Healthy E-Rod feels in control
Features off-speed stuff in solid outing
TORONTO — Eduardo Rodriguez won his third consecutive start, and it also was his third quality start.
He felt good about last night’s effort in the Sox’ 4-3 win against the Blue Jays, during which he allowed three runs on six hits (one home run) in 62⁄3 innings with one walk and three strikeouts. He featured more off-speed pitches instead of relying so much on his fastball.
“Everything depends who I’m facing. Today I was using a lot of cutters, sliders and changeups more than I used the fastball, but it depends on who is hitting and who is at the plate,” Rodriguez said. “I feel really good. I’m pitching 100 percent in control, and my pitches are right where I want them.”
Rodriguez had two sixpitch innings, in the third and fourth.
Elite company
With another leadoff home run, Mookie Betts moved into even more rarefied air.
Betts is the first Red Sox player to hit three leadoff home runs in a season before May 1. If he plays in every game the rest of the month, he will have five more opportunities to extend that mark. Betts has 14 career leadoff homers, which is four more than anyone in franchise history.
Betts, who added a two-run homer in the seventh inning to push the Sox to a 4-3 win, has reached base in all 19 games he has played against the Blue Jays since last season. He has reached base in 29 of his past 30 games and 56-of-60.
Holt heats up
Brock Holt was 3-for-4 with a double to left, a single center and another single to right.
In the absence of Xander Bogaerts, Holt has been getting regular playing time, and with his health cleared up since last year’s concussion, the results are showing.
“Obviously, being healthy is the biggest key in this game,” Holt said. “If you stay on the field, you can produce, and getting consistent at-bats helps as well. It’s a lot easier to keep things going, build off of some good days, whenever you’re getting those consistent ABs. It’s been great. We’re obviously looking forward to having Bogey back, but it’s been good to get some time at short and get in the lineup more days than not.”
Alex Cora likes what he sees from his utility player..
“Good at-bats all around,” the manager said of Holt. “I think he’s been able to stay on the ball going the other way, staying on pitches. He’s having fun right now. He’s playing a lot. He’s healthy. I wasn’t here last year, obviously, but from everything I heard it wasn’t good for him. It wasn’t fun, the situation that was going on, so now that he’s able to run around and play defense, play backto-back games, it’s good for him. So, he’s been producing. He’s doing a good job, and it’s good to see, because now with everything going on if Xander comes back, then you’ve got options too on the bench, and I’m not going to hesitate using him in certain spots. It’s good to see.” . . .
The Red Sox have an 18-5 record, which gives them an MLB-best .783 winning percentage. They are 11-2 in games with at least one home run and 8-1 in games with two or more. They had two last night.
Bogey time
It appears the final decision on whether to activate Bogaerts (ankle) tomorrow or perhaps later in the homestand will be made today.
Cora spoke with Bogaerts Tuesday night after the shortstop homered with Pawtucket, but as of yesterday, another day was needed, with Bogaerts scheduled to see a doctor today.
“Xander is good,” Cora said. “One thing I want to make sure is that he’s ready to play, that he’s not playing because he feels that he has to play. I do feel that he’s in a good spot, the way that he talked to me. We have to make sure that’s the case. It’s either (tomorrow) or Saturday or Sunday, that there’s no doubt in his mind that he can perform at this level. That’s what’s going to happen.
“I want him to make sure that there’s no rush here. Although we need him — obviously, we’re talking about an elite shortstop, hit in the middle of the lineup, he hit a home run (Tuesday) — but we have to make sure that he’s ready to play. That’s the most important thing.”
Cora made it clear the challenge in front of Bogaerts is significant, which is why there is no sense in making it happen before he’s ready.
“(Tuesday) he was great, six innings, the way he moved, I was looking, I was watching, he looked good,” Cora said. “If he needs to play one, two, three more games, well, he’ll do it because it’s not that easy. You guys have heard me before, the 6-(foot-)3 shortstop, those guys are special. I have no idea what it feels like to play that position like that being such an athletic guy, so physical. If he needs more time just to make sure he’s OK, he’ll have it. There’s no rushing.” . . .
J.D. Martinez has been “chasing pitches up in the zone” lately, said Cora. “With him, it’s just like with Mookie and most of them, but you feel like they are one pitch away from getting hot.”