Cora backs a run by Mookie
There’s still time for Betts to break out
DETROIT — Alex Cora still sees greatness for Mookie Betts this season.
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
And even though everybody understands Betts is way off his MVP pace from a year ago, there still is an entire second half of the season for Betts to begin to approach the offensive dynamo he was when he led the league in nearly every offensive category.
This year, as of yesterday morning, he led in just one: runs scored, 71.
That’s a big one, said Cora. “Although it doesn’t look that way, he’s impacting the game, he’s scoring runs,” the manager said before the Red Sox opened a three-game series with the Tigers. “He wants to be better? Of course, yeah, there’s a few things he’ll do better. We’ve still got plenty of time for him to get going. Everybody knows when he gets going he starts smiling and it’s contagious.”
Cora said his friend Carlos Beltran put into perspective the never-ending and perhaps underestimated value of a run.
“I had a conversation with Carlos Beltran two years ago,” Cora said. “We sat down and talked about OPS and everything that’s going on. I said, ‘What was your goal every season?’ And Carlos said, ‘You know, to score a hundred runs.’ ‘Why?’ ‘To score a hundred runs, you’ve got to get on base, you’ve got to drive the ball, you’ve got to do everything right for that to happen.”
Many have noted that one reason Betts’ power is down is that he’s been unable to pull the ball much. The Red Sox and Betts have been working to change that.
The double he lined to left field to lead off last night’s game was the kind of hit the Red Sox like to see.
“There have been a lot of empty fly balls to right,” said Cora. “Mookie’s a guy, when he hits line drives to the leftcenter gap, the ball takes off. We expect him to do damage.”
In his first 85 games last year, Betts already had 25 homers and was hitting .345 with a .432 on-base percentage, while slugging .664 with a 1.090 OPS.
This year, those numbers stood at 13 homers, .262, .386, .452 with an .837 OPS heading into game No. 86 for Betts.
Benny sits again
Andrew Benintendi was out of the starting lineup for the second night in a row. This time, Cora made him available as a pinch-hitter, while Thursday in Toronto was a totally down day.
“One more day — he’s starting (today and tomorrow),” said Cora. “Just kind of like trying to get that feeling. That’s it. Sometimes it’s mechanical. Sometimes it’s mental. But I think we’re heading in the right direction. Overall, he hasn’t been what he expects, but if you look at the numbers, I mean, a few hits here and there and he’s right where he wants to be.
“I just think now rhythmwise, he’s not where he wants to be.”
As for Benintendi’s defense and base-running this year, Cora described them as “OK.”
“A little bit banged up with the legs and all that,” said Cora. “Defensively we know what he can do. We put him in places that he’s going to make plays. I think he hasn’t impacted the game the way we would like to with his legs, but he’s a combination of both. Where he was hitting earlier in the season, it was difficult for us to get him going. Now where he’s going to be in the lineup, we’ve got to pick our spots. But still, I don’t know how many bags he’s (stolen), seven or eight, but it’s a good rate anyway. He’s one of our best base runners and he does a good job defensively.”
Not Star-gazing
Cora has been asked to do very little for his upcoming role as manager of the American League All-Stars. And he likes it that way.
“The only thing that I know for now is the starting pitcher and the order of the lineup, that’s it,” he said. “A lot of people think I have an impact. My instagram has let me know the last few days, people think I picked Xander
(Bogaerts) over Gleyber (Torres of the Yankees), so on and so on. I’m glad that Gleyber made it too, so people can stop sending messages.
“MLB, they have a process and obviously the players, they vote, and that’s the way it works. I’m trying to stay as far away as possible from it.” . . .
Rick Porcello today makes his first start since he got shelled — six runs allowed in one-third of an inning — in Game 1 in London.
“I think he forgot it right away,” said Cora. “He threw the ball well the game before that, the one in Minnesota, that one was a good one. The one against the Jays, eh, it was OK, some bad luck but I think he’ll be fine for this one and looking forward to the break for him.”