Red Sox, scrambling to find offense, find it from some unlikely sources
SAN FRANCISCO — As the Red Sox step tentatively into the post-Devers Era, they remain, as their managed conceded Friday pre-game, a team still in search of their true identity.
Who are they, now that they are without their most formidable run producer? How do they proceed with a lineup that, for now at least, lacks a linchpin to draw the attention of the opposing pitching staff?
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For one night, at least, the Red Sox seemed determined to shoulder the load together. In their 7-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants, they got five hits from the final two hitters in their order and overall, hits from all but three of the nine members of their starting lineup.
The 11-hit attack didn't qualify as some offensive fireworks, — they hit just one homer — but for a team that had failed to score more than four runs in any one of their eight previous games, it was more than sufficient.
It didn't begin well, as starter Hunter Dobbins, who ordinarily displays good control, issued four walks in the first two innings, handing the Giants an early 3-0 lead.
But after that, something clicked for the Red Sox. Starting with the third inning, they scored runs in each of the next five innings. San Francisco, on the other hand, didn't score after the fifth inning.
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A one-out double from Ceddanne Rafaela and a two-run homer from David Hamilton began the Red Sox' comeback.
'We put up good at-bats,' said a satisfied Alex Cora. 'And after (the two runs), that gave us life. Then after that, we just putting good at-bats after good at-bats. We ran the bases well and we were relentless.
'We kept the momentum going. We needed all of them.'
It was fitting, in a way, that Rafaela kickstarted things. For one thing, he was probably the player on the current roster closest to Devers, whom he referred to postgame as his 'big brother.'
Since May 27, he's hitting .333 with four doubles, five homers and nine RBI, as he attempts to balance his natural aggressiveness with a more sustainable plan of attack.
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'We had a conversation in Milwaukee,' said Cora of Rafaela, 'about certain things that he could do better. His damage is to the pull side, and obviously, at home, hitting the ball to right-center as a righty, doesn't play. But he started pulling the ball in Milwaukee and he's been outstanding.
'We know he chases, we know he swings, but I think compared to last year, at least in our numbers, we feel very comfortable with where he's at.'
Hamilton, meanwhile, is now the default choice at second base following the optioning of Kristian Campbell to Triple A Worcester. He's known for his defense and baserunning, but the Sox would like to get more offensive production from him - especially now that he's going to playing every day — and believe it's there.
'The more at-bats you can, the more time you have to make the little adjustments,' said Hamilton. 'I feel like I've been slowly getting there over the course of the year. But I felt really good tonight and hopefully I can keep that going.'
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There may some help coming in the not-too-distant future. Alex Bregman continues to make progress with his quad strain and Masataka Yoshida is inching toward the start of a rehab assignment. Surely, adding two veteran bats to the middle of the lineup would mark an upgrade.
Their return, whenever it takes place, won't be a panacea. After all, five of those low-scoring wins came with Devers in the lineup, so it's not as though their offensive shortcomings were just recently uncovered.
It would help, too, if the bullpen could continue to pitch at its current level. When Dobbins recorded only 12 outs, Cora had to use six different relievers for the final 15 outs.
Other than some occasional control issues, the sextet of relievers did their jobs flawlessly, allowing just three hits in five shutout frames.
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That extended the bullpen's shutout streak to 17.2 innings, the second-longest active streak in the majors.
Cora has frequently said in recent weeks that if the Red Sox pitch well enough, they'll be fine and that's undoubtedly true. But on a night in which their starter faltered, in addition to the bullpen stepping up, it was a relief to get some offense from across the lineup.
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