Red Sox Win Against Yankees, 2-1
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP/CBS) -- The Boston Red Sox showed off their much-improved bullpen Monday night, shutting down the New York Yankees 2-1 in their second and final meeting of spring training.
Five relievers followed ex-Yankee Alfredo Aceves to the mound, combining for six shutout innings.
"It was a good day," said Aceves, who is vying for a spot in Boston's bullpen. "We played against the Yankees and everybody was excited to see this match, and I also was excited, too."
New setup man Bobby Jenks earned the win, striking out one in a one-hit sixth. In five spring outings, he has not allowed a run.
"I don't know what's going on," Jenks said. "I'm usually known for really bad springs. So, I got nothing to say on this one. I can tell you when the bad one's happen because I'm used to those."
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Fellow newcomer Dennys Reyes worked the fourth, All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon also tossed a clean inning and left-hander Rich Hill went two for the save. Hill yielded one hit and struck out two.
"I thought all our pitchers did a good job, starting out with Alfredo," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "(He) threw strikes, worked quick. He's animated out there. He's enthusiastic. He has three pitches he throws for strikes."
Brett Gardner's third-inning double off Aceves scored Jesus Montero for New York's only run.
The Red Sox won both meetings this spring between the longtime rivals. The next time they play is April 8 in Boston's home opener.
For the first time this spring, the Red Sox had both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez in the lineup. Crawford went 0-for-2 batting third, while Gonzalez went 1-for-3 in the five-spot.
Could that be a preview of the regular season lineup?
"I don't know, we'll see," Francona said. "If you have Gonzalez hitting fifth, most likely you'll have Gonzalez, David (Ortiz) and J.D. (Drew), so I don't know if you want to do that (all three bat left-handed), so we'll see."
With that fire power in the Red Sox lineup, it is a problem any manager would like to have.
"I'm not going to argue with you there," Francona said.
