Kluber allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings in Wednesday's spring start against the Rays.
On the day Kluber was named Boston's Opening Day starter, the right-hander authored the best of his four Grapefruit League outings. The 36-year-old commented on the progression he's made since the first outing, noting his ability to command pitches and throw them for strikes, per CJ Haddad of MLB.com. Kluber has allowed three runs on 13 hits and five walks while striking out 14 over 12.2 spring innings.
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Red Sox's Corey Kluber: Set for Opening Day start
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Kluber will start Opening Day versus the Orioles on March 30, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Manager Alex Cora confirmed Wednesday that Kluber will toe the rubber for the season opener at Fenway Park, stating that he informed Kluber of that decision in January. Kluber signed with the Red Sox this offseason and is looking to recapture some of his former glory as he joins his fourth team in four years. The right-hander produced a serviceable 4.34 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 139 strikeouts over 164 innings in 31 starts with Tampa Bay in 2022; however, his ERA has been at 3.83 or higher since 2018 after clocking in below that figure for each of the five seasons prior.
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Red Sox's Corey Kluber: Could start Opening Day
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Manager Alex Cora said Sunday there's a "good chance" Kluber starts against the Orioles on Opening Day, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Cora indicated he made the decision during the offseason that Chris Sale won't get the Opening Day nod, and Kluber is the current favorite to start. Kluber joined the Red Sox on a one-year deal that includes a club option for 2024 after he posted a 4.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 139:21 K:BB across 164 innings for the Rays last year.
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Red Sox's Corey Kluber: Gives up first runs
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Kluber allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three over three innings in Friday's spring start against the Blue Jays.
Kluber allowed his first Grapefruit League runs over three appearances. He possesses a 2.35 ERA with eight strikeouts over 7.2 innings. The right-hander will likely have at least three more spring outings to get ready for the regular season.
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Red Sox's Corey Kluber: Makes second spring start
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Kluber allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four over 2.2 scoreless innings in Sunday's spring start against the Marlins.
Kluber fanned the side in the first inning then worked around two baserunners in the second before leaving with the bases loaded in the third. All eight outs were either strikeouts or groundouts. Kluber has allowed four hits and two walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings.
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Red Sox's Corey Kluber: Makes Boston debut
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Kluber allowed two hits and struck out one over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against Miami.
Kluber was the first member of Boston's projected rotation to take the hill and worked around a pair of hits, including a leadoff double in the second inning. He threw 26 pitches (18 strikes) in what looked like a routine outing for the 36-year-old veteran. "He went through his progression, threw strikes, got weak contact," Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Ian Browne of MLB.com. "Now we'll move on to the next one." According to Browne, Kluber's next start is scheduled for Sunday, when he'll throw three innings.
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Red Sox's Corey Kluber: First spring start scheduled
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Kluber will make his first spring start Feb. 28 against the Marlins, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed his planned rotation for the first few spring games with Kluber being the first projected regular member of the rotation. The manager did not mention projected starters beyond Tuesday's night game against Miami. A slate of minor league pitchers will throw Friday's seven-inning exhibition against Northeastern University, a traditional spring kickoff for Boston. Saturday's starter is TBA while Josh Winckowski (Sunday) and Kutter Crawford (Monday) will follow.
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Red Sox's Corey Kluber: Throws first bullpen
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Kluber threw 31 pitches in a bullpen session Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Kluber is coming off a fully healthy season, his first since 2018. In 31 starts for the Rays, the right-hander posted a 4.34 ERA and showed hints of an effective pitcher that previously earned a Cy Young Award. The 36-year-old is looking to build off last season and will slot in the middle of Boston's rotation.
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Red Sox's Corey Kluber: Strikes deal with BoSox
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Kluber and the Red Sox agreed Wednesday on a one-year, $10 million contract that includes an $11 million club option for 2024 and additional incentives, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The 36-year-old makes his offseason home in Massachusetts, which may have factored into his decision to continue his career in Boston after a one-year stint in Tampa Bay. Though Kluber was able to steer clear of the health concerns that derailed him in each of the prior three seasons, the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner didn't return to peak form in 2022. His strikeout rate (20.2 percent) took a dramatic dip along with fastball velocity (88.9 miles per hour average), though a career-best 3.0 percent walk rate helped him maintain a respectable 1.21 WHIP over 164 innings. Altogether, Kluber still performed comfortably above the league median (117 ERA-, with 100 being average), so his addition should bring some stability to a Boston rotation that will be counting on two veterans with even more troubling injury histories (Chris Sale and James Paxton), not to mention younger arms such as Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello with more limited track records as starters at the big-league level.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: One mistake Sunday
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Kluber (10-10) took the loss Sunday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over five innings against the Astros. He struck out four.
Jose Altuve led off the game against Kluber with a bunt single, and Jeremy Pena followed with a two-run homer on a first-pitch cutter. Kluber held the Astros scoreless through five innings after that point, but the damage was enough to saddle him with his 10th loss on the season. The 2022 campaign was much of a bounceback campaign for the veteran, as his 164 innings pitched were the most he's thrown since he logged five consecutive seasons of 200 or more innings from 2014 to 2018. He finishes with a 4.34 ERA on the season.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Lasts four innings in no-decision
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Kluber allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five in four innings in a 6-5 extra-innings win Tuesday in Cleveland. He did not factor into the decision.
