SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL

Red Sox 6, Twins 1

As left-handers Chris Sale and David Price and lights-out closer Craig Kimbrel go this season, so do the Red Sox. Sure, there will 22 other players on the roster. But it's not a stretch to say the fortunes of those three pitchers could determine much of Boston's success this season. The Red Sox got good news on all three Sunday. The AL East champions had been bringing Sale and Price along slowly this spring in an effort to keep them healthy throughout the season. Sale exited his final spring start on Saturday after facing just four batters, when he was hit on the left hip by a line drive off the bat of Houston's J.D. Davis. Sale immediately crumpled to the ground, but walked off the field on his own power. On Sunday, manager Alex Cora said Sale would be ready for opening day, on Thursday at the Tampa Bay Rays.

"He was here early," Cora said. "He was going to long toss today and then throw an aggressive bullpen (Monday) and be ready to roll on Thursday. He's looking forward to Thursday."

Mookie Betts hit a pair of home runs and walked, driving in three runs and scoring three for Boston. J.D. Martinez had three hits and an RBI for the Red Sox, while Andrew Benintendi homered for a fourth time. Price made his final spring start, pitching three innings and allowing one run on one hit, a home run by Brian Dozier.

Kimbrel had been away from the team for almost three weeks, back in Boston with his family while 4-month-old daughter Lydia Joy, who was born with heart ailments, underwent a second surgery. Kimbrel returned to camp last week and made his Grapefruit League debut on Sunday, going one scoreless inning and allowing one hit.