Red Sox Update: Red Sox and Yankees

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Scott Cordischi, GoLocal Sports Editor

As far as Red Sox-Yankees games go, this one was a downright snoozer.

One of sports’ greatest rivalries is the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Except, that it, when they meet for an exhibition game.

Tuesday night in Tampa, the New York hosted Boston in Grapefruit League play. The Red Sox won it 1-0.

Both teams had just 4 starters begin the game. By the time they were midway through it was essentially the Pawtucket Red Sox versus the Scranton Wilkes/Barre Yankees.

Here are a few of the highlights of the night:

-Felix Doubront, who is one of the many candidates for the fifth spot in the Boston rotation looked real strong. Doubront pitched 4 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.

-Doubront combined with 3 other pitchers (Michale Bowden, Vincente Padilla and Tunichi Tazawa) for the shutout. They also combined to strikeout 13 Yankee batters.

-Jacoby Ellsbury was the DH and batted third. Ellsbury went 1 for 4 with a double and 3 strikeouts.

-Minor leaguer Pedro Ciriaco, the hero Monday with his walk-off homerun, provided the game’s only run. Ciriaco hit a shot that got by New York’s Zolio Almonte. Ciriaco was content to stay at third when the Yankees relay throw went wide allowing him to score in the top of the 9th.

NOTES:

-Clay Buchholz stayed back in Fort Myers with many of the regulars and got his work in at the minor league complex. Buchholz threw 59 pitches over 4 innings of work against an assortment of minor and major league hitters.

-John Lackey was on hand to watch Buchholz and his teammates work out at the minor league complex. Lackey is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

-Boston manager Bobby Valentine laughed off Ozzie Guillen’s profane comments about him Monday. Guillen was tossed from the Miami Marlins’ loss to Boston Monday in the 6th inning. As he left the field, Valentine jokingly waved to him. When Guillen was informed of Valentine’s wave after the game he had some choice words for the Red Sox skipper. Guillen said that he would have told Valentine “to go [expletive] himself” had he seen his gesture. When Valentine was informed about Guillen’s response today he said, “isn’t that his standard comment about everything?” Valentine continued, “ has he ever not said that about something?”

He may not quite rival the likes of New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, but Valentine has proven to be very entertaining thus far.