Red Sox’ James Paxton diagnosed with Grade 1 hamstring strain

Red Sox left-hander James Paxton has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Saturday.

Paxton strained his right hamstring in the second inning of Friday’s 9-4 Grapefruit League win over the Twins in Fort Myers. The 34-year-old was scheduled to pitch two innings but had to come out of the game with a trainer after recording the first two outs of the second.

“It’s a strain. Not as bad, but probably similar to [Connor] Wong,” Cora said. “We’ll know how he’s reacting. If we need imaging, we’ll do it. But right now, we don’t feel that way.”

When speaking with reporters outside the Red Sox clubhouse on Friday, Paxton said he began feeling discomfort in his hamstring on his second-to-last pitch to Michael A. Taylor. He retired the outfielder with his next offering, but could be seen grabbing at and stretching out his right hamstring in an attempt to get loose.

At that point, Paxton received a visit on the mound from Cora and a member of the team’s training staff. The decision was then made that the lefty’s day would be over right then and there.

“My hamstring just grabbed on me a little bit just as I was kind of starting to find that firing pin to let the ball go a little bit harder,” said Paxton. “I wanted to step on it a little bit and the hamstring just grabbed.”

Before departing, Paxton proved to be effective against the Twins on Friday. He struck out Carlos Correa as part of a 1-2-3 first inning and then got the first two outs of the second. Twelve of the 19 pitches he threw went for strikes and he topped out at 94.7 mph with his four-seam fastball, per Baseball Savant.

As part of Saturday’s announcement, Cora revealed that Paxton will be shut down temporarily, which puts his status for Opening Day into question. If he falls behind in his progressions enough, Paxton could very well start the season on the injured list for the second year in a row.

“Obviously, he’s going to fall behind a little bit here,” Cora said. “It doesn’t look that bad. It sucks because he worked so hard to get to this point. We’ll be patient, just like he will be and he’ll be ready whenever he’s ready.”

Paxton originally signed a one-year, $6 million contract with Boston in December 2021 that came with a two-year club option and a one-year player option. At that time, the southpaw was about eight months removed from having undergone Tommy John surgery while still a member of the Mariners.

After his rehab from the procedure was initially delayed by posterior elbow soreness last May, Paxton was able to began a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League in August. Just two batters into his start for the FCL Red Sox, though, Paxton suffered a Grade 2 lat tear, which ended his 2022 season before it really even started.

In November, the Red Sox declined Paxton’s two-year, $26 million club option that would have covered the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Paxton, in turn, elected to remain in Boston by exercising his $4 million player option for the 2023 campaign.

“I’m comfortable here,” Paxton told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith last month. “They know me. I know them. And I’m trying to establish myself back in the big-leagues and I felt like this was the place for me to do it.”

Dating back to the start of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Paxton has been limited to just six starts spanning 21 1/3 innings. For his major-league career, which spans nine seasons, he has only surpassed the 150-inning plateau twice (2018, 2019) due to different injuries, most of which have been arm-related.

The Red Sox came into camp with seven starters (Paxton, Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Corey Kluber, Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck), competing for five rotation spots. Since workouts began though, Paxton has gone down with a hamstring injury, Bello was slowed by right forearm tightness, and Whitlock has yet to fully ramp up after undergoing hip surgery last September.

Since Boston is expected to exercise caution with all of its starters in camp, it’s certainly possible all three of Bello, Paxton, and Whitlock start the season on the 15-day injured list. If that is indeed the case, the Red Sox do have rotation depth to turn to in right-handers Kutter Crawford and Josh Winckowski. Beyond those two, prospects with starting experience in the minor-leagues — such as Bryan Mata, Chris Murphy, and Brandon Walter — are on the 40-man roster as well.

(Picture of James Paxton: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Kenley Jansen works scoreless third inning in spring debut as Red Sox, Astros once again play to 4-4 tie

For the second time in four days, the Red Sox and Astros played to a 4-4 tie in Grapefruit League action. After it happened in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, a winner could once again not be determined in Saturday afternoon’s contest at JetBlue Park.

Nick Pivetta, making his first start of the spring for Boston, lasted just 1 1/3 innings against Houston. The right-hander came into camp still on the mend from a recent bout with COVID-19 and displayed his rustiness on Saturday by allowing three earned runs on five hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts.

