Red Sox starter Rick Porcello reaps new battery benefits with Christian Vazquez

12:15 AM ET

BOSTON — Last Friday night, Rick Porcello formed his first battery with fiery Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez in a 5-3 win over Toronto, and he was given the ground rules early when he tried to shake off a call from the demonstrative youngster, who simply shook back. On Wednesday night, Porcello felt juiced about his changeup coming out of his pregame bullpen session and thought he could whiff a few Tampa Bay Rays hitters with it. Vazquez got hip to the idea quickly, and the result was a season-high nine K’s and Porcello’s third win in as many starts as the Red Sox prevailed 7-3.

Clearly the two have come to appreciate each other fast. Asked about his comfort level with his new batterymate, Porcello offered up a chuckle before saying, “I think you can see it pretty easy on TV.”

“He’s got great hands. I think everybody talks about how well he blocks the ball, and everything like that, but he’s really got a great feel for calling games,” Porcello continued of …

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