The Sunday, April 16, 2017

* The Boston Globe

Mitch Moreland jumping at opportunity

Julian Benbow

For a split second, Mitch Moreland’s eyes darted from the pitching mound to the Tampa Bay Rays dugout, unsure what was happening.

All he knew was that he’d let a first-pitch from Rays starter go by him, low at the shins, to start his first at-bat of the day.

The next thing he knew, Odorizzi was hopping on the mound, hunched over slightly, his hamstring clearly causing some discomfort.

When he glanced over, he saw trainers coming from the Rays dugout with .

While they tried to sort through Odorizzi’s issues, Moreland waited patiently.

Odorizzi tried throwing some practice pitches, but the tightness in his left hamstring wouldn’t give. Cash had to break the emergency glass and call on reliever Erasmo Ramirez.

Moreland knew Ramirez was in a tough position when he took the mound.

“He might not have even been loose yet,” Moreland said. “It was kind of an awkward situation for them right there, but I tried to go up there and stay ready and put an aggressive swing on it.”

At the same time, Moreland figured, in a 1-and-0 count against a who’d barely had time to warm up, he could take the chance to be opportunistic.

“I just wanted to tell myself I was in a hitter’s count and I’d kind of been sitting a little bit, waiting on him to get loose,” Moreland said. “I was really telling myself to stay ready and stay aggressive in that situation and if I got a good pitch, try to make something happen.”

The first pitch Moreland got from Ramirez was a middle-middle fastball, and he pounced on it, driving it deep into the seats in right field for a home .

It was his first in a Red Sox uniform, it snapped a streak 136 at-bats without a homer, and, in a game where runs were scarce, it helped push the Sox to a 2-1 win.

He finished a shy of the cycle and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh , crossing the plate on a slow-rolling ground ball to second base by Sandy Leon.

“It’s a ground ball, I’m trying to get home as quick as I can, hoping they don’t turn two or something,” he said. “And obviously it was a good play for us. We got the run across. It was a nice AB by Sandy to put something in play there.”

Manager appreciated Moreland’s outing.

“He’s the story of the day today given the three base hits,” Farrell said. “They run four different at us, nobody can really settle into a rhythm against a given guy. Credit to their guys. But, still, we’re starting to find our way. Thankfully Mitch is in the middle of it once again.”

Moreland’s been swinging a hot bat to start the season, going 14 for his last 30 with nine doubles and a . His nine doubles lead the majors and are tied for the most by a Sox hitter through the first 11 games since 1913.

“Just trying to go up there and keep it simple and get a good pitch and I’ve been fortunate enough to do that some here lately,” Moreland said. “I don’t want to think too much into it, that’s really about it.”

The hope when the Sox signed Moreland to a one-year, $5.5 million deal in December was that his all-field approach would help at , where he could take advantage of the Green Monster in left field.

In his career, 11 of his 20 hits at Fenway Park have gone for extra bases (six doubles, five homers). Of his doubles this season, three have been to left and two have gone to center.

“Just tried to stay within the approach, whether it’s here or anywhere else,” he said. “I tried to keep it as simple as I can and get a good pitch. Just trying to go up there and trust what I’m doing.”

Chris Sale pitches Red Sox over Rays

Peter Abraham

For Chris Sale, the game was over after the top of the seventh inning on Saturday. He had thrown 111 pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays and that was enough.

Manager John Farrell, pitching , and Sale’s teammates shook his hand and patted his back after what was another terrific performance for his new team.

A has the right to go back to the clubhouse at that point and many do. They ice their arms, grab a shower, and watch the rest of the game on television.

But Sale stayed in the dugout, eager to watch the bottom of the inning.

“That’s fun,” he said.

Sale, along with the rest of the spectators at Fenway Park, saw the Red Sox push across a run to beat the Rays, 2-1.

It was the first victory of the season for Sale, who allowed one run on three hits and struck out 12.

Outside of the third inning, when he allowed a run and put four runners on base, Sale was almost perfect. He retired the final 10 batters before handing it over to the bullpen.

Through three starts, Sale has allowed three runs on 11 hits over 21⅔ and struck out 29. The lefthander has been even better than what the Red Sox hoped for when they traded for him in December.

“He’s worth the price of admission just to see him,” Farrell said.

The winning run was a piecemeal affair, but certainly timely.

Mitch Moreland led off the seventh with a single to center against Tommy Hunter. Xander Bogaerts followed with a single to right field. When Pablo Sandoval grounded to Logan Morrison, the Rays were only able to get an out at second base because Hunter was late covering first.

Chris Young fell behind, 0 and 2, then drew a walk to load the bases. He watched two close pitches that just missed.

“I thought C.Y. had an unbelievable at-bat,” said Sale, who by then was watching from the top step of the dugout. “Just as professional of an at-bat you can have. . . . They were fighting. We were scrapping. They did everything they could to get this win.”

With Sandy Leon up, the Rays went to lefty Xavier Cedeno, a ground-ball pitcher. Leon broke his bat on a dribbler to second base, but the ball was too slowly for a play and Moreland scored.

“I was trying to just put it in play,” Leon said. “I broke my bat but I got the winning RBI.”

Farrell, at first, was concerned the Rays would turn a .

“Let’s face it, Sandy’s not the most fleet of foot,” he said.

Matt Barnes replaced Sale to start the eighth inning. With one out, he walked Steven Souza Jr. and Corey Dickerson. The sellout crowd, for reasons unclear, started doing the wave as the tension grew.

Barnes fell behind Evan Longoria but jammed him with a fastball that was grounded to third base. Sandoval started a double play.

Longoria had been 3 for 5 with two home runs against Barnes.

“I didn’t have a good grip on the ball the whole inning,” Barnes said. “With Longoria, I threw him a heater that somehow decided it was just going to be a turbo . I have no idea how I did it.”

Craig Kimbrel struck out two the ninth inning for his fourth . The Rays finished with three hits, all singles, and struck out 15 times.

The Sox hitters didn’t fare much better. Moreland had three of the team’s six hits.

Rays starter Jake Odorizzi allowed a leadoff single by Dustin Pedroia in the first inning and retired the side from there. But he left the game after throwing one pitch in the second inning because of tightness in his left hamstring.

Erasmo Ramirez replaced Odorizzi and his first pitch was a fastball that Moreland drove into the seats in right field for his first home run.

Sale allowed a run in the third as he threw 28 pitches. He uncharacteristically walked two. Farrell suggested he was affected by the delay in the previous inning.

But Sale, no excuse maker, denied that.

“That was me being stupid out there and not throwing strikes,” he said.

Sale locked the Rays down from there. His 111th and final pitch was 97 miles per hour. Farrell and Willis looked at each other in disbelief when the number flashed on the scoreboard.

“He emptied the tank,” Farrell said.

The Sox have scored six runs in the three games Sale has started — three when he has been in the game.

“He’s not had any margin of ,” Farrell said.

Those trends usually change over the course of a long season and Sale is confident he’ll get plenty of run support over time.

If not, he’ll do it the hard way.

“If they all got to be like that, so be it. I look forward to the challenge,” Sale said.

Jackie Bradley Jr. close to rejoining Red Sox

Peter Abraham

Jackie Bradley Jr. could rejoin the Red Sox as soon as Wednesday or Thursday.

The All-Star took practice again on Saturday and on Monday morning will go through a base-running drill to further test the soundness of his strained right knee.

If Bradley were cleared after running, he would start a rehabilitation assignment with Triple A Pawtucket on Tuesday night at Rochester. From there it would be a short trip to join the Red Sox in Toronto.

Bradley is eligible to come off the disabled list on Wednesday. Manager John Farrell said at worse he would be back with the team on Friday in Baltimore.

Andrew Benintendi has started the last six games in center field. It has been an easy transition for a player who played center in high school, college, and the minors.

“There’s some ease to his actions out there,” Farrell said before a 2-1 victory against Tampa Bay. “I think he probably feels more comfortable in center than he does in left. He’s covered the ground very easily for the balls he’s had to handle.”

The coaches discussed the idea with Benintendi before moving him over and he was all for it.

“I still get my work in left field before the game. Once Jackie comes back, it’ll be fine,” Benintendi said. “I’ve played center all my life. It’s been fine.”

Progress for Price threw what amounted to two innings in the bullpen before the game, approximately 50 pitches.

“No problems,” said the lefthander, who is on the disabled list with an elbow strain.

Price could next face hitters in a simulated game.

“We’ll see how he responds to that workload. He’s had a full volume this week compared to the previous four and five weeks the rehab has gone through,” Farrell said. “[Sunday] we’ll get a better read on how he’s doing physically and what the plan would be after that.”

Said Price: “That’s the biggest thing, getting all your work done today and then just making sure that you still feel good tomorrow. That’s what we’re going through now.”

Price has yet to throw any breaking pitches off the mound. Farrell pointed out that pitchers at the start of often wait two or three starts before throwing a curve or .

“Arm strength is the priority at these early stages as is tolerance to the volume,” the manager said.

Price said for him, the toughest part of building up is getting used to the ups and downs of going multiple innings, not throwing particular pitches.

For Price, getting into a throwing program has been comforting after the long periods of inactivity as he healed.

“That makes everything easier, knowing what to expect whenever you get to the field. Knowing what you’re going to be doing, being able to focus on something. That definitely makes it easier,” he said.

Day of remembrance The Red Sox held a ceremony before the game to mark the four-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. Roseann Sdoia and Mike Materia threw out first pitches.

Sdoia, of the North End, suffered a terrible wound to her right leg and was comforted by Materia, a Boston firefighter. They are now engaged.

Boston police commissioner William Evans accompanied the couple to the mound.

There was a moment of silence at 2:49 p.m. throughout the city to mark when the first bomb went off. The Rays were taking batting practice at the time and the entire park fell quiet for a few moments.

Tribute to Jackie Baseball celebrated its 14th annual Jackie Robinson Day to commemorate his breaking the color barrier on April 15, 1947. The players and coaches for both teams wore Robinson’s No. 42, which is now retired throughout the game.

“It’s very meaningful,” Price said. “In terms of everything that he went through and just opened up the doors for everybody else. It takes a very special person to be able to do that and he was up to the challenge.”

Said Farrell: “His breakthrough, which none of us can even fathom what he went through and the prejudice to get on the field, a significant day. That goes without saying.”

Rutledge close Josh Rutledge, who opened the season on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, could start his rehab assignment on Tuesday . . . The win was the 499th in Farrell’s managerial career . . . Mitch Moreland’s home run in the second inning was only the fifth of the season for the Sox — fewest in the majors — and the second in eight games . . . Mookie Betts has now gone 114 plate appearances in the regular season without a . . . Craig Kimbrel has converted 23 consecutive save chances. He is 20 for 20 in his career at Fenway Park . . . Kathrine Switzer, who in 1967 was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry, will throw out the first pitch on Sunday. Switzer, 70, is running the race on Monday for the first time since 1976.

Mike Hazen wants to build the D-backs like the Red Sox. But he has a lot to learn.

Nick Cafardo

It’s been better than expected so far, but Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen feels he’s only skimmed the surface of what needs to be done to make Arizona a perennial winner.

Hazen, the former Red Sox general manager and farm director and a native of Abington, brought former Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo with him to Arizona to manage the team. He hired Amiel Sawdaye, another former Sox farm director and executive, as assistant GM.

Hazen and Sawdaye replaced the management team of and . Stewart was fired as GM and La Russa was kept on as an adviser. Hazen said of La Russa, “He’s been great for us. He’s been an excellent adviser to Torey and I.”

Many people have opined that the Red Sox should have kept Lovullo and either kicked John Farrell upstairs or sent him to the Diamondbacks, where Hazen would have been waiting with open arms.

The Diamondbacks went 7-3 in their first 10 games against the Giants and Indians. It’s really helped having center fielder A.J. Pollock back after he missed most of 2016 with a fractured elbow. It’s helped that seems to be recovered from his physical maladies of last season.