After retiring the first two batters he faced in the top of the first, Pivetta gave up a groundball single to Jake Meyers and followed that up by serving up a two-run home run to Corey Julks. He got through the rest of the inning unscathed but ran into more trouble in the second by surrendering three straight singles to lead things off.

Pivetta struck out the next two batters to keep the bases loaded, but he then balked to bring in Rylan Bannon from third and issued a walk to Chas McCormick to refill the bases. Jake Faria came in for Pivetta and managed to escape any further damage by getting Jake Meyers to ground out to Rafael Devers at third.

Still, it was not a productive day for Pivetta, who needed 43 pitches to record five outs. That being said, the Red Sox lineup promptly came to life in their half of the second inning by putting up a three-spot against Astros starter Shawn Dubin.

Triston Casas led off with a single and Jorge Alfaro followed with a double. Jarren Duran then drew a walk to fill the bases for Rob Refsnyder, who plated Casas and moved Alfaro and Duran up an additional 90 feet with an RBI groundout. With one out and runners at second and third, Raimel Tapia came through with a game-tying, two-run double to left field that pulled Boston back even with Houston at three runs apiece.

The Red Sox and Astros then traded zeroes for the next five innings. Kenley Jansen made quick work of Houston in his spring debut by retiring the side in order in the top half of the third. The veteran closer did not commit a single pitch clock violation, either. Fellow free agent addition Chris Martin was responsible for the fourth inning. He worked his way around two walks and struck out one in a scoreless frame.

Josh Winckowski took over for Martin in the fifth and collected four strikeouts while scattering two hits and two walks to the 12 batters he faced across three more scoreless innings. Oddanier Mosqueda saw Boston’s run of five consecutive shutout frames come to an end when he surrendered a two-out RBI single to Zach Daniels in the top of the eighth.

Shortly after that go-ahead run crossed the plate for the Astros, though, the Red Sox quickly responded in their half of the inning. Niko Goodrum and Enmanuel Valdez each singled with one out to put runners on the corners for Daniel Palka. Palka, in turn, drove in the tying run (Goodrum) with a sacrifice fly to right field.

In the ninth inning of a 4-4 contest, Cam Booser faced the minimum in the top half for Boston and Cesar Gomez did the same for Houston in the bottom half. That is how the game, which ultimately took two hours and 36 minutes to complete, ended.

Other notable numbers:

Duran, who drew two walks and scored one run, was the only member of the Red Sox lineup to take ball four on Saturday.

By going 1-for-2 with that two-run double on Saturday, Tapia is now batting .357 (5-for-14) with four doubles in five Grapefruit League games this spring. He is currently tied for the team lead in doubles and is tied for third with nine total bases.

Next up: Kluber vs. Rogers

At 5-0-3, the Red Sox will close out the first weekend of March by hosting the Marlins in Fort Myers on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Corey Kluber is slated to start for Boston opposite Miami left-hander Trevor Rogers. This is the same pitching matchup we saw in Jupiter last Tuesday.

First pitch from JetBlue Park on Sunday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Kenley Jansen: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ James Paxton leaves first start of spring early with hamstring injury

James Paxton was scheduled to pitch two innings in his first start of the spring for the Red Sox against the Twins on Friday afternoon. The left-hander unfortunately fell short of that goal due to a right hamstring injury.

After recording the first two outs of the second inning at Hammond Stadium, Paxton could be seen grabbing at and stretching out his right hamstring in an attempt to loosen it up. That prompted a visit from Red Sox manager Alex Cora and a member of the team’s training staff.

Paxton, who to that point had retired all five batters he faced while recording one strikeout over 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work, then left the field with a trainer and was pulled from the game in favor of fellow lefty Rio Gomez.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) following Boston’s 9-4 win over Minnesota. “Obviously, not perfect. Hopefully it was just a cramp. I think obviously with him, we’ve got to be very careful. It’s a shame because he was throwing the [heck] out of the ball today. His location was great, velo was up. … And that happened. Hopefully it’s nothing and we can just continue to move on.”

