Final, Red Sox 3-1: Well, that’s a kick in the pants.
The Red Sox put up two runs in the top of the 10th after the game had been tied 1-1 since the fifth inning. Ryan Flaherty responded by hitting a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom half of the inning, thus leading to a 3-3 tie.
It’s one of the many wonders of spring training; a 10-inning tie. With it, the Red Sox are now 10-9-1 in Grapefruit League action, while the Orioles move to 11-5-1.
Clayton Mortensen got the start for Boston in this one. He pitched three scoreless innings to begin the game, allowing two hits while walking one and striking out one. Mortensen then gave way to the combination of Alex Wilson, Chris Hernandez and Oscar Villarreal. Hernandez was particularly impressive, as he tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.
Bryce Brentz, who had been out of action since accidentally shooting himself in the leg back in January, made his spring debut for Boston. He hit a solo home run in just his second plate appearance, and that proved to be the Red Sox’ only offense until J.C. Linares went deep for the Sox during their two-run 10th.
Overall, the Red Sox only managed five hits in the game, and two of those came in the extra frame.
Ryan Lavarnway’s struggles were the most notable. The 25-year-old went 0-for-5 while serving as the DH on Friday, which drops his spring average to .133. That isn’t exactly a stat you want to see in connection with a player who figures to get a look if David Ortiz isn’t healthy to begin the season.
Those of you still hungry for baseball are in luck. The Red Sox will be starting up Game 2 of their split-squad action at 7:05 p.m. ET. They’ll take on the Twins at JetBlue Park in that contest, and all of the action will be televised on NESN.
Hopefully, that game will produce a winner.
If you’re looking to kill some time before Game 2’s first pitch, feel free to send along questions for the next Red Sox/MLB mailbag. You can contact me on Twitter (@TheRickyDoyle), or you can toss questions directly into the ol’ mail sack by clicking here.
Be sure to check back with NESN.com before, during and after Friday night’s game. We’ll be waiting.
Mid 10th, Red Sox 3-1: J.C. Linares figured if you’re playing, you might as well play to win.
Linares blasted a home run to center field to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the 10th.
That wasn’t the only offense the Red Sox came up with, though. They managed to add an insurance run, and they’ll now head to the bottom of the 10th with a two-run advantage.
After Linares homered to lead off the inning, Jonathan Hee singled and Jeremy Hazelbaker walked. Jonathan Diaz lined out and Deven Marrero popped out, but Ronald Bermudez gave Boston its third run of the game with a single.
Ryan Lavarnway struck out to end the inning, and he’ll finish the day with an unimpressive 0-for-5 effort.
End 9th, 1-1: We’ve got free baseball in Sarasota.
Nine innings weren’t enough to settle the score, and the Sox and O’s will play one more extra frame to see if they can determine a winner.
Oscar Villarreal pitched the ninth inning for Boston, and he shut down the O’s to extend this one.
Mid 9th, 1-1: The Red Sox had a golden opportunity in the ninth inning to break the 1-1 tie, but they let it slip through their fingertips.
Deven Marrero reached on a fielding error by Travis Ishikawa to begin the inning. Ronald Bermudez then had every intention of giving up an out in order to move Marrero into scoring position, but catcher Chris Robinson couldn’t field Bermudez’s bunt. Thus, the Sox had runners at first and second with no outs.
Ryan Lavarnway, one of the few remaining starters in the game, was the guy with a chance to end the gridlock. Instead, he grounded to third base. Danny Valencia made the play, stepped on the bag and fired to first for a huge double play. Lavarnway is now 0-for-4 in the game.
The Orioles then opted to intentionally walk Christian Vazquez with first base open, setting up first and second with two outs for Travis Shaw. Mark Hendrickson struck Shaw out swinging, and the game remains 1-1.
End 8th, 1-1: Chris Hernandez pitched another solid inning in the eighth.
Lew Ford and Ryan Flaherty both kept second baseman Jonathan Diaz on his toes to begin the inning. Ford grounded out to Diaz, while Flaherty popped out.
