grapefruit league – Page 4 – Blogging the Red Sox

Red Sox option prospect Enmanuel Valdez to Triple-A Worcester as spring training roster cuts continue

Following a 6-2 loss to the Tigers on Tuesday, the Red Sox made their fifth round of spring training roster cuts.

After previously sending down pitching prospect Chris Murphy, Boston also optioned infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez to Triple-A Worcester and reassigned left-hander Oddanier Mosqueda and right-hander Chase Shugart to minor-league camp.

Valdez, 24, has appeared in 14 Grapefruit League games for the Red Sox this spring. The left-handed hitter has gone 5-for-25 (.200) at the plate with one home run, two RBIs, four runs scored, seven walks, and eight strikeouts in that span.

The Red Sox acquired Valdez (and Wilyer Abreu) from the Astros in last August’s Christian Vazquez trade. They then added the native Dominican to the 40-man roster in November in order to prevent him from reaching minor-league free agency.

In 44 games with the WooSox down the stretch last season, Valdez batted ..237/.309/.422 with nine doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 30 RBIs, 26 runs scored, three stolen bases, 19 walks, and 48 strikeouts over 195 plate appearances. On the other side of the ball, the 5-foot-9, 191-pounder saw playing time at second base, third base, and in left field.

Valdez is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He could very well make his major-league debut at some point this season, but he will first return to Worcester to continue with his development.

“Valdez still needs some seasoning, quote-unquote, to get better defensively and offensively,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier). “But you can’t rule him out.”

Mosqueda, 23, has appeared in four Grapefruit League games for the Red Sox this spring. The Venezuelan-born southpaw has allowed just one earned run on five hits, one walk, and six strikeouts over five innings of relief. He needed just 12 pitches (10 strikes) to punch out a pair and toss a scoreless seventh inning against the Tigers on Tuesday.

A member of Boston’s 2015 international signing class, Mosqueda re-signed with the organization he began his professional career with over the winter after posting a 4.30 ERA and and 4.05 FIP with 76 strikeouts to 20 walks across 45 relief appearances (58 2/3 innings) for Double-A Portland last year.

Back in February, The Athletic’s Chad Jennings identified Mosqueda as a potential dark-horse out of the bullpen for Boston in 2023, noting that he “has been singled out by one Red Sox evaluator as a legitimate big-league possibility this season.”

Shugart, meanwhile, was roughed up by the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. The 26-year-old righty was tagged for five runs (four earned) on three hits and two walks. He only managed to record the first out of the eighth inning and was ultimately charged with the losing decision.

Coming into Tuesday’s Grapefruit League action, Shugart had yet to surrender a run in his first four appearances (three innings) of the spring. The University of Texas product split the 2022 campaign between Portland and Worcester. He will more than likely join Mosqueda in the WooSox bullpen to begin the 2023 season.

With these three subtractions made, the Red Sox now have 47 players remaining at major-league camp in Fort Myers. Of those 47 players, 13 are in camp as non-roster invitees. They will have to get down to 26 players before Opening Day on March 30.

(Picture of Enmanuel Valdez: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Raimel Tapia and Rob Refsnyder both homer, Nick Pivetta tosses 4 strong innings as Red Sox fall to Tigers, 6-2

The Red Sox squandered a late lead against the Tigers on Tuesday afternoon and wound up paying for it. Boston fell to Detroit by a final score of 6-2 at Joker Marchant Stadium to drop to 9-5-4 in Grapefruit League play.

Matched up against Michael Lorenzen out of the gate, the Red Sox got off to quick start right away in the first inning. Raimel Tapia took the eighth pitch he saw from Lorenzen (a 3-2, 84.5 mph changeup at the knees) and promptly crushed a 402-foot leadoff home run to deep right field.

Tapia’s second homer of the spring left his bat at 101.1 mph and gave Boston an early 1-0 lead over Detroit. It also provided Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta with a one-run cushion before he even took the mound on Tuesday.

Pivetta, making his third start of the spring, was solid. The right-hander allowed just one earned run on four hits and one walk to go along with five strikeouts over four innings of work.

After Pivetta went the first three frames without surrendering a hit, the Red Sox doubled their lead in the top half of the fourth. With Lorenzen still pitching for the Tigers, Rob Refsnyder broke out of an 0-for-21 rut by clubbing a 384-foot solo shot to right field for his very first hit of the spring. Ronaldo Hernandez and Greg Allen also reached base in the inning, but they were both thrown out on the base paths.

