Corey Kluber allowed two runs in his second spring start Friday as Boston lost for the first time in 13 games, 2-0 to the Toronto Blue Jays in Fort Myers, Florida. Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
The Boston Red Sox managed just five hits and were handed their first loss of spring training Friday, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 in Fort Myers, Florida.
Corey Kluber made his second start of the spring for Boston, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three and walking two in three-plus innings. He gave up a run in the third after a double by Orelvis Martinez, a single by Zach Britton and a sacrifice fly by Wynton Bernard. Kluber faced two batters in the fourth, allowing a single and an RBI double by Rainer Nunez, before being removed.
Christian Arroyo, Daniel Palka, Adam Duvall, Raimel Tapia and Tyler McDonough each had a single for Boston.
Boston started the spring 9-0-3.
YANKEES: Injuries continue to pile up as New York gets ready to begin its AL East title defense.
Manager Aaron Boone told reporters that outfielder Harrison Bader has an oblique issue. The injury puts Bader’s availability for Opening Day in doubt.
The Yankees already had said pitchers Carlos Rodón, Frankie Montas, Tommy Kahle and Lou Trivino wouldn’t be ready for the March 30 opener against San Francisco.
RANGERS: Jacob deGrom could make his first spring training start on Monday.
The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner threw to hitters for the first time on Wednesday, when he was in the upper 90s with his fastball and hit 100 mph on the last of his 35 pitches.
Manager Bruce Bochy said deGrom will throw again Saturday and, if all goes well, could pitch against Arizona two days later.
“He’s in a good place right now,” Bochy said. “Knock on wood, all goes well with him, he’ll have three outings here before he starts the season.”
Texas signed deGrom to a $185 million, five-year contract in December. He spent his first nine big league seasons with the New York Mets, but injuries limited him to 156 1/3 innings in 26 starts over the past two seasons.
PHILLIES: Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter won’t throw for four weeks because of a sprained ligament in his right elbow.
The 19-year-old right-hander’s fastball touched 99 mph in his spring training debut on March 1 against Minnesota, but he said he felt “tenderness” in his elbow the next day.
He underwent an MRI on March 3 and the Phillies said that a second opinion confirmed a right proximal ulnar collateral ligament sprain.
Medical staff and Painter’s doctor recommended Painter rest for four weeks from the date of injury and then begin a light tossing progression.
“It’s pretty mild,” Painter told reporters. “This is just kind of something we’re going to take cautiously.”
Philadelphia has been cautious with Painter throughout the minor leagues. Painter sprinted through Philadelphia’s system in 2022, going 6-2 with a 1.48 ERA in 26 appearances spread across two Class A squads and Double-A Reading.
MARLINS: Infielders Yuli Gurriel and José Iglesias agreed to minor league contracts with Miami.
Gurriel, 38, won his second World Series title with the Astros last year, hitting .242 with 40 doubles, eight home runs and 53 RBI, down from 81 RBI in 2021. In the postseason, Gurriel had 17 hits with a pair of home runs.
Iglesias, 33, batted .292 last season with Colorado and had a .981 fielding percentage as he made 116 starts at shortstop. Iglesias has a .279 batting average and a .982 fielding percentage over 11 major league seasons. He has played for six teams, including two stints with the Red Sox.
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: Shohei Ohtani doubled and singled for his second straight two-hit game, and Japan overcame a three-run deficit to beat South Korea, 13-4.
Ohtani was intentionally walked as Japan scored four runs in the third inning to take a 4-3 lead. He doubled and scored in a two-run fifth and hit an RBI single in a five-run sixth. The two-way star is 4 for 7 with two doubles, three RBI and four walks in Japan’s two games while allowing one hit over four scoreless innings on the mound.
Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida had three hits and five RBI for Japan.
• Yadir Drake had four hits, and Yoan Moncada and Roel Santos each added three hits as Cuba (1-2) defeated Panama, 13-4.
• Kuo-Chen Fan broke a 7-7 tie with a run-scoring infield single in the seventh off Joey Marciano, and Kungkuan Giljegiljaw hit a three-run homer in the eighth as host Taiwan overcame a three-run deficit to beat Italy, 11-7.
• Martin Muzik’s three-run homer in the ninth propelled the Czech Republic to an 8-5 comeback win over China in its World Baseball Classic debut.
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