FORT MYERS, Fla. — Byron Buxton led off the Twins' first Grapefruit League game of the spring with a single Thursday and promptly stole second base. And sure, the fact that those two minutes represent the biggest offensive outburst of the day for Minnesota in a deflating 14-1 loss to the Red Sox at JetBlue Park doesn't look good.

But Buxton did — and that's more important.

"I kind of told Tom [coach Tommy Watkins] that if I get on, I'm going, first pitch," Buxton said of his steal, only his second of the past three spring camps. "My legs feel good, my hips feel good, I feel good. Nothing holding me back now."

The Twins couldn't do much to hold back the makeshift Red Sox lineup, not with a roster of Class AA pitchers making the 5-mile journey. Cole Sands allowed four runs on six hits in his two innings of work, the biggest being Bobby Dalbec's two-run home run just two batters in.

Boston tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning on a ground-rule double by Tyreque Reed off Kody Funderburk, two more in the seventh inning off Austin Schulfer, and six in the eighth against Melvi Acosta.

The Twins had no such onslaught: After Buxton's leadoff single, they managed only one more hit all day, a fifth-inning single by Jose Miranda. They avoided a shutout by drawing three walks and a hit batter in the third inning, with Miguel Sano's bases-loaded walk driving in the lone Twins run.

Minnesota next visits North Port on Friday to face the World Series champion Braves. Lefthander Devin Smeltzer will start for the Twins.