FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston starter Clay Buchholz pitched six solid innings in his final spring training start against Washington, then pronounced himself ready.
“My legs felt heavy and I knew I wouldn’t have the best velocity, so I went with a two-seamer 90 percent of the time,” Buchholz said Friday, after a 7-2 victory against the Nationals. “When I hit the right spot it got some contact, ground balls, and I got a lot of quick outs that way.”
Additional Photos
The score was 1-1 until the Red Sox broke through against Mike McDougal in the sixth. Tug Hulett scored on the second of back-to-back wild pitches, and Angel Sanchez and Bill Hall had RBI singles before Jason Varitek had a three-run double.
Buchholz allowed one run on two hits and a walk. Both hits came in the first inning and Buchholz retired the final 16 Nationals.
“He was 16 of 21 first-pitch strikes, so whatever he was doing was good,” Boston Manager Terry Francona said.
“He’s attacking the zone down, which is real good.”
Scott Olsen, who’s competing for the fifth starter job in Washington with Garrett Mock, also was solid in his final spring start. Olsen allowed one run on five hits over five innings, striking out seven.
“We recognize he did a good job against a good ballclub,” Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman said. “He’s a veteran guy, but it’s impressive to see him out there competing for a job. He’s not taking anything for granted. He’s fighting for his opportunity to start.”
Varitek’s three-run double gave Boston a 7-1 lead before the Nationals cobbled together a run off Ramon Ramirez and Daniel Bard in the eighth, when Cristian Guzman’s sacrifice fly brought home Adam Fox.
The teams will play an exhibition game today at Nationals Park as they work their way north. The Red Sox open their season Sunday night at Fenway Park against the New York Yankees; the Nationals open Monday at home against Philadelphia.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
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.