OUT OF REACH
Sox not ready for October
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
HOUSTON — It’s one thing on top of another piling on for this beaten-down Red Sox team, with Mookie Betts’ injured left wrist once again bothering him.
Betts took an awkward swing in his fourth and final at-bat, a flyout to left field in the eighth inning, of the Sox’ 8-2 loss to the Houston Astros in Game 2 of the American League Division Series. Rajai Davis replaced Betts in right field.
“The one swing he took, took a swing and I could tell that it got him,” said hitting coach Chili Davis. “I could tell. He’s tough. He knows how important he is to this ballclub. We have a day off and he’ll do everything possible to get it to where he can play.”
Betts, who said he had already gotten a cortisone shot in his wrist sometime before yesterday, believed he would be able to play in Game 3 tomorrow at Fenway Park.
“It’s just one of those things. It’s going to take time to heal. It can’t get worse,” he said. “But we don’t have that kind of time right now.”
Betts still hit .281 with a .944 OPS in the final month of the season despite battling the wrist injury. He went 1-for-4 with a double yesterday.
Change at third
Deven Marrero, who would have ranked last among International League batters in OPS in 2016 (.487 OPS) and third-to-last this season (.626 OPS) if he had enough at-bats to qualify, got the start at third base instead of Rafael Devers.
Marrero made a diving stop at third base, but struck out in both of his at-bats before Devers replaced him.
After losing Eduardo Nunez to injury in Game 1, it was a bit odd to see the Red Sox voluntarily take Devers out of the lineup in favor of a defensive specialist. Devers’ .818 OPS on the season ranked second to only Nunez among Red Sox hitters.
Asked about the decision, manager John Farrell said, “Deven’s ability to handle left-handed pitching as he’s done this year. The addition of Drew (Pomeranz) on the mound today with the potential of more balls hit on the ground on the pull side. Wanted his bat, his glove at the position.”
The Red Sox went for a defensive upgrade at third base in hopes that Marrero’s success against lefties this year, when he’s hit .294 with a .944 OPS in just 61 plate appearances, would translate, but he looked overmatched against Dallas Keuchel in both at-bats.
While Devers hits lefthanded, he’s found a way to have success off lefties in his rookie season. He hit .400 against them with a 1.074 OPS in 57 plate appearances, including his all-important ninth-inning homer at Yankee Stadium off a 102-mph fastball by Aroldis Chapman.
Devers had some defensive woes in September, when he made an error in five straight games, though he looked better over the final week.
Getting Young-er
In a less surprising move, Farrell went with Chris Young as the designated hitter and Hanley Ramirez at first base. Young was added to the playoff roster late Thursday night to take the place of the injured Nunez and went 1-for-2 with a double in Game 2.
Farrell said he did not consider using Devers as the DH.
“No, not with Chris Young, the way he has 25 atbats against Keuchel previously,” Farrell said of Young’s 7-for-25 career numbers off Keuchel. “The comfort-ability of hitting in this ballpark, all things combined. Again, the overriding thing is just how well (Keuchel) has handled left-handed hitting this season.”
Pitch ponderings
After Chris Sale’s Game 1 performance on Thursday, the Red Sox are no longer interested in rushing him back to pitch in a potential Game 4 on short rest.
“Hundred pitches thrown yesterday, I would think he’s probably Game 5 availability first,” Farrell said.
Rick Porcello threw 10 pitches in Game 1 and would likely be available to start a potential Game 4, unless he’s used out of the bullpen again in Games 3. Fellow starter Eduardo Rodriguez would be another option, after throwing just four pitches yesterday out of the ’pen . ...
Sale gave up seven runs, including three homers, in five-plus innings in one of his worst starts of the year in Game 1.
Given some time to look back on it, Farrell thought Sale’s arm slot looked different, and that could have been one reason for the juicy sliders the Astros had no trouble hitting in their 8-2 win.
“It’s one of his main weapons, that arm slot, and yet if it’s off a tick, it takes away from the overall depth of the breaking ball,” Farrell said.
Farrell didn’t think the eight days’ rest contributed to Sale’s poor effort.
“No, I really don’t,” he said. “I would say if he walked three or four, you’d say he was a little rusty or losing his release point. He threw the ball over the plate. Sometimes it was in an area where he wasn’t intending, so I can’t say that the extended rest was the reason for yesterday.”
Given Sale had a 2.30 ERA headed into August and a 4.09 ERA to finish the year, the Red Sox may have to consider lessening his workload in 2018.
“Great question,” Farrell said. “And I’ve had conversations with others in the organization about this. The highest number of pitches he’s thrown has been 118. And we have taken every additional available day of rest provided during the year.
“If you were to take it a step further, this is where it’s a great debate because you need every start to get to the point of entering the postseason. And yet, if you’re afforded, do you provide a longer break at some point during the season if you’re afforded a place in the standings to do that?
“All great in concept, these conversations. He’s pitched a high number of innings. We’ve given every additional day possible. The pitch counts have been, I think, well in check.”