Pivetta, meanwhile, gave up his first hit of the day on a leadoff single off the bat of Zack Short in the latter half of the fourth. Short, however, was thrown out at second while trying to extend his single into a double. Ryan Kreider followed by ripping a one-out triple down the right field line and was driven in moments later on a Riley Greene RBI single. Pivetta then yielded a two-out single to Austin Meadows, but he managed to strand both Greene and Meadows by fanning the last batter he would face in Nick Maton.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 54 (36 strikes), Pivetta topped out at 96.6 mph with his four-seam fastball, a pitch he threw 37 times. The 30-year-old hurler also induced nine swings-and-misses altogether, per Baseball Savant.

In relief of Pivetta, fellow righty John Schreiber received the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen. Schreiber was able to get out of a jam in the fifth inning and got the first two outs of the sixth, who stranded the lone runner he inherited by punching out Colt Keith on five pitches. Left-hander Oddanier Mosqueda followed suit by recording two more strikeouts in a scoreless bottom of the seventh.

The eighth inning is where things began to get away. Chase Shugart entered with a one-run lead to protect, but he walked two of the first three batters he faced before giving up a go-ahead, two-run single to Jake Holton. Holton then moved up to second on a Brendon Davis base hit and scored from second on an RBI single off the bat of Keith.

Shugart left the game with runners on the corners and two outs still to get in the eighth. Luis Guerrero, who took over for Shugart, immediately gave up a sacrifice fly to Luis Guerrero. Not only did Davis score from the third on the play, but Keith was able to come in all the way from first after minor-league shortstop Luis Ravelo committed a fielding error.

Just like that, a 2-1 lead became a 6-2 deficit. Down to their final three outs in the ninth, Allan Castro, Ravelo, and Caleb Hamilton all went down quietly against Tigers reliever Mason Englert, who was credited with the winning decision after tossing two scoreless innings. Shugart, on the other hand, was charged with the loss.

Other worthwhile observations:

Triston Casas went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. The 23-year-old saw 27 pitches in his four plate appearances and is now sporting a .441 on-base percentage this spring.

Christian Arroyo also doubled. Tapia, meanwhile, went 1-for-3 with his first-inning homer and is now batting .417 (10-for-24) in nine Grapefruit League games.

Guerrero, a 17th-round draft pick in 2021, threw nine pitches on Tuesday. Only two of them went for strikes, but the 22-year-old was consistently in the upper-90s and even hit triple-digits with his fastball.

Next up: Whitlock makes spring debut against Rays

The Red Sox will return to Fort Myers to host the Rays on Wednesday afternoon. While Corey Kluber is in line to start for Boston, Garrett Whitlock will also be making his spring debut, as the right-hander is slated to throw two innings out of the bullpen. On the other side, fellow righty Evan McKendry will be starting for Tampa Bay.

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

(Picture of Nick Pivetta: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox option pitching prospect Chris Murphy to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have optioned left-hander Chris Murphy to Triple-A Worcester, the club announced earlier Tuesday morning.

Murphy struggled in his Grapefruit League start against the Blue Jays on Monday, allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits and six walks over just 2 1/3 innings of the work. Altogether, the 24-year-old has posted a 9.00 ERA and 2.60 WHIP with five strikeouts to eight walks across three appearances (five innings pitched) this spring.

A native of California, Murphy was originally selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of San Diego. He was added to the 40-man roster last November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 13 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks fourth among pitchers in the organization.

Last season, Murphy put up a 2.58 ERA (3.35 FIP) in 15 outings (13 starts, 76 2/3 innings) for Double-A Portland before earning a promotion to Worcester in late June. With the WooSox, though, the southpaw yielded a 5.50 ERA (5.26 FIP) with 58 strikeouts to 41 walks over 15 starts spanning 75 1/3 innings.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Murphy operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an above-average changeup, and an average slider, per his Baseball America scouting report. As was the case on Monday, his command of the strike zone is still needs some refining.

Murphy, who turns 25 in June, is slated to return to Worcester’s starting rotation for the start of the 2023 season alongside the likes of fellow lefty Brandon Walter and hard-throwing righty Bryan Mata, who were both optioned in the last two days.

By optioning Murphy, the Red Sox now have 50 players remaining at major-league camp in Fort Myers. Of those 50 players, 15 are in camp as non-roster invitees.

(Picture of Chris Murphy: Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox outfield prospect Miguel Bleis shows flashes of his potential in first Grapefruit League start

Red Sox outfield prospect Miguel Bleis made his impact felt on both sides of the ball in what was his first career Grapefruit League start on Monday afternoon.