Trayvon Robinson then tested Boston’s other middle infielder. Robinson grounded one to Deven Marrero, and the shortstop easily did his job, thus retiring the side.
Mid 8th, 1-1: Three Red Sox players batting for the first time in this game stepped to the plate against T.J. McFarland in the eighth, and the left-hander again took care of business.
Jonathan Hee flew out to right, Jeremy Hazelbaker struck out swinging and Jonathan Diaz grounded out to second.
McFarland has tossed three perfect innings in this game.
End 7th, 1-1: Chris Hernandez has been mowing hitters down.
Hernandez retired the side in order in the seventh, and he’s been very impressive in this one.
Wilson Betemit and Manny Machado were both retired on flyouts in the seventh, and Hernandez ended the inning by striking out Chris Dickerson.
The Red Sox made a number of defensive substitutions before the inning. Jonathan Diaz, Deven Marrero, Ronald Bermudez, Travis Shaw, Jonathan Hee and Jeremy Hazelbaker are in. Brock Holt, Drew Sutton, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mauro Gomez, Jose Iglesias and Bryce Brentz are out.
Mid 7th, 1-1: We enter the seventh-inning stretch with the game suddenly moving at a quick pace. Much of the reason is T.J. McFarland’s quick work of the Red Sox in his two innings.
McFarland followed up his 1-2-3 sixth inning with another perfect frame in the seventh.
Christian Vazquez, who already showcased his defensive skills, led off the inning. He continues to show that his offense is still a work in progress, though. The catcher grounded out to short.
Mauro Gomez then grounded out to third. Perhaps feeling that the right side of the Orioles’ infield needed some work as well, J.C. Linares grounded out to second base to end the inning.
End 6th, 1-1: Chris Hernandez came on for some more work, and he shut down the meat of the Baltimore order.
Matt Wieters, who is hitting .476 this spring, flew out to Bryce Brentz in right field for the first out. Chris Davis then grounded out to second base for the second out, and J.J. Hardy flew out to center to end the inning.
Hardy is now 0-for-3 on the afternoon. Unlike Wieters, Hardy has struggled this spring, and his average now sits at .048.
Mid 6th, 1-1: T.J. McFarland was the new Baltimore pitcher in the sixth, and he made quick work of three straight Boston hitters.
Jose Iglesias, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Ryan Lavarnway all grounded out.
End 5th, 1-1: It didn’t take long for the Orioles to get that run back.
Alex Wilson came back out to start the inning, and he got two quick outs. Chris Dickerson struck out swinging, and Lew Ford grounded out.
Nate McLouth smacked a two-out double, though, and that knocked Wilson from the game. The Sox turned to Chris Hernandez, who gave up a bloop, RBI single to Brian Roberts.
Roberts then made the mistake of trying to steal on Christian Vazquez, who took over for David Ross behind the plate before the inning. Vazquez, who has shown an absolute cannon while gunning down would-be base stealers this spring, threw out Roberts to end the inning.
Vazquez’s stellar play behind the dish was actually a major topic in this week’s Red Sox/MLB mailbag. You can check that out at the link below, and also feel free to send along any other questions by clicking here.
Click here to read about Christian Vazquez >>
Mid 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Bryce Brentz must have been chomping at the bit.
Brentz — playing in his first game this spring after battling back from an accidental gunshot wound — went deep in just his second plate appearance.
Brentz’s blast came against Luis Ayala, and it sailed over the left-center field fence. The 24-year-old certainly has some pop, and it’s clear he’s feeling no ill effects of the unfortunate injury he sustained back in January.
Surrounding Brentz’s home run were a J.C. Linares strikeout, a Drew Sutton flyout and a Brock Holt flyout.
End 4th, 0-0: Alex Wilson has pitched well this spring, and although he ran into some trouble in his first inning of work, he kept the game scoreless.
Matt Wieters led off the bottom of the fourth with a single into left field, and Chris Davis followed up with a walk.
That’s when Wilson turned it around.
