Cora’s opener options down to Pivetta, Bello
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox haven’t named an Opening Day starter. Yet with Lucas Giolito out of the mix with an elbow injury, Alex Cora has two names in mind: Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta.
“It’s a great honor,” said Pivetta. “This is an extraordinary organization. Whatever happens, it’s out of my control. All I can do is pitch the best I possibly can. I like to compete. I like to compete against anybody, anybody anytime. So we’ll see where the chips lie. But I’m just more focused on making sure everything’s ready.”
Bello was the rotation’s best for much of last year, tallying a team-high 28 starts and, for most of the year, an ERA under 4.00. But fatigue in his first full big-league season led to him finishing at 4.24.
“I came to camp early this spring because that’s one of my goals each year,” said Bello. “If that happens, I’m going to be ready to take the ball.”
Pivetta, who was relegated from the rotation to the bullpen last May, re-emerged after adding a sweeper mid-season. He believes his stuff played in the zone more.
In the final two months, Pivetta had a 3.98 ERA and struck out 73 in 54‚ innings.
“Nick is a workhorse. He’s a strong kid,” said Cora. “He has his goals, and we all know what he wants to accomplish. He worked hard in the offseason to keep getting better repertoirewise and body-wise, and he’s in a good spot.”
For starters
Pivetta tossed three innings, with four strikeouts in the 3-2 loss to the Braves. The righthander walked one and conceded three hits, including a Jordan Luplow two-run shot in the second inning.
“I feel like a lot of the core things I learned from last year kind of picked up right where they left off,” said Pivetta after his second spring start. “I’m just refining some things, getting the conditioning down, getting the pitches up and up, and then getting into the season.”
Houck, who is vying for a spot in the rotation, had a solid showing. He yielded a run on a Michael Harris solo shot, allowing three hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
“He’s throwing more strikes, which is important,” said Cora. “His stuff is a little bit better compared to last year at this point.”
Jansen building up
Kenley Jansen threw a 15pitch live batting practice and is progressing well from his lat soreness. Jansen said he needs just five appearances this spring to be ready for the season. He is slated to make his debut March 15... Trevor Story was a late scratch due to neck stiffness.
Story didn’t view it as a concern, adding that he likely slept awkwardly . . . Tyler O’Neill had some tightness in his left calf, and won’t travel with the club this weekend. O’Neill said he feels fine and it is for precautionary purposes . . . Zack Kelly suffered a strained oblique and is shut down indefinitely . . . Major League Baseball announced the projected rosters for its inaugural Spring Breakout prospect games that will be a part of bigleague spring training. Boston’s projected roster for its game, against Atlanta on March 16 and airing on NESN, includes righthanded pitchers Angel Bastardo, Isaac Coffey, Hunter Dobbins, Wikelman Gonzalez, Luis Guerrero, David Sandlin, and Chris Troye; lefthanders Richard Fitts, Zach Penrod, and Dalton Rogers; catchers Brooks Brannon, Johanfran Garcia, Nathan Hickey, and Kyle Teel; infielders Antonio Anderson (3B), Yoeilin Cespedes (SS), Blaze Jordan (1B/3B), Marcelo Mayer (SS), Chase Meidroth, Eddinson Paulino, Nick Yorke (2B), and Nazzan Zanetello (SS); and outfielders Roman Anthony, Miguel Bleis, Kristian Campbell, Allan Castro, and Ceddanne Rafaela.
Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him @byJulianMack.