If ever there was a team in need of a 15-run blowout win, it was the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon, carrying a six-game losing streak with the most recent being Friday’s 9-0 loss to the Blue Jays at home. The streak had sent the Red Sox tumbling again in the standings, back down to three games below .500, but a 15-1 offensive explosion soothed the team’s ills, at least for one day.
The Red Sox got home runs from Romy Gonzalez and Wilyer Abreu, as well as three hits from No. 1 MLB prospect Roman Anthony, who may be turning a corner after a rough start to his MLB career. Anthony is batting .269 in his last eight games, with a .424 on-base average.
The Red Sox will need more efforts like the one on Saturday to keep themselves afloat in the A.L. playoff race, but the team has shown signs of that capability. With slugger Rafael Devers–the team’s best hitter–having been traded to San Francisco, though, and with Alex Bregman out since May 23 with a hamstring injury, Boston must start conjuring offense from different sources.
Bregman, for his part, implored his teammates to keep up the battle and maintain some postseason hope until reinforcements come.
“It’s very tough,” Bregman told reporters, via MassLive. “Obviously, I want to be out there contributing and helping win baseball games. It’s time to battle our tail off and fight.”
Alex Bregman Nearing a Return
Bregman has been steadily ramping up his baseball activity, and has begun taking on-field hitting and fielding practice. That’s a big step, and while there is no formal timeline for a return, there’s a loose hope that he could be back before the All-Star break, or just after it.
“Just need to build volume, and the muscle is healing,” said Bregman. “Just taking it step-by-step and trying to feel 100% and get out there and contribute and help. Obviously, I want to be out there really badly so trying to push the envelope but also be smart about it.”
Bregman was hitting .299 when he was injured, with a .385 OBP and a .553 slugging percentage. He posted a WAR of 2.9, which still ranks the highest of any position player on the Red Sox, despite his month-long absence.
Red Sox Trade Nothing Personal
Bregman also addressed the elephant in the room: The trade of Devers, which was sparked, in part because of the signing of Bregman to play third base–Devers’ usual position. While Bregman’s signing is inevitably at the heart of that issue, he said he and Devers never had any problems with each other.
In the end, it was the team’s failure to communicate with Devers that created problems, and that’s not on Bregman.
“I really enjoyed every second of playing with him and being his teammate,” Bregman said. “I think he’s one of the smarter baseball players I’ve played with. He’s really good just at the little things with his approach and gameplan. Obviously, I was shocked, but it’s well above my pay grade and what I’m supposed to do.”
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