The Boston Red Sox traveled 90 minutes on a bus and left without a winning or losing decision, tying the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-2 in Saturday’s Grapefruit League action at McKechnie Field in Bradenton.
The game was scoreless until the 5th, when Boston’s Allen Craig drove Rusney Castillo in with an RBI single. Castillo was 2 for 3 Saturday with a triple after hitting the longest home run in the four-year history of jetBlue Park in an 11-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
Red Sox starter Wade Miley pitched five scoreless innings, surrendering two hits, walking two and striking out five. He threw 61 pitches.
Matt Barnes was tagged for runs in both the 6th and 7th innings and Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead into the 9th inning.
In Boston’s 9th, Blake Tekotte, a minor league camp extra who has received regular playing time this spring singled in Quintin Berry with the tying run off former Red Sox pitcher Stolmy Pimentel.
Pirates starter Francisco Liriano pitched four scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits, walked three and struck out six.
Pittsburgh was held to five hits on the day, one a triple by Gorkys Hernandez.
Jackie Bradley Jr. was 2 for 2 for the Sox with a double and a walk.
The Red Sox return to jetBlue Park for a two game homestead, facing the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday and the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. Both games start at 1:05 PM. Joe Kelly was scheduled to start against the Phillies but will start a minor league game on Sunday instead. Knuckleballer Steven Wright will take his place in the game versus Philadelphia opposed by Jerome Williams. Monday, the Sox Rick Porcello faces the Cardinals Lance Lynn.
Alexi Ogando is scheduled to follow Wright on the mound Sunday, Ogando’s last game action was on Friday when he faced minor league hitters for an inning, giving up one hit and striking out two.
Photo of the Day:
Brian Mullen
Brian is a Boston native and art school student who took a summer job with a baseball team and never left. He has been employed by the Boston Red Sox in one capacity or another since 1982. He also follows and blogs college basketball. Follow him on Twitter @BostonBrian2015
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