Red Sox vs. Phillies: Tanner Houck starts, Jorge Alfaro behind the plate, lineup
The Red Sox continue their spring training schedule and play host to the Phillies.
The game will take place at JetBlue Park and can be seen on ESPN, at 12:05 p.m. ET.
Tanner Houck will get the start and make his spring training debut. Houck is returning from lumbar discectomy procedure he had in September. A lumbar discectomy is a type of surgery to fix a disc in a patients lower back, according to Hopkins Medicine.
Spring Training: Tanner Houck to capitalize on being a starter
Houck is coming into camp aiming to earn a spot in the Red Sox rotation. The righty told WEEI in January at Winter Weekend that he was “coming into camp as a starter.”
Boston has seven pitchers vying for five rotation spots. Houck is likely to begin the season in the bullpen, but he is eager to emerge from the pack.
“I would love to start. That's what I've done my whole career. But at the end of the day, I’ve got to help the team win whatever way possible.”
Jorge Alfaro makes his debut behind the plate
Red Sox skipper Alex Cora spoke highly of Alfaro when he arrived to camp in mid-February.
Admittedly, Cora said that his new catcher has some things he needs to work on defensively but likes his overall game.
“But we found a few things defensively that we can help him to get better. He has a cannon and obviously, he’s a good athlete. He hits the ball hard,” said Cora.
Red Sox lineup versus the Phillies:
Wyatt Mills remains locked in on the mound
Boston is coming off a 4-4 tie against the defending World Series champions, the Houston Astros.
Wyatt Mills looked extremely impressive in two innings of work, allowing zero hits and three strikeouts. The right-hander appears to have a spot secured in the Red Sox bullpen at the moment.
Raimel Tapia went 2-for-3 collecting his third double of the spring. He is battling for a roster spot with Jarren Duran.
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