is now 6-3 this spring.

Tanner Houck made his second start of the spring for the Sox. The right-hander allowed three earned runs on two hits and five walks to go along with four strikeouts over just 2 1/3 innings of work.

Following a 1-2-3 first inning to begin his day, Houck first ran into some command-related trouble when he issued back-to-back one-out one walks in the bottom of the second. The 25-year-old escaped without giving anything up, but immediately walked Dansby Swanson to lead things off in the third.

That leadoff walk would prove costly for Houck, as Swanson advanced to third on a flyball double off the bat of Eddie Rosario and scored on an RBI groundout from new Braves first baseman Matt Olson. Rosario himself came into score on an Austin Riley RBI single that gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead.

Houck then walked the final two batters he faced in Marcell Ozuna and Alex Dickerson, which loaded the bases for the Braves and prompted Red Sox manager Alex Cora to pull his starter in favor of Jacob Wallace.

Wallace allowed one of the runners he inherited to score on a sacrifice fly from Ozzie Albies, but otherwise limited the damage to keep the score at 3-0. Fellow UCONN product Matt Barnes took over in the fourth and turned in a solid performance by striking out the side (Travis d’Arnaud, Swanson, and Rosario) in order.

In the fifth, the Red Sox lineup finally got on the board themselves when Ryan Fitzgerald drew a two-out walk off former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen and scored all the way from first on a Christian Arroyo single that was botched by Rosario in right field.

Austin Davis was dispatched for the bottom half of the fifth in relief of Barnes. The left-hander worked his way around a one-out walk in an otherwise clean frame before making way for fellow southpaw Darwinzon Hernandez in the sixth.

Hernandez, in turn, loaded the bases with two outs, then served up a two-run single to John Nogowski and one-run single to old friend Brock Holt to give the Braves a commanding 6-1 edge. Hernandez got through the sixth and recorded the first out of the seventh before Franklin German took over for him.

German retired the only two Braves he faced in the seventh, while top pitching prospect Brayan Bello worked a perfect eighth inning and struck out one.

Down to their final three outs in the ninth, Connor Wong and Pedro Castellanos led things off with back-to-back singles off Braves reliever Kyle Muller. A lineout off the bat of Tyreque Reed allowed Wong to advance to third and a line-drive single courtesy of Tyler Dearden allowed him to score from third.

A wild pitch from Muller led to another run-scoring opportunity for Christian Koss, who played Castellanos on a groundout to shortstop Pat Valaika. The Braves then swapped Muller for Nolan Kingham, who retired David Hamilton for the third and final out of the afternoon.

Some notes from this loss:

Tanner Houck walked five of the 14 batters he faced on Friday.

The Red Sox went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base as a team.

Next up: Wacha vs. Kluber

The Red Sox return to Fort Myers on Saturday afternoon to take on the Rays at JetBlue Park. Saturday’s starting pitching matchup will feature a pair of seasoned right-handers going at it, with Michael Wacha getting the ball for Boston and Corey Kluber doing the same for Tampa Bay.

First pitch Saturday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time. The game will be televised on NESN+.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Trevor Story leaves spring training for birth of first child

Trevor Story’s Grapefruit League debut will have to wait.

Fresh off officially signing a six-year, $140 million c0ntract with the Red Sox on Wednesday, Story was slated to see his first action of the spring this Saturday against the Rays at JetBlue Park.

The 29-year-old second baseman did get into a Single-A game on the back fields of Fenway South on Thursday and had registered plate appearances. He was in line to get back on the field this weekend but will now be away from the team for an important reason: the birth of his first child.

Earlier Friday morning, Red Sox manager Alex Cora informed reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) that Story had left Fort Myers to fly home to Texas and be with his wife Mallie as they welcome the newest addition to their family.

“He went home. So now we’re just hoping that everything goes well and he gets there on time and we’ll see,” Cora said of Story. “He went home this morning. So now it’s just waiting to see if everything goes well and then we’ll decide when he comes back and all that, but right now, I think baseball is on the back burner. What a week.”

