Red Sox Increasing Intensity As They Hit Home Stretch in Spring Training

by

Mar 22, 2011

Red Sox Increasing Intensity As They Hit Home Stretch in Spring Training FORT MYERS, Fla. — Players and coaches often say that spring training takes too long. Not that the daily work isn’t necessary, it’s just that playing more than 30 games that mean nothing in the standings can get a little monotonous.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona indicated as much in camp this week, saying that some of the fellas were “getting a bit antsy.”

Fortunately, there are enough moments late in the spring when the regulars get extended playing time and where it begins to feel like the real thing. For Boston, the intensity has been ratcheted up a notch this week with consecutive matchups against some of the best the game has to offer.

Unfortunately, the results have not exactly been positive on the scoreboard, if that even matters.

A day after Jon Lester was outdueled by Roy Halladay in a Red Sox loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, John Lackey could not match Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price in a marquee matchup under the lights at City of Palms Park.

Lackey allowed five runs on six hits — two of them home runs — and a pair of walks in 5 1/3 innings of a 7-4 loss to the Rays that kept alive a pair of streaks that mean little in the grand scheme of things, but are worth noting nonetheless — the Sox have been outscored 43-17 during their current six-game losing streak and are now winless (0-8-1) in their last nine Grapefruit League meetings with Tampa Bay.

In all likelihood, it won’t matter a bit once April 1 rolls around. What does matter is that the vibe has shifted, just a tad.

“It’s definitely a little different throwing the first night game,” said Lackey, who has been involved only in day games. “I guess that was definitely a different feel. More than anything else, it felt more like a regular game.”

Much of that had to do with the presence of Price, as well as the “A” lineup for the Rays, including Lackey-killer Manny Ramirez, who was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks.

“It was nice to see, for sure, because I’ve thrown at home quite a bit and had a lot of kind of half lineups,” Lackey said. “So it was nice to see some of those guys and compete a little bit against those guys.”

Despite his first so-so line of the spring, Lackey said he was “ready to go.” He will be scaled back a tad in his final start of the spring next Monday before pitching April 2 at Texas, when nights like the one he experienced Tuesday in Fort Myers will help.

While Lackey was content with building his arm strength with a spring training-high 96 pitches, Red Sox hitters were able to get their hacks at the dynamic Price. A day after being befuddled by Halladay, they got a dose of most everything that one of the division’s best pitchers had to offer and experienced their own share of “regular season” moments.

One of those moments came in the bottom of the fourth. Price gave up a double to Dustin Pedroia and walked both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to load the bases. With one out, David Ortiz worked the count to 3-2. With camera flashes going off all over the place, Price threw a high heater by the Red Sox designated hitter for strike three.

It was a moment that will not be remembered once the regular season begins, but it had a feel unlike anything one would have experienced three weeks ago when Grapefruit League play was just beginning.
Price also fanned Carl Crawford and Gonzalez with runners on in the sixth and stranded two in that frame when he got Ortiz to fly to left.

Wednesday is the only off-day of Boston’s spring training schedule. Most everyone will stay home, relax and take advantage of some time away from the park, making it an important date in the calendar as the Red Sox prepare for the real thing. The past two days, facing true staff aces in increasingly intensified atmospheres, have done plenty to help in that preparation.

Previous Article

Report: Dallas Wide Receiver Dez Bryant Banned From Mall for Wearing Pants Too Low

Next Article

Shawn Thornton, Brad Marchand Back Together to Share Laughs, and Credit for Goals, Once Again

Picked For You