More of everything needed from Crawford
JUPITER, Fla. — Alex Cora had a quick answer when asked what he wanted to see from Kutter Crawford this season.
“More than 75 pitches, right?” the Red Sox manager said Tuesday before Crawford faced the Cardinals.
Crawford averaged 77.4 pitches in his 23 starts last season. He topped out at 96 pitches for a September start at Tampa Bay, one of only five times he reached 90.
The Sox want more from the 27-year-old righthander. More pitches, more innings, more everything.
“Stuff-wise, he’s really good,” Cora said. “But he has to maintain that for 100 pitches.”
Crawford had only two innings to worry about against the Cardinals and his 32 pitches were mostly good. He allowed one run on three singles and had a strikeout.
“You can’t do much on a two-inning day. But location was there. I felt good, like I could go more,” Crawford said. “Now it’s about getting extended.”
Cora acknowledged it’s likely that Crawford will be in the rotation to open the season. That will make it easier for him to build up durability. Last year he made two starts then went to the bullpen.
“There were outings when my pitch count got up there,” Crawford said. “That’s something I need to work on. But I know I can get my body to a point to go beyond five innings. For me it’s about getting through that sixth inning.”
All of the Sox pitchers will benefit if the defense is improved this season. There were some signs of that against the Cardinals.
Center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela robbed Lars Nootbaar of an extra-base hit in the first inning.
Third baseman Romy Gonzalez made a nice play on a bunt attempt in the second, throwing out Masyn Winn.
“I feel much better about the defense,” Cora said. “You’re seeing guys make plays and the communication is better.”
Walter impresses
Lefthander Brandon Walter made a strong spring debut, retiring all six batters he faced with one ball out of the infield.
Walter located a cutter to retire Paul Goldschmidt ona grounder to third base to end the third inning after a 10pitch at-bat.
“I was locked in,” Walter said. “I was going to go with what feels good. It was a good matchup. You’re just trying to get him out. That guy is a great hitter. It was a battle.”
It was a rocky introduction to the majors last season as Walter was charged with 16 earned runs on 32 hits over 23 innings.
The experience shaped his offseason preparations.
“I was able to reflect on it and see why I wasn’t successful,” Walter said. “I’m so used to being successful in the minor leagues. Making adjustments on the fly is something I need to improve on.
“I focused on what got me there, and that’s attacking with all my pitches and throwing strikes. I was too consumed with velocity instead of doing what I do best.”
Casas returning
Triston Casas, out of camp the last few days because of the flu, told Cora he will be back on Wednesday. “He let us know how many swings he took while he was at the house,” Cora said. It’ll probably be a few days before Casas gets in a game . . . Back in Fort Myers, Joely Rodriguez threw live batting practice to Jarren Duran and Vaughn Grissom. The lefthander has jumped right into the mix after being signed to a minor league contract last week . . . The crowd of 5,528 included a large percentage of Red Sox fans . . .
The Sox signed 30-year-old righthander Jason Alexander to a minor league contract. He was 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 18 games (11 starts) for Milwaukee in 2022. So now the Sox have another “Seinfeld” connection. Lucas Giolito is the grandson of the late actor Warren Frost, who played Mr. Ross on the show. Jason Alexander the actor — who is not related to the new pitcher — played George Costanza. Maybe JuliaLouis Dreyfus has a relative who can play second base.