Given that his free agency was prolonged by the lockout, Story was already at somewhat of a disadvantage when he first arrived to Red Sox camp on Wednesday. Not only is the two-time All-Star trying to get acclimated with a new organization, but he is doing so while learning a relatively new position after spending the first six years of his big-league career at shortstop for the Rockies.

That being said, Cora does not seem all that concerned about Story’s absence, noting that the Red Sox organization itself is “very happy” for one of its newest members.

“We don’t take Trevor’s situation as a setback,” said Cora. “It’s the other way around. We’re very happy for him. But we’re going to have to map it out with him, what are we going to do for the rest of the spring?”

When Story does return to Fort Myers in the coming days, he will have less than two weeks to prepare for Opening Day. The Red Sox, of course, open their season against the Yankees in the Bronx on April 7.

(Picture of Trevor Story: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red S0x)

Red Sox outright Hudson Potts to minor-leagues after infielder clears waivers

Three days after designating him for assignment, the Red Sox have outrighted infielder Hudson Potts to the minor-leagues, the club announced on Friday afternoon.

Boston had designated Potts for assignment earlier this week when they needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for right-hander Kyle Tyler, who has since been designated for assignment himself.

Potts, 23, was one of two prospects (the other being outfielder Jeisson Rosario) the Red Sox acquired from the Padres in the trade that sent veteran first baseman to San Diego in August 2020.

A former first-round draft pick of the Padres in 2016, Potts was added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in November 2020 and entered the 2021 season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

After dealing with an oblique injury during spring training, Potts missed the first month or so of the minor-league season and did not make his debut with Double-A Portland until June 10. Limited to just 78 games with the Sea Dogs, the right-handed hitter slashed .217/.264/.399 (76 wRC+) with 18 doubles, 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 33 runs scored, 16 walks, and 100 strikeouts over 307 plate appearances.

Defensively, Potts was used strictly as a third baseman with Portland despite having prior experience at every other infield position. The 6-foot-3, 205 pounder logged a total of 609 2/3 innings at the hot corner in 2021.

Before losing his spot on the 40-man roster on Tuesday, Potts had appeared in four Grapefruit League games this spring and had gone 0-for-7 with one walk and four strikeouts. Since the Texas native cleared waivers, the Red Sox retain his services as a non-40-man player.

Coming into the 2022 campaign, Potts is regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 53rd-ranked prospect in the organization. He is projected by the site to return to Portland for the start of the minor-league season, which begins next month.

(Picture of Hudson Potts: Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Nick Pivetta allows two homers in second start of spring as Red Sox fall to Orioles, 8-5

The Red Sox fell to 6-2 in Grapefruit League on Thursday night following an 8-5 loss to the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Their six-game winning streak has been met with a two-game losing streak.

Enrique Hernandez was one of the few regulars who made the trek to Sarasota for Thursday’s contest, and he made his impact felt right away by crushing a leadoff home run off Orioles starter Bruce Zimmermann to begin things in the first inning.

Hernandez’s first homer of the spring provided Sox starter Nick Pivetta with an early 1-0 lead. A red-hot Ryan Fitzgerald added on to that by clubbing a two-run shot off Zimmermann an inning later.

Fitzgerald’s team-leading fourth big fly of the spring gave Pivetta an even bigger lead to work with, but the right-hander ran into some trouble in the bottom of the second.

After retiring the side in order in the first, Pivetta — to no fault of his own — allowed the first batter he faced in the second in Anthony Santander to reach base via a throwing error committed by Fitzgerald. Pivetta then issued a one-out walk to Ramon Urias before surrendering two runs on a pair of RBI knocks off the bats of Jorge Mateo and Kelvin Gutierrez.

An inning later, Baltimore knotted things back up at three runs apiece when Ryan Mountcastle took Pivetta deep to right-center field for a solo homer. Urias did the very same in the fourth to give the O’s their first lead of the evening at 4-3.

Pivetta, in turn, recorded the first two outs of the fourth before making way for fellow righty Joan Martinez. The 29-year-old finished his day having given up four runs (two earned) on four hits, two walks, and six strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings of work.

