RED SOX : NEWS & NOTES
April 1,2014.
~ Carp gets suprise start :Super sub Mike Carp didn't get his first start with the Red Sox last season until Game No. 14. A year later, he was a surprise starter on Opening Day.With Shane Victorino placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain Monday, Carp got the nod over Jonny Gomes and No. 3 prospect Jackie Bradley Jr.Carp was enjoying a steak with teammates Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks Sunday night when he got the text from manager John Farrell telling he would start Monday's game in left field. Nava moved from left to right."First off, I'm bummed for Shane," said Carp. "He's obviously one of my good friends. Starting Opening Day is a big honor. It can't get any better than that. It's an exciting time and I'm excited to get the season going and get our title defense on the way. First of 162 games here today."
Carp batted fifth in Boston's batting order."Another left-handed bat in the lineup, and Mike Carp has been swinging the bat very well coming out of camp, so those things and plus it gives us a right-hander on the bench in Jonny in a role that he's accustomed to," said Farrell. "But with Vic out of the lineup, we're going to see a little bit of a rotation with all five outfielders. That's currently where we are."The Red Sox happen to be their deepest at the positions Carp can play -- first base, designated hitter and the corner-outfield spots. That left him with only 216 at-bats in 2013, despite a solid season that included an .886 OPS.
~Breslow to return soon :For the second straight season, Craig Breslow spent Opening Day on the disabled list. However, the invaluable lefty feels he will return much sooner than 2013, when he didn't pitch until May 6."I think these are totally different circumstances this year," said Breslow. "I feel strong, I feel healthy, I've thrown throughout Spring Training. Last year, I was shut down for a period of probably four to five weeks and needed to get ready for a season in three weeks."Whereas this was just, we kind of listened to my body, any findings in the training room or anything in terms of when it was time to progress to the next step in a throwing program. In the conversations I've had with [general manager] Ben [Cherington] and [manager] John [Farrell], I wanted to make it clear I'm not injured. I just ran out of games."The Red Sox list the cause for Breslow's DL stint as a left shoulder strain.On Sunday, he stayed back in Fort Myers, Fla., and pitched in an intrasquad game before joining his teammates in Baltimore."I went up against [Clay Buchholz] actually. I outdueled him for two innings," quipped Breslow.Breslow will pitch in a Minor League rehab game at Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday. Though the competitor in him would have liked to start the season on time, Breslow realizes why the decision was made to put him on the DL."I was brainwashed a little bit by John and Ben into believing that we're looking at the big picture, but once you can remove yourself, it certainly makes sense," Breslow said. "To arbitrarily be ready for March 31 when we're talking about the alternative being maybe April 5 or 6, and being able to move forward a little more prudently, it obviously makes sense. It's just hard to get your hands around when you're the person on the inside that's not going to be ready for Opening Day."
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| SIZEMORE HAS BIG OPENER |
Finally, things are going Sizemore's way again as he punctuated his comeback by belting a game-tying homer for the Red Sox in Monday afternoon's 2-1 loss to the Orioles.After not playing a Major League game since Sept. 22, 2011, Sizemore couldn't wait to get to Camden Yards for his return to action."Today was very exciting," Sizemore said. "I couldn't wait to get to the ballpark. I was up first thing in the morning and definitely had a better appreciation for the game and all the little things that go into it."
Sizemore, who beat out No. 3 prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. to become the Red Sox's starting center fielder, belted a single to right in his first at-bat.In the fourth, Sizemore worked the count on Chris Tillman to 3-1 before just getting enough of one to put it over the wall in right."It was exciting at the time," Sizemore said. "It's a nice feeling to get that first one. Just going through what I've gone through, it felt nice to get that moment. I think I actually broke my bat, so I wasn't really thinking it was going to carry out, but it got up in that wind."If anyone deserved a lucky gust of wind, perhaps it was Sizemore."It's good to see him healthy," said slugger Mike Napoli. "He's confident out there. You can see him running around not worrying about anything and just playing the game. He's going to be big for us."The Red Sox signed Sizemore in January for a one-year contract at a base salary of $750,000. He can earn up to $6 million in performance-based incentives."The home run was awesome," said Dustin Pedroia. "Just his at-bats, he looked comfortable, he looks great out there. We're pretty proud of him with what he's been through to get back to this point. He's going to be a huge force for us."A former star for the Cleveland Indians, a barrage of injuries, including microfracture surgeries on both knees, kept Sizemore off the field entirely for the past two seasons."I wasn't thinking my career was over," Sizemore said. "It was just, 'How am I going to get back'? I just couldn't find the right game plan. You just try to find any solution to get healthy."Finally, Sizemore found a combination that had him back on the field Monday and hoping he can stay in center field for the Red Sox all season."I'm just happy to be back, happy to be healthy and looking forward to getting the opportunity to play and help contribute," Sizemore said.