J.J. Hardy popped out to David Ross in foul territory, and Wilson Betemit struck out swinging. Manny Machado kept Ross busy, as he too popped out to the Boston backstop in foul territory.
Wilson entered the game with six scoreless innings to his credit this spring. Add No. 7.
Mid 4th, 0-0: Zach Britton issued two walks in the inning, and was later replaced with two outs, but the Red Sox still haven’t been able to muster up any offense.
Britton walked Jackie Bradley Jr. to begin the inning. It proved to be no problem for the lefty, though, as Ryan Lavarnway grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
With two outs, David Ross worked a walk. That spelled the end of Britton’s outing. Zach Petersime then took over, and he got Mauro Gomez to fly out to right field.
Britton pitched 3 2/3 innings in this one. He didn’t allow a run, gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out three.
Alex Wilson will come on for Boston.
End 3rd, 0-0: It’s been a pretty good outing for Clayton Mortensen. The right-hander allowed a baserunner for the third straight inning, but he’s done a nice job of making sure those runners haven’t cost him.
Mortensen got two quick outs in the third. He got Chris Dickerson to ground out, and then struck out Lew Ford.
Nate McLouth worked a walk and stole second base after reaching to apply some pressure, but Brian Roberts couldn’t knock him in. He flew out to center field to end the inning.
1:51 p.m.: As mentioned, Mitch Maier appeared to hurt himself while making a sliding catch in the second inning. It appears he rolled his wrist.
Maier stayed in the game and singled in the top of the third, but he’s now been replaced in left field by J.C. Linares.
Mid 3rd, 0-0: The Red Sox enjoyed a little bit more success against Zach Britton in the third inning, putting a couple of runners on, but it still didn’t lead to the game’s first run.
Mitch Maier, who was shaken up a little bit in the field during the previous half inning, singled to lead things off. He would advance to second two batters later, when Manny Machado’s fielding error allowed Bryce Brentz to reach base in his first plate appearance of the spring.
With runners at first and second, Brock Holt hit one right back at Machado. The O’s third baseman made the play this time, but he was only able to record a force out at second, which left runners at the corners for Jose Iglesias.
Iglesias flew out to center to end the inning.
End 2nd, 0-0: Clayton Mortensen yielded a one-out single for the second straight inning, but he again escaped without any damage.
The inning actually started off rather eventfully, too. Mitch Maier made a nice, diving snag in left field to rob J.J. Hardy. Maier was shaken up, though, which brought out John Farrell and the trainer. It was eventually determined that Maier was OK, and he stayed in the game.
After the Maier play, Wilson Betemit connected on a line-drive base hit into center field. But as quick as he reached, he was wiped off the bases, as the promising, young Manny Machado grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Zach Britton will head back to the mound looking for a third straight 1-2-3 inning.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: Another quick and painless inning for Zach Britton in the second.
Britton again retired the side in order.
Ryan Lavarnway, who figures to get a long look as a potential DH if David Ortiz isn’t healthy enough to begin the season, grounded out to J.J. Hardy at short for the first out.
David Ross then grounded out back to Britton on the mound, and Mauro Gomez lined out to Lew Ford in left to end the inning.
End 1st, 0-0: Clayton Mortensen gave up a one-out single to Brian Roberts, but he eventually left the Orioles second baseman in scoring position and kept this game 0-0.
Mortensen got Nate McLouth to ground out to second base to begin things in the home half of the first. Roberts followed up with a single into center, and then swiped second base with Matt Wieters at the plate.
Roberts swiped 50 bags back in 2007, but the two-time All-Star hasn’t been able to shake the injury bug in recent years. He’s played in just 115 games since 2009.
With Roberts on second, Mortensen buckled down. He got Matt Wieters to fly out to right field and Chris Davis to fly out to center field.
Wieters’ flyout gave Bryce Brentz his first test of the spring. Clearly, he passed.
Mid 1st, 0-0:Â Zach Britton, who faced the Red Sox on Feb. 27, enjoyed a very quick first inning.
