Red Sox slugger JD Martinez has that California Love
The Boston Red Sox made a rare trip to San Diego over the weekend and their powerhouse slugger made sure to pack some fireworks.
Over the weekend fans were treated to a rare trip to Petco Park as the Red Sox made their way to San Diego for the first time in years. The trip out west did very little to slow down the Boston offense and more importantly, J.D. Martinez. Beantown’s designated hitter flipped a switch and went into full MVP mode against the Padres.
It’s been said in passing whispers that Martinez is having a down year but if you look at his numbers it’s hard to believe that. He may not be putting up the numbers that he did last season but not many can keep a pace like that year to year. J.D. is still showing on a nightly basis why he’s considered one of the best hitters in the game today.
In 2019 many have tried to say that the Red Sox offense has paled in comparison to the World Series champions of a year ago. The funny thing is, this year’s team has outperformed last year’s in every metric except runs/RBI. J.D. did what he could to prove that point while in San Diego this weekend and he did so pretty damn well.
During the series with the Padres, Martinez went 5-11 with 3 HR/8 RBI/ 2 BB/ 3K, he was the driving force for the Boston victory on Friday night with 7 RBI in the tilt. The Sox are 6.0 games back in the wild card race and have a short five weeks left in the season. With J.D. swinging the bat as hot as he is they could see that deficit shrink in a hurry.
Another thing of note from Friday night’s clash at Petco is the fact that it now sets a career-high in RBI/game for J.D. at 7. “Flaco” went into Petco and did the damn thing and doesn’t seem to be slowing down as the season begins to close. Boston is going to need Martinez to continue raking the ball if they want any chance at seeing October baseball.
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The free-agent elephant in the room is also becoming more visible as the season winds down as J.D. will have the opportunity to opt-out of his contract after this year. It may be hard to retain the DH if Boston doesn’t make the postseason. An argument in favor of him staying is 2018’s success and the fact that this team is built around young stars and can bounce back in a hurry. Red Sox Nation will be waiting with bated breath as soon as the season ends to see what he does.
The Red Sox are in Colorado for the next two games against a subpar Rockies team that should allow them to pick up a pair of wins. With the rate that he’s smacking dingers lately, I can see the Denver night being peppered with moon-bombs. Boston then heads back to California to face the Angels which theoretically should favor Boston. We’ve seen how much J.D. liked his time in San Diego, hopefully, he’s just as fond of Anaheim.
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The Red Sox are in for the fight of their lives as they try and claw their way into the postseason. J.D. Martinez is a major part of this team and will play a big factor in whether or not they see October baseball. With his bat starting to get white-hot at just the right time, I have all the faith in Flaco to bring a postseason berth back to Boston.