Christian Bethancourt
photo by Tim Evearitt
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Christian Bethancourt stroked three hits, drove in two runs and threw out a base stealer to back a solid start from Shelby Miller as the Braves thumped the Red Sox, 11-3, on Tuesday afternoon at JetBlue Park.
Bethancourt, Atlanta's 23-year-old catcher, ripped a double to the left-field wall with two outs in the first inning, scoring Jace Peterson for a 1-0 lead. Andrelton Simmons, who also collected three hits, followed with a single off Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz for the first of his three RBIs.
Three innings later, Bethancourt led off with a double to the wall in center and later scored on Joey Terdoslavich's sacrifice fly. Kelly Johnson then crushed a fly ball that hopped over the 420-foot sign in center for an RBI ground-rule double to make it 4-0.
Buchholz, in his third spring start, gave up plenty of hard contact while throwing 62 pitches over four innings and allowing four runs on five hits. He also racked up six strikeouts without issuing a walk.
Miller, also pitching for the third time, dealt with at least one baserunner in each of his four frames but escaped without damage. He faced runners at the corners with one out in the first, when a rocket from Bethancourt nailed Pablo Sandoval at second on strike three to Hanley Ramirez.
"I feel good," Miller said. "My stuff still needs to get there -- it's not as sharp as it can be, but at the same time, my arm feels good. I've got a good idea of what we need to do going forward."
Miller also benefited from a pair of ground-ball double plays and Terdoslavich throwing out Mike Napoli from left field as he tried to stretch a single into a double. The right-hander finished with four hits and two walks allowed, striking out three and throwing 62 pitches.
Bethancourt and Simmons added RBI singles in the fifth inning off reliever Matt Barnes, but Allen Craig broke up the Braves' shutout with his first homer of the spring, an opposite-field solo shot off Brandon Cunniff. Atlanta extended its lead with a four-run sixth, highlighted by Eric Young Jr.'s three-run triple off Brandon Workman.
Battles for the Opening Day Roster
Eric Young Jr. has proved that he can play center field and Jace Peterson has shown that he deserves to be in the lineup on a regular basis. But with Opening Day less than three weeks away, the Braves still have some interesting roster decisions involving position players.
As things currently stand, Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons, Chris Johnson, Christian Bethancourt, A.J. Pierzynski, Jonny Gomes, Young and Peterson appear to be the only position players who seem destined to be on the Opening Day roster. Nick Markakis, who underwent neck surgery in December, would obviously fall into this category if he proves that he can indeed make all necessary preparations over the next few weeks.
Assuming the Braves prove to be right with their expectation that Markakis will be ready, they would still have four available spots on their roster for position players. One of those spots could be filled by Alberto Callaspo, whose guaranteed $3 million deal will likely trump his limited defensive ability and .115 (3-for-26) Grapefruit League batting average.
Fortunately for the Braves, Peterson's emergence as the strongest candidate to fill the second-base position has created an opportunity for Callaspo to be used as a utility player who might see a majority of his playing time on those days when third baseman Johnson sits against select right-handed pitchers.
Despite the fact that he has hit just .200 (5-for-25) during the Grapefruit League season thus far, Phil Gosselin might be a better candidate to platoon with Johnson at third base. But If the Braves go this route, Callaspo would be restricted to the bench, a role where he provides little value as a slap hitter without speed.
The option to carry both Gosselin and Callaspo has become more attractive as Kelly Johnson has displayed a slow bat in the process of recording just two hits in the 19 at-bats he's compiled this month. Johnson had been regarded as a versatile utility player who could play across the infield and left field if necessary.
"If you go out and say we've got open spots and you've got competition, then you've got to be able to produce a little bit," Gonzalez said. "If a guy wins a spot hitting .055 while the other guy is hitting .360, then you come out looking like a fool."
As Johnson has weakened his bid as a potential outfield option, Joey Terdoslavich has made himself a strong roster candidate while hitting .308 (8-for-26). Terdoslavich could play both corner outfield positions and first base if necessary.
The primary backup outfielder's role will likely be filled by either Todd Cunningham, who is considered a strong defender at each of the three outfield spots, Eury Perez, who aided his cause with a pair of doubles on Monday, or Zoilo Almonte, who has batted just .185 (5-for-27).
--- Source:MLB.com