Buchholz's Back Behaving; Crawford Commences Casual Casting

Clay Buchholz worked on his changeup last night against the Pirates, and was happy with the results. He threw 51 pitches over three innings.

It felt good. ... I wanted to go out and throw changeups behind in the count to get a feel for it. It's a pitch I feel I have to throw to complement the fastball and the other pitches that I have. ... [My back has] been good. I haven't had any lapses or any pain or days that I needed to take a light day or a day off.

Carl Crawford has begun a throwing program and made 35 tosses from 60 feet yesterday. According to Bobby Valentine,

He was under the watchful eye of a couple of trainers and a couple of pitching coaches. Everyone liked what they saw and, better yet, he felt as good afterward as he felt before. ... Next is going to be some light swinging - in the cage, off the tee, in a controlled environment.

Lars Anderson, blocked at first base by Adrian Gonzalez, will get some time in left field. ... Valentine hinted that Alfredo Aceves may serve as the backup closer, which would likely mean he is not being considered for the fifth starter spot.

Boston's new closer has no desire to discuss whether one team's fan base is smarter than another, unlike the team's old closer. Andrew Bailey: "There's no reason to cause drama from my perspective."

Michael Bowden has thrown 4.2 perfect innings this spring. Valentine: "His fastball was down in the zone ... and he had a good split working off it. ... I liked what I saw. He'll get more quality innings."

Game Note Of The Day, from Alex Speier: "Darnell McDonald threatened to end modern telecommunications as we know it with his satellite-menacing blast into geosynchronous orbit of a fastball by Pirates lefty Doug Slaten."