Seven things you missed from a crazy Red Sox weekend
The Red Sox had a busy weekend (as far as Spring Training goes). Here's what you missed:
1. Stephen Drew was scratched from Friday's game against the Twins with mild concussion symptoms after getting hit by a pitch on Thursday. He is now symptom free, but is waiting to be cleared by MLB to play.
2. The Sox lost to the Twins 2-0 on Friday night, but there were some bright spots:
- Ryan Dempster went 3.2 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 earned runs, no walks, and 2 strikeouts. He now has a 2.08 ERA this Spring with 6 strikeouts and 0 walks.
- Christian Vazquez, potential catcher of the future, had a showcase game; he had a wall-ball double, and gunned down Trevor Plouffe attempting to steal 2nd. His pop time is one of the best in the game.
3. John Farrell said Saturday that he wants a stable 1-5 batting order this season, with Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and David Ortiz in the top three. Napoli and Middlebrooks would presumably come next.
4. The Orioles defeated the Sox 5-2 on Saturday night.
- Felix Doubront went 3 innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts.
- Joel Hanrahan continued his roller coaster Spring with a 1-2-3 inning (he touched 96 MPH and struck out two).
5. Alfredo Aceves was involved in a bench-clearing brawl Saturday night in the Canada-Mexico WBC matchup. He took a couple punches to the face and showed Larry Walker how scary he can be; ultimately, he was not suspended and reported back to camp this morning.
6. The Red Sox finished the weekend with a win over the Rays on Sunday, 6-2.
- John Lackey got the W going 3.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts. He looked sharp, and continues to get comfortable on the mound after an 18-month hiatus.
- Daniel Bard had another strong inning (1 H, 1 K), and continues to show improvements this Spring with a 5:1 K/BB and zero earned runs in 3 innings.
- David Ross showed what he can bring off the bench with a three-run homer, his first of the Spring.
7. The biggest news of the weekend came off the field as David Ortiz got an MRI Saturday on his aching heels. The results showed inflammation in both heels, shutting Ortiz down for at least 5-7 days. The bad news is Ortiz seems unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, the good news is the inflammation was not in the Achilles.
Like my opinion? Read more here. Don't like it? Let me know on Twitter @therealjtrunfio
