For the second straight season, the Red Sox are looking for some offensive production from their first basemen.
Entering Saturday, the Sox were dead last in batting average at the position (.152), slugging percentage (.242) and slugging percentage on base (.482). They have produced just one home run which also ranks last in the league. bobby dalbec the fights at the plate have continued. He is batting just .160 and has struck out 32 times in 113 plate appearances, forcing the Sox to turn to Franchy Cordero. Cordero is hitting .273 in his last seven games before Saturday. However, the Sox are still desperate for some kind of production.
Woosox infielder Ryan Fitzgerald he’s been getting some reps at first base this year and made his first start at the position with top prospect sad houses (swollen ankle) out of alignment. baseball manager chaim flower made it clear that he wants to give Casas more time in Triple-A, considering he hasn’t had a full season at the level. Fitzgerald, meanwhile, entered the day hitting .303/.365/.621 with nine home runs in 149 plate appearances. He very well could be an option for the Sox, providing another left-handed bat.
For now, though, the Red Sox are still trying to do everything they can to make Dalbec work.
“He can pull the ball with power and that’s what he did in August of last year and you saw the difference with him,” the coach Alex Cora said this week. “He’s been a little late on the fastball, obviously up front on the breaking ball. [Hitting the ball out of the ballpark] it’s part of their game, we know. For a lineup that needs power, it will be good for him to start hitting the ball in the air and out of the ballpark.”
bogaert returns
Xander Bogaerts returned to the lineup Saturday against the Mariners after colliding with Alex Verdugo on an eighth-inning fly ball of Friday night’s 7-3 victory at Fenway Park. Bogaerts left the game in the bottom half of that frame. Cora said Bogaerts texted her Saturday morning and told her he was ready to go. Bogaerts was moving well enough for the team to put him in the lineup. With next Monday off, there’s a chance Bogaerts sits in Sunday’s series finale. “One thing about Xander is that he doesn’t like days off. [at Fenway]”, Cora said before the game. “But obviously we’ll be smart about it and if he needs a day off, we’ll give it to him.” . . . Verdugo left Saturday’s game due to illness in the top of the second inning. Cordero, who started first base, moved to left field in place of Verdugo. Dalbec entered the game to play first. Dalbec entered the game to play first. He recorded his 100th career RBI from him during a four-run fifth-inning outburst that he tied, 5-5, driving in jd martinez with a single to right field that scored a run that brought the Sox within 5-4 . . . chris sale he threw a 15-pitch bullpen this week. james paxton (Tommy John) still isn’t pitching after being shut down a couple of weeks ago with elbow inflammation. Sale was also shut down for what was described as a non-medical issue unrelated to his rib cage fracture. Cora said that she will have an update on WooSox headline Connor Seabold (right pectoral strain) in the next few days.
Julian McWilliams can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @byJulianMack.
Reference-www.bostonglobe.com