As the Major League Baseball lockout drags on, baseball fans could use a pick-me-up. Matt Barnes obliged them Thursday.
The Boston Red Sox relief pitcher posted a live stream video on his Instagram story of he and three teammates -- Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford -- throwing bullpens and live batting practice sessions at Florida Gulf Coast University.
While MLB and the MLB Players' Association continue their stalemate -- an MLB spokesperson said regular-season games could be canceled if the two sides don't agree on a new collective bargaining agreement by Monday -- it was a welcome sight to see Red Sox pitchers throw on an actual diamond.
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That's especially true for Sale, who is hoping to regain his full ace form in 2022 after posting mixed results in his return from Tommy John surgery late in 2021.
Here are a few videos of Sale throwing in the bullpen, on the mound and to FGCU hitters:
And here's Pivetta generating swings-and-misses while Barnes narrates in the background:
Pivetta's throwing session came after he defended the Players' Association on Twitter earlier in the morning.
MLB players can't train at their team facilities, but they're still finding ways to get their work in -- Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock and Chicago White Sox hurler Kendall Graveman joined forces to throw in an exhibition game in Birmingham, Ala., this week.
Here's hoping the league and the players' union can find common ground soon, and that we'll see Sale, Pivetta, Barnes and the rest of the Red Sox pitching staff return to MLB diamonds in the near future.