Brock Holt, who continues to battle for a utility spot on Boston’s roster, flew out to Chris Dickerson in right field for the first out. Then, Jose Iglesias and Jackie Bradley Jr. each grounded out to Manny Machado at third base.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Stephen Drew’s health, Iglesias has an opportunity to really showcase his skills throughout the rest of camp. It looks as though he’s made strides offensively, so we’ll see if he can seize the moment.
Clayton Mortensen is the first hurler to take the hill for Boston in this one.
1:06 p.m.: Who’s ready for baseball? Let’s do it.
1:05 p.m.: The Sox and O’s are almost ready for baseball in Sarasota, but first I’d like to pass along some pregame notes.
Manager John Farrell and his coaching staff plan to attend both of Friday’s games. Their hope is to arrive in Fort Myers about an hour before the second game. Farrell did address some of the injury issues surrounding the team on Friday morning, though.
Reliever Franklin Morales, who was sent to Boston to see specialists about his back on Friday, has a bulging disc. He received an epidural injection, and there is currently no timetable for his return.
Stephen Drew, who has been out with a concussion after getting beaned in the head with a pitch on March 7, is still experiencing symptoms. He is slated to undergo more physical tests on Friday, and while the shortstop is progressing, one has to wonder whether Opening Day is realistic.
David Ortiz, whose Opening Day status is also in question, is feeling better after taking anti-inflammatories during his period of rest. The hope is that he’ll be able to take batting practice on Monday.
12:38 p.m.: The biggest thing to note in Friday’s lineup card for Game 1 is certainly Bryce Brentz.
Brentz is making his spring training debut after accidentally shooting himself in the leg back in January. He’ll get the start in right field, and he’ll once again roam the outfield alongside Jackie Bradley Jr., who gets the start in center.
Brentz, a first-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 2010, played in 122 games with Double-A Portland last season before making the leap to play in five games with Triple-A Pawtucket. Brentz hit .296 with 17 home runs and 76 RBIs in 456 Double-A at-bats.
Brentz accidentally shot himself while he was cleaning his shotgun. While he didn’t dodge the bullet literally, he certainly did figuratively. The 24-year-old — who was the 64th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com, prior to the 2012 season — called the injury “nothing serious.”
Brentz is the No. 6 prospect in the Red Sox organization, according to SoxProspects.com.
12:25 p.m.: We’ve got ourselves a pair of lineup cards. Feast your eyes on them below.
Red Sox
Brock Holt, 2B
Jose Iglesias, SS
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
David Ross, C
Mauro Gomez, 1B
Mitch Maier, LF
Drew Sutton, 3B
Bryce Brentz, RF
Clayton Mortensen, P
Orioles
Nate McLouth, CF
Brian Roberts, 2B
Matt Wieters, C
Chris Davis, 1B
J.J. Hardy, SS
Wilson Betemit, DH
Manny Machado, 3B
Chris Dickerson, RF
Lew Ford, LF
Zach Britton, P
8 a.m. ET: It’s a great day. Let’s play two.
The Red Sox are in split-squad action on Friday, with the first game coming against the Orioles at 1:05 p.m. and the second contest featuring a showdown with the Twins at 7:05 p.m.
Clayton Mortensen will get the start for Boston in Game 1. He’s quickly becoming a much more important pitcher to the Red Sox, as Franklin Morales continues to battle a back issue.
Morales figured to be the team’s spot starter, but his status hasn’t improved throughout camp, and the team will likely need someone else to fill the role to begin the year. Manager John Farrell said that Alfredo Aceves will probably be the guy, but Mortensen is another candidate.
Mortensen has made three appearances this spring, allowing three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. He has three strikeouts and two walks, and batters are hitting .200 against Mortensen, who was traded to Boston in exchange for Marco Scutaro prior to the 2012 season.
Mortensen appeared in 26 games with the Red Sox last season. All of those appearances came in relief, and he went 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA. The 27-year-old has started games in the past, though, so while it’s unclear whether Farrell will consider stretching him out, it’s at least a possibility.
Mortensen is scheduled to be followed by Alex Wilson, Chris Hernandez and Oscar Villarreal in the day’s first game.
