RED SOX : News & Notes March 2,2014.

RED SOX : News & Notes
March 2,2014.




A.J.: A.J. Pierzynski played in his first game as a Red Sox and was immediately “Booed” by the Twins fans. Pierzynski has been one of those players opposing fans love to hate. The Red Sox are the fifth team Pierzynski will play for in his career. But the veteran is blending into a veteran clubhouse and learning a new pitching staff. "Just hearing him talk around the cage, around the clubhouse, he's not trying to be somebody other than who he is -- and he's fit in well, so far," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "[I] really didn't anticipate anything different than that." Batting cleanup on a day many other Boston regulars didn't make the short road trip, Pierzynski went 0-for-3.

Nava Homers: Daniel Nava was in the starting lineup on Saturday against the Twins, and in his first at-bat against an opposing pitcher since the 2013 World Series, he went deep. "I think I closed my eyes and the ball hit my bat -- and that's all I remember of it," quipped Nava. "Those first couple of swings weren't too good, so I was trying to shorten things up. Fortunately, he threw a good pitch -- and fortunately the ball went over the fence." It was noteworthy that the home run came hitting right-handed for the switch-hitting Nava.
To this point in his career, Nava has been a much better hitter from the left side. Last season, he hit .322 with 10 homers, a .411 on-base percentage and .484 slugging percentage against righties. Against lefties, he hit .252 with two homers and a .311 on-base percentage and .336 slugging percentage.

Britton dominates: In his first Grapefruit League outing, Saturday's 6-2 loss to Minnesota, Drake Britton struck out four of the seven batters he faced and allowed just one hit. "He was crisp. He was powerful," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "One of the more impressive things was his ability to throw the fastball in on some right-handers -- and he had an assortment of secondary pitches. He threw both his breaking ball and his changeup for strikes." Though it could be tough for Britton to win a spot in a loaded bullpen, he is clearly a pitcher the organization thinks highly of.

Webster struggles: Allen Webster is still trying to iron out his mechanics and gain more consistent command. During Saturday's 6-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Twins, he got roughed up a bit, giving up four hits and three runs over 1 2/3 innings. "I just got in there, got a little anxious, left a few balls up, fell behind, and they made good contact with it," said Webster, who was acquired from the Dodgers in the Aug. 25, 2012, blockbuster. "It was my first outing so far, so I was definitely amped up." What is the main thing Webster is working on? "Delivery-wise, he was a guy who went over his head with his hands and was a little bit stagnant with his movement, where he'd begin his delivery and pause at the top with his hands at the top of his delivery," said Farrell.
And how will that adjustment help him? "It takes the tension out of his shoulders and, in some ways, it's comparable to when Clay [Buchholz] made the adjustment, as well," said Farrell. "You would see Clay begin a game -- every pitcher -- as they're trying to get into the flow of the game, there's anxiety and there's some uncertainty -- and that translates to some tension. "The key with Clay was, let's work to get the first ground ball on the infield. Then, you could see the tension come out. This is taking it out naturally by the adjustment in delivery. It just feels more loose and fluid."