Red Sox notes: Nunez brings the energy (and a rebuilt knee); 3 things we learned

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Alex Cora knows what a difference-maker Eduardo Nunez can be. A year ago, he saw it from the opposing dugout. This year, he gets to be Nunez's manager.

In his role as Astros bench coach in 2017, Cora saw the impact Nunez made when he arrived in July in a trade with the San Francisco Giants.

"It was an explosive offense with him from pitch one. It was a different dynamic,'' said Cora. "He brought energy. He was dangerous at the plate and the baserunning part of it, he was a factor. (In getting ready for the ALDS) we had to prepare for two different teams – one with Eduardo and one without him.

"With Eduardo, it was very different because it was a different approach. He was aggressive from pitch one. There was no 'get-me-over fastball' and get ahead – you have to be ready from pitch one and that makes a difference. He had that energy burst. He's a dynamic player and he made his lineup a lot different.''

Indeed, without Nunez, the Sox averaged 4.79 runs per game; with him, that number increased to 5.03 runs per game.

After his late signing and some time to get his legs ready for game action, Nunez made his Grapefruit League debut Thursday in the Red Sox' 6-6 tie with Tampa Bay. He was hitless in two at-bats but was pleased with how his right knee responded. Nunez was sidelined twice in the regular season and again in the playoffs with a PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) strain, but rehabbed all winter and passed all the Red Sox' tests before his contract was made official.

"It was a good day today,'' said Nunez. "When I (ranged to the middle of the infield on a ball), I thought I was going to feel something and I guess not. So, I'm happy. Everything now is about my knee and how it feels.''

Asked how his first live at-bats since October felt, Nunez smiled and said: "Too hard. On some swings, I expected the knee would bother me, but it's not bothering me yet, so that's good. I don't care about what I produce (in spring); I care about my knee right now.''

Three Things We Learned from the Red Sox' 6-6 tie

After a rough first inning, Brian Johnson figured out how to make some adjustments on the fly: The first four Rays reached (three hits and a walk), producing a quick 3-0 deficit for the Sox. But Johnson and catcher Blake Swihart quickly made some changes, and Johnson was far better, getting three straight outs to end the first before striking out the side in the second. He allowed only one more baserunner the rest of the way.

"They attacked early,'' said Johnson. "They came out with a game plan and it worked. Then we switched up and mixed up my pitches in the second and third (innings) and that helped. They came out swinging, so I got away from early-pitch fastballs and started pitching backwards a little bit.''

J.D. Martinez has found his opposite-field stroke early: Martinez is typically a slow starter in the spring, but in his second game appearance, he collected three hits -- all to right field, a good sign for someone who frequently goes the other way.

"It's a good sign for me (just) to be making contact right now,'' said Martinez. "But to be able to hit it that way is obviously a plus, so I'm happy about it. I usually don't make contact this early. I don't look into (results) at all. I won't look at it until the last week (of spring training), when I'm really trying to grind, see pitches and work counts. That's kind of when I start hitting the 'Where am I at?' button.''

Martinez is intrigued with the athleticism the Red Sox lineup presents: He's been part of two powerful lineups before -- one in Detroit (Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez) and another in Arizona (Paul Goldschmidt, Jake Lamb) -- but welcomes the speed of Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and others.

"It's different then from the other lineups I've been in,'' he said. "There's a lot more speed. I feel like there's a lot of guys here who burn you on the bases. They're going to run. That's dangerous when you have guys who can move like that. The home run is great because obviously, it's a quick run. But that's not always going to play. You want guys on base putting pressure on that pitcher and that's what we have here.''

UPCOMING PITCHING PLANS:

Friday at Jupiter (Miami Marlins): LHP Chris Sale, RHP Brandon Workman, LHP Roenis Elias, LHP Bobby Poyner

Saturday, Minnesota: LHP David Price, RHP Joe Kelly, RHP Matt Barnes, RHP Carson Smith, LHP Robby Scott.