FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Francis Martes, the top-ranked Astros prospect by MLBPipeline.com, fired three dominant innings in relief en route to Friday's 6-2 victory over the Red Sox at JetBlue Park.
The right-hander retired all nine batters he faced, striking out three of them.
"That's a big arm," Red Sox manager John Farrell said of Martes. "He's powerful. He's got some quality secondary stuff. He's consistently in the mid-90s. He's a good-looking power pitcher."
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez turned in another solid start for the Red Sox, giving up two hits and no runs over four-plus innings. Rodriguez walked three and struck out six.
"Every pitch felt good," said Rodriguez, who lowered his Grapefruit League ERA to 2.09. "I felt under control most of the time."
Brad Peacock, who is out of Minor League options, made the start for the Astros, giving up four hits and a run in three innings.
• Peacock helps case for spot
"I felt good," Peacock said. "It's the best I've felt all spring. Offspeed is still coming along. It's still not as sharp as I want it to be. But still working on it."
Evan Gattis had two hits, including a double, for the Astros. Sam Travis, Boston's No. 4 prospect, went 1-for-3 and is hitting .344 this spring.
• JBJ wants to cut down on K's
Astros Up Next: The Astros host the Nationals on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET on Gameday Audio. Right-hander Charlie Morton is scheduled to make his fourth Grapefruit League start. In his three previous outings, spanning nine innings, he has allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
Red Sox Up Next:Rick Porcello will start Saturday's 1:05 p.m. ET road contest against the Twins on MLB.TV, the righty's first outing since manager John Farrell announced that he will get the ball on Opening Day. Knuckleballer Steven Wright will piggyback Porcello in relief as he continues to get stretched out. The Red Sox will have a solid contingent of position players in the lineup, including Dustin Pedroia, Pablo Sandoval, Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.