The Red Sox and Rays are back at it at 1:05 p.m. for a nice-inning tilt in Port Charlotte, Fla. This one is on the Rays station, so those with an MLB.TV sub can tune in.
Eduardo Rodriguez is back on the hill in his likely second-to-last tuneup before his scheduled Opening Day start against the Orioles on April 1, when he will become the first Venezuelan-born player to open a season on the mound for Boston. Per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, it was always Cora’s intention to have E-Rod toe the rubber in the season-opener, but he needed to make sure the lefty would be ready, which he apparently is, having put together a 14:0 K:BB ratio so far this March:
“It’s not fair to tell him, ‘Hey, you’re going to be the guy’ and then all of the sudden he can’t go three, four or five (innings),” Cora said.