Rays' Chris Archer: Pleased with Thursday's start

Archer allowed two earned runs on five hits and a walk over three innings in a 6-6 Grapefruit League tie with the Red Sox on Thursday. He also recorded a strikeout.

The final line was far from sharp, but according to a report from Glenn Sattell of MLB.com, Archer was elated with his overall performance. "Today's the best I've felt all spring," said Archer. "I was able to face a really good team, get a lot of outs and get outs in ways I typically wouldn't. Lot of changeups, got a lot of good feedback. Not all of them were strikes, but high-quality pitches." The changeup was a particular source of pride for the hard-throwing right-hander, who noted that he was glad to see the official scorer often mistake it for a slider, an indication of how well-disguised it generally was. Archer stretched out to 47 pitches overall and was also pleased with the results his actual slider yielded, a pitch he was able to miss multiple bats with as well. Ramping up for a likely Opening Day turn, Archer will look to up his workload in a projected start against the Phillies next Tuesday.