In relief of Pivetta, Martinez came on and got the final out of the fourth. Moments later, Alex Binelas (one of two prospects acquired in the Jackie Bradley Jr. trade) led off the top of the fifth with a ground-ball single and was pinch ran for by the speedy Ceddanne Rafaela, who proceeded to steal second base and score on an RBI single from Kevin Plawecki.

That sequence allowed the Red Sox to tie things back up at 4-4, and it also prompted manager Alex Cora to have Jake Diekman make his spring debut out of the bullpen in the fifth inning.

Diekman, however, was not at his sharpest. The veteran lefty yielded a one-out single and walk before serving up a three-run blast to New Hampshire native Ryan McKenna that made it a 7-4 game in favor of Baltimore.

Fellow newcomer Matt Strahm was deployed for the sixth inning. The southpaw plunked one batter and walked another, but got through the frame unscathed.

From there, Hirokazu Sawamura tossed a scoreless seventh inning. Power-hitting infield prospect Nick Northcut then mashed a booming home run to dead center field off old friend Travis Lakins with two outs and the bases empty in the eighth.

The Orioles got that run back off Kutter Crawford in their half of the eighth, though, and Marcos Diplan closed things out by retiring the likes of Nick Yorke, Rafaela, and Marcelo Mayer in order in the ninth.

Some notes from this loss:

Mayer, arguably Boston’s top prospect, came off the bench as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning and went 0-for-1 with a walk and strikeout.

Yorke, on the other hand, went 0-for-2 with a punchout after pinch-hitting for Fitzgerald in the sixth inning as well.

Next up: Houck vs. Anderson

The Red Sox will travel to North Port to take on the Braves at CoolToday Park on Friday afternoon. Tanner Houck is slated to get the ball for Boston and fellow right-hander Ian Anderson is lined up to the same for Atlanta.

First pitch Friday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time. The game will be televised, but only on Bally Sports South.

(Picture of Nick Pivetta: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

New Podding the Red Sox episode: Red Sox catching prospect Kole Cottam joins the show

On this week’s installment of Podding the Red Sox: A BloggingtheRedSox.com Podcast, I am joined by Red Sox catching prospect Kole Cottam.

Cottam, 24, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2018 amateur draft out of the University of Kentucky. The right-handed batting backstop spent the 2021 season between High-A Greenville and Double A-Portland and was also named an Arizona Fall League All-Star.

Among the topics Kole and I discussed were his days at Kentucky and his summer on Cape Cod in 2017, where he was when he found out he was getting drafted by the Red Sox in 2018, how he fared during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, a recap of his 2021 season, his thoughts on playing in the Arizona Fall League, the popularity the one-knee catching stance and his mustache, where he is at with two weeks to go until the start of the 2022 season, and much more!

The episode is available to listen to on iTunes and Spotify, among other platforms.

My thanks to Kole for taking some time out of his spring training schedule to have an insightful conversation with yours truly. You can follow Kole on Twitter (@Kole_Cotton13) by clicking here and on Instagram (@KoleCottam13) by clicking here.

Thank you for listening and we will see you next time! Please make sure to subscribe and leave a five-star review if you can!

(Picture of Kole Cottam: Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Red Sox claim Ralph Garza off waivers from Twins, designate Kyle Tyler for assignment

The Red Sox have claimed right-hander Ralph Garza off waivers from the Minnesota Twins, the club announced on Thursday afternoon. In order to make room for Garza on the 40-man roster, fellow righty Kyle Tyler was designated for assignment.

Garza, who turns 28 next month, had been designated for assignment by the Twins on Tuesday so that Minnesota could accommodate the addition of star free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa.

The 27-year-old was originally selected by the Astros in the 26th round of the 2015 amateur draft out of the University of Houston and broke in with Houston just last year.

Just nine outings into his Astros career, though, Garza was designated for assignment on August 1 and was subsequently scooped up by the Twins three days later.