~Red Sox head to White House :For their first off-day of the regular season today, the Red Sox get to go on a field trip -- one they will long remember.As a reward for winning last year's World Series, President Barack Obama cordially invited the defending champs for a ceremony to recognize their accomplishment, and the ceremony will air live on MLB.com starting at 11:30 a.m. ET.
"I think any time you have a chance to speak to the Commander in Chief, that's a rare opportunity," said manager John Farrell. "And for all of us that are going tomorrow, to meet him in person, to experience the White House, we know the reason why we're there and it's a fun day, it's a unique day. I think it will be a good experience by all."Sox righty Jake Peavy has been to the White House before, but never as a World Series champion."Tomorrow, we will celebrate what happened," said Peavy. "Pretty neat day when you experience what we're going to experience tomorrow. I look forward to that."The Red Sox, as they did in conjunction with their White House visits in 2005 and '08, will also pay a visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and visit with some of the heroes who served the country."Having experienced that back in Spring Training of '08, it's a powerful time that you spend there," said Farrell. "You see the sacrifice that so many have made. You see the work that not only technology, but the human spirit can bring back, it's moving, I'll tell you that, given the hardships and challenges individual soldiers overcome."
~Victorino on D/L so Bradley Jr. back : After undergoing an MRI in Boston that revealed a Grade One strain of his right hamstring, Red Sox right fielder Shane Victorino was placed on the 15-day disabled list just hours before the first pitch of Opening Day against the Orioles on Monday.No. 3 prospect Jackie Bradley Jr., who lost out to Grady Sizemore in the competition to be the team's starting center fielder, was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. Mike Carp essentially filled Victorino's spot in the lineup, starting in left field, as Daniel Nava moved to right."It's going to require some time down," said manager John Farrell. "We'll have a better read on his potential availability probably seven to 10 days into the 15-day DL stint, and we'll see how he responds to treatment from that point."
The move was made retroactive to Sunday, a day after Victorino suffered the injury in Boston's final Grapefruit League game in Florida.Victorino is first eligible to play on April 15, when the Red Sox open a three-game series in Chicago, but it's too early to say if he'll be ready by then."The overall projected date of return, it will be when he's ready to go," Farrell said. "Whether that's 15 days or beyond remains to be seen."During Victorino's absence, Farrell will mix and match his lineup, opening up playing opportunities for Bradley, Carp and Jonny Gomes.The Red Sox know that it is critical to try to keep Victorino healthy for the long haul, considering how important he is for the team."He's done such a great job for us, and you talk about a Gold Glove guy in right field, a top of the order hitter that, instinctually, is a very good player," Farrell said. "As we tapped into our depth last year many times over, unfortunately we're doing it on Day One, so Vic will be missed but we've got good players to step in and ready to contribute."Victorino was expected to arrive in Baltimore by the Opening Day festivities, and will join the team for their trip to the White House on Tuesday.The presence of Bradley will make it easier for Farrell to rest Sizemore, who last played in the Majors in 2011, early in the season.
~What went right : – The Red Sox hitters did what they typically do so well — drive up the starting pitcher’s pitch count. In this case the victim was Tillman, who needed 104 pitches to get through five innings. The righty allowed just the Sizemore home run, but he had to weave his way in and out of trouble all day, allowing seven hits and one walk.
– Lester punctuated the sixth inning by striking out Chris Davis with Adam Jones on first, marking the starter’s second punchout of the slugger on the day. Also of note: Of the 21 outs notched by the lefty, only one was hit in the air.
– With his first-inning single, Pedroia became the first Red Sox player in the last 100 years to hit safely in eight straight Opening Day games.
- Besides Sizemore (who also had a second-inning single), an offensive standout for the Sox was Napoli, who reached base three times (single, two walks).
~ What went wrong : – Lester ran into a bit of trouble in the second inning after walking Cruz to kick off the frame. The DH was immediate followed by a Matt Wieters single to left-center, giving the Orioles runners at first and third with nobody out. The Sox were able to limit the damage, with Dustin Pedroia starting a 4-3-6 double play on a Delmon Youngrun-scoring grounder.
– The Red Sox had trouble closing the deal in the first six innings, stranding eight (at least one in each of the frames). Will Middlebrooks had the toughest time of it, leaving four runners on base over that span.
– The Sox left two more runners on in the eighth, with Bradley Jr. (having pinch-run for Mike Napoli) at second base and Xander Bogaerts having drawn a walk to get to first. But Baltimore reliever Brian Matusz came on to face A.J. Pierzynski, who grounded weakly back to the pitcher on his third pitch.
– Hitting in the leadoff spot, Daniel Nava had a tough day, going 0-for-5, joining Middlebrooks as the only Red Sox starter not to claim at least one hit.
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