The Boston Red Sox Thursday, April 26, 2018

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1 * The Boston Globe Mookie Betts puts a charge in slumbering Red Sox Peter Abraham The Boston Red Sox Thursday, April 26, 2018 The Red Sox had only six hits on Wednesday night, left 10 men on base, struck out 10 times, and again had some misadventures on the base paths. A team that was unstoppable a week ago is struggling to score. That the Sox managed to beat the Blue Jays, 4-3, served as another reason Mookie Betts will be a legitimate candidate for Most Valuable Player in the American League. Betts led off the game with a home run and hit a two-run shot in the seventh inning that snatched the lead back. The 18-5 Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak and are 5-3 on a road trip that ends Thursday night with Chris Sale on the mound. He can impact a game in pretty much every way it can be impacted, teammate Mitch Moreland said of Betts. I don t think you can find too many more complete players than Mookie. You watch him night in and night out and he finds a way to change the game. It s pretty amazing. The Sox scored only four runs total in the previous three games and had not hit a home run since Friday. When Betts drilled the third pitch of the game from Aaron Sanchez over the fence in left field his third leadoff homer of the road trip starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez felt a jolt of confidence. We needed something like that, somebody to get in front of them like he did, Rodriguez said. The Sox lost their 1-0 lead and later a 2-1 lead. But there was Betts again in the seventh inning, belting a high fastball from Danny Barnes into the Red Sox bullpen in right field. Betts does not often hit home runs to the opposite field that was only the fourth of his career but he has been focusing on hitting the ball with more power to right field in batting practice. Looking for a strike to hit and put a good swing on it, Betts said. Seems like a lot of work I ve been putting in paid off with that swing. Betts already has 12 career games with two or more home runs and 85 total for his career. At age 25, he is already tied for 35th in team history with Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. When a team is fighting to score runs and end a losing streak, having one player step up and hit two home runs changes the atmosphere for everybody in the clubhouse. They re special, the [Mike] Trouts, the [Jose] Altuves. The more at-bats they get the better you feel about it, said manager Alex Cora, comparing Betts to the last two AL MVPs. Right away, he hits the ball out of the ballpark and you starting thinking it s a special night for him. I m glad that he s on my team. Cora has insisted since January that Betts would be his leadoff hitter. He wants his best player putting pressure on the other team from the first pitch. Betts has done that, hitting.350 with a OPS through 23 games.

2 He also leads the AL with 25 runs. A Red Sox player has not scored 150 runs since Ted Williams in 1949 but Betts runs the bases well enough to think he could be the first Sox player to score 125 runs in 30 years. He also has been an avid user of the scouting information the Sox are providing this season and working with teammate J.D. Martinez on how best to use it. We have new eyes, so they prepare us in different ways, Betts said. So I m going out there knowing I m trusting my ability and prepared and ready for whoever s on the mound. As Betts spoke to reporters, teammate Hanley Ramirez walked by and smiled. Talk about the Bruins. They won. Let s do it, he said. We don t care about Mookie. Once Betts gave the Sox the lead in the seventh inning, Rodriguez (3-0) retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the inning. Heath Hembree, Joe Kelly, and Craig Kimbrel set down the next seven to close the game out. For Kimbrel, who surrendered a walk-off home run in the 10th inning on Tuesday, it was his sixth save in as many chances. He has converted 16 in a row dating to last season, the longest streak in the majors. Kelly retired the side in order in the eighth inning. He has pitched 11⅓ scoreless innings with only five hits since allowing four runs on Opening Day. Brock Holt was 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored. He has hit safely in eight straight games 15 of 33 (.455) with six extra-base hits in the stretch. With Xander Bogaerts expected to come off the disabled list Friday, Holt could press Eduardo Nunez for playing time at second base. The Jays announced a paid crowd of 18,914. But the number of empty seats at Rogers Centre suggested many people decided to stay home to watch Game 7 of the Maple Leafs-Bruins NHL playoffs series and/or Game 5 of the Wizards-Raptors NBA playoffs series. Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers are having some issues Nick Cafardo TORONTO They re 21 and 23 years old and they re both exceptionally talented players. But with that youth come the growing pains. Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi want to grow up to be more like Mookie Betts, who is also talented, but dependable and consistent and putting himself in position to be an elite player. Devers has made five of Boston s six errors this season while Benintendi is on an 0-for-16 drought, though he walked twice and stole two bases while Betts hit a pair of homers and drove in three runs in Boston s 4-3 win over the Jays, snapping a three-game losing streak. Benintendi has looked uncomfortable lately. He s gone through these slumps before. The biggest hurdle a young player has to overcome is being able to curtail the slumps. Keep them at a minimum. Benintendi hasn t been able to get there yet. During his slump, he s hit some balls hard but right at waiting fielders. He s also struck out a lot. On Tuesday night, he fanned four times and couldn t get a bunt down. The swings and misses have made him look lost. To Alex Cora s credit, the Sox manager has stuck with his young outfielder. He s allowed him to play against lefties against whom he s hitting.071 (1-for-14). Benintendi started 0-for-2 and flied out to center after Betts led off the game with a homer, and then walked after Betts two-run homer to right gave Boston a 4-3 lead in the seventh. He then made a couple of heads-up plays, stealing second and third.