Paxton himself said he first felt discomfort on his second-to-last pitch to Michael A. Taylor with one out in the second. He got the center fielder to fly out to left with his next offering, but was unable to continue after that despite only needing to get one more out.

“My hamstring just grabbed on me a little bit just as I was kind of starting to find that firing pin to let the ball go a little bit harder,” Paxton said. “I wanted to step on it a little bit and the hamstring just grabbed. We’ll see what we got. We don’t really know yet. But we’ll see how I come in feeling tomorrow and go from there.”

Of the 19 pitches Paxton threw on Friday, 12 went for strikes. He punched out Twins shortstop Carlos Correa as part of a 1-2-3 first inning and needed nine pitches to get the first two outs of the second. According to Baseball Savant, the 34-year-old southpaw topped out at 94.7 mph with his four-seam fastball.

“I think there’s positives and negatives,” Paxton said of his shortened outing. “I think that going out there and filling up the zone like I did felt good. Some good breaking balls, fastball felt pretty good. I felt like it was coming out of the hand well. But then this happens and now we’re gonna have to deal with this so that I can continue moving forward. I’ll do whatever I have to do to get back out there.”

Paxton has been with the Red Sox since signing with the club as a free agent in December 2021. At that time, the veteran hurler was about eight months removed from undergoing Tommy John surgery after making one start for the Mariners that season. He spent most of the 2022 campaign rehabbing before suffering a Grade 2 left lat tear in his first rehab outing in late August.

Given his recent injury history, Paxton elected to exercise his $4 million player option for 2023 and return to the Red Sox without any sort of limitations this spring. Even if this latest setback proves to be minor, Boston will undoubtedly exercise caution when it comes to Paxton’s health moving forward.

Paxton is one of seven candidates vying for five spots in the Red Sox’ Opening Day starting rotation alongside the likes of Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Corey Kluber, Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck. As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, though, Bello, Whitlock, and now Paxton have all been slowed by different issues this spring, which could put someone like Kutter Crawford into the rotation mix early this season.

Paxton said that he is unsure if he strained his hamstring or simply experienced a cramp. Regardless, he is disappointed and frustrated by what transpired on Friday.

“This is not how I wanted this to go,” said Paxton. “I wanted to go through spring training clean. But I can’t control that. All I can control is going to work on this now and doing whatever I can to get back out there and pitch again.”

(Picture of James Paxton: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Reese McGuire and Triston Casas both homer, James Paxton leaves first start of spring early as Red Sox defeat Twins, 9-4

The Red Sox remained unbeaten this spring after taking Game 2 of the 2023 Chairman’s Cup from the Twins on Friday afternoon. Boston defeated Minnesota, 9-4, at Hammond Stadium to improve to 5-0-2 in Grapefruit League play.

Matched up against Sonny Gray to begin things on Friday, the Red Sox lineup got off to a quick start by putting up a three-spot in the top half of the first inning. After reaching base on a one-out single and advancing 90 feet on a pickoff error, Alex Verdugo scored his side’s first run on an RBI single off the bat of Justin Turner.

Turner himself moved up to second on a Minnesota fielding error that allowed Triston Casas to reach base before scoring on a two-out single from Bobby Dalbec. Casas, who advanced to third on that play, then came in to score when Reese McGuire reached on yet another fielding error committed by the Twins.

That sequence gave Boston an early 3-0 lead right out of the gate, but Minnesota was able to get two of those runs back an inning later. James Paxton, who retired the side in order in his first inning of work this spring, recorded the first two outs of the second before exiting the game with a right hamstring injury. He was replaced by fellow left-hander Rio Gomez, who issued a five-pitch walk to Joey Gallo before serving up a two-run home run to Kyle Farmer.

Despite seeing their three-run advantage shrink to one-run, the Red Sox continued to capitalize on Twins mistakes in their half of the third. After Turner and Casas each reached with no outs and Dalbec loaded the bases with a one-out single, McGuire came through by crushing a 395-foot grand slam off reliever Emilio Pagan to make it a 7-2 contest in favor of Boston.

Again, though, Minnesota retaliated. John Schreiber took over for Gomez in the bottom of the third and filled the bases with one out before spiking a wild pitch that allowed Eliot Soto to come in from third. Michael A. Taylor then grounded out to to Enmanuel Valdez at second base, which gave old friend Christian Vazquez more than enough time to score from third and trim the Twins’ deficit down to three runs at 7-4.