“The contributions have come from all over the club,” Hazen said. “I don’t know if we’ve played our best baseball yet, but it’s been good so far. We have a long way to go.”

Hazen and Lovullo are still feeling this out. When they took their jobs, their knowledge of the organization was what they had seen from afar. Since then they’ve dug in, assessing what they have at the major league level and trying to evaluate 200-plus minor leaguers.

Hazen obviously wants to build a Red Sox model. That’s what he knows. But he’ll be building it with far fewer resources than in Boston. The Diamondbacks’ payroll of about $100 million won’t likely grow, and Greinke takes up about a third of that.

“When I took the job we obviously knew we were coming off a 69-win season and I was watching it from afar,” Hazen said. “Watching it up close through spring training and early in the season, we realized there was a good level of talent. You look at the starting rotation and you look at the positional players and you feel pretty good about the talent. Torey and his staff did a great job in spring training trying to prepare these guys for the season and so far it’s been good.”

But, Hazen acknowledged, “We have a lot to learn. We understand who we are, how we’re projected, and expectations for this team. We have to go out and prove it. These guys have done that from the beginning of spring training.

“The team starts with A.J. and Goldie [Paul Goldschmidt] from a talent and leadership standpoint. They’re phenomenal players to have on your team on both sides of the ball. Goldie is an elite first baseman and A.J. is an elite center fielder. They’re a great starting point and great role models for younger players we have on our team.”

Hazen was asked to respond to prevalent rumors that he will eventually deal Greinke in order to stockpile young talent.

“We understand people talking about that. We haven’t tackled the long-term outlook yet,” Hazen said. “We saw the talent on this team and we really wanted to do everything we could to make this team as strong as possible. We saw strength in the starting rotation and having a No. 1 starting pitcher like Zack, someone we’re very fortunate to have. He’s throwing the ball extremely well. Velocity was made a big deal in spring training and I think we’ve seen that velocity rise. But I don’t think he needs huge velocity because that’s not what he’s about.”

So how long will Hazen evaluate what he has? Will it take all season?

“You see what you have when you get to the June 1 marker,” Hazen said. “We’ll ask, ‘What are we looking to do to improve the club? What can we do to improve the club? Where are we at overall with our organization?’ That’s what we’re going to talk about. We’re not looking too far down the road at present. We haven’t been here before so we don’t know all of the players and their makeup. There’s so much to learn so we’re trying to get our arms around those things before we make long-term decisions.”

Hazen said he spent most of spring training trying to learn more about his farm system. He said that scouting and development will be the cornerstone of the Diamondbacks.

They have the seventh overall pick in the June draft. They can’t mess that up.

And don’t get him going about financial resources.

“Every organization has its dynamic that they have to operate within,” Hazen said. “It’s our job to develop a winner no matter what those dynamics are. Every situation is different. Nobody’s talking about Indians payroll, or the Royals and Pirates and these teams who are so good at what they do in the game in terms of developing and drafting and keeping their talent and have it thrive at the major league level. We need to emulate those teams.”

We saw in Boston how well Lovullo handles young players.

“He’s a very consistent communicator,” Hazen said. “His honest approach in how he handles the club is a strength. Everyone is trying to put into perspective what we’re trying to do right now. We have a lot of work to be done. We want to see development from our younger players. He’s been extremely prepared and committed to what we’re doing.”

Hazen said Lovullo suffered a blow when his bench coach, Ron Gardenhire, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He has left the team for treatment.

“It was a shock,” Hazen said. “We’re behind him 100 percent in what he needs to do. We can’t wait to have him back. He was unbelievable in how he handled the situation and it’s easy to see why people around baseball respect him the way they do. We just want to get him back here healthy.”

COUGH IT UP

Red Sox players have lost an MLB-high 85 days because of sickness since 2011, costing the team about $3.9 million in salaries for those days missed.

The Sox players who missed the most time during that stretch were Clay Buchholz, who missed 22 days with esophagitis; Pablo Sandoval missing 15 days with pneumonia; and missing seven days with an intestinal flu. Other illness-related absences were more along the lines of 1-4 days.

From 2011-16, spent $27.8 million on sick days and the Red Sox had the highest percentage of that at $3.9 million. The league lost 812 player days to sickness and the Red Sox accounted for 85.

Those numbers don’t even include the Red Sox’ numerous player days missed this season because of illness. Robbie Ross Jr. was on the 10-day disabled list with influenza. Other illness-related absences cost Hanley Ramirez four games, Mookie Betts three games, and Brock Holt two games.

When the Red Sox left Detroit after their four-game series, the Twins ordered the Tigers to fumigate and wipe down the visiting clubhouse before they arrived. The Rays brought their own air purifying units to Fenway for this weekend’s series.

Surgically Clean Air is a Toronto-based company that provides “high-end premium indoor air purfication” and is under contract with the Blue Jays, Orioles, and A’s, plus the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Raptors, and Milwaukee Bucks. The Red Sox are at least looking into the possibility of using clean air machines to help to reduce the spread of germs in the clubhouse.

Apropos of nothing 1. Boy, the Providence talk shows haven’t been very supportive of a stadium plan in Pawtucket. McCoy Stadium may live on longer than we think.

2. Word is circulating that the Mariners may be early sellers if they can’t turn their season around quickly. The Mariners may shift some scouts’ assignments to focus on farm systems if Seattle isn’t in the hunt by June.

3. John Henry and had dinner not long ago. Wonder if Ortiz will assume a bigger role in the Red Sox organization. So far, he’s stayed away.

4. When the Red Sox were in talks with San Diego for Craig Kimbrel, the Tigers were also very interested in Kimbrel but didn’t have the prospects to make a deal. The Padres are pretty happy with center fielder Manuel Margot, who had three homers and a .325 average through 10 games as San Diego’s .

5. Mike Matheny and , opposing managers in this weekend’s Cardinals-Yankees series in New York, were on Tony La Russa’s 2003 Cardinals team.

6. The Children and Athletes Regenerative Medicine (CHARMED) Foundation will honor Ortiz and Maverick Schutte as co-recipients of the foundation’s first Courage Award. NESN’s Tom Caron will emcee the ceremony on April 22 at the Mandarin Oriental Boston. For ticket info, visit charmedgala.eventbrite.com.

7. Some good baseball names: Grant Balfour, Trevor Story, Damien Magnifico, Antonio Bastardo, Fernando Abad, Loren Babe, Jeff Bagwell, Homer Bailey, Trey Ball, Win Ballou, Yogi Berra, Karl Best, , Dave Chalk, Billy Champion, Dean Chance, Stubby Clapp, George Fair, Vern Fear, Nate Field, , Frank Fleet, Gary Fortune, Dick Fowler, Brent Gaff, Wilbur Good, Tom Goodwin, Rich Hand, Greg Legg, Josh Outman, Joe Panik, Chan Ho Park, Ray Pepper, Ricky Pickett, Hal Quick, Herb Score, Pop Swett, Bill Swift, , and Randy Winn.

Updates on nine 1. Byron Buxton, CF, Twins — The Twins have waited for Buxton to produce and it just isn’t happening. Buxton, once considered the best prospect in baseball, struck out in 19 of his first 34 at-bats this season, including 11 to end an inning. Entering Friday, Buxton had 181 and just 30 walks in 461 major league at-bats. When will it turn? Will it turn?

2. Mookie Betts, RF, Red Sox — We asked a few people in baseball about Betts’s slow start. One interesting comment from an GM: “There’ll be a drop, sure. It’s just natural after a player has a season like that. He’s going to be pitched differently. Where before David Ortiz was the hitter you game-planned against, now it’s Betts. This is the stage where you find out how great a ballplayer he is, in terms of can he adjust to the adjustments made against him? I suspect he’ll be able to do it because he’s a great talent, but it might take a while.”

3. Yoan Moncada, 2B, White Sox — Moncada hit .343 with two homers in his first eight games for Triple A Charlotte this season. The White Sox aren’t expected to keep Moncada in the minors for long, but they felt he needed more development defensively.

4. Doug Fister, RHP, free agent — One NL executive said the reason Fister remained unsigned through Thursday is because his stuff is considered marginal and teams are unwilling to give him a major league deal until he showed something in the minors. As pitchers begin to suffer injuries, Fister may find himself in a better spot at some point, but he’ll still have to build up to be a starter via the minors. The same is true for Colby Lewis, who according to agent Alan Nero has received mild inquiries lately.

5. Devon Travis, 2B, Blue Jays — Scouts who have watched him can’t quite figure out what’s wrong with Travis, who entered Friday in an 0-for-26 slump. The Jays overall were hitting a major league-low .190 with just four homers through nine games. Jose Bautista (.152) had no homers and one RBI. Russell Martin (.042) had no RBIs. “It just seems Travis and the whole lineup is just out of synch,” said a scout who watched the Jays last week. “This team may have been affected more by WBC participation than others.”

6. Travis Shaw, 3B, Brewers — After a good start, Shaw was hitting .211 heading into the weekend. Shaw had some epic droughts with the Red Sox. “He hasn’t been able to get himself out of the slumps faster,” said one AL scout. “It’s one of the biggest things hitters can do, and he hasn’t been able to get to that point yet.” The lefthanded-hitting Shaw was hitting just .154 (4 for 26) against righthanders.

7. Michael Kopech, RHP, White Sox — In his first start for Double A Birmingham, Kopech, the former Red Sox farmhand, served up a solo home run and an RBI double over 4⅓ innings against Jackson, but he also struck out 10. One scout described Kopech as having “unhittable stuff.” He hit 99 miles per hour on the radar gun. We’ll surely see 100 m.p.h. soon.

8. Ryan Braun, RF, Brewers — We’ve confirmed through major league sources that the Dodgers and Brewers have kept in touch on a potential Braun deal. The Dodgers’ weak link is their outfield, and they have not been swinging the bats very well, hitting just .238 through Thursday.

9. Masahiro Tanaka, RHP, Yankees — I’ve been saying since Daisuke Matsuzaka signed with Boston in 2007 that Japanese starting pitchers need to be accommodated with extra rest since they’re used to pitching once every seven days in Japan. Last season, Tanaka was 10-1 with a 2.56 ERA in 17 starts when pitching on at least five days’ rest, and 4-3 with a 3.71 ERA in 14 starts when pitching on four days’ rest.

Extra innings From the Bill Chuck files — “Through eight games for each team, the Blue Jays, Pirates, and the Red Sox had only hit four homers each.” . . . Also, “In Trevor Story’s first 37 plate appearances last season he had seven homers and 13 RBIs. In Story’s first 37 plate appearances this season he had zero homers and zero RBIs.” . . . Happy birthday, Travis Shaw (27), Rick Jones (62), Bob Montgomery (73), (75), and Garry Roggenburk (77).

Super savers Lefthander Zach Britton has become automatic in the role for the Orioles since winning the job in 2014. His active streak of consecutive saves that dates to 2015 has reached 53 entering play Friday, the third-longest streak ever, according to Baseball-Reference.com. And he’s one of only five relievers to have topped 50 in a row.

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox notebook: Double duty by Mitch Moreland

Jason Mastrodonato

After another big game at the plate, Mitch Moreland started counting out loud how many hits Fenway Park has gifted him in the seven games he’s called it his home field.

“The second one I hit today, the one a couple nights ago I hit over down the left-field line,” he said. “It’s definitely made a difference.”

He was 3-for-4 in the Red Sox’ 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday with his first home run and another double. His nine doubles leads the majors.

Left-handed-hitting first baseman

Adrian Gonzalez used to try to hit doubles off The Wall during his first season with the Red Sox. Moreland, who also hits left-handed, might end up doing the same thing.

“When you have that option in left field, it makes it a little easier and you’re a little more comfortable in the box,” he said. “It’s not something I focus on, but it does make you feel more comfortable.”

As easy as it is to credit Fenway and the Green Monster for providing a wall just 310 feet from home plate, Moreland has hit even better on the road, where he has five of his nine doubles after going 8-for-15 in a four-game series in Detroit last weekend.