3 In his final at-bat, he popped out to center field. So even on yet another night when he wasn t contributing with the bat, he did something to help the Sox win. He also made a couple of nice plays in left field. Despite his offensive woes, he s a career.349 hitter with runners in scoring position and leads all active major league hitters with a.381 average with runners in scoring position and two outs. But after he stole two bases and the Sox loaded the bases, Devers, who made two errors and now has five of Boston s six errors on the season, hit a ball into the right field corner and Benintendi didn t try to score. This was a 4-3 game. One run would have been pretty big at that point. Benintendi saw the catch and then seemed to go back to tag too late. What happened? He said the umpire was in his sight, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. He said he was between the umpire and [right fielder] Randal Grichuk. He couldn t see and he took off early and went back. A baserunning mistake. Benintendi hit.271 with 20 homers and 90 RBI for a.776 OPS last season in his first full season. In his introductory season in 2016 he got 118 plate appearances. After that type of production last season, you can bet there is now a scouting book on Benintendi and he s had to make adjustments. When you re that young, sometimes those adjustments are easy to make and sometimes they re not. When you commit to young players, you ve got to take the good with the bad. They can spark your team and they can also cause you heartbreak. With top young players, their game eventually evens out. You d rather have young players than not have them, even if you re a big-market team trying to win now. Mistakes are going to be made in real time. Both players have shown they can be an offensive force. Devers should have had a sacrifice fly that Benintendi didn t tag up in time on. But he has what they call a quick bat. At this stage of their development we have no idea what either player will become. Devers, scouts expect, will be a 30/100 player with a.300 average potential. Benintendi, even though not the biggest guy, also has that extra special bat speed and can generate power from the left side like Betts can from the right side. Consistency is the last thing that comes around. Even Betts searches for it as he gets compared to Mike Trout, but the difference is that Trout performs at a high level every single year. It s something Betts is striving for. But Cora said he has to accept the mistakes. Yes, he said. Actually the at-bats... you see what s going on. Other teams are making adjustments. The whole rotation thing of not having Xander [Bogaerts] probably leans on Rafael a little bit more. It s probably better to have a day off, but he ll be in there tomorrow. Benny walked twice and stole two bases. He came right in and told me what happened [on the base running mistake]. For whatever the average and strikeouts, he s been getting on base and that s why we like him. For Benintendi and Devers, the goal is to get to Betts level. That level where every at-bat can create an electric moment. Betts showed them the way last night. One of these days, Devers and Benintendi will be able to emulate him. Until then, be patient with the journey. Rafael Devers turning up the defensive pressure Peter Abraham

4 TORONTO Rafael Devers, the 21-year-old third baseman of the Red Sox, is younger than every player on the rosters of Triple A Pawtucket and Double A Portland. That s easy to forget. Wednesday night s 4-3 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays was the 80th Devers has played in the major leagues since making his debut last July, the 84th if you count the postseason. Devers is still learning on the job, especially defensively. He climbed quickly to the majors because of what he could do at the plate and only now is focused as much on defense. You see him getting upset at certain plays, manager Alex Cora said Wednesday before the Sox played the Toronto Blue Jays. Then he makes the adjustment. Devers had a challenging second inning on Tuesday, getting charged with an error on one throw and later having a two-run single skip off his glove on a backhand play. Everything was at me that inning, Devers said. You have to be ready for whatever happens. Cora said Devers came back to the dugout and wanted to go over the situations right away. He also has talked a lot to Mitch Moreland about situational awareness. Moreland played with Gold Glove third baseman Adrian Beltre in Texas and has good advice to part. Mitch, as a veteran, is helping him a lot, Cora said. For me, as a Latino, that means a lot. He s able to forget the language. Said Devers: I talk to everybody. I want to be a good third baseman. It means a lot to me. Devers had a throwing error in the first inning on Wednesday and a fielding error in the second inning. But he recovered to make a nice play and take a hit away from Justin Smoak in the third inning. Through Tuesday, Devers had three defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs.com. Only three third basemen have more. Even with a small sample size, it speaks to Devers s improvement. He was minus-1 last year. For a kid that, supposedly, wasn t a good defender and people thought we needed to move him somewhere else, he s been outstanding, Cora said. I get emotional when he makes a great play. Devers has started every game but one this season. Every other starter has had at least two days off. Cora said that s a function of his age as well as needing his lefthanded bat in the lineup. Devers is hitting.267 with a.756 OPS and is tied with Mookie Betts for the team lead with 17 RBIs. Not now, but he ll need days, Cora said. There s no signs of [his bat] slowing down and he s moving well defensively. Hitting wise, he s going to go through his ups and down. But he s always a threat at the plate. He can run into a pitch and hit it a long ways. Right now we need him to play every day. Devers did get a little bit of good defensive news before the game started on Wednesday. Major League Baseball ruled that an error he was charged with on April 12 against the Yankees at Fenway Part was changed to a hit for Giancarlo Stanton. Decision coming

