All Betts off to end trip
After 98 straight, RF sits 1 out
SEATTLE — Mookie Betts finally got a day off.
It wasn’t like he was in a deep slump, though after going 0-for-6 in Tuesday night’s 13-inning loss to the Seattle Mariners and 2-for18 in his last four games, the timing seemed right. Betts was out of the lineup and enjoyed a full day of rest as Chris Sale led the Red Sox to a 4-0 shutout yesterday to close the six-game road trip.
The right fielder had played in 98 straight games dating to April 9, the longest streak by any Sox player since former first baseman Mo Vaughn went 153 straight in 1997-98.
“He’s been a highly dependable and durable player, a very good player for us,” manager John Farrell said. “Felt like with the off day (today), this is a chance for him to maybe recharge a little bit more before we start up a 10-day homestand. He’s played every inning over this post-All-Star-break stretch, and that’s been taxing. He and (center fielder) Jackie Bradley Jr. are probably the only two who have been on the field every inning. You don’t take for granted their durability, but you certainly appreciate it. And this is a day well deserved for him.”
Betts’ four-game cold streak comes after he was hitting .309 with a .923 OPS in his previous 39 games.
Farrell was asked if Betts might be putting too much pressure on himself while hitting leadoff for a struggling offense. The Sox had lost all four games while Betts struggled.
“Knowing Mookie, that wouldn’t surprise me if that were the case,” Farrell said. “I can’t say that it is for sure, but a highly conscientious guy who cares a lot. He takes our performance personal, and he know his importance to our lineup.”
The Sox have talked to Betts about self-imposed pressure, Farrell said.
“That’s been an ongoing conversation,” he said. “And I think it’s admirable on his part. He knows his place. He and (second baseman Dustin Pedroia) are very similar in that regard, and all of our guys. What we do on the field is personal. They take it personally. But Mookie coming off the big two years that he’s had might put a little extra significance on what’s taking place currently.”
Bogaerts falls short
Xander Bogaerts was 0-for-4 in the win and has gone three straight games without a hit. The shortstop has just one multi-hit game since June 28.
Bogaerts has been beatup ever since he was supposed to get an off day June 30 in Toronto after starting 63 straight games but was forced into action in the 10th inning. He drove in the game-winning run that day against the Blue Jays, but injured his groin in the process. He was also hit on the hand by a pitch July 6 in a road game against the Tampa Bay Rays and has often wrapped it up before and after games.
Since June 30, Bogaerts is 9-for-64 (.141) with 18 strikeouts and five walks. His average is down to .284 to go with six homers and 43 RBI.
With the Red Sox acquiring utility man Eduardo Nunez from the San Francisco Giants late Tuesday for a pair of minor league pitchers, it might seem like a perfect time to get Bogaerts some rest, if not place him on the 10-day disabled list. Nunez has played 265 games at shortstop in his career, including 11 this season.
Farrell said extended rest is not the answer for Bogaerts.
“He’s been banged-up a little bit with the hit by pitch, but he’s also been down 11 days this month,” Farrell said. “So we’re trying to get him over that. And then when you watch him in his early work, watch the BP he takes, it’s hard to suggest any ailment is affecting his swing because he’s driving the baseball out of the ballpark with routine ability. And yet there are some timing things we’re trying to work through right now with Xander.”
Nunez up in air
There is no plan for Nunez yet. When the Sox play again tomorrow night against the Kansas City Royals, he’s scheduled to be with his new team at Fenway Park.
“I think it’s important for us to meet face to face,” Farrell said. “Have had a couple of personal experiences with him in the past on a team that went to Japan, so we’re adding a quality guy. A highenergy player that can run the bases well. He’s got really good line-drive power, so his .300-plus batting average (.308 this season; .279 for his career) to mix into this lineup is a good addition.” . . .
Mitch Moreland was 0-for3 with a sacrifice fly in the trip finale. Since July 5, the first baseman is just 6-for-57 (.105).
“We’re trying to get him back on track to at or near the level of production that he had in the first half for us,” Farrell said.
Relief in sight
The relief corps was altered before the game. Blaine Boyer (elbow) was activated and Ben Taylor (oblique) went on the disabled list.
Boyer came on to open the eighth and pitched 11⁄ scoreless innings, but he gave way to Craig Kimbrel after allowing a single and a walk in the ninth. Kimbrel registered back-to-back strikeouts to secure a seventh straight season of at least 25 saves.