“I think it’s a little early to be saying that (about Fenway), but so far it’s been OK,” Moreland said, smiling. “I just try to stay within my approach, whether it’s here or anywhere else. I just try to get a good pitch.”

Moreland was a triple shy of the cycle yesterday. His nine doubles are the most by a Red Sox hitter through 11 games since 1913. The last player to hit 11 doubles through his team’s first 11 games was Troy Glaus in 1999.

“Without him, we’re going to be in a tough spot,” said pitcher Chris Sale, who gained his first win yesterday despite being sharp in all three starts. “He’s professional. He’s a guy who can go deep at any given time. He’s going to put a professional at-bat together.”

More Price fixing

All David Price can do to keep himself from going stir crazy during his recovery is count down the days until his son is born.

“A couple weeks,” he said yesterday.

It’s the one timeline he can count on.

Just hours after throwing his first up-and-down bullpen session since straining his elbow in early March, Price said his arm felt good. But he won’t know for sure until today, when he can feel the effects of a difficult week in which he’s pushed his arm further than he’s pushed it since the injury.

“That’s the biggest thing, getting all your work done today and just making sure that you still feel good (the next day),” he said.

“We’ll see how he responds to that workload,” said manager John Farrell. “He’s had a full volume this week compared to the previous four or five weeks that rehab has gone through. So (today) we’ll get a better read on how he’s doing physically and what the plan would be after that.”

Ideally, the Red Sox can get Price on the mound to face live hitters this coming week. That schedule would theoretically give him a chance to return before June, but the Sox aren’t putting a date on it. Price still hasn’t thrown any breaking balls from the mound.

“No, I did that yesterday on some flat ground,” he said. “Didn’t want to push it too much, with it being the first time I’m throwing pitches and then taking a break and getting back up and throwing more

“I haven’t had any setbacks yet. It’s going pretty smooth.”

How effective will Price be when he does return?

“I expect to be myself,” he said. “I don’t see any drop-off or anything like that. We’ve put in the work and I expect to be myself whenever I come back.”

Rehab for Rutledge

The Red Sox soon could have a platoon partner for Pablo Sandoval.

Utility Josh Rutledge (hamstring) will join center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (knee) in an attempt to test his baserunning ability tomorrow. If it goes well, they’ll begin a rehab assignment in Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday.

Bradley is eligible to return from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday.

“He’s eligible, but we’ll see how long it goes,” Farrell said. “I think at a minimum, we would see him in Baltimore (on Friday).”

Porcello review

One day after allowed four homers, the Red Sox think they might have figured out some of the issues.

“There was maybe a tendency on his part to try to create more velocity, which causes him to yank some pitches,” Farrell said. “And then as he was going through his delivery, there was more tendency to drift and not be in sync in his timing, and that’s what leads to the mislocated pitches. This isn’t about health. It’s not about anything physical. It’s about repeating the delivery and executing.”

Moment of silence

There was a moment of silence at 2:49 p.m. yesterday for the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.

“With Jackie Robinson Day, everything going around with Patriots Day and the marathon, before the game started there was a lot of excitement and a lot of emotion,” Sale said. “It’s fun to feed off that and go out there and take that into the game.”

In honor of Robinson, all the players and coaches wore No. 42, the ninth straight year MLB has done that.

Well-deserved win

Jason Mastrodonato

Just before 12:45 p.m. yesterday in the Red Sox clubhouse, Mookie Betts yelled over to Hanley Ramirez, Christian Vazquez and , who were playing cards before the 4 p.m. game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Betts told the trio there was a hitters meeting and the reply was looks of confusion.

The Sox held a players-only meeting, the details of which weren’t revealed, but the offense hasn’t performed the way most expected it to, nor did it suddenly explode during yesterday’s 2-1 win at Fenway Park.

But with Chris Sale on the mound, it didn’t matter.

Sale struck out 12 in seven dominant innings, allowing just one run and earning his first win in a Red Sox uniform after the offense rallied in the seventh inning for the go-ahead run.

“Chris Sale was dominant, strong, any adjective you want to attach to it,” manager John Farrell said. “He’s got three power-type pitches for a lot of swing-and-miss. And let’s face it, three starts he’s made for us, he’s not had any margin of error. We’re able to push across a run late, but he’s worth the price of admission just to see him.”

It took until the seventh inning for the Sox to get their second run off a Rays team that lost starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi to a hamstring injury in the second.

Erasmo Ramirez replaced Odorizzi, who had thrown a ball to Mitch Moreland before departing, and the reliever’s first offering was a fastball over the middle of the plate that Moreland hammered into the right field stands for his first homer of the season.

“He might not have even been loose yet,” Moreland said of Ramirez. “It was an awkward situation for them right there. But I stayed ready and put an aggressive swing on it.”

It was just the fifth homer of the season for the Red Sox, the last team to reach that number.

Averaging just 4.2 runs per game, it hasn’t been easy for the offense. Moreland said the early-afternoon meeting “really wasn’t anything special. Just trying to get it going. It was not anything we were trying to change.”

Moreland was right. Nothing changed. But the Sox did scrape together a second run in the seventh inning, and that was enough.

With the bases loaded and one out in the seventh against Xavier Cedeno, Sandy Leon got enough of an inside fastball to send a slow grounder to second base that brought home Moreland (single) from third with the go-ahead run.

“I was trying to just put it in play, nothing crazy,” Leon said. “It broke my bat, but I got the winning RBI, so that was good.”

Asked about the hitters meeting, Leon said it was nice to have everyone together to chat.

“Always,” he said. “We’re a team. We care about each other.”

For the first time since he joined the Red Sox, Sale (1-1) looked lost for a brief moment in the third inning. Struggling to throw strikes with his slider and high-90s heat, Sale gave up a two-out RBI single to Evan Longoria that tied the game, then loaded the bases with a walk to Rickie Weeks Jr. Sale regrouped and struck out Derek Norris to end the inning.

“This is a very fun place to pitch,” Sale said. “Getting the proverbial monkey off your back is nice. It makes you feel more comfortable.”

Sale has 29 strikeouts to just five walks and 11 hits on the year. He has allowed three runs in 212⁄3 innings. He became the first pitcher since for the Houston Astros in 2006 to begin a season with three straight starts of at least seven innings, seven strikeouts and two runs or fewer.

“He’s getting better every time,” Leon said. “It’s really fun to catch him.”

The offense has scored only three runs for the newcomer.

“I don’t think that this is going to be a long-lasting trend,” Sale said. “Take a good look around this locker room. We’ve got some guys in here that can make some noise. I look forward to it.”

Matt Barnes and Craig Kimbrel (save No. 4) finished up for Sale.

Farrell hasn’t been worried about the lackluster offense to this point.

“Here’s the thing: We’ve strung some very good games together,” he said. “We’re seeing some guys start to get their timing more consistently. The one thing we continue to preach is not for one guy to think he has to be the hero in the moment.”

The hero for the Red Sox yesterday was on the mound.

Sale continues to be better than one could have expected, and every bit as good as one could have hoped.

Chris Sale strikes out 12, lifts Red Sox offense over Rays

Jason Mastrodonato

Call it a sleepy Saturday for the Red Sox powerless offense, but it didn't need much with Chris Sale on the mound.

It took until the seventh inning for the Sox to get their second run off a Tampa Bay Rays team that lost starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi to a hamstring injury in the second inning, but they found a way to get it done, taking a 2-1 victory after another dazzling performance by their new lanky left-hander.

And it wasn't all easy for Sale.

For the first time since he joined the Red Sox, he looked lost for a brief moment in the third inning. Struggling to throw strikes with his loopy slider and high-90s heat, Sale gave up a two-out RBI single to Evan Longoria to tie the game at 1-1, then he loaded the bases with a five-pitch walk to Rickie Weeks Jr.

His response was exactly what one would expect from the pitcher with the best strikeout-to-walk rate in baseball history (minimum 1,000 career innings). He struck out Derek Norris on four pitches, the final pitch a nasty slider that dipped under the zone.

Sale finished with a season-high 12 strikeouts in seven innings, pushing his season total to 29 strikeouts to just five walks and 11 hits. He’s allowed three runs in 21-⅔ innings.

All three of his starts have been brilliant, as Sale became the first pitcher since Roger Clemens in 2006 to begin a season with three straight starts of at least seven innings, seven strikeouts and two runs or less.

But the Red Sox have scored only three runs for Sale during his 21-⅔ innings on the mound. They needed a late rally to win his first start of the season over the , lost his second start in Detroit against the Tigers and finally gave him his first win yesterday, capitalizing late on the Rays’ bullpen.

They got a favor from Rays manager Kevin Cash.

With the game still tied, the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Sandy Leon was due up with right- hander Tommy Hunter on the mound. The switch-hitting Leon has been a monster at the dish for the greater part of the last year, but he’s been much better against lefties, hitting .373 off them last year compared to .286 against righties. Leon stepped to the plate 5-for-9 with a homer against lefties this season but just 3-for-20 against rigthies.

Cash then made the stunning decision to take Hunter out of the game in exchange for a left-hander, Xavier Cedeno. Cedeno’s first pitch jammed Leon, but he got enough to send it slowly to the as the eventual game-winning run scored from third base.

Mitch Moreland provided the other run with a solo homer, his first with the Red Sox, in the second inning. Odorizzi exited with a hamstring injury after throwing one pitch to Moreland, then the new Sox first baseman smashed the first pitch he saw from replacement Erasmo Ramirez into the right-field seats.

It was just the fifth homer of the season for the Red Sox, who were the last team to reach the five home run mark.

Averaging just 4.2 runs per game, it hasn’t been easy for the Sox offense. The hitters held a players-only meeting on Saturday morning, an unusual thing to take place in the middle of a series.

“Here's the thing: We've strung some very good games together,” manager John Farrell said before the game. “We're seeing some guys start to get their timing more consistently. The one thing we continue to preach is not for one guy to think he has to be the hero in the moment.”

The hero for the Red Sox on Saturday was on the mound.

Sale continues to be better than one could have expected, and every bit as good as one could’ve hoped.

* The Providence Journal

Red Sox 2, Rays 1: Sale strikes out 12, Leon again drives in winning run

Brian MacPherson

BOSTON -- It wasn’t a clutch hit, so to speak. It wasn’t even actually a hit.

But the broken-bat ground ball off the bat of Sandy Leon was enough to push across the run Chris Sale and the Red Sox needed to avoid a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday at Fenway Park. Rather than smoke a line drive up a gap somewhere, Leon grounded out softly enough to allow Mitch Moreland to sprint across the plate with the go-ahead run of a 2-1 victory for the offense- needy Red Sox.

“I know they wanted that,” said Red Sox lefty Chris Sale, who struck out 12 hitters in seven dominant innings. “They ended up getting it. It just shows the fight that we have.”

“We’re starting to find our way,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

Chris Young drew a hard-earned walk off hard-throwing Tampa Bay righty Tommy Hunter in Saturday’s eighth inning, laying off two to load the bases with one out. Leon has hit lefties much harder than righties in his Red Sox career, but Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash nonetheless summoned lefty Xavier Cedeno to face him. The mission for Cedeno was to induce a ground ball with his cutter. That’s what he did -- even breaking the bat of Leon with a cutter in on his hands.

Fortunately for Leon and the Red Sox, the ground ball Cedeno induced was soft enough that Tampa Bay second baseman Daniel Robertson had no play except at first base -- allowing Moreland to score the go- ahead run.

It was the second time in the three times Sale has pitched for the Red Sox that Leon has driven in the decisive run. The first was a 12th-inning walk-off home run 10 days earlier. The second had little in common with the first except the result.

“Sandy once again coming through on a day I’m pitching, it’s nice to see that,” Sale said.

“I’ll take any kind to win the game,” Leon said.

