PORTLAND — Boston Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson turned in two shaky innings to start his rehab assignment with the Portland Sea Dogs, but left with a 3-2 lead over the Bowie Baysox in a minor league baseball game Friday night at Hadlock Field before a crowd of sellout crowd of 7,368.
The right-handed Masterson, 30, gave up eight hits, walked a batter and hit one while striking out two and throwing a wild pitch in 4 ⅔ innings for Boston’s Double-A affiliate. He recorded 52 strikes in his 80 total pitches while inducing eight ground-ball outs and three fly-outs against the Baysox, a Baltimore Orioles affiliate.
The Baysox rallied in the eighth for a 5-3 victory.
Masterson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with arm fatigue on May 14 and started Friday’s game by striking out Glynn Davis and getting Ozzie Martinez on a groundout to second.
Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Red Sox hall-of-famer Carl Yastrzemski, then laced a double to right and scored on Brandon Snyder’s single to right before Masterson got the final out on Rossmel Perez’s fly ball to right.
Mike Yastrzemski started the game in left, playing in front of Hadlock’s version of the Green Monster, which his grandfather played so flawlessly during his career at Fenway Park in Boston.
The Sea Dogs backed up Masterson early in their half of the first when Keury De La Cruz cranked a three-run home run to right center, scoring Marco Hernandez and Jantzen Witte, who had both singled.
Masterson got in immediate trouble in the top of the second as he gave up back-to-back singles to Trey Mancini and Garabez Rosa. Quincy Latimore then plated Mancini with a double down the left-field line.
Masterson then hit Jason Esposito with a pitch to load the bases, but got Davis on a short fly-out to right. Martinez next hit a grounder to third baseman Carlos Asuage, who forced out the runner at home. Masterson then retired Yastrzemski on a fly-out to left to end the inning.
After two scoreless innings, Masterson gave up a one-out walk to Snyder and then retired Perez on a grounder to short in the top of the fifth. Working on pitch count, he was then relieved by Simon Mercedes, who ended the inning with Mancinci’s grounder to short.
The Baysox rallied for three runs in the eighth. A hit batsman, infield error and walk loaded the bases and then Davis delivered a one-out sacrifice fly to tie the game. Martinez followed with a single up the middle to plate two more runs.
In seven starts for the Red Sox this season, Masterson is 2-2 with a 6.37 ERA, allowing 40 hits and 19 walks while striking out 24.
His appearance for Portland was the third season he has played in a Sea Dogs game, but his first on a rehab assignment. He previously pitched for the Sea Dogs during the 2007 and 2008 seasons and was 5-6 with a 4.30 ERA
He was the second Red Sox player to rehab with the Sea Dogs this season, joining Shane Victorino (May 8-9). Masterson was the 37th player to make a major league rehab assignment with the Portland Sea Dogs and the 31st as a Red Sox affiliate.