All three runs against Kluber came with two outs as Jose Ramirez tripled in a run in the third and Steven Kwan had a two-run single in the fourth. Kluber needed 91 pitches to get through the four innings and was removed rather than face the heart of Cleveland's lineup a third time. It's been feast or famine for the 36-year-old in September, as he's tossed seven innings while allowing one run or fewer on two occasions and given up 13 runs in 10.1 innings in his other three outings combined.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Goes seven strong Wednesday
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Kluber tossed seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk while striking out two in Wednesday's loss to the Astros. He did not factor into the decision.
Kluber went seven strong Wednesday, surrendering just one run on an Aledmys Diaz first-inning single. The 36-year-old rebounded well after a couple tough starts, producing his fifth quality start in his last seven starts. Kluber now owns a 4.30 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 130 punchouts over 155 innings in 29 starts this season.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Gives up four runs in loss
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Kluber (10-9) took the loss to Texas on Friday, allowing four runs on nine hits while striking out six and walking none over 5.2 innings.
For the fifth time in a row and the 15th time this season, Kluber did not walk a batter in a game. Unfortunately for Kluber and the Rays, he gave up four runs, giving him 10 earned in his last 6.1 innings pitched. The veteran righty's ERA spiked to 4.44 on the year after Friday's contest. Kluber is tentatively scheduled to face another tough matchup versus the Astros in his next appearance.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Can't escape first inning
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Kluber (10-8) took the loss Saturday, allowing six runs on eight hits over two-thirds of an inning against the Yankees. He did not record a strikeout or a walk.
Kluber simply did not have it on this particular afternoon. The Yankees started the home half of the first inning with seven consecutive singles, and an eighth single in the frame ultimately chased Kluber from the contest. The right-hander had turned in four consecutive quality starts coming into Saturday's game, and there wasn't any indication of an injury from the team afterward.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Strikes out four in win
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Kluber (10-7) earned the win against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out four and walking none over seven innings.
It was a vintage Kluber performance Saturday, as he limited the Yankees' offense to just two hits. He tossed 62 of 88 pitches for strikes across seven frames. Kluber now has three straight wins in his last three appearances and is on a streak of four quality starts. He has five quality starts in his last six games, with the exception being a seven-run clunker against the Orioles. After that game spiked his ERA to 4.40, Kluber has pitched well and his ERA now sits at 4.00.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Improves to 9-7
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Kluber yielded three runs on eight hits while striking out four over six innings Sunday. He earned a win against the Red Sox.
Kluber was tagged with three solo home runs in Sunday's win, beginning with Franchy Cordero's 403-foot blast in the third inning. It's the first time the veteran righty has given up multiple home runs in a start since May 10. He's now sporting a 4.21 ERA and a stellar 118:18 K:BB through 134.2 frames. However, despite going 4-2 over his last eight starts, Kluber owns a 5.40 ERA during that span. He's projected to face the Yankees at home next weekend.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Effective against Angels
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Kluber (8-7) earned the win after he tossed six innings, giving up one run on five hits while striking out three in Tuesday's win over the Angels.
Kluber pitched five scoreless frames before Mike Trout took him deep for a solo shot in the top of the sixth, accounting for the only blemish on the right-hander's line Tuesday. The 36-year-old has now registered two consecutive quality starts after he got blown up for seven runs Aug. 12 versus the Orioles. Kluber now owns a 4.20 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 114 strikeouts over 128.2 innings in 24 outings this year.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Solid outing in slug fest
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Kluber did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk over six innings against the Yankees. He struck out eight.
Kluber kept the Yankees off the board until the sixth inning, when Gleyber Torres launched a two-run homer. Even with the solid performance, the righty has struggled lately with a 5.62 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 49.2 innings across his last nine starts. Additionally, the 36-year-old has allowed four runs or more in five of those nine outings.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Crushed by Orioles
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Kluber (7-7) yielded seven runs on 10 hits and a walk over 5.2 innings Friday, striking out four and taking a loss against Baltimore.
Kluber gave up a solo home run to Adley Rutschman in the first inning but most of the damage against him didn't come until the sixth. The veteran righty was charged with four runs in the frame, including one after he was removed from the contest. Kluber has given up at least three runs in five straight starts, posting an unsightly 6.91 ERA during that stretch. He'll carry a 4.40 ERA into his projected road start against the Yankees next week.
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Rays' Corey Kluber: Picks up seventh win
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Kluber (7-6) allowed four earned runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out 10 across six innings to earn the win Saturday against the Guardians.
Kluber allowed only one earned run through five innings of work, but he served up a three-run homer to Andres Gimenez to partially spoil his outing. Despite the long ball, Kluber racked up a season-high 10 strikeouts -- primarily on the strength of 23 called strikes. Kluber has allowed four earned runs in three consecutive starts spanning 17 frames, though Saturday's outing was encouraging. Overall, he owns a 4.03 ERA and 94:16 K:BB across 105 innings on the season.
