“A few days ago everybody said he was setting up the pitcher whenever he drops the bat – today because he didn’t get a hit, he is hurt?” said Cora. “You know, I mean, after 162 [games], things happen and you get treatment and you grind, you know? Not everybody is 100 percent right now, and he is posting. Like I said a few days ago, you know, he was dropping the bat the same way, and nobody said anything.”
Devers did not stop to speak with reporters as he walked to the team bus after the Game 1 loss, but he was wearing the same or similar compression sleeve he wore during the game on his right arm.
One reason Cora and any member of the Red Sox would be loathe to provide details about what’s nagging at Devers is that would fuel, to some extent, the Rays’ plan for how they would attack him the rest of the series.
Less mysterious but more concerning for the Red Sox’ chances against the Rays is that besides having Devers at less than 100 percent – and J.D. Martinez, too – the entire Red Sox offense showed again Thursday night that it has a very real ongoing issue at being unable to hit young rookie starters very well lately.
Mustering no runs and just five hits, all singles, against 24-year-old Division Series Game 1 starter Shane McClanahan in the 5-0 loss, the Red Sox now must turn their attention to an even younger rookie, 22-year-old Shane Baz, Friday night in Game 2.
They have never faced Baz, but the trendline toward the end of the season is not headed in the right direction. Over the last six games of their season, the Red Sox faced this collection of rookie starters: Joan Adon, Josiah Gray, Josh Rogers, Alexander Wells, Zac Lowther and Bruce Zimmerman.
The names may not prompt immediate recognition but they did provoke a freezing sensation on the Red Sox offense. The half-dozen starters held Red Sox hitters to just 10 runs over 37 ⅓ innings, and had a 2.41 ERA.
With the Red Sox doing most of their “damage” in the sixth inning, a look at their production in the first five innings of their last seven games – not including the AL Wild Card game against familiar veteran Yankees starter Gerritt Cole, but including McClanahan – shows the starters holding the Red Sox to a 1.32 ERA.
In the ALDS opener Thursday, besides not scoring, the Red Sox had nine hits, and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
”We had traffic out there and we just didn’t cash in,” Cora said. “There were some good at-bats in the middle of the game, ‘grind’ at-bats. Others were kind of like empty, but I think overall we did a good job hitting line drives and staying in the middle of the field.”
Michael Silverman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeSilvermanBB. Alex Speier can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @alexspeier.