5 Pawtucket was rained out, so Xander Bogaerts did not play a second rehabilitation game. He was 2 for 3 with a double and a home run on Tuesday and played six innings in the field. Bogaerts, out since April 9 because of a cracked bone in his left foot, said afterward that he felt fine and hoped to be activated for Friday s game at Fenway Park against Tampa Bay. But that hasn t been decided yet. A team doctor will examine Bogaerts again on Thursday to further evaluate his fitness to return. After that, we ll talk to him again and make a decision, Cora said. One thing I want to make sure is that he s ready. That he s not playing because he feels he has to play. I do feel that he s in a good spot, the way he talked to me. We have to make sure that s the case. Bogaerts came back too quickly from a hand injury last season, something he later regretted. I want him to make sure there s no rush here, Cora said. Although we need him, obviously. We re talking about an elite shortstop hitting in the middle of the lineup... but we have to make sure he s ready. The Red Sox gave no consideration to activating Bogaerts to play the final two games of the series against the Blue Jays. Oh, Canada The Sox have won nine of their last 11 games at Rogers Centre... J.D. Martinez snapped an 0-for-12 skid with a single in the fourth inning... Real Madrid s 2-1 victory against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal drew a crowd in the clubhouse before the game. Devers, Sandy Leon, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Christian Vazquez pulled up chairs to watch the match. Bogaerts joined them via FaceTime late in the game to offer his analysis. Rodriguez said he believes Bayern Munich will come back and face Liverpool in the finals. * The Boston Herald Two bombs by Mookie Betts end Red Sox three-game skid Michael Silverman TORONTO When in trouble, or doubt, leave it to Mookie Betts. Betts, the Red Sox fixer, slugged two home runs in last night s 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays to end a three-game slide. After his leadoff home run, Betts second blast was a two-run shot he lifted over the right-field fence in the seventh inning to give the Sox the slim 4-3 lead. The Sox began the game five days removed from their last victory, a stretch in which their offense had scored only four runs over the three losses. Last night, with six hits in all, did not mark a revival of the early-season scoring surge when double-digits were assumed. But it was enough, and that s all that counts. We ve had some good opportunities. Today we had some opportunities to score more runs and we did push those across, said Betts. Obviously we re not going to score six every game and get 15 hits every game, but it s important for us to win close games like this to go along with the high-scoring ones. Betts now has eight home runs on the season, with his leadoff home run his third this season and 14th of his career. Last night also marked his third three-rbi game of the season.

6 Betts feels more prepared than ever to take what he s learning in between games into games. A lot more (prepared). We have new eyes, so they prepare us in different ways, said Betts. Going out there knowing I m trusting my ability and I m prepared and ready for whoever s on the mound, it s huge. Manager Alex Cora beamed talking about Betts. He knows how good Betts is. They re special the Trouts, the Altuves, the more at-bats they get, the better you feel about it, said Cora. Right away, he hits the ball out of the ballpark and you start thinking, special night for him. So, I m glad that he s on my team. He s a complete player. Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez delivered his third quality start in a row, allowing three runs over 62 3 innings in which he allowed six hits one a home run and walked one with three strikeouts. The victory was Rodriguez third in his last three starts. Craig Kimbrel, who lost the first game of the series Tuesday night when he allowed a 10th-inning home run to Curtis Granderson, pitched the ninth and collected his sixth save. That offense perked up a little bit against Toronto and starter Aaron Sanchez, who surrendered two runs on three hits. Betts second home run came off reliever Danny Barnes. After Betts leadoff solo shot, Rodriguez wasted almost no time in giving up that lead in the bottom of the first. Steve Pearce led off with a hard double off the left-field wall, and scored when third baseman Rafael Devers throw on a Justin Smoak groundball got by first baseman Hanley Ramirez. After overcoming another error by Devers in the second, Rodriguez retired eight straight and 12 of his next 13 he faced. The Sox took another one-run lead in the fifth, when Brock Holt s no-out double knocked in Jackie Bradley Jr. (leadoff walk). But Rodriguez gave the lead right back in the bottom of the fifth. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit an infield single and then stole second before Pearce singled him in to tie the game at 2. In the sixth, Yangervis Solarte led off with a laser-beam homer for a 3-2 lead. Red Sox notebook: Mookie Betts starting to make history in leadoff spot Michael Silverman TORONTO Eduardo Rodriguez won his third consecutive start, and it also was his third quality start. He felt good about last night s effort in the Sox 4-3 win against the Blue Jays, during which he allowed three runs on six hits (one home run) in 62 3 innings with one walk and three strikeouts. He featured more off-speed pitches instead of relying so much on his fastball. Everything depends who I m facing. Today I was using a lot of cutters, sliders and changeups more than I used the fastball, but it depends on who is hitting and who is at the plate, Rodriguez said. I feel really good. I m pitching 100 percent in control, and my pitches are right where I want them. Rodriguez had two six-pitch innings, in the third and fourth. Elite company With another leadoff home run, Mookie Betts moved into even more rarefied air.

