BRADENTON, Fla. -- Boston’s Jon Lackey retired the Pittsburgh Pirates on eight pitches in the first inning. Then he labored through a 35-pitch second inning.
"After the first inning being so quick, I definitely needed to throw a few pitches," Lackey said after the Red Sox routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 16-6 Thursday. "It was more about getting up and down a couple times today. That was the biggest key for me."
Lackey, who missed last season following elbow ligament-replacement surgery, was making his second spring training start. Pittsburgh took a 3-1 lead in the second when Brandon Inge and Clint Robinson singled, and Jared Goedert sent a curveball into the Red Sox bullpen beyond the left-field wall.
Lackey threw only fastballs in his one inning last weekend against Tampa Bay. He mixed in offspeed pitches against the Pirates.
Lackey has been working on his cutter while throwing on flat ground and expects to throw a few in his next bullpen session. But his next outing, which likely will set slated for three innings, probably will be another fastball-breaking ball mix.
Pirates pitchers combined for 15 walks, including four with the bases loaded. Shortstop Josh Harrison made two throwing errors that allowed three runs to score.
Lyle Overbay drew a bases-loaded walk in a four-run third off left-hander Jonathan Sanchez, who gave up four runs, three hits and four walks in two-thirds of an inning.
Pittsburgh’s
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