Three spring training games against the Minnesota Twins separate the Boston Red Sox from the regular season.
The Red Sox took part in some split-squad action Wednesday in Fort Myers, Fla. One Boston team played Minnesota to a 4-4 tie at Hammond Stadium, while the other suffered a 9-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park.
Let’s dive into some additional notes before glancing over each game’s developments.
— Christian Vazquez likely will miss all of 2015. The 24-year-old catcher is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Thursday, according to the Red Sox.
Dr. James Andrews will perform the procedure in Pensacola, Fla.
— Blake Swihart is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, but general manager Ben Cherington told ESPN.com’s Gordon Edes on Wednesday the catcher’s demotion has nothing to do with service time.
The Red Sox simply feel Swihart needs more time to develop, particularly defensively.
— Joe Kelly threw 65 pitches and four innings in a minor league game, according to The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham.
Kelly skipped his start with the big-league club two Sundays ago with biceps soreness, but manager John Farrell since has said the pitcher will be ready to go physically by Opening Day.
— Koji Uehara (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a bullpen Thursday. The closer still is expected to start the season on the disabled list.
— Wade Miley will pitch in an intrasquad minor league game Sunday. He’ll then start for the Red Sox against the New York Yankees on April 10, according to Farrell.
Clay Buchholz and Rick Porcello will pitch Boston’s first two games in Philadelphia. It’s likely Justin Masterson will pitch Game 3 against the Phillies, but Farrell hasn’t confirmed as much. That means there’s an outside chance Steven Wright could take the ball against the Phillies on April 9, with Masterson pitching April 11 in New York.
— Wondering how Fenway Park looks right now after a long winter? According to the Red Sox’s head groundskeeper, the ballpark will be ready to go for Boston’s April 13 home opener against the Washington Nationals.
Game vs. Twins
— Buchholz capped his solid spring with four shutout innings. He allowed six hits, struck out four and walked one while lowering his Grapefruit League ERA to 2.84.
Buchholz has been touching 94 mph on the radar gun this spring, which is a reflection of just how well he’s feeling physically leading up to his Opening Day start. The right-hander notices a huge difference between now and where he was at this time last spring.
“It’s night and day for me,” Buchholz told reporters in Fort Myers. “I was talking to John (Farrell) after I came out. Right now, whenever I feel like I need to reach back and get a little extra, it’s not in a max-effort level where I’m not staying within the delivery. That just goes to the work that I put in with the delivery this offseason and early this camp, all the bullpens and stuff.”
— Alexi Ogando has been a bright spot this spring, but he was knocked around Wednesday. He allowed three earned runs on four hits and two walks over two thirds of an inning.
The silver lining was Ogando’s velocity.
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— Rusney Castillo drilled an RBI double, continuing his hot streak.
Game vs. Blue Jays
— Wright allowed three earned runs on four hits over 3 2/3 innings. The knuckleballer struck out four and walked four.
— Allen Craig hit an eventful inside-the-park home run. More importantly, it was another encouraging day at the plate for the veteran slugger.
“I think everybody is on the same page as far as contributing to a winning team, and that’s kind of where I’m at,” Craig told reporters. “I’m going to come and look at the lineup, and if I’m playing, great. If I’m not, then I’ll prepare to play. That’s all I can do.”
Thumbnail photo via Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY Sports Images