Following a scoreless fourth inning from Ryan Sherriff, Casas picked up where he left off by leading off the fifth with a 400-foot solo blast to deep right field for his second home run of the spring. Brandon Walter then came out of the bullpen for Boston and struck out three over two scoreless frames of relief. Fellow southpaw Chris Murphy followed that up by stranding two base runners and punching out the side in the seventh.

In the eighth, former Twins catcher Caleb Hamilton took Brock Stewart 438 feet deep over the berm in left field for his first big fly in a Red Sox uniform. Taking a 9-4 lead into the latter half of the frame, Murphy got the first two outs before loading the bases on a single and back-to-back walks. Norwith Gudino came in and promptly escaped the jam by fanning Soto on three consecutive sliders.

With three more outs to get in the ninth, Gudino picked up two more punchouts to slam the door on the Twins and record the save in doing so.

More on Paxton’s start:

Prior to leaving the game with a trainer, Paxton had already retired the first five batters he had faced on Friday. The 34-year-old southpaw struck out one over 1 2/3 innings of work while throwing 20 pitches (12 strikes). His fastball topped out at 94.7 mph, per Baseball Savant.

Next up: Pivetta makes spring debut

The Red Sox will return to JetBlue Park to host the Astros on Saturday afternoon. Nick Pivetta, who came into camp still on the mend following a recent bout with COVID-19, will make his first start of the year for Boston. Fellow right-hander Shawn Dubin is slated to start for Houston.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Reese McGuire: Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Jorge Alfaro has unique clause in contract that could make him available to all other teams later this month

Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro has a unique clause in his contract that could complicate his future with the club, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Alfaro signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox in January that came with an invite to major-league spring training. It has since been revealed that the deal also comes with an “upward mobility” clause that would go into effect on March 25.

As noted by Cotillo, this differs from a standard opt-out. It instead allows Alfaro to secure a major-league opportunity elsewhere if the Red Sox are not willing to give him one. If Alfaro is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by March 25, he can request to become available to all 29 other teams in hopes of landing a big-league job.

If another club is interested in Alfaro, the Red Sox would then have 72 hours to either add Alfaro to their own 40-man roster or allow him to switch teams. If no other club is interested in Alfaro at the time of his request, Boston would be able to keep the 29-year-old without committing a 40-man roster spot to him.

Alfaro will soon be leaving Red Sox camp in Fort Myers to play for Team Colombia in the World Baseball Classic. The Sincelejo native has appeared in two Grapefruit League games so far this spring and has gone 3-for-6 (.500) with one double and two strikeouts.

After deciding against signing or trading for a catcher on a major-league deal this winter, the Red Sox brought in Alfaro as a non-roster invitee. The right-handed hitter is currently competing with Reese McGuire and Connor Wong for a spot on the club’s Opening Day roster. Because Alfaro can play first base and serve as a designated hitter, Boston could very well carry all three backstops on its 26-man roster come March 30.

More likely than not, though, the Red Sox will elect to carry the left-handed hitting McGuire and one of Alfaro and Wong, who both hit from the right side of the plate. Wong, who suffered a left hamstring strain in Thursday’s 15-3 win over the Phillies, also has one minor-league option remaining, meaning he can be shuttled between Triple-A Worcester and Boston up to five times this season. The same cannot be said for Alfaro, who is out of options.

A veteran of seven major-league seasons between the Phillies, Marlins, and Padres, Alfaro possesses intriguing power, athleticism, arm strength, and speed. With San Diego last year, he ranked in the 97th percentile of all big-leaguers in max exit velocity (115.2 mph), the 96th percentile in average pop time to second base (1.89 second), and the 85th percentile in average sprint speed (28.7 feet per second), per Baseball Savant.

On the other side of the coin, though, Alfaro does own a rather high career strikeout rate of 34.1 percent to go along with a career walk rate of just 4.2 percent. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder has also had his issues as a receiver after leading the National League in passed balls in each of the last two seasons.