Tampa Bay touched Sale for a run when he lost the briefly in the third inning; Kevin Kiermaier drew a leadoff walk and scored on an Evan Longoria single to center field. But the Longoria single was the last hit Sale allowed in the game. He retired the final 10 hitters he faced, seven of them via strikeout. He looked every bit as powerful with his 111th pitch -- a 96-mile-per-hour fastball Kiermaier took for a third strike -- as he did with his first.

Rays starter Jake Odorizzi left the game after the first pitch of the second inning, having felt tightness in his left hamstring. Moreland jumped all over the first pitch he saw from impromptu Erasmo Ramirez and launched it more than 400 feet to right field -- his first home run with the Red Sox.

“I had been sitting a little bit waiting on him to get loose,” Moreland said, “so I was telling myself to stay ready and stay aggressive in that situation.”

It took until Ramirez had left the game for the Red Sox to push back ahead. Moreland and Xander Bogaerts hit back-to-back singles against reliever Tommy Hunter, and Chris Young drew a one-out walk to load the bases.

What Leon delivered wasn’t a hit, but it was a at a pivotal time -- something the Red Sox haven’t gotten nearly enough so far this season.

Tampa Bay nearly rallied against an erratic Matt Barnes in the eighth inning, but Barnes got a pivotal ground-ball double play off the bat of Evan Longoria to preserve the lead.

Red Sox hitters meet to stay focused on approach

Brian MacPherson

BOSTON -- It’s not often that the Red Sox hold hitters’ meetings before the second game of a series rather than the first. But they did just that on Saturday, gathering together to emphasize the -preached message that no one hitter need be a hero.

Entering play Saturday, the Red Sox ranked first in the American League in batting average (.277) and on- base percentage (.348). But the number of runners Boston has put on base hasn’t translated into runs thanks to a pedestrian .386 team , ninth-best in the American League.

“We look at the opportunities we create, which are many,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “We’re still getting on base at a very high rate -- and yet we’ve got to continue to trust one another up and down the lineup.”

One moment that exemplified the season to date came in Friday’s fourth inning, after Xander Bogaerts drew a two-out walk to load the bases against Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer with Pablo Sandoval coming up. Sandoval worked the count full, even fouling off a pair of two-strike pitches, but then grounded to second to scuttle the rally.

Sandoval has one of the two signature hits of this season, a three-run home run in Detroit that would have led to a win if not for a bullpen meltdown a half-inning later. Andrew Benintendi has the other, a three-run home run against Pittsburgh on Opening Day.

Those are two of the four home runs the Red Sox have hit through 10 games, fewer home runs than Oakland’s Khris Davis, Kansas City’s Sal Perez and Houston’s George Springer have hit by themselves.

But while their mid-series meeting perhaps suggested otherwise, the Red Sox are projecting confidence about how they’ve fared at the plate this season.

“We know the totals so far through 10 games -- and it’s just that, it’s 10 games,” Farrell said. “No one is looking to lift the ball or try to create more of an uppercut swing just for the fact of trying to drive the ball out of the ballpark.”

David Price could face live hitters next week

Brian MacPherson

BOSTON -- David Price continues to take his rehabilitation one step at a time.

Price threw a 45-pitch bullpen session at Fenway Park on Saturday morning, a session broken up to simulate the ups and downs of inning breaks. Whether he faces hitters in his next throwing session will depend on how his arm feels when he reports to Fenway Park on Sunday morning.

What Price didn’t do Saturday was throw a breaking ball off the mound. He has thrown breaking balls on flat ground, he said, but he hasn’t thrown breaking balls from the mound yet.

“I didn’t want to push it too much,” he said, “it being the first time I’m throwing pitches and taking a break and getting back up and throwing more.”

“The one thing that we’re trying to do is not throw a number of variables in at the same time so there’s a progression,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “You go from the long toss to the flat ground to spinning a breaking ball and then incorporate the angle of the mound. You incorporate some ups and downs and then also, at that point, start to add in a full assortment of pitches. There’s a little bit more of a systematic approach toward the addition of each variable going forward.”

As he did in February before he felt discomfort in his elbow, Price will face hitters in a simulated setting at least a couple of times before he goes out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The mission remains to ensure he can pitch at 100 percent when he does return to the Red Sox.

“We’ve put in the work,” he said, “and I expect to be myself whenever I come back.”

*

Jackie Bradley Jr. is on track to return to the Red Sox next weekend in Baltimore, if not a day or two before.

Bradley suffered a sprained right knee when his footing gave out beneath him a week ago in Detroit. He’s eligible to be activated from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. The plan now is for Bradley and Josh Rutledge (hamstring) to go through baserunning drills on Monday at Fenway Park and then join Triple-A Pawtucket for a rehab assignment on Tuesday.

Having missed less than two weeks, Bradley might not need more than a rehab game or two to get his swing back in rhythm -- which would give him a chance to return to the Red Sox either Thursday in Toronto or Friday in Baltimore.

Rutledge, out since late March, might need more at-bats than Bradley to get his swing game-ready. Boston snagged Rutledge in the Rule 5 draft in December in hopes he could be a righthanded-hitting complement to Pablo Sandoval if needed. So far, with Sandoval hitless against lefties this season, it appears that such a complement indeed is needed.

* The Springfield Republican

Chris Sale already has something in common with Pedro, he's 'worth the price of admission'

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - The last time a Red Sox starter had as strong a start to the season as Chris Sale was Pedro Martinez in 1998.

Though it's only been three starts, the new Red Sox left-hander has become quite the spectacle on the mound in the early going. That was the case on Saturday in a 2-1 win over the Tampa Rays.

Sale allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out 12 in seven innings of work to pick up his first win of the season.

Not since Martinez in 1998 has a Red Sox starter allowed two or fewer runs over seven-plus innings while striking out at least seven batters in his first three starts. Add Sale to that list.

Sale, 2017: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 12 K

Martinez, 1998: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 12 K

"Chris Sale was dominant, strong, any adjective you want to attach to it," manager John Farrell said after the game. "He's got three power type pitches for a lot of swing-and-miss. And let's face it, three starts he's made for us, he's not had any margin of error. We're able to push across a run late, but he's worth the price of admission just to see him."

The lefty notched 12 strikeouts as the Rays flailed at the plate, swinging and missing at 21 of Sale's pitches, seven on his changeup and seven on his slider. Just three times last year did Sale register 20 or more swings and misses in a start.

The lone run Sale allowed Saturday came in the second inning, following a long layover as Rays starter Jake Odorizzi left the game with a hamstring injury.

Sale walked the leadoff batter in the second and then allowed two singles, the latter coming off the bat of Evan Longoria and plating a run.

After that, Sale settled down. In the fifth inning, he struck out the side and the started the sixth inning with two more strikeouts before Derek Norris snapped the streak with a groundout to second.

Sale retired the final 10 straight batters he faced, striking out the last two. He ended his day with a 96 mph fastball to catch Kevin Kiermaier looking on his 111th pitch.

"Almost a closer's mentality," Farrell said of Sale's late game intensity.

For Sale it was just another start.

"I don't think you show up on a given day against a certain team or a certain pitcher and say, 'I can go out there and be lax today,'" he said. "I've got to bear down and try to do the best you can almost every time out. Whether it's a one run game or a 10-run game, you're going to try to bear down and try to get outs."

At the midway mark in April, Sale leads all pitchers in baseball with 29 strikeouts and has the second lowest ERA (1.25) among American League pitchers who've made three starts.

Martinez was transcendent in that 1998 season. Sale has a long season ahead of him, but at least he's off to the right start.

Mitch Moreland sparks Red Sox offense with three of Boston's six hits in victory over Tampa Bay

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - Mitch Moreland was the only Red Sox batter that crossed the plate on Saturday and with Chris Sale on the mound, it was just enough.

Moreland hit a solo homer to right in the second then scored the go-ahead run in the seventh as the Red Sox squeaked by the Rays 2-1 in the second of the four-game series.

Moreland fell a triple shy of the cycle with a second-inning homer, fourth-inning double and seventh- inning single. He struck out in the eighth to complete a 3-for-4 day at the plate.

In 11 games, Moreland is hitting .333 with a 1.036 OPS, nine doubles, a homer, five walks and 11 strikeouts.

"Just trying to go up there, keep it simple, get a good pitch," Moreland said. "I've been fortunate to do that some lately. I don't want to think too much into it, but that's pretty much it."

His solo homer in the second put the Red Sox up 1-0, but Sale allowed a run to cross the next inning on an Evan Longoria RBI single.

But Sale dominated and help the Rays scoreless through seven innings, leaving the game with a 1-1 tie.

Moreland came to the rescue in the bottom half of the inning. He led off with a single to center and advanced to second on a Xander Bogaerts single. Moreland moved over to third on a Pablo Sandoval fielder's choice and then after Chris Young drew a key walk, Sandy Leon hit a broken-bat grounder that allowed Moreland to score.

"It's a ground ball and I'm trying to get home as quick as I can, hoping they don't turn two," Moreland said of the go-ahead run. "It was a good play for us. We got the run across. It was a nice (at-bat) by Sandy to put something in play."

The run allowed Sale to pick up his first win of the season with the Red Sox. The lefty has been dominant in the early going but received just three runs of support, all of which came have come from Moreland. The first baseman crossed the plate twice on Saturday and then scored the lone Red Sox run in Sale's second start on April 10 in Detroit.

"The way he's been throwing it doesn't take a whole lot, does it," Moreland said. "It was nice to put up a couple of runs on the board for him and get him a win after the way he's pitched the last three times out."

Chris Sale strikes out 12 to pick up first win of season for Boston Red Sox

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - Through his first 21 2/3 innings on the mound for the Red Sox this season, Chris Sale has received three runs of support.

But that third run made all the difference.

Sale dazzled on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays, but exited in the seventh inning with the game tied 1-1.

Boston's bats had been quiet all day, not an uncommon occurrence in the early going this season. But in the bottom of the seventh, Sandy Leon knocked in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded, broken-bat .

The Red Sox held on to win 2-1 and give Sale this first victory of the season.

Despite three walks, the Red Sox lefty dominated the Rays allowing one run on three hits. He struck out 12 and induced 21 swings-and-misses. Sale had 20 or more swings and misses in three of his 32 starts last season.

He struck out five in a row at one point, retiring the side in the fifth and then striking out the first two batters of the sixth. He finished the day retiring the final 10 straight batters he faced.

The Rays scratched out one run against Sale in the third when Kevin Kiermaier drew a leadoff walk and scored on an Evan Longoria single. Other than that, Tampa Bay had nothing to show.

The Red Sox offense didn't have much to show either.

A Mitch Moreland solo homer in the second accounted for the lone Red Sox run through six innings.

After Sale walked off the mound to standing ovation in the top of the seventh, the Red Sox eked out a run to put him in line to pick up the win.

Moreland led off the seventh with a single to center and Xander Bogaerts slapped another one to right. Pablo Sandoval came to the plate and grounded into a fielder's choice, but Chris Young drew a walk to load the bases with one out.

That's when Leon came to the plate and hit a broken-bat grounder to second that slowed up enough so second baseman Daniel Robertson didn't have a play at the plate. Moreland crossed with the go-ahead run and Robertson threw out Leon at first. The Rays intentionally walked Dustin Pedroia before Andrew Benintendi grounded out.

Matt Barnes entered in relief of Sale in the eighth. Barnes struck out the first batter but then got into a jam by walking the next two, bringing Longoria to the plate. But the hit a hard shot to third and Sandoval was able to turn the key double play.

Craig Kimbrel entered in the ninth and picked up his fourth save.

Mookie Betts, Steven Wright wear "equality" shirts for Jackie Robinson Day around baseball

Kevin Dillon

April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day around Major League Baseball, with each team taking their part to honor the first African American player in the league. The day marks the 70th anniversary of Robinson's debut in the majors, so each team takes some time to recognize what he did to impact the game.

For the Boston Red Sox, honoring Robinson meant sporting some special T-shirts during batting practice before their home game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Mookie Betts and Steven Wright were among those honoring Robinson, each wearing shirts that simply said, "Equality."

