DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright's first outing of the spring was almost perfect on Monday.
Making his first start since a shoulder issue shut him down last August, the All-Star right-hander pitched two hitless innings in Boston's 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays at a rainy Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.
Wright threw 21 pitches -- 16 strikes -- and retired six of the seven batters he faced with little in the way of quality contact by the Blue Jays' offense. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was the only player to reach base against Wright, getting aboard on a fielding error by Red Sox shortstop Brock Holt with one out in the second.