Liam Hendriks delivered one of his most solid outings since returning to the majors.
For the second time in a row, the Australian-born pitcher retired a full inning without major issues. In fact, he topped 95 MPH with his fastball, according to Statcast.
«He’s doing better,» said manager Alex Cora after the Red Sox’s 6–1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night, in which the pitcher closed out the game in the ninth inning. «The fastball command was great. The velocity was solid.»
Hendriks has walked only one and allowed one hit over his last two outings. On Friday, he gave up a hit to Brooks Lee, then struck out Carlos Correa and got Ty France to ground into a double play.
“He is not the final product yet,” Cora added. “Little by little, we’re getting there. We like where we’re at.”
Hendriks closed out the game on Friday night after the Red Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth.
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The right-hander has yet to pitch in high-leverage situations. He is returning from Tommy John surgery and has also recovered from stage 4 cancer. He has made five appearances so far this season..