7 Betts is the first Red Sox player to hit three leadoff home runs in a season before May 1. If he plays in every game the rest of the month, he will have five more opportunities to extend that mark. Betts has 14 career leadoff homers, which is four more than anyone in franchise history. Betts, who added a two-run homer in the seventh inning to push the Sox to a 4-3 win, has reached base in all 19 games he has played against the Blue Jays since last season. He has reached base in 29 of his past 30 games and 56-of-60. Holt heats up Brock Holt was 3-for-4 with a double to left, a single center and another single to right. In the absence of Xander Bogaerts, Holt has been getting regular playing time, and with his health cleared up since last year s concussion, the results are showing. Obviously, being healthy is the biggest key in this game, Holt said. If you stay on the field, you can produce, and getting consistent at-bats helps as well. It s a lot easier to keep things going, build off of some good days, whenever you re getting those consistent ABs. It s been great. We re obviously looking forward to having Bogey back, but it s been good to get some time at short and get in the lineup more days than not. Alex Cora likes what he sees from his utility player.. Good at-bats all around, the manager said of Holt. I think he s been able to stay on the ball going the other way, staying on pitches. He s having fun right now. He s playing a lot. He s healthy. I wasn t here last year, obviously, but from everything I heard it wasn t good for him. It wasn t fun, the situation that was going on, so now that he s able to run around and play defense, play back-to-back games, it s good for him. So, he s been producing. He s doing a good job, and it s good to see, because now with everything going on if Xander comes back, then you ve got options too on the bench, and I m not going to hesitate using him in certain spots. It s good to see.... The Red Sox have an 18-5 record, which gives them an MLB-best.783 winning percentage. They are 11-2 in games with at least one home run and 8-1 in games with two or more. They had two last night. Bogey time It appears the final decision on whether to activate Bogaerts (ankle) tomorrow or perhaps later in the homestand will be made today. Cora spoke with Bogaerts Tuesday night after the shortstop homered with Pawtucket, but as of yesterday, another day was needed, with Bogaerts scheduled to see a doctor today. Xander is good, Cora said. One thing I want to make sure is that he s ready to play, that he s not playing because he feels that he has to play. I do feel that he s in a good spot, the way that he talked to me. We have to make sure that s the case. It s either (tomorrow) or Saturday or Sunday, that there s no doubt in his mind that he can perform at this level. That s what s going to happen. I want him to make sure that there s no rush here. Although we need him obviously, we re talking about an elite shortstop, hit in the middle of the lineup, he hit a home run (Tuesday) but we have to make sure that he s ready to play. That s the most important thing. Cora made it clear the challenge in front of Bogaerts is significant, which is why there is no sense in making it happen before he s ready. (Tuesday) he was great, six innings, the way he moved, I was looking, I was watching, he looked good, Cora said. If he needs to play one, two, three more games, well, he ll do it because it s not that easy. You

8 guys have heard me before, the 6-(foot-)3 shortstop, those guys are special. I have no idea what it feels like to play that position like that being such an athletic guy, so physical. If he needs more time just to make sure he s OK, he ll have it. There s no rushing.... J.D. Martinez has been chasing pitches up in the zone lately, said Cora. With him, it s just like with Mookie and most of them, but you feel like they are one pitch away from getting hot. * The Providence Journal Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 3: Betts homers twice as Boston gets back on track Bill Koch TORONTO --- The losing streak, brief as it was in the grand scheme of things, is over. The Red Sox are back in the win column thanks to Mookie Betts and a pitching staff that did just enough Wednesday night, slipping past the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Betts cranked a pair of home runs and Eduardo Rodriguez worked into the seventh inning as Boston snapped its three-game skid with a 4-3 victory over Toronto. Betts made it a 12th multi-homer game of his young career in the seventh inning, driving a fastball from Blue Jays reliever Danny Barnes just inside the right field foul pole to erase a one-run deficit. It was the ninth come-from-behind victory already this season for the Red Sox, a number that accounts for exactly half their wins. Craig Kimbrel bounced back from the walkoff homer he allowed to Toronto outfielder Curtis Granderson the previous night to earn the save, tossing a ninth. It seems like we needed something like that, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. Especially the last few days. Betts carried an 0-for-8 drought into Wednesday s game, one he needed just three pitches to end. Aaron Sanchez tailed a 2-0 fastball back over the plate and Betts crushed it to the bleachers in left for a solo home run leading off the contest. It was the 14th leadoff homer of the right fielder s career, extending his club record, and Betts brought a needed spark to a Boston offense that had accounted for just five runs in its previous 31 innings. We re not going to score six every game, Betts said. We re not going to get 15 hits every game. It s important for us to win close games like this, too. Brock Holt s RBI double to left in the fifth highlighted his three-hit game, as the fill-in shortstop extended his team-best hitting streak to eight games. Holt also singled and scored ahead of the second Betts homer in the seventh, part of a night where he raised his batting average almost 40 points to.327. Holt is making a convincing case to remain part of the Red Sox plans even with the imminent return of shortstop Xander Bogaerts from a left ankle injury. I m focusing on how I m feeling and trying to build off the good days, Holt said. It s working out right now. Rodriguez made just one real mistake in this one, nicked for solo runs in the first and fifth thanks to an infield error and Steve Pearce s looping single to left. A hanging slider to Yangervis Solarte opening the sixth came to rest 434 feet away, as the Toronto third baseman mashed a drive to the second deck in left field. Rodriguez worked around a one-out walk to buy himself one more frame and blew a 94 mph fastball past Randall Grichuk on his 106th and final pitch of the night in the seventh.