Alfaro, who does not turn 30 until June, will have the next three-plus weeks to determine what his immediate future looks like. That being said, Wong’s status moving forward could impact his decision. Additionally, depending on how things play out in spring games (and in the World Baseball Classic) Alfaro could draw interest from catcher-needy teams who would be willing to guarantee him a roster spot. If that happens, the Red Sox would then have to decide to either add Alfaro to their own roster or let him go.

If Alfaro remains with Boston past March 25 without being added to the big-league roster, he would have the ability to opt out of his deal on June 1 and July 1 in order to test free agency. If Alfaro is in the majors with the Red Sox at some point this season, he would earn a base salary of $2 million.

(Picture of Jorge Alfaro: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox have No. 10 farm system in baseball, per Baseball America’s latest organizational rankings

According to Baseball America’s latest organizational talent rankings, the Red Sox have one of the top farm systems in baseball heading into the 2023 season.

Baseball America ranked the Red Sox 10th in its annual rankings. Each year, the publication “looks at the totality of a farm system’s talent, with an emphasis on top prospects but also factoring in the depth of the organization’s prospect ranks.”

As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox have steadily climbed Baseball America’s organizational rankings since Chaim Bloom took over as the club’s chief baseball officer in October 2019. Bloom inherited a farm system that finished dead last (30th) in 2019. They were ranked 20th in both 2020 and 2021 before making the jump to No. 11 last year. This time around, the organization cracked the publication’s top-10.

“Slowly but surely, Boston’s system is improving,” Baseball America wrote. “The group isn’t deep, but it’s led by near-ready first baseman Triston Casas and talented shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Breakout prospect Ceddanne Rafaela and toolsy wunderkind Miguel Bleis add upside to the system, and Japanese import Masataka Yoshida gives Boston a plug-and-play outfielder for its new-look lineup.”

In January, the Red Sox landed five players on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list. Mayer is currently ranked 10th, Casas is ranked 28th, Rafaela is ranked 71st, Yoshida is ranked 87th, and Bleis is ranked 88th.

That Yoshida is considered by the publication to be a prospect is certainly interesting when you consider the fact that he is 29 years old, played in Japan for seven seasons, and signed a five-year, $90 million contract with Boston in December. Other experts within the industry, such as Keith Law of The Athletic, do not view Yoshida as a prospect even though he is a rookie with no major-league experience.

Taking that into consideration, though, Yoshida will likely graduate from his prospect status before long since he projects to be Boston’s starting left fielder. The same can be said for Triston Casas after the 23-year-old first baseman debuted last September. Right-hander Brayan Bello, who pitched 57 1/3 innings last season, has already graduated from his prospect status after exceeding his rookie limits in 2022.

Finishing in front of the Red Sox in this year’s preseason organizational rankings are the Orioles, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Guardians, Mets, Rays, Nationals, Reds, and Cardinals. Rounding out the top-15 are the Pirates, Rangers, Brewers, Rockies, and Yankees. The only other American League East team not yet mentioned, the Blue Jays, were ranked 17th.

(Picture of Wilyer Abreu, Matthew Lugo, and Ceddanne Rafaela: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox catcher Connor Wong suffers left hamstring strain; ‘It doesn’t look great right now,’ Alex Cora says

UPDATE: Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Friday that catcher Connor Wong has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain in his left hamstring.

“We’ll see how it goes. I think treatment will determine what’s next,” Cora said of Wong’s prognosis. “We have to calm him down first and then we’ll know more throughout the week.”

—

Red Sox catcher Connor Wong suffered a strained left hamstring in the fifth inning of Thursday’s 15-3 win over the Phillies at JetBlue Park.

Wong entered the game in the top of the fifth as a defensive replacement for fellow backstop Jorge Alfaro. The right-handed hitter got one at-bat in the latter half of the frame, but he strained his left hamstring while trying to beat out a grounder to shortstop. He was then replaced at catcher by Elih Marrero in the sixth.

When speaking with reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Thursday afternoon, Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated that Wong would undergo further testing and that the club would know more about the 26-year-old’s status on Friday.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” Cora said. “He’s tight. It doesn’t look great right now, but hopefully we get better news tomorrow morning.”