Though the Red Sox were trounced by the Blue Jays by a final score of 16-3 in Dunedin, Bleis made the most of his opportunity while serving as Boston’s starting right fielder.

Right out of the gate, Bleis was put on the spot with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning. Red Sox starter Chris Murphy had just given up an RBI single to Addison Barger. Alejandro Kirk easily scored from third on the play, but Brandon Belt was also trying to come in from second to triple his side’s lead.

Bleis, who was playing in deep right field, quickly charged at Barger’s 104.4 mph base hit. With his momentum carrying him towards the infield, Bleis collected himself and unleashed an accurate dart to catcher Stephen Scott that arrived in plenty of time to snuff out Belt at home plate and the end inning.

In the top of the second, Bleis found himself coming to the plate with two outs, the bases loaded, and All-Star starter Alek Manoah on the mound for Toronto. Unfazed by the moment, the right-handed hitter took a 1-2 sinker that was in by his hands and promptly slapped it to the opposite field for what was then a game-tying two-run single.

Bleis was able to put his speed on display by going from first to third on an Enmanuel Valdez RBI single. In the latter half of the second, he made a running grab to rob Whit Merrifield of a hit. But the 19-year-old also showed his lack of experience when he allowed another single off the bat of Barger to get under his glove in the third, which led to three more Toronto runs crossing the plate. He then struck out swinging against Manoah in the fourth.

“That’s why I don’t get too excited, especially in the market where we play,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Bleis when speaking with reporters (including MLB.com’s Joey Johnston). “He has a lot of great tools, no doubt. It seems like everybody knows everybody … and there’s a passion about the kids. But at the same time, I played with guys who were the second coming of whoever — and they never panned out.

“In my mind, I have to be the one who stays calm and keeps it neutral instead of getting too excited,” he added. “When they become big leaguers, they’re big leaguers. But there’s a process. … Just be patient. You’re going to go through ups and downs. When you’re up high, how will you act? When you’re down [low], how will you act? Be patient.”

Bleis, who just turned 19 earlier this month, originally signed with the Red Sox for $1.05 million as a highly-touted international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021. The San Pedro de Macoris native has been tabbed by outlets such as MLB Pipeline as Boston’s top international prospect since Rafael Devers.

Though he certainly possesses five-tool potential, Bleis has yet to play above the rookie-ball level. He is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he slashed .301/.353/.543 with 14 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 27 RBIs, 28 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 10 walks, and 45 strikeouts in 40 games (167 plate appearances) for the Florida Complex League Red Sox in Fort Myers. The 6-foot-3, 170-pounder also registered a team-high five outfield assists while seeing the majority of his playing time come in center.

As noted by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Bleis will break minor-league camp in April with Low-A Salem, where he will get his first taste of full-season ball. There could be a transition period of sorts as Bleis refines his approach while going up more advanced competition, but his ongoing development will nevertheless be something to monitor moving forward.

Because he is still just 19 years old, Bleis is obviously a ways away from the big-leagues. However, when speaking with Speier on Monday, he indicated that he would like to make his major-league debut by the end of his age-21 season, which is not until 2025.

“I have a goal,” Bleis said through translator Carlos Villoria-Benitez. “In my mind, at the end of my 21-year old season, that will be a nice thing to do if I make my debut in the big-leagues. “I’m going to play hard and show the team I’m getting ready in all the aspects they want me to.”

(Picture of Miguel Bleis: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox option trio of prospects, including Ceddanne Rafaela, to Triple-A Worcester

Following Monday afternoon’s 16-3 blowout loss to the Blue Jays in Dunedin, the Red Sox made their fourth round of spring training roster cuts.

Boston optioned infielder David Hamilton, infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela, and left-hander Brandon Walter to Triple-A Worcester, the club announced. All three of these players were added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster in November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Hamilton, 25, has appeared in 13 Grapefruit League games for Boston this spring. The speedy left-handed hitter has gone 7-fot-24 (.292) at the plate with one double, four RBIs, three runs scored, five stolen bases, three walks, and nine strikeouts in that span.

After setting a new franchise record by stealing 70 bases with Double-A Portland last season, Hamilton could very well make his impact felt with the Red Sox this year. Over the winter, Major League Baseball implemented a pitch clock, larger bases, and a limit on pickoff attempts in an effort to increase action on the basepaths.

