Boston Red Sox newcomer Chris Sale gave himself mixed reviews after his first spring training performance, an outing that ended a little earlier than originally planned.
Acquired from the Chicago White Sox in December, the dominant lefty gave up two runs, one of them earned, in two innings Monday against Houston.
“Happy? I don’t know,” he said. “I got some good work in. I’m not a fan of sitting here and saying spring training doesn’t matter. You still want to get results.”
Boston manager John Farrell had Sale set to go three innings. But after 37 pitches in two innings, Farrell decided the debut was over.
“I understand why, I mean I racked up a pretty good amount of pitches, which is another thing I’d like to get down,” Sale said.
The scoreboard radar gun showed Sale’s fastball hitting 97 mph a couple times during the first inning. He struck out two.
“I was a little surprised to see the velocity he had in his first outing,” Farrell said. “In a way you kind of think it’s a high number for this early in camp, but you can’t tell a strong competitor to back off.”
The Red Sox traded three minor leaguers and highly touted Yoan Moncada to the White Sox for Sale, a five-time All-Star and the 2015 AL strikeout king.
Sale’s addition took on even more importance earlier this spring when lefty ace David Price began experiencing elbow soreness. Price’s status for the start of the season remains uncertain.
“I think every player we have has got a certain amount of scrutiny just because it’s Boston,” Farrell said. “Independent of developments on our roster, health wise or other, Chris Sale is going to draw a lot of attention. Based on what we know of him, I think he’ll handle this environment well.”
BELTRE SET
Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre said he’s OK to join the Dominican Republic for World Baseball Classic.
Beltre played his third game in four days Monday after missing the first week of exhibition games because of a strained left calf, an injury sustained working out at home before reporting to camp.
“Obviously if I’m good enough to play out here, I’m good enough to play,” he said. “I would like to represent my country. This is going to be my last WBC that I’m part of.”
The 37-year-old Gold Glover planned to stay in Arizona with the Rangers as long as he could to get treatment and more at-bats before joining the defending champion Dominicans in Miami for their opener Thursday.
KAZMIR SETBACK
Dodgers lefty Scott Kazmir exited after his first pitch of the second inning against Colorado because of tightness on his left side.
The 33-year-old Kazmir said he felt out of sorts during his pregame warmup and the first inning. He was 10-6 with a 4.56 ERA in 26 last starts last season, his first with the Dodgers, struggling with mechanics and flexibility because of injuries.
“The frustration is through the roof right now,” he said after his second spring training start. “I’ve been dealing with this for a while now. With all the treatment and exercises I do and to be in this spot right now is definitely a head scratcher.”