Wright and Betts were not the only two to honor Robinson on the day. Chris Young also wore a blue "42" shirt to recognize the former Brooklyn Dodger.

The entire league honors Robinson year round, as the No. 42 is retired around the league. Each player will wear No. 42 around the league Saturday, however, to honor Robinson.

Jackie Bradley Jr. to rehab in Triple-A Pawtucket Tuesday, could rejoin Red Sox end of next week

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - Jackie Bradley Jr. could be back with the Red Sox by next weekend in Baltimore.

The Red Sox center fielder suffered a sprained right knee a week ago in Detroit and was subsequently placed on the disabled list.

"Jackie continues to respond well," manager John Farrell said.

Bradley has done some sprints in the outfield and taken batting practice with the team. He'll need to pass a few tests on Monday, but the plan is for Bradley to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday. The PawSox are on the road in Charlotte this week.

Bradley would be available to be activated on Wednesday, but it's likely he'll rejoin the team in Baltimore on Friday.

* The Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Chris Sale feeds off Fenway energy

Bill Ballou

BOSTON — Chris Sale is one of those people who, in the office, barn or showroom, or even on the assembly line, makes everyone in the place hate him because they look bad in comparison.

It seems like each time the Red Sox get somebody in a trade or as a free agent and that player isn’t very good, the team blames an adjustment period. It happened with Rick Porcello two years ago, Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, too. Don’t forget Allen Craig, coming from the Cardinals in 2014. He is in Year Four of his time as an adjustee and doing it in the minors.

So here comes Sale in 2017, seven years with the White Sox as the only employer he had ever known, and he didn’t need even one pitch to adjust to the supposed horrors of performing in this city.

Saturday was his third start in the Boston uniform, and they have all been uniformly superb, only this time he got his first Sox win in a 2-1 decision over the Rays.

Adjustments? Fickle and demanding fans? Quirky ballpark with a left field wall way too close for a southpaw’s comfort?

“This is a very fun place to pitch,” he said.

It can be, depending on the pitcher. There have been hurlers who embraced its idiosyncrasies and intensity, pitchers like , Roger Clemens, Bruce Hurst and Pedro Martinez. There have been hurlers who have wilted in the pressure always present in the hothouse along Yawkey Way, and that list is a lot longer.

“The atmosphere, the energy,” is what Sale likes about the place. “Today was special, too, given that it was Jackie Robinson Day, and everything going around with Patriots’ Day and the marathon tomorrow. Before the game started there was a lot of excitement, a lot of emotion and it’s fun to feed off that.”

Sale had to pitch almost flawlessly to translate that psychological fuel into a victory because his teammates, once again, had a hard time scoring runs for him. Mitch Moreland homered in the second and Sandy Leon drove in a run via a fielder’s choice in the seventh. Boston has scored three runs in the 21 1/3 innings Sale has been on the mound.

“I like that,” he said. “I like being the guy who can get a ‘W’ in those games, so, if they’ve all gotta be like that, so be it. I look forward to the challenge.”

By September, Sale should be able to win pitching from a hammock the way things are trending, though. The Red Sox have scored one more run in each of his three starts beginning with none on April 5, one on April 10 and two on Saturday. At this pace, when Sale gets to 30 starts sometime after Labor Day, Boston should be ahead by 28-0 or so when he comes out.

Even Joe Kelly could protect a lead like that.

Sale gave up three hits and three walks in his seven-inning stint and struck out 12, giving him 29 strikeouts in his first three Sox starts. He did not quite get to the level of Rich Hill, who had 30 strikeouts in 23 innings in his first three Sox starts in 2015, and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, who had 32 in 23 innings in his first three starts for Boston in 1998.

At one point, Sale fanned five straight Tampa Bay batters. That happened in the fifth and sixth innings and was part of a stretch in which he got 13 outs in 13 batters. He struggled just once, in the third, when the Rays got their only run as he uncharacteristically walked two.

The 13-in-13 finished his afternoon with Matt Barnes getting a shaky hold and Craig Kimbrel a dominant save.

The Red Sox are 6-5 even though their offense has sputtered and their starting pitching has been suspect. That is, except for Sale. His ERA is 1.25 in three games. In eight games, everybody else in the rotation has combined for an ERA of 7.24.

After Evan Longoria singled to center with two out in the third to make it a 1-1 game, Sale faced 14 Tampa Bay batters and not one of them hit a ball out of the infield.

“It’s a closer’s mentality,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “I think every starting pitcher has an idea of when their day is coming to an end, so when he’s up over 100 pitches he’s probably figuring his day is coming to a close and he doesn’t leave anything in the tank.

“That’s the competitor inside of him.”

The competitor likes pitching in Fenway Park, so it seems, and since the Red Sox plan to have him on the roster for a lot more than three starts that is good news for their rotation.

* The Portland Press Herald

On Baseball: Red Sox have formidable tandem at

Kevin Thomas

BOSTON — When the diagnosis came during spring training of 2015, it was terrible news for catcher Christian Vazquez. He needed Tommy John surgery and would miss the season.

But from the ashes of that disastrous time rose the stellar catching tandem the Red Sox enjoy today.

Without Vazquez’s injury, Boston does not have Sandy Leon.

Now the Red Sox have both players – arguably the best defensive duo in the game – healthy and performing with a hot bat to begin 2017.

Back in March 2015, Leon was not in the plans. The Red Sox idea was to have Vazquez and the newly acquired Ryan Hanigan behind the plate. Blake Swihart was coming off an impressive 2014 in Portland but wasn’t ready for the majors.

When Vazquez’s elbow betrayed him in late March, the Red Sox looked for available catchers. The Nationals offered Leon, who seemingly had little future – .189 average in 34 major league games over three seasons – and was out of minor league options.

Washington sent Leon to Boston for “cash considerations,” a term meaning “not much.”

Leon didn’t impress initially. When Hanigan was hurt in May, Boston called up Swihart, giving him most of the playing time.

Leon batted .184 in 41 games and was designated for assignment on July 20. Nobody claimed him. Leon, on a minor league deal, went to Pawtucket.

In 2016, Leon was back on the 40-man roster and assigned to Pawtucket. He was called up on June 5 when Hanigan was hurt.

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But this was a new Leon, a who worked hard on an improved batting stance – more upright, better balanced. He seemed in control at the plate instead of overmatched.

Leon hit .417 in June.

Fluke, right? Leon remained above .300 through July, then August.

“Start getting over 125 at-bats, you can’t say he’s hitting into good luck all the time,” Manager John Farrell said. “He was driving the ball from both sides of the plate.”

Leon finished the year with a .310 average, the highest for a Boston catcher since Carlton Fisk (.315) in 1977.

Vazquez never got traction in 2016, catching 57 major league games and batting .227.

Heading into this year, Boston knew it had two good defensive catchers, but there were questions. Could Vazquez hit? Was Leon a one-year wonder?

So far, so good. Vazquez, despite going 0 for 4 on Friday night, is batting .296. Entering Saturday’s game, he was 5 for 8 in three games, with two doubles and a triple. He was batting .625.

“In the early going it’s been a welcome addition,” Farrell said. “Still, their impact has been felt most behind the plate.”

Not only do pitchers rave about both catchers’ pitch-calling and receiving abilities, the two have thrown out 6 of 7 base-stealers.

Advertisement That’s no fluke. Over the last 30 years, Vazquez leads all catchers (minimum 100 starts as a catcher) with a caught-stealing percentage of 46.4. Leon is No. 2 at 44.3 percent. Ivan Rodriguez is next at 41.7.

“On both sides of the ball, they’ve done an excellent job,” Farrell said.

Neither Leon, 28, nor Vazquez, 26, is eligible for free agency until 2021. That brings up the issue of Swihart, 25, who is in Pawtucket. He’s an obvious talent but is guilty of not being as good defensively as two of the game’s best defensive catchers.

The Red Sox tried Swihart in left field last year and he ended up with a severely sprained ankle that required surgery. That experiment seems done, especially with Andrew Benintendi cemented in left.

Swihart is out of minor league options after this year.

For now, it’s a good problem to have.

REMEMBER THE 2008 draft, when Boston went after catchers early and often? Vazquez was the third catcher the Red Sox chose, in the ninth round out of high school in Puerto Rico.

Before Vazquez the Red Sox opted for college catchers, Ryan Lavarnway in the sixth round and Tim Federowicz in the seventh. They played together in Portland in 2011.

Federowicz, 29, was traded to the Dodgers later that year. Since then he’s been with the Padres’ organization, and the Cubs last year, including 17 major league games.

Federowicz signed with the Giants this year and recently was called up to fill in for the injured Buster Posey.

Advertisement Lavarnway played parts of four years with Boston and was waived after the 2014 season. Since then he’s played in the Orioles, Braves and Blue Jays organizations. Signing with Oakland this year, he’s in Triple- A.

THE SILLY quote of the week comes from Orioles Manager , regarding the Red Sox flu outbreak. Showalter, who enjoys needling the Red Sox, especially their big-market clout, said his players also battled the flu big.

“Our guys have fought their way through it,” Showalter said. “I know we’ve got a lot of guys that aren’t 100 percent with it, but so do a lot of clubs.

“Nobody wants to hear somebody else complain about it. Our guys have done a good job not broadcasting it to the world.”

There is a difference between “broadcasting it to the world” and explaining why a regular player isn’t in the lineup or even at the stadium.

*Redsox.com

Sale's associates register 1st W for 12-K lefty

Ian Browne and Craig Forde

BOSTON -- As it turned out, all Chris Sale needed to get his first win in a Red Sox uniform was just a hint of run support.

The lefty (1-1, 1.25 ERA) was dominant throughout a seven-inning masterpiece, allowing three hits and a run while walking three and striking out 12 while leading Boston to a tense 2-1 victory over the Rays.

Over Sale's first two starts for the Red Sox, the offense scored a total of one run during the 14 2/3 innings he was the pitcher of record. This time, they scored two over his seven innings, and it turned out to be enough.

"It was fun," said Sale. "This is a very fun place to pitch. Getting, I guess, the proverbial monkey off your back is nice. It makes you feel more comfortable. Obviously being here for a couple of weeks now and going through it, it's nice to get that one over with and we can keep cruising."

Three starts into his tenure with the Red Sox, Sale has already created a must-watch aspect to the day he pitches.

"Dominant, strong, any adjective you want to attach to it," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "He's got three power-type pitches for a lot of swing-and-miss. And let's face it, three starts he's made for us, he's not had any margin of error. We're able to push across a run late, but he's worth the price of admission just to see him. But just a strong, strong day from Chris."

Sandy Leon broke a 1-1 tie with a fielder's-choice grounder to second in the seventh. Craig Kimbrel closed out Tampa Bay with a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

The Rays dealt with some early adversity when starter Jake Odorizzi had to exit just one pitch into the second inning due to left hamstring tightness. Erasmo Ramirez came in on short notice, and his first pitch was hammered into the seats in right by Mitch Moreland to make it 1-0, Red Sox.

• Moreland stays hot, hits first homer

"It's just one of those things, you never know when it might happen, but I felt really good going up until that point," said Odorizzi, who was hit in the same spot by a line drive during his start versus Toronto last Sunday, and was placed on the 10-day disabled list following Saturday's loss. "It was a product of last start and the bruising that had developed."

Moreland capitalized on the abrupt switch with a rocket, the hardest he's had in the Statcast™ era at 113.1 mph. It traveled an estimated distance of 431 feet. That was the only misfire for Ramirez, who went four innings, allowing three hits and the one run. The only time Sale was in any kind of trouble was the third, when Evan Longoria tied the game with an RBI single and Rickie Weeks Jr. walked to load the bases. But Sale struck out Derek Norris on a nasty slider to escape the threat.