Rafaela, 22, has appeared in 15 Grapefruit League games this spring. In that stretch, the versatile right-handed hitter has batted .207 (6-for-29) with six singles, four runs driven in, four runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and six strikeouts.

Originally signed out of Curacao for just $10,000 in July 2017, Rafaela is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is capable of playing both shortstop and center field at a high level and has been named the organization’s Minor League Defensive Player of the Year the last two years.

Walter, meanwhile, struggled out of the bullpen against the Blue Jays on Monday. The 26-year-old southpaw got tagged for six earned runs on eight hits, no walks, and three strikeouts over two innings of relief. Of the 44 pitches he threw, 31 went for strikes.

A former 26th-round draft selection out of Delaware in 2019, Walter is coming off a solid 2022 campaign in which he walked just three of the 196 batters he faced between Portland and Worcester. After making just two starts for the WooSox, though, Walter was shut down for the season in June due to a bulging disc in his upper back that was originally diagnosed as a neck strain.

Like Bryan Mata, who was optioned to Worcester on Sunday, Walter will provide the Red Sox with starting rotation depth in the upper-minors to begin the 2023 season. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 10 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks second among pitchers in the organization.

With Monday’s subtractions, the Red Sox now have 51 players remaining on their major-league spring training roster. Of those 51 players, 15 are in camp as non-roster invitees.

(Picture of Ceddanne Rafaela: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Chris Murphy, Brandon Walter struggle as Red Sox get shelled by Blue Jays in 16-3 loss

To put it simply, the Red Sox got rocked by the Blue Jays in Dunedin on Monday afternoon. Boston fell to Toronto by a final score of 16-3 at TD Ballpark to drop to 9-4-4 in Grapefruit League play.

Chris Murphy, making his first start and third overall appearance of the spring, did not fare well for the Red Sox. The left-hander surrendered six runs (five earned) on four hits, six walks, and zero strikeouts over just 2 1/3 innings of work. Only 24 of the 57 pitches he threw went for strikes.

The Blue Jays got to Murphy right away in their half of the first. Bo Bichette got the scoring started by crushing a one-out solo home run off the lefty. Murphy then loaded the bases on back-to-back walks and a single before recording the second out. But he was unable to escape the jam, as Addison Barger snuck an RBI single through the right side of the infield that scored Alejandro Kirk from third. Brandon Belt also attempted to score on the play, but he was thrown out at home plate by right fielder Miguel Bleis for the final out of the inning.

Despite falling behind by two runs right out of the gate, the Red Sox lineup wasted no time in mounting a rally of their own in the top of the second. With All-Star right-hander Alek Manoah starting for the Jays, Niko Goodrum led off with a single and Stephen Scott and Nick Sogard each took ball four. That ultimately loaded the bases with two outs for Bleis, who came through by roping a game-tying, two-run single to right field.

Manoah had been laboring to that point in the inning, and so the Blue Jays elected to temporarily take their starter out of the game and bring in Jackson Rees out of the bullpen. Following that pitching change, Enmanuel Valdez greeted the new reliever by plating Sogard from third on another single to right field. That gave the Red Sox a 3-2 lead heading into the middle of the second.

Murphy followed by facing the minimum with the help of a double play, but his struggles to command the strike zone continued in the third. There, he again filled the bases with one out before issuing a bases-loaded walk to Orelvis Martinez, allowing Toronto to tie things up at three runs apiece. Martinez would prove to be the final batter Murphy would face, as he was given the hook in favor of fellow southpaw Cam Booser.

Booser entered with the bases still loaded and two outs to get in the third. He immediately gave up a bases-clearing single to Barger that was misplayed by Bleis in right field. As a result of Bleis’ error, all three runners Booser had inherited scored (Murphy was charged with all six runs) while Barger moved up all the way to third before being thrown out at home moments later.

The Blue Jays continued to haunt Red Sox lefties in the fourth. Brandon Walter, who took over for Booser, served up a leadoff double to Whit Merrifield that was followed by a blistering 453-foot two-run blast off the bat of Bichette (his second homer of the day), which gave Toronto a commanding 8-3 advantage.

Walter surrendered two more hits in the fourth before allowing another run to score on a Kevin Kiermaier groundout. The 26-year-old got tagged for three additional runs in the fifth on four more hits (including an RBI double from Merrifield) and a fielding error committed by second baseman Eddinson Paulino.

