Porcello upset after 'getting my a-- handed to me'

Eager to put a disappointing first season with the Boston Red Sox behind him, Rick Porcello found little encouragement from his start Sunday.

After retiring the first five Tampa Bay Rays in order, the wheels fell off for Porcello with two outs in the second inning. The Rays scored six times off seven hits before Corey Dickerson flied out to end the inning. Porcello would follow by allowing two more runs in the third before his day finished.

"(Not happy) with getting my ass handed to me," Porcello told reporters following the outing.

The 27-year-old allowed one run off three hits over two innings in his first start, but saw his spring ERA balloon to 16.20 following Sunday's performance.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

"It's a work in progress," Porcello said. "Clearly I'm not where I want to be yet, but it's getting there."

Porcello inked a four-year, $82.5-million extension prior to even throwing a pitch last season. He would go 9-15 with a 4.92 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 28 starts.