FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Boston Red Sox took their split-squad day quite literally Tuesday, splitting their two contests against the Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles.
The Red Sox dropped a 5-4 decision to the Marlins at JetBlue Park while simultaneously earning a 6-5 win over the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.
Let’s go over some notes from Tuesday’s action.
-Mike Carp homered in the loss to Miami. Bryce Brentz, Christian Vazquez and Travis Shaw each drove in a run.
-Brock Holt, Will Middlebrooks and Ryan Lavarnway homered in the win over Baltimore. A.J. Pierzynski went 3-for-3. Daniel Nava collected an RBI double, and Jackie Bradley Jr. legged out an RBI triple.
Old friend Alfredo Aceves suffered the loss for Baltimore.
-Grady Sizemore played in his second of back-to-back games. The 31-year-old said he felt good physically but admitted he’s still shaking off some rust when it comes to his timing.
-John Lackey, who surrendered three runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings, was satisfied with his Grapefruit League debut.
Overall, Lackey likes the club’s approach of delaying the veterans’ first spring starts after last season’s heavy workloads.
“With the veteran guys we have, it’ll work out good for us,” Lackey said. “We know what we need to do to get ready.”
-Allen Webster was charged with two earned runs on two hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings against the Orioles. All three walks came in the fourth inning.
-Drake Britton had his first spring hiccup against the Marlins. The wheels came off a bit in the ninth inning, although the left-hander still showed overpowering stuff in the eighth.
“All in all, Drake should feel good about his outing,” said bench coach Torey Lovullo, who was serving as Boston’s manager.
-Clay Buchholz is expected to begin the season as Boston’s No. 5 starter if the current rotation stays in place. It’s somewhat surprising, but the right-hander is on board with the plan.
“I’ve known that since I got here, what they wanted to do with me,” Buchholz told WEEI.com. “It’s fine with me.”
-Craig Breslow hasn’t pitched in a game yet, but the lefty clarified his absence isn’t injury-related. The Red Sox simply are taking things slow with Breslow, who dealt with a shoulder issue last spring.
-Rich Hill, who arrived at camp last week after the death of his infant son, will face live hitters Wednesday.
-Felix Doubront will pitch in a minor league game Wednesday.
-Jake Peavy (finger) had his stitches removed. He might wear a bigger glove Thursday, but he’s still scheduled to start.
-Shane Victorino, who made his debut Monday, will play again Thursday. He also might get at-bats in a minor league game Friday.
-Victorino is expected to play center field at some point this spring.
-The Red Sox likely will make roster cuts before the weekend, manager John Farrell said.
-The Sox conducted an interesting ballpark experiment Tuesday. Lackey wasn’t a fan.
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