Nathan Eovaldi’s spring off to good start

FORT MYERS — Few pitchers demonstrate the centuries-old spring training cliche, “pitchers are ahead of hitters at this time of year,” as well as Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.

Timing any big-league pitcher is difficult for most hitters early in the spring schedule, let alone for one throwing 100 mph.

“I’ve never had an issue with throwing hard,” Eovaldi said of spring training. “It’s kind of always kind of been there for me.”

Commanding his pitches and staying healthy have been stiffer challenges for him. Two starts into his spring, all’s well there. Eovaldi threw three shutout innings, allowed one hit and struck out four Sunday at JetBlue Park, where the Red Sox held on to beat the Braves, 4-2, and Rafael Devers hit a home run.

“I feel really balanced with everything in my mechanics right now,” Eovaldi said.

He has pitched five shutout innings and has eight strikeouts without a walk.

“Really good again. Locating his fastball well, threw some great split-fingers, curveball,” Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke said. “When he’s got his command, when he’s got his pitches working, he’s really difficult. It’s so difficult to be able to catch up to the 100, and then you have to cheat and then all the sudden here comes a split or a curveball or a cutter. That’s why we like him so much. When he has his command, he’s going to go through a lineup.”

Bogaerts ‘a ways away’

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts remains slowed by an ankle injury and there is no timetable for making his spring debut in an exhibition game.

“It’s still a ways away because they haven’t talked to me about when I can think about doing it, so still trying to get him physically ready to do things,” Roenicke said.

Will he be healthy in time to get enough at bats in spring training?

“Oh, I think so, yeah,” Roenicke said. “Physically, if he’s able to go out there and not have to baby him, three innings on the first day, and then a day off. If we can kind of build him up through quicker, we’ll do it, but medically, maybe they still say that that’s what we need to do, and Xander I think how he performs and what he’s thinking helps us to decide how much we can push him and how many ABs he needs.”

Hitters don’t need as much time to prepare for a season and they can cram more work into shorter periods of time.

“The nice thing in spring training when the minor leaguers start their games and he can get nine, 10 at bats,” Roenicke said. “We can just flip-flop between Double A and Triple A, so that will push him forward if we need more at bats for him.”

Injury updates

Andrew Benintendi (tight quadriceps muscle) last played Thursday and could return to the lineup as soon as Tuesday in Tampa against the Yankees. … Playing first base Sunday, Keith Moreland tweaked his hamstring going after a foul groundball in the first inning and Josh Ockimey pinch hit for him in the bottom of the inning and stayed in the game at first base. “I didn’t want to push it right now, early in camp, just trying to be smart with it,” Moreland said.

Opening conversations

Chaim Bloom, Red Sox chief of baseball operations, met with Roenicke and other staff members for a discussion on the concept of “openers” Sunday morning. The state of the Red Sox rotation has made it seem likely the team will open the season with at least one, possibly two spots in the rotation filled by the bullpen, unless the Sox trade for an established starting pitcher before Opening Day.

“If your personnel really fits this, this opener type thing, I think it makes sense. it makes a lot of sense,” Roenicke said. “But if you have a stud fourth and fifth starter, then you do it the other way.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2TpN6x0