Red Sox takeaways: How Alex Bregman’s workouts helped Connelly Early, offensive woes and more

CINCINNATI — Connelly Early might have had Alex Bregman on his mind Sunday as he took the mound in the sixth inning for the Boston Red Sox, in a start he wasn’t expected to be making just a few weeks ago.

Early, who will turn 24 in four days, was a late addition to the rotation as newcomer Johan Oviedo faltered this spring. Early turned in an impressive spring, thanks in part to offseason workouts with Bregman.

“I was able to go out and train at Club Nemesis with Bregman and had a lot of conversations with guys there,” Early said this spring of Bregman’s new facility in Arizona. “Really taking (the strength side) a little bit more seriously and get after it a little bit more.”

On Sunday, that stamina showed as Early turned in a strong performance in a 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed one run on five hits and two walks, punching out six over 5 1/3 innings. He made a career-high 96 pitches, 61 for strikes, and induced seven swings-and-misses.

After five scoreless innings of work, Early walked the leadoff man in the sixth before striking out shortstop Elly De La Cruz for the second time in the game to complete his solid start. The effort was marred two batters later, though, when reliever Greg Weissert gave up a three-run homer to Eugenio Suárez, resulting in a 3-2 loss.

Nevertheless, the outing marked a personal victory for Early, whose goal in adding strength at Bregman’s facility this winter was to be able to pitch deeper into games, something the Red Sox said he needed to focus on this offseason to make the next step in his career.

Early said his debut at the end of last season, during which he posted a 2.33 ERA over four starts in September before earning the Game 3 start for the Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees, helped him figure out what he needed to focus on this offseason. After working out at Bregman’s facility, Early came into camp weighing around 215 pounds after ending last season at 196.

“It was just a little bit more volume, focusing on nutrition a ton, just trying to focus on making sure the body was moving properly, even at a little bit heavier weight,” he said. “Luckily, out at Nemesis, we had (physical therapists) full-time. We had massage therapists coming in there. So a bunch of recovery tools just to use whenever I needed something, any type of work done. So, kind of like being down here in the offseason with a full training staff was really nice to have.”

On Sunday, having taxed the bullpen the previous night in an 11-inning game, manager Alex Cora was happy to give the ball to Early in the sixth despite the lefty sitting at 88 pitches.

“He did a good job,” Cora said. “Where we were pitching-wise, we needed that, and we don’t usually extend guys this early in the season, but he felt strong. He was strong all spring.”

Early became the youngest pitcher to start one of Boston’s first three games of the season since Jeff Sellers in 1987, was happy the work this offseason has started to pay off.

“Just trying to make the body a little bit more durable,” he said. “And be able to withstand as many innings as possible.”

The Red Sox had said they’d reassess the rotation after a few turns, but if Early keeps putting in performances like Sunday’s, he may stick around.

Offensive offense so far

The lone bright spot offensively in the series was Wilyer Abreu, who went 6-for-13 with two home runs and two doubles. Abreu battled in a nine-pitch at-bat on Sunday, fouling off four straight pitches before clubbing a two-run homer.

Reds manager Terry Francona praised Abreu’s poise at the plate.

“I thought Abreu had just a great at-bat,” Francona said. “If we’re sitting over here, I’m bragging about that at-bat. Fouled off a bunch of pitches. He gives them really good at-bats. Just a really good hitter doing his thing.”

But the rest of Boston’s offense had little to show. Collectively, the Red Sox stranded 30 men on base over the three games and went 5-for-29 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-7 on Sunday.

Spring training stats are often derided as small sample sizes, so it’s hard to read too much into three games at the start of the season. Nevertheless, it marked a frustrating offensive series for the Red Sox. Even on Saturday, when the team scored five runs and battled back to tie the game on Abreu’s homer in the ninth, they still struck out 15 times.

Jarren Duran reacts after right-handed reliever Tony Santillan picked him off in the eighth inning. (Jeff Dean / Getty Images)

On Sunday, the Red Sox had their chances. With one out in the eighth, Jarren Duran was inexplicably picked off first base with a right-hander on the mound. The Red Sox put the next two runners on, but Caleb Durbin struck out. Durbin went 0-for-12 with three strikeouts in Cincinnati.

Trevor Story went 2-for-16 in the series with a homer and seven strikeouts. First baseman Willson Contreras recorded his first hit of the season Sunday on a hard liner to short that went under De La Cruz’s glove, but otherwise is still searching for his rhythm. Roman Anthony had solid at-bats in the first two games, but went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a walk in the final game.

“When we had traffic, we didn’t cash in,” Cora said. “We put pressure on them towards the end of the game. That’s a good baseball game, 3-2. But we just got to regroup and be ready for tomorrow.”

Abreu appears locked in in the early going, riding a strong performance from the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela. Abreu is coming off two strong offensive seasons interrupted by injury-list stints. He worked during the offseason to trim down and get stronger in hopes of staying healthier. If that ends up being the case, Cora thinks this early offensive surge will continue.

“I think this is sustainable,” Cora said. “He has a good knowledge of his swing and what the opposition is trying to do. We just got to keep getting him more at-bats, especially against lefties, and see where you take us.”

But the Red Sox need more than just Abreu to get their offense going.

Outfield alignment

All spring, Cora has been asked about the outfield alignment and how he’d fit Masataka Yoshida into the mix. On Sunday, he provided some answers.

Most games, Anthony will start in left with Ceddanne Rafaela in center, Abreu in right, Duran serving as the designated hitter and Yoshida on the bench, entering as a pinch hitter if needed.

But Cora wants Yoshida to start some games in the outfield. When that’s the case, as it was Sunday, Yoshida will start in left with Duran in center, Abreu in right and Anthony as the DH. Cora explained, in games they have the lead, he’d insert Rafaela for defense at center, take out Yoshida, shift Duran to left and keep Anthony in the game at DH.

On days when Abreu sits, Anthony will play right field with Rafaela in center, Duran in left and Yoshida at DH.

“It’s not easy,” was how Cora described the balancing act on Saturday. “Whoever thinks that this is easy to move them around, they’re wrong. I’m going to say it like that. It’s not that easy, but I’ll make it work.”

Cora also suggested that mixing in Yoshida will help keep everyone fresher throughout the season.

“I think everybody’s going to benefit from it,” Cora said. “We see their past, right? Roman’s first full season. Jarren posts, he plays. But Ceddanne in August and September, he has struggled, and Wilyer has been banged up (in the past), right? He hasn’t played a full season yet, so I think this whole thing is going to help him.”

Cora said on Saturday that Yoshida would play three of the next five games. Since he played on Sunday, that suggests he’ll play two more games in Houston.

Boston’s manager also noted that rehabbing pitchers Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval will throw four innings each in a simulated game on Monday in Fort Myers, Fla., as they continue to build up in their returns from surgery last year.