Red Sox Strut: Third baseman Rafael Devers, LHP Chris Sale
A weekly article series where we examine two players who deserve to strut their stuff for the Boston Red Sox. This week – Rafael Devers, Chris Sale.
If you want to fully understand what the Red Sox Strut is, it means to have reason to walk with a confident, proud air around you. Some people mistake it for vanity, arrogance, or being pompous. This incorrect assumption is not what we mean. The Strut is about knowing that your deeds showed off your amazing skills to the baseball-loving public.
The Boston Red Sox ride into the final week of the regular season on a six-game winning streak.
After taking two out of three against the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston wrapped up their final road trip of the season by sweeping the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds. They finish with an impressive 45-36 road record that is third best in the American League.
The Red Sox head home to Fenway Park to finish out the regular season schedule with three games against the Toronto Blue Jays followed by a four-game set with a Houston Astros team they may see in the ALDS.
Boston has a five-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East division race with seven games remaining. They have already clinched a playoff spot and are likely to have secured the division before starting their series with Houston. How the Red Sox approach that series will depend on if they have any chance of catching the Astros for home-field advantage in the opening round of the postseason.
Let’s have a look at the players who have helped fuel this strong sprint to the finish line.
Position Player Candidates
Mookie Betts carried the Red Sox to an eighth-inning comeback on Sunday in Cincinnati. His three-run double tied the game and he would end up scoring the winning run with some aggressive baserunning that allowed him to score from second base on an infield single. Betts finished the week going 6-for-22 (.273) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and a team-high nine RBI.
Brock Holt is starting to see more regular playing time with Dustin Pedroia‘s ailing knee preventing him from playing every day. He went 3-for-9 (.333) last week with a double and three RBI, showing signs he may be finally finding a rhythm at the plate. Holt is in danger of losing playing time again with Eduardo Nunez on the verge of a return. If the Red Sox ease Nunez back in by using him as the DH for a few games then it opens more opportunities for the versatile Holt to remain in the lineup.
Not even a long road trip can cool off the bat of Christian Vazquez. Much has been made about his drastic home/road splits this season but the young catcher remained a threat in the lineup through the team’s recent nine-game trip. Vazquez went 8-for-25 (.320) over his last eight games on the road, including three multi-hit games.
Hanley Ramirez returned from a brief bout with biceps soreness to collect three hits, including a pair of doubles, and three RBI in a win over Baltimore. It would end up being his only start of the week as the Red Sox moved on to a National League park that deprived their lineup of the DH. Ramirez was limited to pinch-hit duty, failing to reach base in both opportunities against the Reds.
Position Player who gets to Strut
The grueling major league schedule takes time to adapt to, especially for a 20-year old who raced through the minor league system. Rafael Devers was starting to show signs of hitting that rookie wall this month. He was still collecting a fair amount of hits but the prestigious power that he flashed following his big league call-up evaporated, with Dever going over a full month without a home run. Even worse was his dip in production in the field. Devers appeared better than advertised at third base when he first arrived but lately, the mistakes had been piling up.
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Even worse was his dip in production in the field. Devers appeared better than advertised at third base when he first arrived but lately, the mistakes had been piling up.
The Red Sox sat Devers on the bench for a game last week in the wake of five consecutive games in which he committed an error. With a scheduled off day to follow, Devers had two full days to clear his head and recharge his batteries.
The brief rest paid off. Devers returned to collect five hits in 11 at-bats during the weekend series in Cincinnati. He also fielded his position cleanly without committing an error in the series.
Devers blasted a three-run homer in the fifth inning of Friday night’s game that proved to be the game-winner against the Reds. Two days later he put Boston on the board with a solo shot in a game the Red Sox would go on to win by one run.
Over the past week, Devers leads the team with a .450 batting average, nine hits. two home runs and a 1.276 OPS. The rookie is finishing the season strong as he approaches his first taste of the postseason.
Pitching Candidates
With the No. 3 spot in the Red Sox postseason rotation still up for grabs, Eduardo Rodriguez made a statement for his case with a masterpiece on Saturday. E-Rod tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings against the Reds, allowing only three hits, two walks and striking out six. He’s been brilliant this month, posting a 1.78 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings in September. Rodriguez seems to have straightened out the inconsistencies that plagued him following a return from a knee injury. He now owns a 3.91 ERA that ranks 19th in the league among pitchers with at least 130 innings pitched.
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Drew Pomeranz was deprived of the chance for his 17th win in a game where he shutout the Baltimore Orioles over 6 1/3 innings. Boston would go on to win the game in 11 innings, long after the starter had departed. He now ranks fifth in the league with a 3.15 ERA.
It took a minute for Addison Reed to settle into his new home but he’s finally starting to resemble the setup man the Red Sox hoped to acquire. Reed logged 4 1/3 innings last week without allowing a run and struck out six. His 0.87 WHIP during his brief tenure in Boston is lower than any he’s produced in a full season. The problem has been the home runs. He’s allowed four already in 23 innings with the Red Sox but the last one came back on September 3. Reed hasn’t allowed an earned run over his last 10 appearances.
David Price may have found his niche as the long man out of the bullpen. He’s made two appearances since his return, lasting at least two innings in each without allowing a run. Price has struck out four over 4 2/3 innings and earned a win in his last appearance.
Craig Kimbrel continues to do Craig Kimbrel things. It’s no surprise he had another dominant week. Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that he leads all major league relievers in ERA (1.34), K/9 (16.39), WHIP (0.66), opponent AVG (.132), and strikeout percentage (49.6).
Pitcher who gets to Strut
Who else? Chris Sale has to strut the week after he became the second pitcher in franchise history to strikeout 300 batters in a season. He’s also the first AL pitcher to do it since Pedro Martinez in 1999.
Sale blanked the Orioles over eight innings on Wednesday, striking out 13 to reach the 300 milestone. The Red Sox had been monitoring Sale’s pitch counts of late to keep him fresh with the postseason approaching. That led some to believe that manager John Farrell was being reckless in sending Sale back out for the eighth inning to chase his 300th K. Farrell admitted that he was well aware of the strikeout total when he made the decision but was also factoring in Sale’s pitch count and the extra day of rest before his next start. Sale ended up throwing 111 pitches in the game, a number he’s met or exceeded 14 times this season. That’s hardly an indication that the pitcher was being overworked.
Time is running on the schedule but Sale will make at least one more start this season as he pursues Pedro’s single-season strikeout record of 313. He’ll need to strikeout 13 Blue Jays on Tuesday, which he accomplished against Toronto back in April. That’s just to tie Pedro. If Sale wants the record to himself he’ll need 14 K’s, which would be a season-high. Don’t bank on that happening.
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Sale’s only realistic shot at the record is if he starts the final day of the regular season, which won’t happen unless home-field advantage in the ALDS is on the line. Even in that scenario, Boston may ultimately decide that having Sale available for two starts in the series is more important than home-field.