Travis again shows off power
JUPITER, Fla. — Sam Travis hit a pair of home runs yesterday, an unnecessary reminder that his primary calling card is his power.
“Staying on the pitches, spraying the ball all over the place — they were loud, too,” said manager Alex Cora after a 9-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. “He’s doing an outstanding job. Offensively, he’s controlling the at-bats and getting the pitches that he wants to drive. We’re very pleased with the way he’s going about it.”
In part because his defense at first base is a work in progress, the Sox will aim to complement his tool-kit by seeing if he can play a corner outfield position.
“I think he’s a complete hitter. In the box he has no issues I see. He’s a good one — probably look for some versatility out of him,” said Cora. “At first (base) he’s OK, put him in the outfield and see what he can do. Besides that, I’m happy.”
On Thursday, the Sox discovered that infielder Esteban Quiroz could play outfield after they shifted him there mid-game.
The club is already fiddling with the idea of seeing how catcher Blake Swihart looks at first base and perhaps the outfield. Look for more experimenting with other players besides Quiroz and Travis to see if the Red Sox have another Brock Holt on their hands.
“We’ve seen (Ben) Zobrist, we’ve seen Marwin (Gonzalez) doing it,” said Cora. “With the way pitching is going and trending, having one guy that can play three, four positions, that helps you out in certain decisions, like how many bullpen arms you can carry and all that stuff. Like I said before, the more positions they can play, and they can actually play and not just stand there, the better it is for us.”
Waiting game for Nunez
Eduardo Nunez is already bored on the sidelines.
The Red Sox’ utility man is the lead candidate to take over at second base until Dustin Pedroia returns, but he’s yet to appear in a game while he deals with his own recovery from a knee injury.
Nunez has been intentionally patient. When he rushed himself back into action twice late last year he re-aggravated his knee each time.
“I have to be patient,” Nunez said. “Hopefully at some point this week I can start playing.”
Cora is targeting Tuesday for Nunez to get on the field as the designated hitter.
There’s still no firm date set for J.D. Martinez’s debut but he is scheduled to face Chris Sale in a side session tomorrow and likely against David Price Monday.
Nunez may also take at-bats against Sale. But don’t expect Nunez to start running hard in his first few games.
“It’s spring training, you have to be safe,” he said. “I’m excited. I can’t wait to be back on the field.”
Thoughts with Lydia
Cora got an update yesterday from closer Craig Kimbrel, in Boston with his infant daughter, Lydia, who just had heart surgery.
“She’s a fighter. She’s fighting,” said Cora. “Keep your thoughts and prayers with the Kimbrel family.” . . .
Cora was happy to pencil in minor leaguer Tate Matheny, son of Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, as his leadoff hitter yesterday. The younger Matheny walked three times.
“I love it,” said Cora. “As you know, I come from a baseball family and for him to lead off today, I told him, ‘Man, if it’s a first pitch down the middle, go for it.’ He put a good at-bat the other day. I know, Mike, he’s very proud of him. He’s a great kid too. His baseball IQ is a good one.”