Lind sticking it out
First baseman didn’t find any MLB interest
PAWTUCKET – For Adam Lind, the big-league market didn’t break in a favorable fashion, so it turned out to be a plain-as-day decision to stay put with the PawSox.
“I don’t think anybody had any interest,” Lind said on Tuesday, his first game since last Friday. He batted in the cleanup spot and played first base as Pawtucket fell to Rochester 2-1 before a capacity crowd of 10,252 – the second straight sellout and fifth of the 2018 season.
Lind had an opt-out clause that he could have triggered this past Sunday. When the Red Sox traded for first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce last Thursday, it appeared that Lind’s time with Pawtucket would be coming to an end.
A few factors appeared to work against Lind. For starters, he plays the same positions as Pearce. Delving deeper, Pearce hits from the right side while Lind is a lefty. Therefore, Pearce represented a better fit to complement the left-handed Mitch Moreland.
Despite heading into his opt-out date on an upward note – .324 batting average with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his previous 11 games with Pawtucket – Lind was unable to find any takers.
He didn’t play in the Saturday and Sunday games in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and said he spent his Monday making phone calls and watching Boston take on Washington.
On Tuesday, Lind reported to McCoy Stadium around noontime. He immediately walked into manager Kevin Boles’ office, which in turn made the manager’s job easier as far as writing out that night’s lineup.
“The Red Sox gave me the opportunity to try and get a big-league job. That’s what we’re all in it for,” Lind said. “I was also fortunate that they allowed me to come back. I’m thankful for that chance they gave me.”
It’s been a fascinating year for Lind. He spent the entire 2017 season with the Washington Nationals, hitting .303/.363/.513 with 14 homers and 59 RBI. He didn’t garner much interest during free agency and was left to sign a minor-league deal with the New York Yankees after spring training had gotten underway.
The Yankees released Lind on May 25 and he signed with the Red Sox four days later. He joined the PawSox on June 2 and wasted little time blending into his new clubhouse surroundings. His offensive production only grew as June progressed – three home runs in his last six games prior to a 72-hour stretch of wait-and-see.
Lind has 1,344 big-league games to his credit. He would like nothing more than another crack and still holds out hope that it happens with the Red Sox.
“If I was miserable with my career, I could just go home. I’ve enjoyed myself and I love playing,” Lind said. “I feel that I can compete at this level and the big leagues. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be playing.”
“We would like to see him get an opportunity to get back to the big leagues, but he’s here for now and we’re excited to have him,” Boles said.
Lind hadn’t seen the newest contract he signed with Boston, so he was unsure if he had another opt-out date to contend with before the end of the season.
“You never know. They could release me at any day,” Lind said. “Hopefully I get to stick around the rest of this year and get up to the big leagues in September – or before.”
It would appear that Chandler Shepherd has hit a wall. Considering this is his first professional season as a starting pitcher, that shouldn’t come as a major surprise.
Shepherd lasted just 4.1 innings against Rochester on Tuesday night, his third straight outing where the right-hander has been unable to toss at least five innings. He allowed two runs on nine hits, thus he found himself in some tight spots that he was able to escape for the most part.
Shepherd did allow the first Red Wings batter to reach in each of the first three innings. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out five. From May 9 until his start on June 17, Shepherd allowed just 11 earned runs in 51.1 innings. In his last three starts spanning 11.2 innings, he’s allowed 12 earned runs.
Offensively, Pawtucket’s lone run came in the ninth inning as Tzu-Wei Lin cleared the fence in right field for his fifth home run. Now losers of seven of eight games, PawSox managed just six hits and stranded 11 baserunners.
Plagued by inconsistent fastball command and giving off the impression that he was also fighting fatigue, Jalen Beeks tossed a season-low 2.1 innings in his last start for PawSox. The hope is that the All-Star lefty can get back on track when Pawtucket and Rochester reconvene in western New York on Wednesday night.
“When a pitcher makes upwards to 30 starts per year, not every one of them is going to be great. There are going to be days when you didn’t feel your greatest,” PawSox pitching coach Kevin Walker said. “Jalen had a grinding second inning (last Friday against Scranton) and we could have kept him out there for the third, but we wanted to make sure he didn’t have back-to-back grinding innings. It was just one of those outings where he didn’t have it.”
Wednesday figures to be Beeks’ final start before the All-Star break, which begins after Sunday’s game. Beeks was selected to represent the PawSox at next week’s Triple-A AllStar Game but was removed from the International League roster per the request of the Red Sox.
With Tyler Thornburg set to be activated by Boston, Boles was asked his thoughts about a pitcher who posted a 4.26 ERA in 15 appearances with the PawSox. Thornburg concluded his rehab assignment on a positive note last Saturday, needing just eight pitches to retire the side in order.
“Some days he bounced back and some days he didn’t. There’s a lot of preparation to get him going, but he puts the time in that allows him to get out there,” Boles said. “We’ve seen some outings where the velocity isn’t there but other times where the ball is coming out of his hand pretty good.
“When he’s on time, his delivery has a nice pace to it. Between the good outings and the bad outings, you can see the difference,” Boles added.