"You know you're going into the game against a very, very dominant pitcher, and he was every bit the part today," said Rays manager Kevin Cash. "I was happy, we were all pleased with the guys and how they went out and competed against him. We drove his pitch count up; it wasn't easy. He's tough. You tip your cap and we plan to get him the next time we face him."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Young walk key to go-ahead rally: The Red Sox are still having trouble getting the big hit, but Chris Young got them a big walk in the bottom of the seventh that led to Leon's go-ahead RBI. The veteran right-handed hitter was down 0-2 before drawing his bases on ball on the sixth pitch of the at-bat by Tommy Hunter to load the bases with one out.

"A big at-bat," said Farrell. "He tries to bunt on his own with a little bit of the shift that they're playing, first-and-third situation, so finally he takes a couple borderline pitches, a couple curveballs that were left in off the plate, so it's a big at-bat inside building the inning."

Barnes gets key DP to erase rally: Just after Boston had taken a 2-1 lead, Matt Barnes got into some trouble with back-to-back, one-out walks in the eighth. But the hard-throwing righty made the big pitch he needed, inducing the dangerous Longoria into a 5-4-3 double play on a 95.8-mph four-seamer.

QUOTABLE

"Yeah, that's how you like it. I like going out there and being in those games. I want to be that guy that can get a 'W' in those games. If they've all got to be like that, so be it. I look forward to the challenge." -- Sale, on pitching in all low-scoring games so far this season

"On my warmup pitches, it was just there. It wasn't painful, I just noticed it, so I knew I wasn't going to be able to compete at the level I want to compete at. There was no use in me trying to gut through it. I think we got it in time, so I'll be ready in however many days it is." -- Odorizzi

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Since the start of the 2012 season, Sale has 21 games of 12 strikeouts or more, the most in the Major Leagues over that span.

UNDER REVIEW

Tampa Bay challenged a call in the top of the sixth inning on a fly ball hit by Longoria down the right-field line, which was ruled a foul ball after a fan had caught it. The Rays argued that the spectator had reached over for the ball, but replay concluded that there was no fan interference and the call on the field stood.

WHAT'S NEXT

Rays: Right-hander Alex Cobb, who returned from Tommy John surgery late last season, makes his first Fenway Park start since Sept. 23, 2014, on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET. Both of his starts this season have come against the Yankees, where he split the decisions for a 1-1 mark with a 3.46 ERA.

Red Sox: Lefty Drew Pomeranz will try to build off a strong first start of the season when he faces the Rays in Sunday afternoon's third game of this four-game series. Pomeranz got the win in his season debut against the Orioles, giving up four hits and a run over six-plus innings.

Educated on legacy, Rays, Sox honor Jackie

Quinn Roberts

BOSTON -- Rays Chris Archer was 18 years old and playing rookie ball with the Gulf Coast League Indians when he began reading Jackie Robinson's autobiography.

Archer had seen the movies and documentaries on Robinson, but wanted to learn more details about his life in and out of baseball. Full Game Coverage "I became really impressed when I read his autobiography and how active he was in the civil rights movement and all the distress going on as he played," Archer said. "To go and march the streets with Martin Luther King Jr. and the other activists, that's impressive." Archer on Jackie Robinson Archer on Jackie Robinson Chris Archer talks about his favorite quote about Jackie Robinson and what he meant to the game of baseball Archer wasn't on the hill against the Red Sox for Jackie Robinson Day at Fenway Park on Saturday, but he was able to take in the festivities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. All players wore No. 42, while four Jackie Robinson scholars announced "Play ball" before the game. • Check out how players are honoring Jackie "This is all very meaningful, just for him doing everything that he went through and just opening up the doors for everybody else," Red Sox left-hander David Price said. "It takes a very special person to be able to do that, and he stepped up to the challenge." Just like Archer, Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. wanted to learn as much as he could about Robinson growing up. While Bradley knew small details about Robinson, as he got older he decided to learn with his own eyes and ears by watching documentaries and movies and reading books. "He was a pioneer," Bradley said. "Not just someone who changed the game of baseball, but all of the sports in general." At full strength, the Rays and Red Sox each have four African-American players on their respective 25- man rosters. Rays players on Jackie Robinson Rays players on Jackie Robinson The Rays talk about the significance of Jackie Robinson and all he did for the game of baseball "You look at the game today and how the ethnicities have grown, the African-American totals are down. We are fortunate enough to have the players we do in our uniform," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "Robinson's breakthrough, which we can't even fathom, is significant." On 2017 Opening Day rosters, the percentage of Major Leaguers who are black, African-American or African-Canadian was 7.7 percent. It was 8.3 percent in 2016. Major League Baseball spent approximately $30 million in '16 on youth development for underserved communities. "They are doing a great job, but we won't see those effects for another 10 to 15 years," Archer said. "If a kid is drafted now and takes his normal progression, it will take about five years, and then say another five to establish himself. It is going to take time." However, combining the percentage of African-American players and foreign-born players, the game is reaching unprecedented levels of diversity at 35.8 percent. "He broke the color barrier, not just the black American barrier," Archer said. "You see a lot of other races and ethnicities because of it. That's what it's all about."

Price passes next step in elbow recovery

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- The latest step in David Price's recovery from a sore left elbow was a side session that simulated innings, allowing the lefty to take breaks as if he was pitching in a real game.

"That's always probably the toughest part of Spring Training, that's always the biggest part for a pitcher," said Price. "It's not the amount of pitches you throw. It's throwing pitches and then taking that break and then getting back up and doing it again. That's always one of the tougher parts in Spring Training, that's kind of what I'm going through right now." Full Game Coverage As far as Price could tell, it was a productive exercise. "It went good," said Price. "Got up and down a couple of times and see how we feel tomorrow." If Price responds favorably to Saturday's session, he could face some hitters by early next week. "Ideally it would be," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "But again, I think we just see how things come out tomorrow. As we've done with each -- the next phase of the throwing, the different types of throwing from long toss to the bullpen being included to what the next step is -- we'll sit with David and kind of map out what we feel is best according to his physical response." Price still hasn't thrown breaking balls off the mound, but he has done so repeatedly on flat ground. "The one thing that we're trying to do is not throw a number of variables in at the same time so there's a progression," said Farrell. "You go from the long toss to the flat ground to spinning a breaking ball. Then incorporate the angle of the mound. Incorporate some ups and downs, and then also at that point where you start to add in a full assortment of pitches. So there's a little bit more of a systematic approach toward the addition of each variable going forward." The Red Sox won't place any timetable on Price's return to action until he starts a Minor League rehab assignment. But Price is confident that he can return to form once he is back. "Yeah, I expect to be myself," Price said. "I don't see any dropoff or anything like that. We've put in the work and I expect to be myself whenever I come back." Worth noting • Jackie Bradley Jr. and Josh Rutledge will both run the bases before Monday's game, and if that goes well, they will be cleared to start a Minor League rehab assignment on Tuesday for Triple-A Pawtucket. Bradley has a sprained right knee and is eligible to return to the Red Sox on Wednesday. Rutledge strained his left hamstring late in Spring Training and is eligible to come off the DL whenever he is ready. Farrell had mentioned Friday that Bradley could be back as soon as he's eligible. But there's a chance the club will make a more conservative approach that would have him ready for the weekend series in Baltimore. • The Red Sox, who have had a disjointed start to the season offensively, had a hitters' meeting prior to Saturday's game in the indoor batting cage next to the dugout. "Just a conversation," said Farrell. "Here's the thing: We've strung some very good games together. We're seeing some guys start to get their timing more consistently. The one thing we continue to preach is not for one guy to think he has to be the hero in the moment. I don't think that's shown its head, but what [hitting coach] Chili [Davis] has done, he's been fairly consistent with periodic meetings as reminders of things we might be looking for on [an opposing] pitcher on a given night." • The Red Sox spotted some things that might have led to Rick Porcello's rough outing Friday, when he was pounded for eight runs, including a career-high four homers. "There was maybe a tendency on his part to try to create more velocity, which causes him to yank some pitches, and then as he was going through his delivery, there was more tendency to drift and not be in sync in his timing, and that's what leads to the mislocated pitches," said Farrell. "This isn't about health. It's not about anything physical. It's about repeating the delivery and executing."

Moreland stays hot, hits first homer on big day

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Chris Sale's thrilling first victory with the Red Sox wouldn't have happened on Saturday without the firepower provided by Mitch Moreland.

Eleven games into the season, the 6-5 Sox are still trying to find themselves an offensive unit. To that end, they even had a little hitters-only meeting before Saturday's 2-1 victory over the Rays. Full Game Coverage But one player who has been raking early in the season is the lone new acquisition to the lineup. That would be Moreland, who was a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a homer and scoring both of Boston's runs. It was Moreland who staked Sale to an early lead in this one -- however slight -- by belting a solo shot into the stands in right with nobody out in the second. The drive had an exit velocity of 113.1 mph, the hardest batted ball Moreland has had in the Statcast™ era. It had a projected distance of 431 feet. Moreland's solo smash Moreland's solo smash Mitch Moreland gives the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the 2nd as he deposits his first home run of the 2017 season into the stands in right The shot came on the first pitch after Rays manager Kevin Cash had to unexpectedly go to his bullpen and bring on Erasmo Ramirez after starter Jake Odorizzi came up lame with left hamstring tightness. "It was a fastball kind of middle-middle," said Moreland. "I don't know, he might not have been loose yet. It was kind of an awkward situation for them right there. I tried to stay ready and go up there and put an aggressive swing on it." It's a good thing he did, because Ramirez buckled down from there and didn't allow another run in his four innings in relief. "Without him, we're going to be in a tough spot," Sale said of Moreland. "He's a professional. He's a guy who can go deep at any given time." The homer was Moreland's first with the Red Sox, but he's been a doubles machine, smoking his ninth two- bagger in 11 games on Saturday. "Just trying to go up there, keep it simple, get a good pitch," Moreland said. "I've been fortunate to do that some lately. I don't want to think too much into it, but that's pretty much it." It's been working. Moreland is slashing .333/.417/.619. His single to center to open the seventh started Saturday's game-winning rally. With the bases loaded and one out, Moreland got a good enough break from third that second baseman Daniel Robertson couldn't go home on Sandy Leon's fielder's-choice grounder. Leon's RBI groundout Leon's RBI groundout Sandy Leon grounds out to second, but Mitch Moreland comes in to score to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 7th inning "Go," said Moreland. "It's a ground ball and I'm trying to get home as quick as I can, hoping they don't turn two. It was a good play for us. We got the run across. It was a nice AB by Sandy to put something in play." The 31-year-old Moreland hit just .233 for the Rangers last season while belting 22 homers. But playing half of his games at Fenway Park has simplified the approach of the left-handed hitter, who is now comfortable going to all fields. "When you've got that option in left field, it makes it a little easier and you're a little more comfortable in the box," Moreland said of the Green Monster. "It's not something I really focus on. Having it there makes you feel a little more comfortable in the box." And now that Sale has his first Boston win under his belt, he can feel a little more comfortable the next time he takes the mound. "The way he's been throwing, it doesn't take a whole lot," said Moreland. "It was nice to put up a couple of runs on the board for him and get him a win after the way he's pitched the last three times out."

*ESPNBoston.com

Chris Sale showing flashes of Pedro Martinez in Boston start

Scott Lauber

BOSTON -- Nineteen years later, still remembers the view from the bullpen of Pedro Martinez mowing down batter after overmatched batter in his first three starts for the Boston Red Sox.

It looked a lot like what we've seen so far from Chris Sale.

"Pretty darn close," Eckersley, who spent the last year of his Hall of Fame career back with the Red Sox in 1998, said via text message Saturday night. "Guy punches out 10 or more just to stay in shape like Pedro. Love it!"

With his first three starts in 1998, Martinez set the bar ridiculously high for every new Red Sox ace who has followed. But Sale has come closer than any other to actually clearing it.

Just consider the numbers:

Martinez: 23 innings, 12 hits, 1 run, 7 walks, 32 strikeouts.

Sale: 21 2/3 innings, 11 hits, 3 runs, 5 walks, 29 strikeouts.

