Following David Wells’ throwing batting practice to the Orioles yesterday, he made the following comments to the Providence Journal’s Sean McAdam.
After Wells got hit around yesterday, yielding four runs in the sixth inning of a rain-shortened 6-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, his new teammates didn’t hesistate to give him a hard time. Wells said catcher Jason Varitek shook his head and smiled at him. Kevin Millar offered some more pointed comments, which Wells didn’t share.
“I didn’t know what to expect [from the rest of the Red Sox],” Wells said. “But I’m having the time of my life . . . They make you forget a bad outing.
“‘Some guys can’t handle [candid feedback from teammates]. I don’t know if [Yankee starter] Kevin Brown can. But guys like me, basically, you don’t care what they say.
“Coming in here, it’s like I’ve been here for 20 years. It’s very loosey-goosey.”
Wells gave up six runs on 11 hits, but he wasn’t concerned.
“I just want to build up my [pitch] count,” said Wells, who has one more exhibition tuneup on Monday before pitching the April 3 season-opener. “Good outing or bad outing . . . as long as I’m ready for the season.”
In any event, it is comforting to know that Wells is untroubled by such a poor outing… andhopefully he’ll maintain the same positive attitude after opening day.