Eovaldi allowed one run on one hit and a walk while striking out one in three innings Wednesday against the Twins.
Eovaldi geared up quickly in his first Grapefruit League start, hitting 94 mph on his first pitch to leadoff batter Marwin Gonzalez, then hitting 99 mph before the at-bat was over. Earlier in camp, he talked about his growth as a pitcher since joining the Red Sox and echoed those comments to Ian Browne of MLB.com following the game. "Yeah, just being able to throw different pitches, not having to rely on just your fastball and your slider," Eovaldi said. "I can rely on other pitches, and I feel like I've grown as a pitcher since then, and just working with our catchers and pitching coaches to be able to do that." Eovaldi, who has become a mini-folk hero in Boston for what he did in the postseason, sounds confident as he steps into the fourth spot in Boston's rotation to begin 2019.