SARASOTA, Fla. — As you might suspect after watching several presumed members of his Opening Day bullpen get knocked around in a 12-5 loss, manager John Farrell wasn’t his happiest on Wednesday.

“Bottom line is we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Farrell said after the loss to the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium.

Chief among those with some work to do? Relievers Tyler Thornburg and Fernando Abad.

Thornburg has yet to finish an inning he’s started this spring. After allowing five runs (four earned) in his debut, the right-hander was only one run better than that on Wednesday. He wasn’t helped when Andrew Benintendi misplayed a sinking line drive into a bases-clearing error, but Thornburg’s command was obviously not in midseason form. He walked one, hit a batter in the helmet and yielded three hits.

“His arm is late. The delivery is not in sync. You see a number of pitches up,” Farrell said. “This is a guy that’s had a lot of recent success, but we’ve got to sharpen some things up.”

Thornburg has had poor springs in the past. A year ago, he compiled a 9.77 ERA in spring for the Brewers before embarking on a lights-out relief season. While Farrell acknowledges that history, he doesn’t want the Red Sox or Thornburg to be resigned to it.

Advertisement

“We know that’s in his track record, but we don’t just want to assume it’s a natural course of action and say, ‘This is the way it’s always been.’ We’ve got to take progressive steps to commanding the baseball better,” he said.

Farrell added that Thornburg could conceivably take a step back to do some work in a side session prior to his next appearance in a game.

Abad served up a three-run homer to former Red Sox farmhand Sean Coyle in the seventh inning. Although Boston brought the lefty specialist back on a $2 million deal through arbitration, Farrell said his roster spot is far from secure.

“He knows he’s in competition for a spot,” Farrell said.

The Red Sox had no qualms taking everyday jobs away from Pablo Sandoval and Rusney Castillo a year ago. It figures they wouldn’t hesitate to do the same with Abad despite his salary, especially if Robby Scott proves more capable at filling the same role or if the club wants to stash one of its six potential big-league starters in the bullpen on Opening Day.

EVEN A SPRING  tuneup for Chris Sale drew a nice crowd.

Advertisement

The Boston newcomer threw a two-inning simulated game Wednesday morning in preparation for his first spring training action, saying “everything is going as planned.”

Sale stayed at camp in Fort Myers, Florida, while the Red Sox traveled to Sarasota for their game against the Orioles. The lefty ace faced teammates Dan Butler and Steve Selsky, with catcher Sandy Leon behind the plate and fellow pitchers David Price and Steven Wright watching from the third-base dugout.

Sale then threw to three additional batters as pitching coach Carl Willis and assistant pitching coach Brian Bannister looked on, along with former Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield.

“Felt good,” Sale said. “Today was a good work day. Great to pitch on the game mound with no screen. Everything went well.”

Sale threw 38 pitches. There was some solid contact in the first inning, when Butler lined what would have been a single to center.

“Threw all of my pitches,” Sale said. “In the second inning focusing mostly on fastball/changeup. Those are my feel pitches, so I just wanted to throw those more, just for repetition.'”

Advertisement

Sale, acquired Dec. 6 from the Chicago White Sox for four prospects, is slated to start Monday against Houston in West Palm Beach.

“I think I was ready on Dec. 7,” Sale said. “I’ve been preparing for this, so I’m feeling good.”

The left-hander, who turns 28 on March 30, is part of a rotation that includes reigning AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello and Price, who won the prize in 2012.

“Now we’re starting to play real baseball and not throwing off the side mounds or simulated games,” Sale said. “I’m excited. It will be fun.”

He has never pitched in the postseason. The Red Sox, swept by Cleveland in the AL division series last year, hope to win their fourth World Series title since 2003.

“I have expectations for myself wherever I am or whatever year it is,” Sale said. “I’ve been like that at a young age. I demand a lot of myself at a high level. If I don’t meet those expectations, there’s nobody more upset than I am. For right now, just putting in the work to get to the promised land.”

THE SEATTLE Mariners acquired right-hander Chase De Jong from the Los Angeles Dodgers for a pair of minor leaguers.

The Mariners sent infielder Drew Jackson and pitcher Aneurys Zabala to the Dodgers, and designated infielder Mike Freeman for assignment.

De Jong, 23, is coming off a stellar 2016 season mostly spent at Double-A where he went 15-2 with a 2.82 ERA in 26 starts with Tulsa. He was named the Texas League pitcher of the year last season.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.