9 Everybody who has Mookie Betts on their side is going to be happy, Rodriguez said. To have a guy like that who can hit the ball out of the ballpark, can hit the ball for base hits, it s pretty fun to see him play like that. Heath Hembree fanned the only hitter he faced and Joe Kelly came back after throwing 20 pitches on Tuesday to work a eighth. That set the stage for Kimbrel and some immediate redemption, with the right-hander reverting quickly to the form that saw him dominate opposing hitters throughout It s always great to have him in a save situation, Cora said. That means we have the lead. Joe did an outstanding job. The bullpen has been amazing. Red Sox Journal: Bogaerts close to returning Bill Koch BOSTON With the Pawtucket Red Sox rained out at home Wednesday night, Xander Bogaerts might limit his rehab stint to just one game. The shortstop homered and doubled in three at-bats Tuesday night at McCoy Stadium, reporting no setbacks from the left ankle injury that has sidelined him since April 8. Bogaerts is set to see the Red Sox medical staff on Thursday before potentially being activated from the disabled list for this weekend s series with Tampa Bay at Fenway Park. He s going to see the doctor tomorrow just to make sure everything is fine, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. Then after that we ll talk to him again and make a decision. Bogaerts has been sidelined since suffering his injury in another home series against the Rays, sliding down the steps of the visiting dugout chasing an errant throw. He was off to a terrific start at the plate, with seven doubles in just eight games. Bogaerts would give Boston a potent bat in the middle of its order, one it certainly appears to miss after totaling five runs in 31 innings entering the middle game of this series with the Blue Jays. Cora is mindful, however, of how Bogaerts saw his 2017 season derailed after being hit by a pitch in a game at Tampa Bay. Bogaerts was drilled on the right hand by a Jake Faria fastball and scuffled the rest of the way, watching his OPS sink from.818 on July 6 to a season-ending.746. One thing I want to make sure is that he s ready to play that he s not playing because he feels that he has to play, Cora said. I do feel that he s in a good spot the way that he talked to me. We have to make sure that s the case, whether it s Friday or Saturday or Sunday, that there s no doubt in his mind that he can perform at this level. Busy night Wednesday s announced crowd of 18,914 figures to be the smallest of the series, with a full night on the Toronto sports calendar siphoning off casual fans left and right. The Maple Leafs visited the Bruins in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, with most televisions on the Rogers Centre suite level tuned to the hockey game. Toronto fans roared with delight when each of Patrick Marleau s opening two goals were announced. The Raptors hosted Washington in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference series, with the Air Canada Centre downtown serving as the venue. Replica jerseys belonging to Toronto guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry were among those spotted.

10 There was also soccer some 2,500 miles south, with Toronto F.C. visiting Chivas de Guadalajara in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League final. Chivas held a 2-1 lead after their victory at Toronto s BMO Field on April 17. Streak snapped Tuesday s 4-3 loss in 10 innings snapped a nine-game Red Sox winning streak in extra frames. Boston s only other stretch with as many consecutive extra-inning wins came across the 1937 and 1938 seasons. The Red Sox had won a pair of games in extra frames already in Boston slipped past Miami, 4-2, in 13 innings on April 3 and rallied past Tampa Bay, 3-2, in 12 innings in their April 5 home opener at Fenway Park. Kimbrel on walk-off HR: I ve got to do my job Bill Koch TORONTO --- In the spirit of the ongoing Stanley Cup Playoffs, Craig Kimbrel completed a career hat trick he hoped to avoid Tuesday night. The Red Sox closer surrendered just the third walkoff home run of his career in the 4-3, 10-inning defeat against the Blue Jays, with Curtis Granderson doing the honors at Rogers Centre. Kimbrel left a 2-0 fastball out over the plate and Granderson didn t miss, launching a deep drive off the facing of the third deck in right field. It was the third straight defeat for Boston in unlikely fashion, with the hard-throwing right-hander suffering a rare tough night at the office. You ve got a game where you have a chance to win the game or keep the game going, I ve got to do my job, Kimbrel said. I didn t do that today. It was the 62nd road appearance for Kimbrel in a Red Sox uniform and the 219th of his career. He s surrendered just 14 home runs over 213 1/3 innings of work, with the last one that cost his team a game coming nearly five years ago. Devin Mesoraco and Shin-Soo Choo went back-to-back for the Reds in a 5-4 win over the Braves on May 7, 2013, both of those blasts coming with two outs. Any time he gives up a run, we don t expect that, Red Sox infielder Brock Holt said. Grandy made a good swing. Up 2-0 right there, looking heater and got it, and he didn t miss it. Rick Porcello battled through seven innings, conceding all three of his runs in the second before steadying the ship. The right-hander struck out a season-high nine before turning things over to Joe Kelly, who allowed just one hit in two scoreless frames of relief. Kimbrel retired the first man he faced in the 10th but went no further, and the Red Sox fell short after erasing a 3-1 deficit in the top of the ninth. He s the best closer in the game, Porcello said. That s baseball. It s going to happen from time to time. Kimbrel was working for the first time in six days, with his most recent appearance coming in a 9-0 shutout of the Angels on April 18. Alex Cora elected to stay with David Price in the eighth inning against the Athletics on Sunday, a move that backfired when Khris Davis crushed a three-run homer in a 4-1 Oakland victory. Cora has been consistent with his philosophy in the early going that Kimbrel will almost always be used in save situations. Our guys did a great job battling back there in the ninth, Kimbrel said. Joe did a great job to keep the game going. I just didn t do my job today. Omar Infante was the first opposing hitter to walk off against Kimbrel, doing the honors for the Marlins on a two-run shot in a 6-5 victory over the Braves on Sept. 19, Just making contact against Kimbrel has