In his latest gem, Sale dominated the Tampa Bay Rays for seven innings Saturday at Fenway Park. Other than a hiccup in the third inning, when the lefty gave up a run, two hits and two walks, the Rays didn't have a prayer.

Sale struck out 12 batters, including five in a row during a stretch in which he retired the final 10 batters he faced. He was good to the last drop, too, dialing up a 96 mph fastball on his 111th pitch, fanning Kevin Kiermaier to end the seventh inning.

Just like his previous two starts, Sale received almost no run support. But the Red Sox scratched out the go- ahead run in the seventh inning on Sandy Leon's bases-loaded RBI groundout and held on for a 2-1 victory, Sale's first win with his new team.

"Being here for a couple of weeks now and going through it, it's nice to get that one [win] over with and we can keep cruising," Sale said. "Getting, I guess, the proverbial monkey off your back is nice. It makes you feel more comfortable."

If this is the way Sale pitches when he's weighed down by a monkey, imagine how he must do unencumbered.

None of this is a surprise, of course. Sale did this for years with the , even entering Saturday with more strikeouts through 150 starts (1,149) than any pitcher in baseball history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Now he joins Martinez in 1998 as the only Red Sox pitchers since 1913 to pitch at least seven innings, give up no more than two runs and strike out at least seven batters in his first three games of a season.

Pedro Martinez set the bar high in Beantown for any incoming ace, but so far, newly acquired Chris Sale has lived up to both the billing and the buzz. AP Photo/Victoria Arocho Martinez's starts were must-see events in Boston, with Dominican flags and placards for each strikeout posted in the bleachers. The "K" cards are back in center field for Sale. So, too, is the buzz.

Across the majors, Saturday marked the 70th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major league debut. The Red Sox also paused to mark four years since the Boston Marathon bombing. But it was also Chris Sale Day at Fenway, an occasion that doesn't go unnoticed.

"It's worth the price of admission just to see him," manager John Farrell said.

And that's saying something, considering the average ticket price at Fenway is about $55, the highest in baseball.

Before the game, the Red Sox's hitters held an unusual players-only meeting. And although details were sketchy, it's fair to assume they are still finding their way as a lineup in the wake of David Ortiz's retirement.

The offense has been at its weakest in Sale's starts, a trend Sale is confident won't continue. But if it does?

Martinez actually dealt with that, too, at times during his Red Sox career. The Sox scored three runs for him in his first two starts in 1998, then broke out in his third start, a 5-0 shutout of the in which he struck out 12 batters.

"That's how you like it, man," Sale said. "I like that. I like going out there and being in those games. I want to be that guy that can get a 'W' in those games. If they've all got to be like that, so be it. I look forward to that challenge."

And everyone, it seems, just wants to see more of Sale, regardless of the circumstances.

"Look forward to watching him every five days," Eckersley said. "Just like Pedro."

*CSNNE.com

The amazing Chris Sale never shakes off his catcher

Evan Drellich

The one thing he won't do is shake, shake, shake.

Chris Sale has taken a Little League saying, "just catch it and throw it," and turned it into one of the most dominating approaches anywhere.

“I think he’s getting better every time,” catcher Sandy Leon said after a 2-1 win over the Rays on Saturday. “It’s really fun to catch him.”

When you’re never wrong as a catcher, it has to be fun.

Sale almost never shakes off his catcher. Ever. And it's part of the reason he’s so captivating to watch.

Rick Porcello really couldn’t locate on Friday night and was trying to be too overpowering with his fastball. But it also appeared Leon and Porcello weren’t on the same page.

There was none of that a day later. It helps that Sale, unlike most any pitcher, cedes control of the pitch calling to the catcher on virtually every toss.

The lefty’s rhythm is central to his dominance. He delivers the ball with about 20 seconds in between pitches on average, the fourth fastest pace this season, per FanGraphs.

That pace helps the defense. Opponents have a harder time getting comfortable.

But how Sale actually achieves that pace sets him even further apart from the pack.

The no-shake approach dates prior to his time with the White Sox, back to a conversation he had in his college days about the value of where he throws — not what.

“It’s never what pitch, it’s the location,” Sale said Saturday. “Not to get too in depth, but you can watch BP and guys get themselves out on a 60 mph an hour fastball right down the middle. So I figure it’s more important the location than it is the pitch that I’m throwing.”

Florida Golf Coast Universit coach Dave Tollett said that's his program's philosophy.

"Throw every pitch with intent," Tollett said Saturday night by phone. "And if you hit the right spot, we should be good. ... We still do the same thing and we’ve had success.

"He didn’t shake. But I did give him the opportunity to shake, though. I think that’s just the trust that he has in his catcher."

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Sale has three wipeout, awesome pitches that he can rely on basically whenever he wants. (That figure of three doesn’t even count the variant sliders he can throw.)

On the first pitch, Sale throws a four-seam fastball 37 percent of the time lifetime, per BrooksBaseball.net. That’s true on 0-2 as well.

But the beauty of his approach is that if there’s a pattern his brain might subconsciously want him to fall into, he never has the chance to.

There’s another benefit here as well.

Thinking less about the sequence — a luxury few pitchers can afford, although maybe some would be wise to consider — frees up more brainpower for Sale to focus on delivering the pitch.

“It just clears my head," Sale said, "it’s one less thing to think about."

No one else on the Red Sox takes a no-shake approach, because probably no one else could pull it off.

But if Sale's 12 strikeouts in seven innings against the Rays weren’t enough; if the three overwhelming starts to begin Sale’s Red Sox career hadn’t convinced you; here’s another reason to appreciate the best spectacle at Fenway Park since Pedro Martinez.

Dating to 1913, the only other Sox starter besides Sale to strike out at least seven, allow two runs or fewer and go at least seven innings in his first three games of the season is Martinez, if you were wondering.

Red Sox hitters meet without coaches before Saturday’s game

Evan Drellich

BOSTON - Red Sox hitters held a players-only meeting in the batting cage Saturday before the second game of four against the Rays. Hitting coaches Chili Davis and Victor Rodriguez said they weren’t in the room.

What exactly was talked about wasn’t clear, but you can take a guess based on the numbers.

The Red Sox entered Saturday with just four home runs, the same amount Rick Porcello allowed to the Rays on Friday night. The Sox home run total is the lowest in the league, even fewer than the Blue Jays who have a 1-9 record with five home runs.

But the overall production actually hasn’t been terrible. The Sox (5-5) started the day tied for 15th in average runs scored per game (4.40). They’re actually third in the majors in batting average with runners in scoring position, at .326.

“Here's the thing: We've strung some very good games together. We're seeing some guys start to get their timing more consistently,” Sox manager John Farrell said Saturday. “The one thing we continue to preach is not for one guy to think he has to be the hero in the moment. I don't think that's shown its head, but what Chili has done, he's been fairly consistent with periodic meetings as reminders of things we might be looking for on a pitcher on a given night.”

This meeting, though, wasn’t a Chili production.

Some hitters have some unsightly batting averages at this point. Pablo Sandoval’s hitting .143, for example. But Farrell doesn’t think batters are too worried about the numbers.

"Hitters know there's only certain things they can control. We know the totals so far through 10 games — and it's just that, it's 10 games,” Farrell said. “No one is looking to lift the ball or try to create more of an uppercut swing just for the fact of trying to drive the ball out of the ballpark. We're creating opportunities.

“We haven't had a big swing of the bat since Opening Day with [a home run from Andrew] Benintendi. We look at the opportunities we create, which are many. We're still getting on base at a very high rate. And yet we've got to continue to trust one another up and down the lineup to combine it all together."

David Price expects to have his regular stuff upon return

Evan Drellich

BOSTON - David Price threw his third bullpen Saturday as he comes back from an elbow injury. The lefty said afterward that he believes he will be David Price — that his stuff will be what it should be — upon his return.

No timetable has been set. But, considering how many steps remain, he likely is still at least a month away, pressing closer to the end of May or early June. Price said he hasn’t suffered any setbacks.

“I expect to be myself,” Price said. “I don’t see any drop-off or anything like that. We’ve put in the work and I expect to be myself whenever I come back.”

Price’s side session Saturday included simulated inning breaks. As long as Price is feeling good Sunday and beyond, the Red Sox hope his next step includes facing hitters.

“Ideally it would be,” John Farrell said. “We’ll sit with David and kid of map out what we feel is best.”

Price has notably yet to throw his breaking ball from the mound, which Sox manager John Farrell said was a possibility before both Price’s Wednesday bullpen session and his Saturday session. He has thrown the breaking ball on flat ground.

“Didn’t want to push it too much, with it being the first time I’m throwing pitches and then taking a break and getting back up and throwing more,” Price said. “That’s always probably the toughest part of spring training... It’s not the amount of pitches you throw. It’s throwing pitches and then taking that break and then getting back up and doing it again. That’s always one of the tougher parts in spring training, that’s kind of what I’m going through right now.”

Farrell said Price does not necessarily have to use his breaking ball before facing hitters.

“Pitchers are going to be individual when it comes time to bringing the breaking ball into play,” Farrell said. “It's not uncommon, if you think about pitchers in spring training, guys will go two or three starts without throwing a breaking ball. I'm of the belief that as long as you're building arm strength, your breaking ball is going to be there. Arm strength is the priority at these early stages, as is the tolerance to the volume. At the appropriate time, the breaking ball will be brought into it.

“The one thing that we’re trying to do is not throw a number of variables in at the same time, so there’s a progression. You go from the long toss to the flat ground to spinning a breaking ball. Then incorporate the angle of the mound. Incorporate some ups and downs, and then also at that point, start to add in a full assortment of pitches. So there’s a little bit more of a systematic approach toward the addition of each variable going forward.”

Price said he’s been counting down the days until his son arrives to avoid going stir crazy. The due date for his wife Tiffany is in about two weeks.

Bradley, Rutledge nearing minor league assignments: Jackie Bradley Jr. and Josh Rutledge could begin rehab assignments on Tuesday with Triple-A Pawtucket if base running goes well for them on Monday.

Tyler Thornburg is building up his throwing distance from flat ground.

*WEEI.com

Red Sox 2, Rays 1: Chris Sale was really good. The offense was just good enough. Welcome to the uncomfortable world of Red Sox baseball

Rob Bradford

Like it or not, these are your Red Sox.

Chris Sale saves the day, while the lineup runs up a mountain with a backpack full of rocks just well enough to plant its triumphant flag. In other words, this team showed once again Saturday they really need their new ace to be really good, because an offensive identity still hasn’t been uncovered. Throw in some uncomfortable moments from the bullpen, and there you have it.

This time the formula resulted in a 2-1 Fenway Park win over the Rays. (For a complete recap, click here.)

The good news for the Red Sox, besides their sixth win of the season, was that their perceived luxury item, Sale, has become the be-all, end-all necessity. With most of the rest of the starting rotation wallowing in early-season uneasiness, the lefty has offered the kind of domination not consistently witnessed by Fenway fans in some time. Through three starts, dare we say, this has been Pedro-esque.

Sale struck out 12 Rays hitters over his seven innings, giving up just the one run on three hits and three walks. As for the punctuation to the performance, the starter retired the last 10 batters he faced. His ERA stands at 1.25 ERA with an opponent batting average of .149.

This just in: He’s really good.

“Chris Sale dominant, strong, any adjective you want to attach to it,” said Red Sox manager John Farrell. “He’s got three power type pitches for a lot of swing-and-miss. And let’s face it, three starts he’s made for us, he’s not had any margin of error. We’re able to push across a run late, but he’s worth the price of admission just to see him. But just a strong, strong day from Chris.”

The Red Sox’ offense right now? That’s another matter.

Yes, Farrell’s club did hit a home run. That came on Erasmus Ramirez’s first pitch after replacing an injured Jake Odorizzi (hamstring) to the second base, with Mitch Moreland clearing the right field fence. That would give the Red Sox five on the season. That would be 16 fewer than the Mets coming into the day, and equal to four players’ output (Yoenis Cespedes, Khris Davis, Salvador Perez, George Springer).

