First, manager Terry Francona confirmed that Mike Lowell will play third base Sunday at home against Houston. Adrian Beltre will travel to Dunedin to play Toronto.
Two, Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 44 pitches in his bullpen session today and will toss two innings in a minor league game Sunday.
Pitching coach John Farrell said the report he got on Matsuzaka was very favorable and that the righty got stronger in the second half.
Three, with split-squad games set for Sunday and Monday and plenty of pitchers who need work, there is a little bit of shuffling going on. While Matsuzaka throws at the minor league complex, both Jon Lester and Felix Doubront will start the two major league games Sunday.
On Monday, John Lackey will throw in a minor league game while Boof Bonser starts at home against Tampa Bay and Michael Bowden travels to Jupiter to take on St. Louis in a make-up game.
Two days. Six starters getting some work. It'll be busy down here.
Lastly, Jacoby Ellsbury is cleared to play after being sidelined with an illness. He will play Saturday.
That is all for now. Check back for more stories throughout the evening and follow along tomorrow as the Sox host Baltimore.
Pirates 9-7, Final: When does a losing streak in March become worrisome?
The answer, in all likelihood, is never, but the wait continues for the Sox to get a win as they drop their fifth in a row.
Boston actually scored some runs this time (it had a total of six in the first four losses), but the Pirates had the power stroke going. They slugged four home runs.
The Sox outhit Pittsburgh, 14-13.
We will see Tim Wakefield on the mound Saturday at City of Palms Park, where Boston hosts Baltimore in a game you can see on NESN. First pitch is 1:05 p.m.
End 8th, Pirates 9-7: Another inning, another Pirates home run to right field, which is acting like a vaccuum.
This one goes to John Raynor, a former Florida Marlins farmhand who has shown a little pop in the minors.
That's the second home run allowed by Tazawa in six Grapefruit League innings.
Mid 8th, Pirates 8-7: An RBI double by Jason Place brings the Red Sox within a run.
And don't you go thinking the scoring is done here. The conditions here are notorious for creating crooked numbers. In addition to the 15-run affair we have going here, there have been other scores of 15-5, 16-15 and 10-5 at McKechnie Field already this spring.
Junichi Tazawa is on for the Sox.
End 7th, Pirates 8-6: The homer-happy Pirates strike again, this time off Jorge Sosa, who didn't help his chances of making the squad in the seventh.
Sosa even gave up a hard single to former Red Sox outfielder Brandon Moss, which has been a near impossibility this spring. Moss entered the at-bat a disgusting 0-for-22.
Steve Pearce provided the home run, a two-run job to wind-blown right field. Pittsburgh, which has 12 hits in this one, also had three home runs Thursday in a loss to Minnesota.
Mid 7th, 6-6: Although he gave up four runs in 3 1/3 innings, Josh Beckett said repeatedly that only one number meant anything to him.
"The important number for me today was 70 pitches," Beckett said.
The righty, who still sounded a bit under the weather, said he was basically bedridden for four days this week as he recovered from whatever seems to be going around the locker room.
He doesn't see it as an issue in preparation for the opener in April and said he feels OK, just fatigued.
We will have more on Beckett's day in a separate story later on.
And as you can see, the Red Sox worked over Vinnie Chulk pretty well in the seventh. Jeremy Hermida had a solo homer and Josh Reddick an RBI double. Reddick is now 14-for-31, although this one was misjudged by the right fielder.
End 6th, Pirates 6-3: Finally the Pirates are retired without a run as Brian Shouse comes on to work around a leadoff single.
Pittsburgh had scored in in the previous four frames.
Mid 6th, Pirates 6-3: While we were away getting word from Josh Beckett, Scott Atchison had his first rough frame of the spring.
After an error allowed Aki Iwamura to reach, Garrett Jones hit a two-run homer.
Old friend Brendan Donnelly came on for the Pirates and allowed a single to the streaking David Ortiz before inducing an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Jason Varitek.