In the sixth, Wyatt Mills allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base before serving up a three-run home run to the pinch-hitting Andres Sosa. The same thing happened in the seventh as Mills gave up a single to Cam Eden before plunking Vinny Capra to put runners at first and second. He then made way for Durbin Feltman, who filled the bases with two outs before issuing yet another bases-loaded walk to Davis Schneider.

That sequence of events put Toronto up, 16-3. Feltman wrapped up an otherwise miserable day for Boston pitching by working his way around a leadoff double in a scoreless eighth inning in which he struck out a pair.

Offensively, the only real damage the Red Sox did came in the second inning. Outside of that lone productive frame, Boston batters were completely shut out by Manoah and the rest of Toronto’s pitching staff. When down to their final three outs in the ninth, Max Ferguson drew a leadoff walk before Marcelo Mayer, Matthew Lugo, and Gilberto Jimenez each went down swinging against Yosver Zulueta to put the finishing touches on a 16-3 loss.

Other worthwhile observations:

Bleis (1-for-2 with two RBIs) was one of three Red Sox hitters to record a hit on Monday. The 19-year-old outfielder is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system. Valdez, who had one of the other two hits and the only other RBI, is currently ranked 19th on the publication’s list.

Next up: Pivetta vs. Lorenzen

The Red Sox will travel to Lakeland to take on the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. Nick Pivetta is slated to get the start for Boston opposite fellow righty Michael Lorenzen for Detroit.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time. The game will not be televised.

(Picture of Chris Murphy: Elsa/Getty Images)

Adam Duvall hits first homer of spring as Red Sox draw with Yankees, fall to Orioles in split-squad doubleheader

As part of a split-squad doubleheader on Sunday, the Red Sox drew with the Yankees at home and lost to the Orioles on the road. In Fort Myers, Boston tied with New York, 3-3. Up the road in Sarasota, Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 6-4.

At JetBlue Park, Tanner Houck made his third start of the spring for the Red Sox. The right-hander surrendered two earned runs on four hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with four strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings of work.

Both of those Yankees runs came in the top half of the fourth. There, after getting through the first three innings unscathed, Houck allowed the first two batters he faced (Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Billy McKinney) to reach base on a HBP and walk. He then gave up an RBI single to Andres Chaparro and a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Jake Bauers to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

Having thrown 75 pitches already, Houck was given the hook in favor of fellow righty Chase Shugart, who promptly got Rodolfo Duran to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. The Red Sox lineup responded by playing two runs of their own in the latter half of the fourth.

After doing very little against Yankees starter Yoendrys Gomez, Reese McGuire mounted the mini-rally by drawing a one-out walk off new reliever Jimmy Cordero. He then scored all the way from first base when the speedy Greg Allen roped a hard-hit triple to the triangle in center field. Two batters later, Allen was able to knot things up at two runs apiece by scoring on a passed ball.

That stalemate did not last long, however, as Chris Martin took over for Shugart out of the Boston bullpen and immediately served up a leadoff home run to Anthony Volpe in the fifth. Again, though, Boston quickly responded. In similar fashion to Volpe, Adam Duvall led off the bottom of the fifth by crushing a solo shot over the faux Green Monster in left field.

Duvall’s first homer of the spring — and first in a Red Sox uniform — pulled Boston back even with New York at 3-3. That is where the score would remain, as the two sides exchanged zeroes over the next four inning. Zack Kelly stranded a pair of base runners in the sixth before Bryan Mata before Bryan Mata followed with three scoreless frames of relief.

With a chance to walk it off in the ninth, top prospect Marcelo Mayer laced a leadoff double to center field to get things started against Demarcus Evans. Mayer, however, failed to advance from there, as Evans retired Karson Simas, Niko Kavadas, and the pinch-hitting Ahbram Liendo to keep the 3-3 tie intact.

At Ed Smith Stadium, Kutter Crawford made his second start and third overall appearance of the spring for the visiting Red Sox. The right-hander allowed three earned runs on five hits, one walk, and four strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings of work.

The Orioles first got to Crawford in their half of the second. There, Ramon Urias drew a leadoff walk, went from first to third base on a Nomar Mazara one-out single, and scored the first run of the day on a line-drive RBI single off the bat of Jorge Mateo. Crawford was able to retire the side in order in the next inning, though, and the Red Sox responded by putting up a four-spot in the fourth.

Matched up against one of baseball’s top pitching prospects in Grayson Rodriguez, Ceddanne Rafaela led off the fourth with a groundball single. He then stole second base while Daniel Palka was in the process of drawing a walk. That put runners at first and second with no outs for Niko Goodrum, who plated Rafaela with a then-game-tying infield single.