11 proven difficult enough for opposing hitters in recent seasons, as he struck out 126 of the 254 men he faced in Kimbrel had allowed just two hits in eight appearances prior to Tuesday. Tonight was probably one of the better nights with how I ve felt warming up before I came in the game, Kimbrel said. I m going to give up some runs. It s just unfortunate it was in a tie ballgame like it was tonight. * MassLive.com Why did Benintendi not try to score on Red Sox teammate Devers' long fly ball in seventh? Christopher Smith TORONTO -- The Red Sox squandered a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity in the seventh after Mookie Betts' two-run go-ahead homer. Rafael Devers flied deep to right field but Andrew Benintendi didn't tag from third base. He left the bag too early and needed to return. The Red Sox won anyway 4-3 over the Blue Jays here at Rogers Centre to improve to But what happened? Second base umpire Kerwin Danley screen blocked him. Benintendi didn't see right fielder Randal Grichuk make the catch. "He said that the umpire was actually in (his) sight," Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained. "He couldn't see and he took off early and he went back. Just a base running mistake." The Red Sox already had squandered a second-and-third situation with no outs in the fifth. Betts 'tough on himself': Red Sox star in same company as Trout, Altuve because of preparation Christopher Smith TORONTO -- Mookie Betts has reemerged as one of the major's most dominant hitters and it's not only because he embraced a more aggressive approach. "I think he's making some adjustments not only approach-wise but mechanically," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "We feel he's going to hit for average. He will hit for power. And obviously with his legs he can do a lot of stuff running the bases." Betts delivered the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning last night against Blue Jays reliever Danny Barnes who entered with a 0.77 ERA (one earned run, 11 2/3 innings). He also led off the game with a homer, his third leadoff blast of 2018 and the 14th of his career (a Red Sox franchise record). He lifted the Red Sox 4-3 over the Blue Jays here at Rogers Centre. "Like the Trouts, the Altuves, the more at-bats they get, the better you feel about it," Cora said. "Right away he hits the ball out of the ballpark and you start thinking special night for him. I'm glad he's on my team." Mookie Betts is batting.350 with a.442 on-base percentage,.750 slugging percentage, OPS, eight homers, eight doubles and 17 RBIs.

12 Betts has reentered the same conversation with Trout, Altuve and Bryce Harper. He was there with them in 2016 when he finished second to Trout for the AL MVP. But his OPS dropped 94 points from.897 to.803 last year. He still finished third in the majors with 46 doubles but he clearly regressed. Unlike J.D. Martinez, Betts said he doesn't really study his exit velocities, launch angles and hit probabilities. "Not really," Betts said. "It's probably better to get it in the air vs. hitting it on the ground." Don't be fooled. Betts studies even if it's not at the same level as Martinez who can recite his exit velocities and launch angles. "They're kind of similar in a sense that they both look for certain feels," Red Sox assistant hitting coach Andy Barkett said about Betts and Martinez. "And they're looking for their body to move in a certain way. And they actually watch each other hit and discuss it back and forth as all of them do really. But they definitely do. I know they are both fans of each other. "Mookie may seem like he comes off as he doesn't pay attention to exit velocity and that. But he's more in tune to what's going on than he may come across," Barkett added. "He doesn't necessarily study it the same way as J.D. does, but he's very aware of himself and his body and how his body moves." Cora added: "He's willing to gather information, get more information, get better and that's the cool thing about it. He asks a lot of questions and we've got a lot of information for him. So I'm proud of him and the way he's started the season." Betts widened his stance most of last season. He then narrowed the stance, then seemed to widened it again. He also took too many strikes right down the middle of the plate early in counts. He has worked to become more consistent with his mechanics this year. He also is swinging at those early strikes. "People don't realize how much this guy prepares and works," Barkett said. "He makes it look really easy on the field. One (reason) is because he's so talented. At the same time, it's because of how much he prepares. Day in, day out he's very serious about his work. He's very tough on himself. He has an edge every day to try to get better and improve. "It's honestly a joy to work with him not only because he's one of the best players in the world, but there's a nice interaction back and forth of trying to grow and get better together," Barkett added. "All of us. And he's just a lot of fun to work with." Mookie Betts hits go-ahead homer in 7th, Red Sox beat Blue Jays; Betts has 6 homers on road trip Christopher Smith TORONTO -- Mookie Betts delivered the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning against Blue Jays reliever Danny Barnes who entered with a 0.77 ERA (one earned run, 11 2/3 innings). His opposite field blast to right field off Barnes' 91.6 mph four-seamer traveled 366 feet and exited with a 91.6 mph velocity. Betts went 2-for-5 with two homers and three RBIs. He led the Red Sox 4-3 over Toronto here at Rogers Centre. The leadoff hitter has six homers in the seven games he has appeared in during this road trip.

13 Betts also homered to lead off the game. He lined a 95.9 mph fastball, a 2-0 pitch, from Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez 402 feet over the left field wall with a mph exit velocity. Betts already has three leadoff homers this year. He has hit 14 in his career. He overtook Jacoby Ellsbury (10) for the franchise lead last year. ERod's strong outing Eduardo Rodriguez earned the victory. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, all earned, six hits and one walk while striking out three. He lowered his ERA to 3.63 in four starts. Squandered chances The Red Sox took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning. Brock Holt's liner to left field dropped for a double when left fielder Steve Pearce lost his balance and fell. But Boston squandered a perfect opportunity to build on the lead with two runners in scoring position and no outs after Holt's double. J.D. Martinez flied out to shallow right field. After a walk to Andrew Benintendi loaded the bases, Hanley Ramirez grounded into a double play. The Red Sox again squandered a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity in the seventh after Betts' two-run homer. Rafael Devers flied deep to right field but Benintendi didn't tag from third base. He appeared to leave the bag too early and needed to return. The Blue Jays tied it 2-2 in the bottom half on Steve Pearce's two-out RBI single to left field. Toronto took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on Yangervis Solarte's solo homer. Fourth straight strong starts vs. Red Sox Another day, another strong starting pitching performance vs. the Red Sox. Aaron Sanchez hurled 6 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and Saturday: Sean Manaea 9 innings, 0 earned runs. Sunday: Daniel Mengden 6 1/3 innings, 1 earned runs. Monday: J.A. Happ 7 innings, one earned runs. Tuesday: Aaron Sanchez 6 innings, 2 earned runs. Mookie Betts adds to Boston Red Sox franchise lead with 14th leadoff homer, hits third of 2018 Christopher Smith TORONTO -- Mookie Betts added to his Red Sox franchise lead in leadoff homers with his 14th. He lined a 95.9 mph fastball, a 2-0 pitch, from Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez over the left field wall here at Rogers Centre.