2:37 p.m.: Off to hear from Josh Beckett. Will be right back.
Mid 5th, Pirates 4-3: Brian Burres comes on for the Pirates and throws a scoreless frame, but not before Josh Reddick makes a little more noise.
Reddick lines a hard single to right. He is now 13-for-30 this spring.
End 4th, Pirates 4-3: Josh Beckett's line is an untidy one.
He gives up four runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out just one.
Scott Atchison gets the last two outs with no problems in the fourth.
2:21 p.m.: Josh Beckett was not able to avoid the Delwyn Young Express, which is rolling across the Floridian landscape, leaving a wake of sore necks for pitchers it passes.
Sorry, just trying to make Young's hot streak sound a bit more than your average Grapefruit League burst.
Young took Beckett deep on a 1-2 pitch and now has five home runs in six games.
Scott Atchison has relieved Beckett.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-2: Paul Maholm has his second 1-2-3 inning for the Pirates and nothing left the infield – two groundouts and a pop to third.
Apparently Mike Lowell's home run came off a lefty in his last at-bat of the day.
End 3rd, Red Sox 3-2: Josh Beckett gives up a few hard hits again as the Pirates plate one.
A one-out single by Aki Iwamura was followed up a ringing double that sailed over Mike Cameron's head in center field.
I don't know whether Cameron could have made the play but he was clearly frozen by the blast off the bat and lost a few steps.
Victor Martinez made a spectacular play for the second out, robbing Ryan Doumit of a hit and beating him to the bag with a slide.
2:03 p.m.: As we watch the Pirates get to Josh Beckett again in the third here is a quick, and very encouraging, update on Mike Lowell.
Bouncing back and forth between two games at the Red Sox minor league camp, he went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and three RBI. Lowell was playing with teams from the Sox' Greenville and Salem affiliates. He was serving only as a designated hitter, but may play third base Sunday, according to Terry Francona.
We are also awaiting word from Fort Myers on the status of Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was scheduled to throw a bullpen session today.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: All kinds of action in the third, with Victor Martinez's RBI double erasing an earlier mistake by the Sox.
After Mike Cameron singled with one out, Dustin Pedroia roped a shot into the corner in left.
As Cameron chugged toward third, third base coach Tim Bogar appeared unsure as to wheether to send him or not. Bogar gave a very half-hearted wave home and Cameron was a dead duck, getting thrown out by 15 feet.
Bogar was seen cursing himself out for the decision, which made little sense with just one out. Spring training is for coaches, too.
Martinez doubled in Pedroia to salvage something. David Ortiz popped up to end it.
End 2nd, Red Sox 2-1: Things slow to a complete crawl in the second as Josh Beckett gets into all kinds of trouble and we have a mini-argument between Pirates manager John Russell and the umps.
And in a scene you will only see during spring training, players out on the warning track (those not playing, specifically) get involved.
It all started with a double into the corner in right off the bat of Ryan Doumit. The hit scattered the Pittsburgh relievers who were sitting on folding chairs in fair territory.
Following a groundout, Beckett walked Jeff Clement and then gave up a drive to Andy LaRoche that was first ruled a home run. But the Sox' relievers also taking in some rays immediately pointed that the ball was foul and the umps correctly made a change.
LaRoche promptly hammered the next pitch into left for a single before the Bucs' rally died.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: Paul Maholm breezes through the second on a breezy afternoon in Bradenton.
Jeremy Hermida nearly got it up in the gusts with a fly to right that carried to the track. Bill Hall grounded to short and Tug Hulett struck out swinging.
End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: In his first inning since last Tuesday, Josh Beckett has few issues.
Ronny Cedeno had a one-out double but it was nothing more than a soft flare that fell between Mike Cameron and Jeremy Hermida.
Aki Iwamura struck out swinging on a Beckett fastball.
Mid 1st, Red Sox 2-0: It was a no-doubter off the bat of David Ortiz that gets the Sox on the board early.