Rodriguez issued another walk to Caleb Hamilton to fill the bases for Narciso Crook, in turn, ended Rodriguez’s outing by singling in a run (Palka) of his own. David Hamilton then drew a bases-loaded walk off new Orioles reliever Morgan McSweeney before Nick Sogard drove in (Caleb) Hamilton on a groundout for the fourth and final run of the frame.

Despite having a brand-new three-run lead to work with, Crawford was not able to get through the bottom of the fourth. He instead gave up a one-out single to Austin Hays and a two-out RBI double to Mateo, who proved to be the final batter he would face.

Ryan Miller came on with one out still to get in the fourth, but the righty filled the bases on a walk and HBP before serving up a go-ahead grand slam to catcher Adley Rutschman. Rutschman’s slam put Baltimore up, 6-4, heading into the fifth.

From there, Kaleb Ort worked his way around a walk in a scoreless fifth inning while Matt Dermody continued his impressive spring by fanning three across three perfect innings of relief. The Red Sox lineup, however, was unable to get anything else going offensively as 6-4 would go on to be Sunday’s final score.

With a tie against the Yankees and a loss to the Orioles, the Red Sox are now 9-3-4 in Grapefruit League play with 16 more games remaining on the schedule before Opening Day.

Next up: Murphy vs. Manoah

The Red Sox will travel to Dunedin to take on another division rival in the Blue Jays on Monday afternoon. Left-hander Chris Murphy is slated to get the ball for Boston while All-Star right-hander Alek Manoah is lined up to do the same for Toronto.

First pitch from TD Ballpark is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN 360.

(Picture of Adam Duvall: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Chris Sale fans 5 over 3 scoreless innings as Red Sox come up short in 4-3 loss to Twins

For the first time this spring, the Red Sox have lost back-to-back games. After coming up short against the Blue Jays on Friday, Boston fell to the Twins by a final score of 4-3 at Hammond Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Sale pitched well for the Red Sox in his second start of the spring. The veteran left-hander allowed just one hit and no walks to go along with five strikeouts over three scoreless innings of work.

That lone hit came in the form of a two-out single from Donovan Solano in the bottom of the first inning. From there, Sale retired the next seven batters he faced through the end of the third, which is where his day would come to a close. The 33-year-old southpaw finished with a final pitch count of 32 (24 strikes) while topping out at 95.1 mph with his four-seam fastball. He also induced seven swings-and-misses, per Baseball Savant.

While Sale was in the midst of a strong effort on the mound, the Red Sox put up a three-spot off Twins starter Tyler Mahle in the top half of the second. Bobby Dalbec led off the inning by lacing a 109.5 mph double to right field. He then moved up to third base on a wild pitch before scoring on an RBI single off the bat of Reese McGuire.

McGuire was able to tag up to second on a Niko Goodrum flyout and then scored from there on a David Hamilton single. Hamilton, ever the speedster, proceeded to steal second base and take third on a throwing error committed by Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. He remained at third before Adam Duvall plated him on a two-out bloop single that landed in the infield grass.

Taking a 3-0 lead into the fourth inning, Kenley Jansen got the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen in relief of Sale. Jansen, making his first in-game appearance since last Saturday, struck out two of the three batters he faced in the fourth. He also came back out for the fifth and, after recording the first out, served up a 351-foot solo homer to Jeffers for Minnesota’s first run of the day.

Jansen was then relieved by minor-leaguer Brendan Cellucci, who issued a one-out walk to Max Kepler before allowing Kepler to score on a Michael A. Taylor RBI single. The left-handed Cellucci minimized the damage, though, as he got Andrew Bechtold to ground into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play.

The Red Sox had an opportunity to build their lead back up in the top of the sixth after Hamilton, Greg Allen, and Adam Duvall all reached base. With two outs in the inning, however, Twins reliever Cole Sands was able to prevent the floodgates from opening by fanning the pinch-hitting Eddinson Paulino on four pitches.

The Twins capitalized on Boston’s inability to score in the following half-inning. Joely Rodriguez, the third lefty of the day for the Red Sox, yielded back-to-back doubles to Yoyner Fajardo and Jose Miranda to lead off the sixth. Miranda, who tied the game with his two-base hit, then scored what would prove to be the winning run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kyle Farmer.

From that point forward, the Red Sox lineup was not able to do much offensively. After Rodriguez got the first out of the seventh and John Schreiber sat down all five batters he faced through the end of the eighth, Boston went down quietly against Blayne Enlow in the ninth to put the finishing touches on a 4-3 defeat.