After spending a little more than a week with Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate, Garza was recalled by the big-league club on Aug. 14. He closed out the year with the Twins by posting a 3.26 ERA and 4.88 FIP to go along with 15 strikeouts to seven walks over 18 relief appearances spanning 19 1/3 innings of work.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Garza — a Texas native — operates with a five-pitch mix that consists of a slider, sinker, four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup, curveball. His slider was his most-used pitch last year (31.1%) and opponents hit just .118 off it, per Baseball Savant.

Boston has already optioned Garza to Triple-A Worcester, so he should provide the Sox with some additional bullpen depth who has minor-league options remaining.

Tyler, on the other hand, loses his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster just two days after getting claimed off waivers from the Angels earlier this week. The 25-year debuted with Los Angeles last season and yielded a 2.92 ERA (5.20 FIP) in five appearances out of the Halos’ bullpen.

The Red Sox will now have the next seven days to either trade, release, or waive Tyler. It’s certainly possible that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. are optimistic they can sneak the Oklahoman through waivers and keep him in the organization as a non-40-man roster player.

(Picture of Ralph Garza: David Berding/Getty Images)

Has Ryan Fitzgerald been the MVP of spring training so far for the Red Sox?

Has Ryan Fitzgerald been the MVP of spring training so far for the Red Sox?

The left-handed hitting infielder has batted .364/.462/1.182 with a team-leading three home runs, seven RBIs, three runs scored, one stolen base, two walks, and two strikeouts through his first seven games (13 plate appearances) in the Grapefruit League.

Fitzgerald, 27, has the unique distinction of not being drafted out of college or high school. The Creighton University product instead began his pro career by playing one season with the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the independent American Association.

The following spring, Fitzgerald signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent. The Illinois native was assigned to the then-Low-A Greenville Drive out of the gate and really has not looked back since.

In 2019 with the then-High A Salem Red Sox, Fitzgerald posted a .721 OPS across 127 games while making at least one appearance at all four infield positions en route to being named a Carolina League mid- and post-season All-Star. He was also recognized as the organization’s Minor League Defensive Player of the Year that September.

After not being able to do much of anything in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fitzgerald broke minor-league camp last year with Double-A Portland and proceeded to slash .282/.365/.543 (144 wRC+) with 11 homers and 36 RBIs through his first 70 games with the Sea Dogs. He earned a promotion to Triple-A Worcester on July 29.

In a brief stint with the WooSox that lasted all of 13 games, Fitzgerald hit .262/.340/.571 (138 wRC+) with three home runs and nine RBIs before getting sent back down to Portland on August 17. He closed out his year at a .241/.313/.402 clip leading into the end of September.

Between the Double-A and Triple-A levels, Fitzgerald produced a .270/.350/.512 slash line (131 wRC+) while clubbing a total of 16 home runs, driving in a total of of 58 runs, scoring a total of 55 runs, stealing a total of four bases, drawing a total of 37 walks, and striking out a total of 81 times over 108 games (412 plate appearances) in 2021.

Defensively, the versatile 6-foot, 185 pounder made his pro debut as an outfielder last year, logging 10 innings in left, 79 innings in center, and eight innings in right field with the Sea Dogs and WooSox. He once again saw playing time at all four infield positions between the two affiliates, but none more than shortstop (619 2/3 combined innings).

Fitzgerald, who turns 28 in June, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 38 prospect in Boston’s farm system and is currently participating in his first major-league spring training down in Fort Myers. He appears to be a longshot to make the Sox’ Opening Day roster, but he has been making an intriguing case as a potential bench option these last few weeks.

Based off SoxProspects.com’s roster projections, Fitzgerald is in line to return to Worcester for the start of the 2022 season. That being said, the fact that he can play just about anywhere — as well as major-league rosters expanding from 26 to 28 players through the end of April — certainly works in his favor.

While Fitzgerald still has a little less than two weeks to prove he is worthy of an Opening Day roster spot, the 27-year-old will bat eighth and start at second base for the Red Sox in their Grapefruit League contest against the Orioles on Thursday night.

First pitch from Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. eastern time on MASN.

(Picture of Ryan Fitzgerald:  Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)