LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Clay Buchholz got in his work Friday with 96 pitches and said he felt fine.
But there’s no escaping the fact that Atlanta pounded him for 12 hits in five-plus innings on the way to a 4-2 Grapefruit League victory over the Boston Red Sox.
“Didn’t really have an easy inning,” Buchholz said. “Felt like my stuff was really good. The fastball command was OK, except for the balls that got squared up.”
The biggest damage was a three-run double by former Boston infielder Pedro Ciriaco. Kelly Johnson’s home run to lead off the sixth inning ended Buchholz’s day.
“He gave up a lot of hits,” Red Sox Manager John Farrell said. “Couple different ways to look at it. He made some big pitches with men on base. I thought his stuff, the definition of his pitches, was better than the linescore.
“Granted, there were 12 hits on the board. I thought there were a number of times when he was ahead in the count and he could have done a better job of finishing batters off.”
The pitch to Ciriaco, for example was a cut fastball meant to go outside. It caught too much of the plate and Ciriaco drilled it.
Buchholz later shrugged his shoulders when talking about the pitch, saying he really didn’t want to throw a cut fastball, but had already shaken catcher Blake Swihart off three times.
When the games count, Buchholz presumably will throw the pitches he wants.
His outing left Farrell pleased with the progress, but not the results.
“There’s a positive inside of this, but there is definitely room to improve,” Farrell said.
This had been a good spring for Buchholz, who is trying to rebound from an 8-11 season with 5.34 ERA – the highest of any major leaguer who pitched at least 162 innings in 2014.
In five appearances this spring, including an inning against Northeastern and an intrasquad game, Buchholz had allowed nine hits and two earned runs in 16 innings. Both of those runs were against the Braves.
Buchholz is scheduled for a shorter outing Wednesday, which will put him in line for the season opener April 6 in Philadelphia. But Farrell said he’s not ready to name an Opening Day starter. Buchholz said he had not heard anything about it.
BOSTON’S CATCHING situation remains muddled as the Red Sox determine if Christian Vazquez and his sore arm will be ready for the start of the season.
Vazquez caught in a minor league game Friday, but his throwing was restricted. He singled, walked and grounded out in three plate appearances.
After the game, Vazquez was scheduled to undergo an MRI, the results of which have not been announced.
Vazquez’s backup, Ryan Hannigan, is ready to go. If Vazquez needs to be replaced for a short time, Blake Swihart could be called up. Swihart, the third catcher on the 40-man roster, has already been sent to the minors, but he keeps getting summoned for major league spring training games, including Friday’s.
The Red Sox have three non-roster catchers in major league camp – Humberto Quintero, Luke Montz and Matt Spring.
“Anybody in uniform is under consideration,” Farrell said. “We’ll see how things play out the next eight, nine days.”
MOOKIE BETTS continues to shine brightly. He reached base three times in four plate appearances, including a leadoff single and a home run off Braves starter Julio Teheran.
“He’s never seen the guy before and the second pitch is a base hit,” Farrell said. He later watched Betts turn on a fastball for two-run homer to left.
“Guys try to pound him in and he’s so quick. He’s very exciting to see … And he’s facing some of the better pitchers that are going to pitch this season.”
Betts is batting .487 (19 of 39) in 13 games, with a 1.435 OPS.
Betts, playing center field as he has all spring, got a late jump on a shallow fly ball in the fifth inning. But he still was able to charge in, dive and make a bobbling catch.
“(The batter made a) full swing and it threw me off,” Betts said. “Plays like that are rare. But as long as I catch it, that’s the main thing.”
WHERE ALLEN CRAIG fits in the crowded Red Sox outfield is still a question, but Farrell made it clear Friday that Craig – and not Daniel Nava – is the primary backup at first base. Craig played there Friday, while Nava was in left.
Joe Kelly threw in a minor league game Friday, allowing two hits, one run and two walks while striking out five in three innings. The plan is for Kelly to make his next start against major leaguers, but Farrell said that was not definite.
IF ONLY KEVIN BOLES made the trip to Disney World with the Red Sox, then there would have been four former Sea Dogs managers on the field.
Boles, Boston’s Triple-A manager, stayed back in Fort Myers.
Braves bench coach Carlos Tosca, the Sea Dogs’ first manager from 1994-96, always brightens when approached by someone from Portland.
“My best experience in the minor leagues was in Portland,” Tosca said.
Red Sox first base coach Arnie Beyeler and Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez also are former Sea Dogs managers.
There was a connection to a fourth former Sea Dogs manager on the field Friday. Braves third baseman Chris Johnson is the son of Ron Johnson, now the Orioles’ Triple-A manager.
IT WAS ONLY AN exhibition game, but it was played at Disney World’s Champion Stadium, so you could expect Disney prices. Remaining seats for Friday’s game ranged from reserved bleacher ($45) to lower level reserved ($59).
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