Red Sox Strut: Jackie Bradley, Matt Barnes earn top honors this week
By Sean Penney
Position Player Candidates
Hanley Ramirez was essentially a non-factor in the two games in St. Louis. The Red Sox still aren’t ready to let him try playing first base again, which limited him to only a pinch-hit appearance in each of the games against the Cardinals. He failed to deliver in both cases. However, he came through with at least one hit in each of the four games in Oakland, including a three-hit performance on Sunday. He hit .368 with a homer and four RBI over the past week.
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There must be something about Oakland that gets Mitch Moreland going at the plate, as he blasted three home runs in the series against the A’s. He now has 14 career home runs hitting in the Oakland Coliseum, which is more than he’s hit in any other visiting ballpark. Moreland led the team in home runs and RBI this week, but also hit a meager .227 over 22 at-bats.
Outfielder Chris Young found his way into the lineup four times last week, going 4-for-9 (.444) at the plate. That gave him the highest batting average on the team among Red Sox players that appeared in more than one game. A double was the only extra-base hit he produced in that span and he drove in only two runs, so it was a good performance but not quite enough to Strut.