14 He bashed it 402 feet with a exit velocity and 24 degree launch angle. Betts already has three leadoff homers this year. He overtook Jacoby Ellsbury (10) for the franchise lead last year. Betts has 15 extra-base hits (8 doubles and 7 homers) in 21 games. The Red Sox and Blue Jays are tied 1-1. Manny Ramirez assisted Hanley Ramirez being late to Sox clubhouse on his first day as a big leaguer Christopher Smith TORONTO -- Hanley Ramirez has become a leader in the Red Sox clubhouse this year. He delivers the same message every day he walks in there. "Honestly, he brings energy every day the way he acts in the clubhouse, the way he interacts with the players," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "He has this saying when he comes in every day in the clubhouse. He's like, 'Now we have a chance.' That's cool because he keeps everybody loose." Ramirez has been characterized at times during his 13-plus seasons in the big leagues as aloof and a negative clubhouse presence. But he feels like he got labeled that way because he was quiet around the media in his younger years. Cora agreed Ramirez has received a bad rap over the years. Cora then told a story that happened before Ramirez's first game in the majors Sept. 20, The Red Sox were playing in Tampa Bay. "I always liked the kid," Cora said. "I was there for his first game. It's funny now but it isn't funny when it happened. That first day, we were with Manny (Ramirez). And Manny took us -- not me because I'm bald - - to this beauty salon to do his hair." Cora went but just sat there as the other two got their hair done. "All of a sudden, we look up and it was 3:40, 4 o'clock," Cora said. "And at that time, there's no Ubers. It's either car with Manny or wait for a taxi. And me and Hanley, we walked in a little bit late for his first big league day. And I know Wake (Tim Wakefield) mentioned it to him. And I was telling him the story the other day and he was like, 'Man, that was unreal, huh? Manny put me in a bad spot.' "For me he's always been great. I always get along with him. I don't know if it goes back to that day he remembers that I was there with him." Cora added that Ramirez is genuine with other players' and coaches' families. "And what he does to prepare, I don't want to say it's Manny-like because you know how Manny went about his business, but he's pretty close," Cora said. "It's a process starting in the mornings." Xander Bogaerts injury: Red Sox SS to see doctor Thursday, then team will decide if he's ready Christopher Smith TORONTO -- Xander Bogaerts was scheduled to appear in his second rehab game at Triple-A Pawtucket today. But the PawSox got rained out. The Red Sox shortstop suffered a small crack in the talus bone in his left ankle April 8. "He's going to see the doctor tomorrow just to make sure everything is fine," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "And then after that we'll talk to him again and then make a decision."

15 The Red Sox could activate Bogaerts on Friday vs. the Rays at Fenway Park. "One thing I want to make sure is that he's ready to play, that he's not playing because he feels like he has to play," Cora said. "I do feel like he's in a good spot the way he talked to me. We have to make sure that's the case." Bogaerts went 2-for-3 with a home run and double in his first rehab game for Triple-A Pawtucket against Toledo yesterday. He drove both hits the opposite way to right field. He also played six innings at shortstop. Cora wants Bogaerts to experience no doubts about being ready. "I wanted him to make sure that there's no rush here," Cora added. "Although we need him, obviously we're talking about an elite shortstop hitting in the middle of the lineup... we have to make sure he's ready to play." * The Pawtucket Times McCoy a friendly port of call for Bogaerts Brendan McNair A little of this, a little of that as Mother Nature brought about a premature end to the PawSox second homestand of the season: It s always nice to stroll down memory line with a Red Sox player whenever he comes to McCoy Stadium for a rehab assignment. Such was the case with Xander Bogaerts prior to the shortstop collecting a double and a home run Tuesday night. Bogaerts was sitting in the PawSox dugout before the game when a reporter suggested that McCoy can t be that much different from when he was 20 years old and made a 60-game Triple-A cameo in Instead, Bogaerts talked about McCoy in terms that you rarely hear about from players sightlines as it relates to picking the ball up both in the field and in the batter s box. I actually like the PawSox field. The grass is always nice, said Bogaerts, a declaration that doubles as a tip of the cap to PawSox field superintendent Matt McKinnon and his hard-working staff. I never had any problems seeing the ball here. Bogaerts referred to the center-field warehouse at McCoy as a different type of green thing, but I always liked it here. In some small way, perhaps the PawSox version of a green landmark helped put the idea in Bogaerts mind upon reaching Fenway Park, where it s hard to miss a vastly different and much taller green object. Speaking of Bogaerts, canceling Wednesday s Pawtucket-Toledo game some five and a half hours before the scheduled 6:15 p.m. first pitch made total sense. Bogaerts reported to the home clubhouse at around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, which was also a 6:15 start. Through the power of deductive reasoning, he probably left Boston no later than 1:30. Granted, the Red Sox would have likely held him out had the PawSox attempted to squeeze Wednesday s game in, yet the early-in-the-day nixing enabled him to head over to Fenway Park for work without worrying about whether he would have to report to McCoy or not. The other rehabber with the PawSox, knuckleball pitcher Steven Wright, is staying at a place in Providence. Travel-wise, he wouldn t have been inconvenienced nearly as much as Bogaerts. Health-wise,

