Red Sox beat Twins 4-2 in final spring training game

The Red Sox have ended their Grapefruit League slate on a win, overcoming the Minnesota Twins 4-2 today in the final game of spring training 2015.

It was an unusually fast-paced game by Red Sox standards (or by any standards, really) as both teams were swinging away, trying to get to the regular season as quickly as possible. Justin Masterson, who cruised through five innings, thrived in the fast-paced atmosphere for the Red Sox. He would pick up the win after allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk, also punching out two opposing batters, in his final preparation for Boston’s third game of the season in Philadelphia.

It took the Red Sox bats a little while to get going, but they finally strung some hits together in the fourth inning. Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez each singled and, after an error by Twins’ starter Kyle Gibson, advanced to second and third with one out. The Red Sox then had three consecutive productive at bats, as a Pablo Sandoval single, Mike Napoli groundout, and Shane Victorino triple netted them three runs.

Aside from that outburst, though, the Red Sox offense was relatively quiet. Boston did pick up one additional run in the fifth, with a Jemile Weeks sacrifice fly extending the lead to 4-2. That would be the last scoring of the game, however.

The Red Sox’ bullpen was solid, with Robbie Ross Jr., Jonathan Aro, Dana Eveland, and Noe Ramirez each tossing scoreless innings to close out the game.

This will be the last game of spring training for the Red Sox, who now move into what we’ve all been waiting for: the regular season. The Red Sox will play Opening Day in Philadelphia on Monday at 3:05 EST, sending Clay Buchholz to the mound against potential trade target Cole Hamels. This is an exciting time to be a Red Sox fan and it’s about to get a whole lot more exciting soon!

Game notes:

• Justin Masterson turned in a decent five-inning outing and concluded a solid spring, which saw him post a 3.52 ERA
• Pablo Sandoval went 2-2 with an RBI single, as he appears to be heating up at the right time
• Shane Victorino laced a beautiful RBI triple down the right field line, one of the highlights of the day
• Mookie Betts‘ center field defense continues to gain acclaim as he made a nice catch on the warning track today

Masterson only allowed two runs in five innings today, but if the Twins hadn’t been hacking away at nearly every pitch he threw, things could’ve been quite a bit worse. In those five innings, he allowed eight base runners and surrendered an unusually high number of fly balls. Masterson did pick up the win and there’s nothing wrong with a “B-” grade, but it’s safe to say he got a bit lucky in terms of results today.

Ross, who will be one of the left-handed relievers on Boston’s Opening Day roster, turned in a solid sixth inning for the Red Sox today. Ross faced four batters, allowing just a hit and striking out a batter in his final appearance of the spring.

Sandoval hasn’t had a great spring so far, but he turned in a nice 2-2 day today, including an RBI single. That brought his Grapefruit League average up to .259 and we’ll get our first real look at him in Philly on Monday.