MAKING HIS CASE: Brian Johnson pitches three shutout inning in a bid for a roster spot

BOSTON — There is currently one open spot on the Red Sox 40-man roster, and the clear favorite to claim it emerged on Sunday afternoon.

Pitcher Brian Johnson made his case for a return with three strong innings of work at Fenway Park. Marcus Walden and Josh Osich followed by carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

Boston’s home team in this latest intrasquad game scored a 6-1 victory over the visitors. Jackie Bradley Jr., J.D. Martinez and Kevin Pillar [...]

BOSTON — There is currently one open spot on the Red Sox 40-man roster, and the clear favorite to claim it emerged on Sunday afternoon.

Pitcher Brian Johnson made his case for a return with three strong innings of work at Fenway Park. Marcus Walden and Josh Osich followed by carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

Boston’s home team in this latest intrasquad game scored a 6-1 victory over the visitors. Jackie Bradley Jr., J.D. Martinez and Kevin Pillar supplied the timely offense, as all six runs were driven home with two outs.

Johnson allowed just a two-out walk to Xander Bogaerts in the top of the first. The left-hander threw 24 of his 36 pitches for strikes before going to the bullpen for a final simulated inning. Bradley’s tumbling catch on a sinking liner to center by Alex Verdugo leading off was the closest thing Johnson allowed to a base hit.

"Yes, I do," Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said, when asked if he thought Johnson was a contender for the rotation. "We all do. Hopefully he continues. We can build him up and see where we are at the end."

Johnson found himself on the injured list twice last season. Left elbow inflammation sidelined him for two months beginning in April and a non-baseball medical matter shut him down for five weeks beginning in late June. Johnson’s final numbers were less than impressive — a 6.01 earned-run average in 40 1/3 innings, 53 hits allowed and 23 walks.

"I get it," Johnson said. "My numbers weren’t good in 2019. I get why someone would get taken off the roster.

"But I wasn’t expecting it, no."

Johnson has a previous relationship with Dave Bush, who is in his first year as Red Sox pitching coach but his fifth overall in the organization. Johnson had no such connection with chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, who was hired away from the Rays in late October. Johnson was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket less than a month later, one of several early roster moves made by Bloom.

"It kind of gives you that chip on your shoulder, a little bit of extra motivation," Johnson said. "I don’t think there’s ever a time when you’re in the majors where you get complacent. I think having that happen really kind of lit a fire and showed I needed to improve something."

Johnson featured a fastball-curveball-slider mix almost exclusively last season, leaving him exposed against right-handed hitters in particular. They racked up a 1.053 OPS against Johnson compared to the .688 OPS posted by left-handers. Johnson worked on his changeup during the offseason and hopes to use that pitch at least as an effective decoy this season.

"For me it was building a foundation of what works for me," Johnson said. "It’s just little things, little ticks. I know, if I do this, it leaves me in position to make a better pitch."

Kyle Hart came one out from escaping a pair of his innings with no damage done. Pillar slashed an RBI triple to right in the first and the bottom fell out a bit for the left-hander in the third. Bradley smoked a double off the Green Monster and Martinez followed with a long two-run homer onto Lansdowne Street. Pillar’s single and Jose Peraza’s double to the corner in left made it 4-0.

"We’re swinging the bat so well it’s hard to say where our pitching is at," Roenicke said. "But I’m really pleased with the offense, too."

Bradley in particular had himself a strong afternoon. He pushed a bunt single down the line at third his first time, defeating the overshift to the right side, and added another single his third time when he sent a grounder through the left side.

"He’s in a really good spot right now," Roenicke said. "The conversations with him, he’s always got a smile on his face. He knows he’s at a point right now where if we open up the season he’d be very confident with where he’d be."

Bradley’s two-run single came against Brandon Workman, who struggled in his second outing of camp. He allowed three base hits in his lone inning of work and was touched for multiple earned runs yet again.

"I would be more concerned if the ball wasn’t coming out of his hand well," Roenicke said. "It’s location. The ball is coming out fine."

Christian Vazquez knocked a leadoff single to center in the seventh against Osich, the first hit for the visitors. An unearned run broke up the abbreviated shutout bid.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25