FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston left fielder Hanley Ramirez blasted a three-run homer as part of a five-RBI afternoon in a 7-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Ramirez collected more RBI on Sunday than in his first 10 spring training games combined. He entered the game hitting .208 and with just three runs batted in.
UP NEXT
WHO: St. Louis Cardinals at Boston Red Sox
WHEN: 1:05 p.m. Monday
WHERE: Fort Myers, Florida
As opening day draws nearer, Ramirez’s timing is becoming better. “Always working on stuff,” Ramirez said. “We’re not trying to make the team. Just trying to get ready for the season.”
Red Sox Manager John Farrell wasn’t concerned about the veteran, who has a .300 career batting average.
“I think with each at-bat accumulated you’re seeing better timing,” Farrell said. “The first handful of games there was a willingness on his part to try to stay inside the ball and track pitches deep into the strike zone where you saw some ground balls to second base and fly balls to right.”
In his first year with the Red Sox since he was traded to the Marlins in 2005, Ramirez is confident Boston can rebound from its last-place AL East finish last season. “I feel we can do some damage,” Ramirez said.
Red Sox centerfielder Mookie Betts continued his hot spring with a double and an inside-the-park homer, upping his average to .471. The inside-the-park home run came in the third inning, when Betts sent a drive to deep center over the head of Philadelphia center fielder Odubel Herrera.
“He reminds me of myself in ’06 in Miami,” Ramirez said of Betts. Ramirez followed three batters later with his first homer of the spring, a three-run shot to center that put the Red Sox up 5-0..
Notes
David Ortiz, who has been dealing with dehydration and a cold, did not play Sunday and is not scheduled to play Monday. RHP Koji Uehrara, who has been sidelined with a strained hamstring, could pitch by the middle of the week.
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.