The Boston Red Sox have received some very encouraging mound work over the last few days.
Rick Porcello made his 2015 Grapefruit League debut Sunday as the Red Sox defeated the New York Mets 6-3 at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie. The right-hander was sharp while tossing the first three innings.
The Sox will be back in action Monday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter. But first, let’s go over some notes from Sunday’s victory.
— Porcello pounded the strike zone in what was an aggressive and positive outing for the 26-year-old. He kept the ball down for the most part and it served him well.
Porcello allowed one unearned run on four hits over three frames. He struck out two and didn’t walk anyone.
“I was pleased with the amount of strikes I threw,” Porcello told reporters after his start. “Most of my misses were around the plate. As far as fastball, curveball, four-seamer and sinker, they were working really well. The changeup was a little iffy. I started to feel a lot better with that in the third inning.
“Overall, it felt very good.”
— Xander Bogaerts again supplied some power.
Bogaerts, who homered in Thursday’s loss to the Minnesota Twins, ripped a three-run homer in the fifth inning. The 22-year-old also went the other way for an RBI single in the third inning.
“He looks balanced, and he’s waiting for pitches to get to him rather than rushing out and jumping,” manager John Farrell said of Bogaerts, whose homer came on a breaking ball down in the zone.
— Brock Holt, who Farrell recently identified as a leadoff candidate, reached base three times (single, two walks) atop the order. He also scored three runs and stole two bases.
— Jemile Weeks, who essentially is Holt’s backup as a utility option, scored two runs and swiped two bags.
— Brian Johnson was solid in relief of Porcello.
Johnson allowed one earned run on three hits while striking out two over two innings. He, like Porcello, pounded the strike zone with regularity.
Johnson doesn’t quite have the upside of fellow left-handed pitching prospects Henry Owens and Eduardo Rodriguez, but he’s perhaps the most polished of the bunch. A good showing this spring could launch him to the head of the pack as far as early season fill-ins are concerned.
— Keith Couch closed the door with two scoreless innings in which he struck out two.
— Sean Coyle was scratched from the lineup shortly before game time after taking a ground ball off the face. He received three stitches.
— Shane Victorino was expected to return to the lineup Monday following a bout with “general soreness,” but he’s now slated to return Tuesday instead.
— Rusney Castillo is “making solid progress” in his recovery from an oblique injury, Farrell said before the game.
“He was able to throw (Saturday) up to 90 feet. There’s more ground base work taking place (Sunday), some rotational work in the pool,” Farrell said. “In the coming days, we hope to get him hitting off a tee.”
There’s currently no timetable for Castillo’s return to game action.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
