Devers (shoulder) scratched from lineup

Cora: Team doing things differently under Breslow

SEATTLE >> Just over an hour before first pitch Friday night, the Red Sox announced Rafael Devers had been scratched from the lineup due to left-shoulder soreness.

Devers went 2-for-5 on Opening Night with a double, home run, two batted in, and a strikeout.

It’s a significant break for Seattle, as the third baseman has crushed the Mariners since Day 1 of his big-league career. He made his Major League debut at T-mobile Park in July 2017, and hit his first home run in the following game. Dating back to June 2018, he’s reached base in each of his last 15 games in Seattle. As of Thursday night, he’s hit .336 with a 1.014 OPS and 10 home runs in 37 career games against the Mariners.

Bobby Dalbec will sub in for Devers. The former top prospect only appeared in 21 big-league games last season, with one start and one complete game at third.

‘Totally different’

Craig Breslow is no stranger to popping bottles after a big Red Sox victory, but Thursday night was different.

The former reliever is now president of baseball operations for the team whose uniform he wore more than any other during his 12-year pitching career. So after the Sox kicked off the season with a 6-4 win over the Mariners, they doused their new boss in the clubhouse.

It was also Alex Cora’s first Opening Day win — the Sox were 0-5 in his previous seasons — and potentially his last, as his contract is up after this season. But despite joking pregame about wanting to finally win a season opener, Cora said that Thursday night belonged to Tyler O’neill, who made MLB history by homering in his fifth consecutive Opening Day game, starting pitcher Brayan Bello, and Breslow.

“It’s good man, that’s what it’s all about,” Cora said.

Breslow’s first winter was tumultuous from his first day on the job, when team chairman Tom Werner promised a “full throttle” offseason, only to walk back the soundbite in January. The Sox didn’t sign any of the top freeagent starting pitchers, several

of whom were still on the board late in spring training.

“(Breslow) got here, and it’s been an interesting offseason from the

get-go,” Cora said.

Nevertheless, he continues to maintain that he’s pleased with the state of things.

“His vision and his structure, and the way we’re doing things, I think it’s the right thing,” Cora said. “We’re doing things different from

Dave (Dombrowski) and from Chaim (Bloom).”

The biggest change has undoubtedly been the overhauling of pitching development, headlined by Andrew Bailey returning to the Red Sox as pitching coach. The internal restructuring could have a far greater impact

than a blockbuster pitching addition, and finally turn the Red Sox into an organization capable of consistent pitching development, the area in which they’ve struggled most for decades.

“We talk about versatility, athleticism, and that’s where we’re at,”

Cora said. “The pitching structure, the pitching philosophy, is totally different, and we’ve done an outstanding job collecting arms, making adjustments with our pitching staff.”

Results will come in time, but the Breslow era is off to a strong start.