Devers delivers
Usually cold to start season, third baseman heats up
Before Thursday’s road opener against the Orioles, Alex Cora seemed to have a feeling about Rafael Devers, who hadn’t homered yet through the first week of the season.
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
“I know he likes hitting here, so hopefully he can pop one out and just get rolling,” Cora said.
Devers must have heard him, because he immediately obliged. With a runner on in the first inning, the third baseman was all over a fastball middle in from Matt Harvey and destroyed it to center field, a 452-foot blast that gave the Red Sox an early 2-0 lead of their eventual 7-3 win over the Orioles.
Cora declined to take credit for speaking the homer into existence, but given the approach he’s seen Devers make at the plate in recent games, he wasn’t surprised.
“He’s been hitting the ball hard,” Cora said. “That walk yesterday. When he starts controlling the zone, good things happen. That was a good swing. He actually missed another one, the changeup on the second at-bat, but we know
what he can do.”
The manager hopes it can get Devers going. Notoriously a slow starter at the beginning of every season, that hadn’t changed for him this year as he collected just two hits in 19 at-bats in the Red Sox’ opening sixgame homestand. But after a 2-for-3 day in Thursday’s win, Devers will look to continue that momentum this weekend.
Devers seemed confident that the results would come despite the slow start.
“I feel good,” Devers said before the game. “Obviously I’m not worried about how I started off this season. It’s only been six games and I have continued to go out there and work and do my best because I know the type of player I am.
“Like I always tell you guys, it’s early and there are going to be ups and downs, but I feel really good about where I’m at with my swing, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Whitlock dominates again
It seems like the Red Sox have found a gem in Garrett Whitlock.
After 3L shutout innings in his major-league debut last weekend, the righthander shut down the Orioles again in Thursday’s win, pitching two scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh innings. It says a lot about the trust Cora has in his new weapon out of the bullpen that he trusted him to come into the game as the Red Sox protected a one-run lead.
“You see it, and it’s like, ‘Wow, he belongs,’” Cora said. “The tempo. The conviction. Most of the time, Rule 5 guys don’t shake off your catcher, but he knows what he wants to do and he does. He shakes him off and goes to the pitch he feels is right in that situation. He’s been great for us.
“We still have to be careful. This is not what he’s used to, but we do believe
his stuff will play. This is the second time they’ve seen him, and you saw the swings. We’re comfortable with him. That was a situation where we’re down, get the lead, he was hot, so why not? We needed him, and he did an outstanding job.”
After never pitching above Double-A before this season, Whitlock has started his bigleague career with 5L shutout innings. He’s allowed no runs, just three hits and struck out eight while walking none.
“He’s doing good,” catcher Christian Vazquez said. “Great kid. He’s got great stuff, heavy fastball, plus changeup. He’s doing good. I think he’s going to help us bigtime.”
Barnes hot to start
Matt Barnes was strong again with a shutout ninth inning to close out Thursday’s win, as he nearly produced an immaculate inning. In three appearances, the veteran has pitched four shutout innings with
nine strikeouts and one walk.
“That was amazing, right?” Cora said of Barnes’ performance on Thursday. “Just throwing a lot of strikes. Velocity, I do believe this is his best fastball at least of the last three years. The carry .. it’s not only up in the zone, it’s actually through the zone and down. The breaking ball is good. He was one pitch away from whatever you guys call it, but we’re very happy with him. He has matured a lot. He’s going to be a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish.” …
With his RBI double in the seventh, J.D. Martinez became the fifth player in major league history to hit an extra-base hit in each of his team’s first seven games. He joined Ken Griffey Jr., Larry Walker , Phil Nevin and Alex Rodriguez on the list. … Former Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, who is now the U.S. secretary of labor, was one of the people throw out the first pitch at Camden Yards.