FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Nick Pivetta’s quest to start over with the Red Sox is off to a good start.

In his Grapefruit League debut on Wednesday, Pivetta gave up a wind-blown solo homer to Mitch Garver, but he was otherwise sharp in a two-inning performance in which he retired six of the eight batters he faced.

The righty gave up just the one hit, while walking none and striking out one in Boston’s 14-6 road win against the Twins at Hammond Stadium.

The team’s projected fourth or fifth starter, Pivetta is no longer burdened by the expectations he could never seem to live up to in Philadelphia.

“For me, it’s just getting back to my normal self, how I started my career,” Pivetta said. “Just having that confidence, having my plan and sticking to it and just going out and being myself for the most part. Obviously, the Red Sox have a lot to offer. [Dave] Bush is a tremendous pitching coach and he has a lot of really great knowledge all around the board. So it’s working with him, getting those details fine-lined down and getting ready for the season to compete and do a really good job and help this team really get to where we want to go.”

After he was acquired by the Red Sox -- along with Minor League righty Connor Seabold -- for Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree last August, Pivetta spent extended time at the alternate training site in Pawtucket, R.I.

Given the chance to make two starts for the Red Sox at the end of the season, Pivetta was sharp, going 2-0 and giving up two earned runs in 10 innings.

Pivetta thinks he has made a lot more progress since then, and he carried that with him to the mound on Wednesday.

“I worked really, really hard in the weight room this offseason, worked hard on my mechanics, worked on how I delivered pitches, commanding my pitches better, and game-planning,” said Pivetta. “So I’d say a lot better. I’d say I’m in a really good position right now. I’m feeling really confident.”

Dalbec launches two more

Rookie Bobby Dalbec came into camp as the heavy favorite to be the team’s starting first baseman. Now, he looks like a lock.

The slugger belted two more homers on Wednesday to give him three in his first eight at-bats of Spring Training.

“It was fun to watch on TV [last season],” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “It’s a lot better to watch in person. He’s saying all the right things. He’s acting the right way. He’s a good baseball player. He cares about the other stuff: baserunning, defense. His work ethic is amazing, I’m happy for him. The work he puts in with [hitting coaches] Timmy [Hyers] and Peter [Fatse] is relentless. Two-strike homers, they count too, and he knows it. If he makes contact, good things are going to happen.”

Mata to undergo MRI
Righty Bryan Mata, Boston’s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was supposed to make his Grapefruit League debut on Wednesday in relief, but it was pushed back for health reasons.

“He’s going to have an MRI [Thursday], so we’ll probably know more in a couple of days,” said Cora. “Just a little bit sore on the back side of his triceps. So we’re going to push him back, give him a few days of treatment, see how he reacts, and hopefully, right now as it is, it’s nothing serious.

“He’s very important for us. We’re making sure we slow it down the right way. Like I said, hopefully he can get on the mound sooner rather than later.”

Taking it slow with Xander
The Red Sox still don’t have a timetable for when shortstop Xander Bogaerts (right shoulder) will play in his first Spring Training game.

“He hit off the tee yesterday, 30 swings. Today, probably he’ll go through the same progression, he’s feeling better,” said Cora. “When you start seeing him walking around and taking grounders and running and outside, it means he’s ready to go. We’ve got to make sure he understands we’re not going to rush him. We have to make sure his progression is the right one, and we still have plenty of time for him to build up and get his at-bats and be ready for the start of the season.”

Verdugo to debut Friday
Outfielder Alex Verdugo is projected to play his first game of the spring on Friday. There are no physical issues. Instead, the left-handed hitter is just trying to regain the swing that made him so successful last year.

“Getting to know Alex, as far as the swing is, he’s not ready,” said Cora. “He feels like he’s not ready for action, although he’s been on the back fields facing a lot of guys. I told him not to rush. I think Friday [and] Sunday is pretty good for him. What I really want is for him to go out there and play defense with everybody else, that’s the most important thing.

“But as far as his swing and his health, he’s OK. It’s just one of those that we talked a little bit and I decided, ‘OK, let’s shoot for Friday, you play two games and then after the off-day, we get more consistent playing time.”’

Up next
The Red Sox will get their first look at free-agent acquisition Matt Andriese when he starts Thursday's road game against the Orioles. Boston is looking for the righty to be an invaluable swingman this season. First pitch in Sarasota, Fla., is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET. Listen live on MLB Audio.