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John Lackey on most recent outing: ‘Still a work in progress’ 03.10.13 at 6:06 pm ET
By Rob Bradford

John Lackey

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Red Sox right-hander John Lackey logged 3 2/3 innings against the Rays on Sunday in his team’s 6-2 victory, permitting two runs (both earned) on four hits (all singles) while striking out two and walking one. Of the 66 pitches he threw, 41 were strikes.

Lackey expressed satisfaction with the steady build-up in his workload, as demonstrated both by the fact that, for the first time this spring, he worked into a fourth inning, and that he reacclimated to returning to the mound after a long wait on the bench during a rally (the Sox pushed three runs across in the top of the fourth).

Still, he acknowledged that even with his ability to throw strikes this spring, he’s still working to sharpen both his command and the action on his pitches, notably a cutter/slider.

“It’s definitely still coming. It’s not there yet. But I’ve been around the zone. You can throw strikes and not throw the way you want exactly, sometimes, too. It’s still a work in progress,” said Lackey. “My slider-cutter thing was a little flat today. I had a pretty good two-seamer today, felt good with that. I got several ground balls when I was trying to.”

Including his three-inning outing against Team Puerto Rico, Lackey has logged 9 2/3 innings in four starts this spring, permitting six runs on 11 hits while striking out six and walking three.

The Sox fell behind 2-0 early, but a three-run homer for David Ross — the catcher’s first hit of the spring — gave the team a 3-2 lead. The Sox added on three more runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Pedro Ciriaco, a run-scoring wild pitch and an RBI double by outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker. The Sox relieved 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, with Koji Uehara contributing another perfect inning (his fourth of the spring) and Daniel Bard working around a hit to pitch a shutout inning.

For more team coverage, visit weei.com/redsox.

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  • Mike T

    Nice job Lackey, this guy has confidence which is all he needs

  • Pedro

    John Lackey is a bum, he is 2-0 against nobodies and his ERA is over 8. Just what we expect from this stiff. This guy will lose more games then he wins

  • i still believe

    Napoleon Dynamite called hes been looking for you. 

  • Fab4ever

    You’re the Jeckyl and Hyde of this website. Sometimes, a gem…then this crap….take notes; This is Spring Training!!! It’s the time when baseball players experiment, work out, comeback from injuries…it’s not the season….just relax…Look, I’m not suggesting he’s the 1986 Clemens…but you’d be better served to wait before you jump to ridiculous conclusions….if he tanks, wow, you’re a genius…and there’s a better chance of that happening than he work it out….but I’ll give the guy the benefit of the doubt until we know for sure…to me, it appears there is progress…how many Tommy John surgeries have you come back from? Exactly…..this isn’t a pulled hamstring…sit back, and enjoy the game and stop with your dumb posts…

  • Patience

    Lackey is pitching and getting stronger. He looks in shape. Time will tell how far he comes back. Ortiz on the other hand is on the downturn. Spring training is to get in playing shape. Good news is Victorino finally got a hit and RBI. Love the arm on Vasquez.

  • Pedro

    John Lackey is a bum, he is 2-0 against nobodies and his ERA is over 8.
    Just what we expect from this stiff. This guy will lose more games then
    he wins

  • Bara20032010

    what is the biggest penis u ever had in your bum?

  • Pedro

    John Lackey is a bum, he is 2-0 against nobodies and his ERA is over 8. Just what we expect from this stiff. This guy will lose more games then he wins

  • Guest711

    This is going to get bad. he will be LR by summer. Highest paid player on the team. We could pay the whole team of he Astros for Lackeys salary. He will be traded and probably 90% of his salary will be paid for the sox just to get this guy off the roster.

  • ChrisinDanvers

    I would totally agree with the wait and see approach to Lackey. Sure, he has been a disappointment to this team, but a lot had to do with his army injury. It decreases velocity and location. I would say let him build up his arm strength and see where he is by mid to late June before dumping on him yet again.

    This is one case where past performance might not be a true indicator of future performance. And, luckily, this team has people waiting at the minors to fill in that are more than just 4A guys. So, if there is a Lackey problem, it is not the end of the season, like some in the media predicted.

  • Farrell’s friend

    The bigger story here is the bullpen only allowing one hit in relief of Lackey with only one BB.  

  • San Diego Dreamer

    This is the time to be hopeful. Don’t ruin it with Felger like predictions.

  • Fab4ever

    OK…and when he wins more games than he loses, you’ll turn into vapor….

  • Anonymous

    I don’t understand all the, wow what a great start crap with this guy. His spring training results this year were terrible. Worst he has hid since becoming a Red Sox.

    He struck out a whole bunch of people, sure. He also had to throw his arm out to do it and he still took the loss on the day. He has never had the stuff to compete in the AL East, and his career numbers back up that statement. Move on, bring up the kid Webster, sign a free agent. Do anything but give Lackey another start for this team. In the end of the day Lackey has and will lose more games on the mound than win, period.

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