With the loss, which took two hours and 22 minutes to complete, the Red Sox drop to 9-2-3 in Grapefruit League play and 11-2-3 in all competitions this spring. They will have to wait until March 22, when they next take on the Twins, for their next shot at taking home the 2023 Chairman’s Cup.

Other worthwhile observations:

Christian Arroyo went 2-for-3 with two singles on Saturday. The 27-year-old is now batting .360 (9-for-25) in nine games this spring.

Dalbec, McGuire, and Hamilton recorded multiple hits as well. Allen, who reached base twice by drawing two walks, and Hamilton combined for five stolen bases.

Next up: Split-squad action

The Red Sox will have a split squad on Sunday as they host the Yankees at JetBlue Park and travel to Sarasota to take on the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium.

At home, Tanner Houck will get the start for Boston opposite fellow right-hander Yoendrys Gomez for New York. On the road, Kutter Crawford will take the mound for Boston while fellow righty Grayson Rodriguez, one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, will toe the rubber for Baltimore.

First pitch for each contest is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time. The game taking place at JetBlue Park will be broadcasted on NESN+.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox fall to Blue Jays, 2-0, for first loss of spring

The Red Sox suffered their first loss of the spring and were shut out by the Blue Jays on Friday afternoon. Boston fell to Toronto by a final score of 2-0 at JetBlue Park to drop to 9-1-3 in Grapefruit League play.

Corey Kluber, making his third start of the spring for the Sox, was tagged with the losing decision. The veteran right-hander allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts over three-plus innings of work.

In both the first and second innings, Kluber allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base. Each time, however, he was able to escape the jam by striking out the side in the first and inducing three straight fly outs in the second.

The third inning was a different story. There, Kluber allowed the first two batters he faced (Orelvis Martinez and Zach Britton) to reach on a double and single, respectively. Rather than get out of the jam this time around, the righty instead surrendered a run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Wynton Bernard.

A similar situation arose in the fourth, as the Blue Jays doubled their lead when Cam Eden led off with a single and promptly scored all the way from first on a Rainer Nunez RBI double that split the gap in right-center field. Nunez proved to be the last Toronto hitter Kluber would face.

The 36-year-old hurler had already thrown 69 pitches to that point, and he was given the hook in favor of Cam Booser out of the Red Sox bullpen. Booser, in turn, prevented any further damage thanks to Caleb Hamilton picking off Nunez at third base. The minor-league left-hander then made way for Ryan Brasier, who made quick work of Toronto in the fifth.

In the sixth, Wyatt Mills was able to maneuver his way around a bases-loaded jam when Rob Refsnyder made a nice sliding, inning-ending catch down the left field line. Oddanier Mosqueda followed by hurling two more scoreless frames before Jake Faria stranded a pair of runners with the help of an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play in the top of the ninth.

To that point in the contest, four different Blue Jays pitchers had combined to hold the Red Sox lineup to just four hits (all singles) through eighth innings. Jimmy Robbins, who had given up a single and a walk in the bottom of the eighth, was also responsible for the latter half of the ninth inning.

Tyler McDonough, who had replaced Refsnyder in left field, reached base on a one-out single off the faux Green Monster. That brought Bobby Dalbec to the plate representing the tying run. Dalbec, however, lined out to second baseman Davis Schneider, who was able to get the ball back to first baseman Cullen Large in time to double up McDonough and thus end the game.

Following Friday’s loss, which took all of two hours and 24 minutes, Boston is now 11-1-3 in all competitions this spring.

Other worthwhile observations:

Raimel Tapia was one of five Red Sox hitters to record a hit on Friday. The 29-year-old went 1-for-2 with a stolen base and is now batting .421 (8-for-19) through seven Grapefruit League contests.

With a fourth-inning single, Adam Duvall broke out of an 0-for-11 slump to begin his Red Sox tenure. Following a 1-for-3 showing on Friday, the center fielder is now batting .071 (1-for-14) this spring.

In three appearances out of the bullpen this spring, Ryan Brasier has allowed one run on one hit, two walks, and three strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings of relief. That is good for an ERA of 2.45 and a WHIP of 0.82. The righty is also holding opposing hitters to an .083 (1-for-12) batting average against.

Next up: Sale Day

The Red Sox will remain in Fort Myers on Saturday and take on the Twins in Game 3 of the 2023 Chairman’s Cup. Left-hander Chris Sale is slated to make his second start of the spring for Boston while right-hander Tyler Mahle is scheduled to start for Minnesota.