Wong, who turns in 27 in May, is one of two catchers on Boston’s 40-man roster alongside Reese McGuire. Rather than go and out add a backstop to the major-league roster this winter, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom elected to sign Jorge Alfaro to a minor-league deal in January. Since both Wong and Alfaro hit from the right side of the plate, the two were expected to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster as a complement to the left-handed hitting McGuire.

While Wong has one minor-league option remaining, Alfaro does not. Furthermore, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported on Thursday that Alfaro has an upward mobility clause in his contract that requires the Red Sox to either add him to their big-league roster by March 25 or let him go to another club that has interest in putting him on its 40-man roster.

Wong is coming off a 2022 season in which be batted .188/.273/.313 with three doubles, one home run, seven RBIs, eight runs scored, five walks, and 16 strikeouts in 27 games (56 plate appearances) with the Red Sox. He also threw out three of 21 base stealers from behind the plate.

As noted by Cotillo, Wong appeared to have an inside track on making Boston’s Opening Day roster coming into camp last month. If this strained left hamstring results in him missing a significant amount of time, that could complicate matters. In that scenario, Alfaro would be the favorite to make the roster in Wong’s place, though the 29-year-old will be away from the team for some time as he prepares to play for his native Colombia in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

If Wong only sustains a minor setback as a result of this injury, the Red Sox could still elect three catchers on their Opening Day roster since Alfaro offers some versatility as a designated hitter and as a first baseman.

(Picture of Connor Wong: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox ride grand slams from Christian Arroyo, Wilyer Abreu to 15-3 rout of Phillies

The Red Sox continued their winning ways on Thursday afternoon by blowing out the Phillies at JetBlue Park. Boston romped Philadelphia, 15-3, to improve to 4-0-2 in Grapefruit League play.

Matched up against left-hander Bailey Falter out of the gate, the Sox got out to an early 1-0 lead in their half of the second inning. Christian Arroyo got his productive day at the plate started by crushing a leadoff home run to deep right field.

An inning later, Phillies reliever Griff McGarry loaded the bases for the Red Sox with only one out in the third. Rob Refsnyder then drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Enrique Hernandez from third. Arroyo followed by depositing a towering bases-clearing grand slam well over the faux Green Monster in left field. The second baseman’s second homer of the day and second of the spring gave his side a commanding 6-0 lead.

Following another Phillies pitching change that saw Tayhor Lehman take over for McGarry immediately after the righty gave up that grand slam, the Sox struck again as Jorge Alfaro laced a one-out single to center field. Alfaro went from first to third on a Jarren Duran double, but was thrown out at home plate. Duran, however, advanced to third on the play and then scored on an RBI double off the bat of Ryan Fitzgerald to make it a 7-0 contest heading into the fourth.

To that point, the Red Sox had used two pitchers. Tanner Houck, who got the start in what was spring debut, did not allow any runs or hits. But the right-hander struggled with his command and walked four of the nine batters he faced. Though he did record two strikeouts, Houck was limited to just 1 2/3 innings of work as a result of needing 41 pitches (2o strikes) to get five outs.

Durbin Feltman took over for Houck in the top half of the second and escaped a bases-loaded jam by getting old friend Kyle Schwarber to ground out to Justin Turner at first. He then retired the side in order in the third before giving way to Ryan Brasier, who served up a solo shot to Kody Clemens, in the fourth. Zack Kelly ran into additional trouble in the fifth, as he surrendered back-to-back run-scoring hits to Darrick Hall and Jake Cave, trimming Boston’s lead down to four runs at 7-3.

After quieting down for two innings, the Red Sox lineup kicked things back into high gear in the sixth. Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Hernandez each drew walks off new Phillies reliever Andrew Baker. Rafael Devers then plated Duran and Abreu on a two-run double to center field before the pinch-running duo of Matthew Lugo and David Hamilton each scored on RBI groundouts from Daniel Palka and Ceddanne Rafaela.

In the bottom of the seventh, Boston put up another four-spot. Enmanuel Valdez drew a leadoff walk off Billy Sullivan and Elih Marrero and Marcus Wilson both reached base via a single and hit-by-pitch. With nowhere to put him, Abreu came through by clobbering yet another grand slam to deep right field to give the Red Sox a commanding 15-3 advantage.