And while the Sox are in the middle of the pack in the majors for total runs scored, it just seems like scoring is too much of a tractor pull too many times, particularly with Sale on the mound. The lefty has now gotten three total runs of support in his three starts, with nine of his last 11 appearances (dating back to his days with the White Sox) resulting in two or fewer runs from his own team.

“I also think across the field guys on the mound they know it’s going to be a tough game for them to score as well so whether that draws more out of them,” Farrell said. “I don’t think our guys are pressing to do more we just haven’t scored in the three starts thus far.”

The only reason Sale got the win this time around because of what has become a semi-trademark inning for the Red Sox, this time coming in the seventh.

Singles by Moreland and Xander Bogaerts were followed by a Pablo Sandoval fielder’s choice. After a walk to Chris Young, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash executed the questionable decision to bring in lefty Xavier Cedeno to turn switch-hitting Sandy Leon around to the right side. (Considering Leon entered the game 5-for-9 as a righty, and just 3-for-18 hitting left-handed, it was a head-scratcher.)

But, once again, it Leon to the rescue. This time in the form of … wait for it … a weak grounder to second base that allowed Moreland to run home with the game-winner. An intentional walk to Dustin Pedroia and ground out by Andrew Benintendi later, and the Red Sox were on their way.

The image wouldn’t be complete without some discomfort for the final two innings, with Matt Barnes supplying the awkwardness this time around. The righty came on to put runners on first and second with one out, before ultimately getting Evan Longoria to ground into a 5-4-3, inning-ending double play.

Welcome to Red Sox baseball.

*NESN.com

Red Sox Notes: Boston newcomers putting in work amid slow offensive start

Sam Galanis

The Boston Red Sox’s normally red-hot offense has been a little cold to begin the 2017 season, but that hasn’t been the case for Boston’s newest additions.

Various ailments and injuries have prevented a handful the Red Sox’s best hitters from playing at their highest level in the first 11 games, with Andrew Benintendi currently batting .238, Mookie Betts batting .250 and Hanley Ramirez batting .241 after all three hitters went 0-for-4 in Boston’s 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. But while that trio was expected to be a big part of continuing the Red Sox’s offensive production without David Ortiz, the guy who actually “replaced” Big Papi has been exceeding expectations.

Mitch Moreland went 3-for-4 on Saturday and was a triple shy of the cycle, including his first home run in a Red Sox uniform. The first baseman is batting .333 with a 1.036 OPS since starting the season 0-for-12 and hit his Major League Baseball-leading ninth double in the fourth inning, which is the most by a Red Sox hitter through 11 team games since 1913. Moreland scored both the Red Sox’s runs Saturday, too, after catcher Sandy Leon knocked him in on a groundout in the seventh.

Chris Sale also has been everything the Red Sox could have wanted him to be three starts in, earning his first win in a Boston uniform Sunday after striking out 12 batters over seven innings of one-run ball. Still, the left-hander has been a victim of low run support in his time with the Red Sox so far.

Of course, a lot can change over the course of 162 games, and there’s no reason to believe the Red Sox won’t heat up. They haven’t appeared to be showing up every game, but Boston’s offense still is averaging just over four runs per contest. Not to mention, Dustin Pedroia is batting .303 already, and Xander Bogaerts has a .393 average despite missing five games.

It hasn’t been the most exciting start for a team that’s favored to win the American League pennant, but it’s also way too early to write the Red Sox off. Plus, if you believe the Sox will start hitting bombs any day now, then it’s only an encouraging sign that the new guys have been standing up under the pressure of being in Boston.

Here are some more notes from Saturday’s win.

— Speaking of Sale, Saturday’s game marked his 21st outing with 12-plus strikeouts since 2012, which is more than any other pitcher in baseball. ace is second on that list with 13, so it doesn’t appear anyone will catch up to Sale soon. If you’re interested, you can watch Sale’s 12 strikeouts in 12 seconds here.

The only other Red Sox starting pitcher since 1913 with seven-plus , two or fewer earned runs and seven-plus strikeouts in his first three games of a season was none other than Pedro Martinez.

— Closer Craig Kimbrel nearly had a three-strikeout ninth inning, but he settled for two K’s and a groundout when Logan Morrison hit Kimbrel’s 0-2 offering right to third baseman Pablo Sandoval. It was Kimbrel’s 23rd save in his last 23 save opportunities, which is the second-longest active streak in baseball. The 28-year-old also is a perfect 20 for 20 in save opportunities at Fenway Park.

— Saturday also was Jackie Robinson Day, and the Dodgers unveiled a statue of MLB’s first black player at Dodger Stadium ahead of their game against the Royals in Kansas City, where Robinson first played for the Negro leagues’ Monarchs before integration.

Betts and fellow Red Sox outfielder Chris Young also modeled the shirts that players around the league were wearing during pregame warmups.

*Associated Press

Sale gets 1st win with Red Sox; Moreland homers in 2-1 win

BOSTON -- Chris Sale doesn't seem to care if each of his starts are low scoring.

He was dominant with 12 strikeouts over seven innings for his first victory with Boston, Mitch Moreland hit a solo homer and the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Saturday.

Sale (1-1) allowed one run on three hits with three walks, striking out seven of the last nine batters he faced. He's given up just three runs in 21 2/3 innings so far with the Red Sox.

"That's how you like it, man," he said. "I like that. I like being in those ones that I can be that guy that can get a `W' in those games. If they've all got to be like that, so be it. I look forward to the challenge."

Boston acquired the 6-foot-6 left-hander from the White Sox for four prospects during the offseason. The Red Sox had lost five of eight. The Rays dropped their fourth in five games.

Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi left his start after throwing one pitch in the second inning with left hamstring tightness. The Rays used four relievers.

"Outstanding effort by everybody that pitched after O," manager Kevin Cash said. "They were asked to do some things that we normally wouldn't ask of them."

In each of Sale's three starts the Red Sox have done very little offensively, collecting only three total runs.

But they got just enough on Saturday.

"Chris Sale: dominant, strong, any adjective you want to attach to it," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "He's got three power pitches for a lot of swing and miss, and let's face it the three starts he's made for us he's not had any margin of error."

Sandy Leon's broken-bat, bases-loaded ground out pushed across the tiebreaking run in the seventh. They loaded the bases on two singles and a walk against Tommy Hunter (0-1).

Matt Barnes worked a hitless eighth despite two walks, and Craig Kimbrel got the final three outs for his fourth save.

Erasmo Ramirez relived Odorizzi and Moreland belted his first pitch deep into the right-field seats, making it 1-0.

"The only mistake was the first pitch," Ramirez said. "I expected he was going to swing at the first one."

Longoria's RBI single tied it in the third before Sale escaped a bases-loaded jam by striking out Derek Norris with a sharp slider in the dirt.

Sale breezed through the first inning, throwing only 11 pitches to retire the side in order, but the strikeouts and some long at-bats added to his 111-pitch total.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rays: Odorizzi bent down in apparent pain after the pitch and threw two warmup pitches in front of manager Cash and a trainer before walking off slowly. "He'll be on the DL," Cash said. "He's fine. We anticipate this will be a short stay."

Red Sox: Lefty ace David Price, out since early spring training with a strained left elbow, threw a bullpen session. He said he hopes to face hitters next week "depending how I feel tomorrow." He also said: "I haven't had any setbacks yet" in discussing his progress from the injury. . CF Jackie Bradley Jr., on the 10- day disabled list with a sprained right knee, took BP on the field.

REMEMBERING

There was a moment of reflection before the game, marking the fourth anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Two bombs went off near the finish line a little less than an hour after the Red Sox had beat the Rays, also on Jackie Robinson Day.

The explosions were about a mile away and could be heard at Fenway Park.

"Today also has a great significance in Boston of what happened four years ago today," Farrell said.

NICE LEATHER

The Rays made a handful of solid plays in the field. Third baseman Longoria made a diving play on a grounder and RF Steven Souza Jr. a diving catch for two of the better ones.

UP NEXT

Rays: RHP Alex Cobb (1-1, 3.46 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday. He went 7 1/3 innings in his last outing, the longest since he returned from Tommy John surgery last September.

Red Sox: LHP Drew Pomeranz (1-0, 1.50) is in line to make his second start of the season. He went six innings, allowing one run in his debut on Tuesday.

*The Tampa Bay Times

Rays lose Jake Odorizzi to injury, game to Red Sox

Marc Topkin

BOSTON — The Rays showed you something Saturday.

Sure, you can blast them for striking out 15 times overall. Rip 'em for leaving the bases loaded in the third, then again for getting nothing with two on and one out in the eighth. Wonder all you want about some of manager Kevin Cash's strategies. Question rookie Daniel Robertson's decision-making on the play that allowed the winning run to score.

But know this: Given what they were up against Saturday, they put up a heck of a fight in losing to the Red Sox 2-1.

Trying to beat the Sox when they were starting dominating Chris Sale was going to be tough enough. Having to do so after losing starter Jake Odorizzi one pitch into the second due to left-hamstring tightness that landed him on the disabled list exponentially exacerbated the challenge.

"Generally when you lose a guy like that, those games can spiral out of control," Cash said. "And we had every opportunity to win that game."

It's a bottom-line business, and you have every right to say they still lost, so why does it matter?

But the spirit they showed in staying in the game, from the tremendous effort of Erasmo Ramirez and the rest of the bullpen to the chances they created — even though they didn't cash in — was a promising sign of the fight, after splitting their first 12 games despite a slew of injuries, they can put up for the next 150.

"We definitely feel that way, without a doubt," Cash said. "It's a loss. It's stinks. But at the same time you have to be happy with the way we competed."

Odorizzi's early exit was a week in the making, as he was hit on the left leg by a ball off the bat of Toronto's Jose Bautista last Sunday. Though he stayed in to pitch three more innings that day, did all his normal between-starts work and felt fine in the first inning Saturday, the hamstring grabbed as he threw his first pitch of the second inning.

"It wasn't an issue from when it happened until that pitch," Odorizzi said.

Ramirez made an unexpected early entrance and gave up a home run on his initial offering to Mitch Moreland — "I didn't expect he was going to swing at the first one," Ramirez said — but nothing else over four strong innings. Tommy Hunter, Xavier Cedeno and Jumbo Diaz followed.

"You can't say enough about the bullpen coming in and picking us up in a huge way," Cash said.

The Rays scratched back for a run in the third, knocked in by Evan Longoria, for whom the struggle against Sale is real, having had one hit in his first 22 at-bats.

Hunter got the Rays through the sixth, but a couple of singles to open the seventh were the start of trouble.

A grounder to first that yielded only one out (when Hunter was slow covering first) and a walk left the Sox with the bases loaded.

Cash brought in Cedeno, who had allowed seven of his first 10 batters to reach, hoping to get a ground ball from slow-footed catcher Sandy Leon.

The plan worked — actually too well.

Cedeno broke Leon's bat, and the grounder was so slow that second baseman Robertson abandoned the thought of the inning-ending double play and took the out at first, allowing the run to score.

"That was frustrating simply because you felt like you get the right guy in there, you make the right move, you make the right pitch, everything goes your way, but we don't quite get the ball hit hard enough to turn a double play," Cash said. "No fault to anybody — X was outstanding, and Robby got the only out he could get."

Robertson wasn't quite as sure afterward, explaining why he didn't throw to second — his positioning, where he caught the ball, the potential to hit the runner with the throw — then saying "in hindsight, maybe I should have tried to give it a shot." Boston manager John Farrell also said he thought they would try for two.

That the game ended up decided on that close of a play was frustrating but also fitting, indicative of the battle the Rays gave.

"I think overall (Saturday) was a pretty good performance by us against a really good pitcher, and he was at the top of his game," Odorizzi said. "To come out down one, it's a tough game, but I thought we played well.

"Hopefully it kind of gets the momentum going forward that we can be in the game with whoever is on the mound when they're at their best."