Paul Maholm threw two balls to start Ortiz off and dig himself into a little hole before the Red Sox designated hitter just unloaded on one.
When he struck the ball Ortiz stood for a one-count and flipped the bat aside, knowing he got all of it. It likely traveled over 400 feet beyond the wall in right.
Ortiz has been hot of late. He has two home runs this spring.
Both runs were unearned as the inning opened up with an error by shortstop Ronny Cedeno.
1:01 p.m.: We are getting ready to go here under partly cloudy skies (or partly sunny, I never know the difference). The pitchers set to follow Josh Beckett are Scott Atchison, Brian Shouse and Junichi Tazawa.
I imagine we will see another arm or two as Beckett will likely be limited to four innings. But things can change.
12:45 p.m.: There is a bit of a family reunion today at McKechnie Field as Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell's son, Jeremy, is one of the players the Pirates have brought over from their minor league camp.
Jeremy is an infielder who hit .248 with five home runs in 73 games with West Virginia of the South Atlantic League last year.
It is the second time this week a Boston coach has opposed his son. On Tuesday in Kissimmee, first base coach Ron Johnson saw his son, Chris, play for the Astros.
For some reason I can't get "It's a Family Affair" out of my head.
12:24 p.m.: We provided a quick take on Clay Buchholz's start at the minor league camp yesterday, and there were a few other tidbits.
Buchholz was caught by talented catching prospect Luis Exposito. We have heard this spring how well liked Exposito is as a teammate and how he is received in the dugout.
The minor league complex provides a great place to see that as one can mingle with the players stand just behind a chain link fence, offering up an opportunity to hear everything that goes on.
Exposito, who had a very long at-bat before reaching in the first and had a single a few innings later, was extremely vocal with Buchholz. He offered encouragement and on a series of ground balls to first base (Buchholz had to cover three times) Exposito yelled "get over!" loud enough to be heard two fields away.
The 23-year-old, who was reassigned to the minor league camp earlier this week, has an absolute cannon of an arm and great presence about him. He is an impressive "kid" (use the Francona voice for that) and it was interesting to see him work so close up. Remember the name.
11:55 a.m.: Good morning and thanks for checking in as we get set to watch the Sox and Pirates finish what they started in the 1903 World Series.
We'll have a few news and notes in a moment, but for now here are the starting lineups (note the Victor Martinez-Jason Varitek situation):
Red Sox
Mike Cameron, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Victor Martinez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Jason Varitek, C
Jeremy Hermida, LF
Bill Hall, SS
Tug Hulett, 3B
Josh Reddick, RF
Pirates
Andrew McCutchen, CF
Ronny Cedeno, SS
Aki Iwamura, 2B
Garrett Jones, DH
Ryan Doumit, C
Lastings Milledge, LF
Jeff Clement, 1B
Andy LaRoche, 3B
Delwyn Young, RF
The sun is out and there is a strong wind out to right, which always seems to be the case in Florida.
A few other observations on the trip in. I parked in a lot reserved for media and observed just next to my car a man in a tank top stripping the outside of his boat, a la Andy Dufresne. Alas, I look nothing like Morgan Freeman and all we exchanged was a nod.
Steps away, just outside the main gate, is an eatery called Popi's. I know it's spelled a bit different but I wonder if David Ortiz is aware.
Anyway, all eyes early on will be on Josh Beckett to see if he has any issues after a minor derailment earlier this week.
8 a.m.: Following their first and only off day of the Grapefruit League schedule, the Red Sox get back at it when they head north to Bradenton to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Josh Beckett will be on the bump after being scratched from his last start due to an illness. He'll be opposed by Paul Maholm.
Beckett has allowed a run in five innings this spring.
Boston will likely be without Jacoby Ellsbury, who was slated to get some time off to deal with an illness of his own. Mike Lowell will be down at the minor league complex to get some at-bats and may play third base on Sunday.
First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. and we'll take you through each inning right here.