Taking that sizable lead into the eighth, Matt Dermody put the finishing touches on his two scoreless frames out of the bullpen after Bryan Mata had already kept the Phillies off the board in the sixth. Taylor Broadway then slammed the door on Philadelphia in the ninth to secure the victory.

Other notable numbers:

Thursday’s contest between the Red Sox and Phillies took three hours and two minutes to complete, making it the longest game of the spring so far for Boston.

Devers, Turner, and Arroyo accounted for six of Boston’s 12 hits. Arroyo, Duran, and Abreu each scored two runs while Duran and Hernandez each drew two walks.

Wong leaves with hamstring injury

Connor Wong left Thursday’s game with a strained left hamstring. The 26-year-old replaced Alfaro behind the plate and got one at-bat in the fifth before being lifted for Marrero in the sixth inning. It’s unclear how Wong got injured but he is considered to be day-to-day.

Next up: Paxton takes the hill

The Red Sox will make the quick trip to Hammond Stadium on Friday afternoon to take on the Twins in the second game of the 2023 Chairman’s Cup. Veteran left-hander James Paxton will get the start for Boston opposite Minnesota right-hander Sonny Gray.

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

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Wyatt Mills records three strikeouts as Red Sox tie Astros, 4-4, in Grapefruit League action

The Red Sox remained unbeaten in Grapefruit League play on Wednesday as their contest against the Astros at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches ended in a 4-4 tie.

Matched up against Houston’s top pitching prospect, Hunter Brown, to begin things, Boston got off to a quick start in the top of the first inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, Reese McGuire reached base via catcher’s interference. Brown then issued a bases-loaded walk to Niko Goodrum before plunking fellow non-roster invitee Greg Allen to give the Red Sox an early 2-0 lead.

On the other side of things, Richard Bleier served as an opener in what was a bullpen game for the Boston pitching staff. The veteran left-hander allowed one run on two hits, one walk, and one hit batsman to go along with one strikeout over two innings of work.

After stranding Jose Altuve at second base in a scoreless bottom of the first, Bleier issued a leadoff walk to Kennedy Corona to kick off the second. Corona moved up to second on a J.J. Matijevic single and to third on a 6-4-3 double play before scoring his side’s first run on an RBI single off the bat of of Quincy Hamilton. Bleier then retired the final batter he faced to limit the damage to one run.

From there, Boston and Houston exchanged zeroes over the next three innings. Wyatt Mills struck out three across two scoreless frames before Kaleb Ort kept the Astros off the board in the fifth. To kick off the top half of the sixth inning, the speedy Ceddanne Rafaela led off by reaching base on a pop-up single and advancing to second on a Mauricio Dubon throwing error. A Wilyer Abreu walk and Enmanuel Valdez single loaded the bases with one out for Triston Casas, who plated Rafaela with an RBI groundout to third base. Abreu then scored on a wild pitch to make it a 4-1 game in favor of Boston.

Taking a three-run lead into the latter half of the sixth, Ort issued a leadoff walk to Migeul Palma before recording the first two outs of the inning. Rather than getting out of the frame unscathed, though, the righty served up a two-run home run to 2022 second-round draft pick Jacob Melton, which brought the Astros back to within one run at 4-3.

Joe Jacques could not preserve that slim one-run lead in the seventh. The lefty was greeted by back-to-back hits from Marty Costes and Dubon to put runners at second and third with no outs for Houston. Palma then drove in Costes from third on a game-tying sacrifice fly to center field.

That is where the score would remain. While the Red Sox lineup could not muster anything else offensively, Rio Gomez and Luis Guerrero each sat down the side in order in the eighth and ninth. As such, this contest ended in a 4-4 draw that took two hours and 23 hours to complete.

Other notable numbers:

Through two appearances this spring, Mills has yet to allow a run or hit in the process of striking out five of the 10 batters he has faced over three scoreless innings of relief.

McGuire and Raimel Tapia (2-for-3) accounted for both of Boston’s extra-base hits on Wednesday. Valdez, who went 1-for-2 with a walk, was thrown out at home plate to end the top of the second while trying to score on a Christian Arroyo single.

Next up: Back to Fort Myers

At 3-0-2, the Red Sox will return to Fort Myers on Thursday afternoon to take on the reigning National League champion Phillies. Right-hander Tanner Houck is slated to make his first start of the spring for Boston opposite Philadelphia left-hander Bailey Falter.

