RED SOX : News & Notes March 14,2014.

RED SOX : NEWS & NOTES
March 14,2014.




~1st Round of 'Cuts' :  The over-crowded clubhouse at JetBlue Park freed up some space on Thursday morning, when the Boston Red Sox made their first round of cuts.This isn't like picking teams in gym class, where the players perceived to be the worst are the first to go. Instead, manager John Farrell had to shake the hands of 11 players he thought had wonderful showings during spring training, and one (Matt Barnes) who was kept off the field due to injury.
"I thought guys showed very well," Farrell said. "I think it speaks loudly the unity that major league and minor league has. Guys came in and handled themselves well and handled the environment well. and on the field there were a lot of positive signs, whether it was the consistency of at-bats by (Alex) Hassan or (Bryce) Brentz, or the way a young guy like Blake Swihart showed behind the plate. Not that we're overvaluing or over-evaluating our own players, but there was a lot of talent that was just sent out of camp."The first round of cuts was more of a formality to send the young guys back to the minors, where they can play in minor league spring training games to prepare for the season.Third baseman Garin Cecchini, who is inching closer to being major league ready, was sent to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he'll presumably open the season at the hot corner. He hit .296 with a .420 on-base percentage in Double-A Portland last season.Outfielders Brentz and Hassan, along with right-handers Anthony Ranaudo and Alex Wilson, all of whom are on the 40-man roster, were also optioned to Triple-A.Right-handers Noe Ramirez, Miguel Celestino and Barnes, left-hander Henry Owens, first baseman Travis Shaw, second baseman Heiker Meneses and Swihart were all reassigned to minor league camp. 

~Sizemore update : After playing back-to-back games for the first time in Spring Training on Monday and Tuesday,Grady Sizemore played in a Minor League game on Thursday rather than taking the short trip to Hammond Stadium to face the Twins."Just want to get Jackie [Bradley Jr.] with our regular lineup and get him in the mix there," said Farrell. "With yesterday's off-day, tomorrow's long trip [to Dunedin, Fla., to face the Blue Jays], that's why Grady is getting his at-bats at the Triple-A level."

~Let's not show the Yankees 'our hand' yet : Rather than have Felix Doubront or John Lackey face the AL East-rival Yankees on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla., they will both pitch in Monday's home game against the Cardinals. Lackey is expected to start and be piggy-backed by Doubront.

~Koji the professor : 
Jake Peavy worked on a new pitch during Thursday's game against the Twins. With the encouragement of teammate Koji Uehara, he is now throwing a split-finger fastball.Peavy estimated he threw a dozen against the Twins. Manager John Farrell thought the pitch moved well, even if the Twins didn’t swing at it much.For Uehara, it’s his primary out pitch. Peavy could use the split as a changeup or for occasional deception. If nothing else, it’s something further for the batter to ponder.“Koji showed me how to hold it," said Peavy. "Other than that, not much else you can do. He tried to tell me some things he thinks about while he’s doing it.“It’s not going to be a Koji Uehara split-finger. Don’t get me wrong by any means. But why would you not try and see if you can expand your game? It’s something I feel like we’re going to use a good bit and have as a weapon.”A.J. Pierzynski, who caught Peavy when they were White Sox teammates from 2009-12, thinks the new pitch could help him.
“I thought it was good,” he said. “He threw it for strikes when he needed to. It’ll only get better from where it was today.”

~More 'Replay"... : When the Twins' Darin Mastroianni narrowly reached on an infield hit with two outs in the sixth inning of Boston's 4-3 win over Minnesota on Thursday, it was the perfect opportunity for Red Sox manager John Farrell to test the new instant replay system.The umpires went through the process, and the ruling was upheld -- Mastroianni was safe."Again, we don't have the full system there [in Spring Training]," said Farrell. "I just went out there and said, 'Hey, I'd like you to take a look at it.' In-season, with a play that close, I'm sure there will be a little more time elapsed where there's an acknowledgement from the dugout -- either it's challengeable or don't."In the top of the sixth, when Mike Napoli's blast down the left-field line was ruled foul, Farrell also had the umpires review that.Again, the call stood. Potential home runs were already challengeable before this season's expanded replay changes."That looked like it was fair, Napoli's home run," said Farrell. "That's not a challenge, that's just a review on a ball that leaves the ballpark. That doesn't fall into the heading or category of the challenge. That's just a review."