Mata allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two over two innings in Thursday's game against the Phillies.
Mata made his first spring start with the major-league club. He's trying to buck a trend in an organization that hasn't had much success developing its own starters. The last homegrown pitcher to win as many as 10 games was Felix Doubront, who did it in 2012 and 2013. Mata dazzled at High-A Salem in 2019 (1.75 ERA in 10 starts) before facing a more challenging environment at Double-A Portland (5.03 ERA in 11 starts). The Red Sox have an open spot at the back end of the rotation and will need a fill-in while Chris Sale (illness) spends the first couple of weeks on the injured list, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. It's unlikely the Red Sox view Mata as a candidate for either of those spots, preferring he gets more seasoning in Portland and possibly hitting Triple-A Pawtucket in 2020.