First pitch from JetBlue Park is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. eastern time on ESPN.

(Picture of Wyatt Mills: Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Matt Barnes takes apparent shot at Chaim Bloom when reflecting on time with Red Sox: ‘That organization represents so much more than who’s currently running it’

Former Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes had the opportunity to watch his old team take on his new team in Grapefruit League action on Tuesday night. The Marlins right-hander decided against it.

Barnes pitched in Miami’s 4-3 win over the Astros on Monday. As such, the righty was not required to in attendance for Tuesday’s tilt against Boston. He instead left Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium for his apartment after lunch, well before the Red Sox defeated the Marlins, 7-2, to remain unbeaten this spring.

It has now been a little over a month since the Red Sox designated Barnes for assignment and subsequently traded him to the Marlins for left-handed reliever Richard Bleier. At that time, the 32-year-old described the decision as “a complete blindside.”

Though four-plus weeks have passed since he was moved, Barnes told Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe that while he holds no grudge against the organization he spent the first 12 years of his professional career with, he does take issue with who is running the club at present.

“I’m not mad and I don’t have any animosity toward the Red Sox organization because that organization represents so much more than who’s currently running it,” Barnes said. “The people at the top were so great to me.”

According to Abraham, Barnes “mentioned being grateful” to Red Sox ownership, general manager Brian O’Halloran, and assistant general managers Eddie Romero and Raquel Ferreira. He did not make any mention of chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, however.

Bloom, of course, made the decision to give Barnes a two-year, $18.75 million contract extension in July 2021. At that point in time, Barnes was among the top relievers in the American League and had just been named to his first All-Star Game.

After posting a 2.61 ERA during the first half of the 2021 campaign, though, Barnes struggled to a 6.48 ERA in 22 appearances (16 2/3 innings) down the stretch. He only made Boston’s ALDS roster as an injury replacement that October and was left off the ALCS roster entirely.

Last year, Barnes got off a rough start in which he produced a 7.94 ERA in 20 games before hitting the injured list with right shoulder inflammation in early June. He returned to action two months later and ended his season on a strong note by forging a 1.59 ERA in his final 24 outings. The Red Sox, however, were convinced that those numbers did not reflect Barnes’ true performance.

“They told me I was lucky,” said Barnes. “Unfortunately, a lot of people in this game make decisions based on a spreadsheet.”

This appears to be another indirect shot at Bloom, who explained in January that while he holds Barnes in high regard, the decision to move on from him had more to do with giving other relievers in the organization — especially those who still have minor-league options — an extended look in 2023.

“This was not an easy move. But one that we felt was the right one,” Bloom told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) on Jan. 24. “It wasn’t anything bad about Matt, who I’m sure is going to continue to have success in his career. It was a reflection of where we thought we were and how we saw the pen coming together and what those other guys have a chance to do for us.”

Cotillo also reported on Tuesday that he was always told Bloom was one of Barnes’ “biggest fans (if not the biggest) in the organization. There was not a lot of surprise when it was Barnes who got the rare in-season extension.”

In trading Barnes to the Marlins, the Red Sox agreed to send Miami $5.5 million in cash considerations as part of the deal. Barnes, who turns 33 in June, can become a free agent for the first time next winter if his $8 million club option for 2024 is not picked up at the end of the year. He told Abraham that he is looking forward to a fresh start with a new team.

“It’s been great here so far. The guys are awesome; the staff is awesome,” Barnes said. “We have some really good talent on this team. I’ve seen that in a few weeks. As weird as it’s been, the adjustment has been pretty good. But it’s hard when you go from knowing everybody to knowing nobody.”

Following Tuesday’s exhibition contest in Jupiter, the Red Sox will not see the Marlins again until they host them in a three-game series from June 27-29. Barnes said he will save being “buddy-buddy” with his former teammates and coaches until he steps into Fenway Park as a visitor for the first time in his big-league career.

“I know I was fortunate to play as long as I did in Boston,” he added. “But I’ve got some good years left in me. We have a lot of talent in this clubhouse and we’re here to win.”

(Picture of Matt Barnes: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)