Britton dominates Twins

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- After pitching 18 games for the Red Sox last season, lefty Drake Britton clearly has some confidence this spring.

In his first Grapefruit League outing, Saturday's 6-2 loss to Minnesota, Britton struck out four of the seven batters he faced and allowed just one hit.

"He was crisp. He was powerful," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "One of the more impressive things was his ability to throw the fastball in on some right-handers -- and he had an assortment of secondary pitches. He threw both his breaking ball and his changeup for strikes."

Though it could be tough for Britton to win a spot in a loaded bullpen, he is clearly a pitcher the organization thinks highly of.

"Do just what I've been doing," Britton said. "I've been told, 'Don't change a thing,' just keep doing what I'm doing, and that's what I'm focused on."

For Britton, it was gratifying that some of his work paid off in game action.

"I've been working really hard on my mechanics and being able to put myself in a very good position to deliver the baseball down in the zone," Britton said. "It all came together for me today."