With a two-games-to-none lead already in hand, the Red Sox can take home the Chairman’s Cup with another win on Saturday afternoon. First pitch from Hammond Stadium is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Corey Kluber: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Narciso Crook goes deep twice, leads power surge for Red Sox in 11-7 win over Yankees

The Red Sox went deep six times en route to a high-scoring win over the Yankees on Thursday afternoon. In the first of 15 meetings between the two rivals this year, Boston defeated New York by a final score of 11-7 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

With Clarke Schmidt starting for the Yankees, the Red Sox jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in their half of the second inning. After Reese McGuire reached base via a one-out single, Narciso Crook got his side on the board first by crushing a 327-foot two-run home run down the right field line.

Nick Pivetta, who was making his second start of the spring for Boston, had already worked a scoreless first inning. But the right-hander ran into some trouble in the second after issuing a pair of walks to Josh Donaldson and Rafael Ortega. He then gave up a game-tying, two-run single to Jose Trevino.

Having already thrown 33 pitches in the second inning alone, Pivetta was pulled by Red Sox manager Alex Cora with two outs. Ryan Miller, who was acquired from the Yankees in the minor-league phase of December’s Rule 5 Draft, was called upon on to record the final out of the second. Pivetta’s day, however, was not yet over.

After Schmidt stranded one runner in the top of the third, Pivetta came back out for the bottom half of the inning. The 30-year-old hurler surrendered a leadoff single to Aaron Judge but ended his afternoon on a more positive note by fanning Anthony Rizzo on five pitches.

All told, Pivetta allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks to go along with two strikeouts over two total innings of work. He finished with 57 pitches (34 strikes) and averaged 94.7 mph with his four-seam fastball while inducing four swings-and-misses.

Durbin Feltman took over Pivetta with one out in the third and stranded the lone runner he inherited by inducing a pair of groundouts. He was responsible for the fourth inning as well, but he gave up a one-out double to Oswald Peraza and allowed him to score the then-go-ahead run on two wild pitches while Trevino was at the plate.

Following a scoreless fifth inning from Zack Kelly, though, the Red Sox erupted for six runs in the top of the sixth. Facing off against old friend Tyler Danish, minor-league outfielder Tyler Dearden clubbed a 422-foot solo shot to right-center field to lead things off. After Ceddanne Rafaela reached base with one out, Daniel Palka delivered with a 375-foot homer of his own that put Boston up, 5-3.

Niko Goodrum and McGuire then reached on back-to-back singles before Crook came through with his second big fly of the day. This one left his bat at a blistering 105.3 mph and was deposited 424 feet over the left field wall. The sharply-hit three-run blast gave the Red Sox some breathing room in the form of an 8-3 lead.

Kelly remained in for the bottom of the sixth and retired the final three batters he faced. Eddinson Paulino, who pinch-ran for Enmanuel Valdez the inning prior, led off the seventh inning by launching a 389-foot home run off new Yankees reliever Demarcus Evans. Chase Shugart was next up out of the bullpen after Kelly and also faced the minimum while punching out top prospect Jasson Dominguez in the latter half of the seventh.

After Norwith Gudino put up another zero in the eighth, the Red Sox made sure to make their last at-bats count in the ninth. Christian Koss drew a leadoff walk off Randy Vazquez. Three batters later, Phillip Sikes capped off the scoring by drilling a 395-foot two-run homer that had an exit velocity of 105.7 mph to right field.

Taking a commanding 11-3 advantage into the bottom of the ninth, Gudino served up a pair of home runs (including a three-run shot to Dominguez), but he was ultimately able to hang on and secure an 11-7 victory for the Red Sox.

With the win, which took two hours and 47 minutes to complete, Boston improves to 9-0-3 in Grapefruit League play and 11-0-3 in all competitions this spring.

Other worthwhile observations:

Batting out of the nine-hole and starting in left field on Thursday, Dearden went 2-for-3 with his sixth-inning home run. The 24-year-old was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 29th round of the 2017 amateur draft.

McGuire and Crook went a combined 4-for-6 on Thursday with five RBIs and four runs scored between them.

Next up: Kluber starts against Blue Jays

The Red Sox will return to Fort Myers on Friday afternoon to host the Blue Jays at JetBlue Park. Veteran right-hander Corey Kluber will get the start for Boston opposite fellow righty Zach Thompson for Toronto.

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

(Picture of Narciso Crook: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)