16 it wouldn t have been smart to send Wright out there on a wet night, especially since he s working his way back from knee surgery and left last Friday s start after 2.2 innings due to back tightness. The new plan is to have Wright start for Pawtucket on Friday night in Buffalo. He ll be followed in relief by Marcus Walden, who hasn t appeared in a game since April 18 and is chomping at the bit to get back on the mound. Walden has thrown two bullpen sessions since getting optioned by Boston, including one while he spent time at his Fresno, Calif. home last week. Wednesday s postponement enabled Walden to get a head-start on heading to Boston to attend Game 7 of the Bruins-Maple Leafs first-round series. I m not a hockey guy, but I m a Game 7 guy, said Walden. Mike Olt has been a tough out since joining the PawSox on April 10, so tough in fact that he s found a home in the middle of manager Kevin Boles lineup. The Connecticut native leads Pawtucket in walks (11) and RBI (10) despite spending the season s first weekend with Double-A Portland. He s a guy who s fit in nicely and someone who s managed his at-bats great, said Boles. Apparently, Olt left his locker at Portland s Hadlock Field full. When a player does that, it usually means his roster status with the PawSox could prove to be short-lived. When a guy is here, we hope he stays so he can jump to that next step, said Boles. He s a veteran guy who s taking advantage of his opportunity. To clarify, Olt was informed he was Pawtucket-bound while Portland was playing a road series in Reading, Pa. It s not like he had time to return to Portland to pick up his car and baseball gear as well as say goodbye to his host family. Eventually, Olt was able to settle up and bid what figures to be a permanent farewell to life in the Eastern League. You never know what s going to happen, but I just go out and play baseball and see what happens, said Olt. Every Triple-A pitching staff needs at least one dependable arm who can shuffle between the starting rotation and the bullpen on a moment s notice. The 2018 season isn t even a month old, but Josh Smith former Pittsburgh farmhand who joined the Red Sox organization after getting selected in the 2016 Triple- A phase of the Rule 5 Draft has already made a compelling case to be that guy in the mold of Robby Scott in 2016 and Walden and Edgar Olmos last year. Three days after following Wright to the mound and allowing one run in 3.1 innings, the 6-foot-3 Smith started the second game of Monday s doubleheader against Toledo and proceeded to pitch four scoreless innings. A lefty, Smith has appeared in four games to date, three of them multi-inning stints. It s an early look, but he looks to be surfacing as that type of guy based on what he s done so far, said Boles. It s a fastball-slider mix that s produced some funky swings. He s not a guy who lights up the radar gun, but there s no fear. He attacks the zone and gets guys swinging. I also like that he s able to miss where he wants. The advanced scouting reports, at least what s being made available by the coaches to the PawSox players, has been augmented this season. There s still one master sheet tacked up on the main board in the clubhouse that breaks down an opposing pitcher s repertoire and the speed of each pitch. Now, sabermetric tools such as heat maps that double as an indicator of where a pitcher throws a particular pitch within the strike zone the most often and spray charts are being offered as a further attempt to mimic what s going on at the major-league level.

17 You ve got to remember your audience and who you re talking to. You ve got to make sure to tell the guys to get the information you need but to the extent where you re not overloading them, said Boles. It s good to give them the templates that are needed so when they go to the big leagues, they ve seen them before. * RedSox.com Mookie mashes 2 homers, ends losing streak Ian Browne TORONTO -- It was Mookie Betts who got the Red Sox off to a roaring start on this road trip with his big bat. So it's only fitting that as the three-city journey starts to wind down, it was Betts who lifted his team off the mat from a three-game losing streak. The star right fielder drilled two homers -- including one that led off the game -- to propel the Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre. The second long ball was a two-run drive to the opposite field in right with one out in the seventh that put Boston back in front by a run. "Two good swings. The one to the opposite field, that was a great swing," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "Obviously, the one on the 2-0 count to start up the game, it seems like we needed something like that, especially after the last few days to get the lead. I know they scored right away, but it felt good." In the seven games Betts has played on the trip, he has six homers. Three of them have led off the game, extending his team record for career leadoff home runs to 14. "It's been a lot of fun," said Betts. "Just trying to do what I can to help us win." As Cora found out while emerging out of the first losing streak of his managerial career, it's good to have a player like Betts when things aren't quite clicking on all cylinders. "They're special," Cora said when asked about players like Betts. "Like the Trouts or Altuves, the more atbats they get, the better you feel about it. Right away, he hits the ball out of the ballpark and you start thinking, 'Special night for him.' I'm glad that he's on my team." Eduardo Rodriguez worked 6 2/3 innings and scattered six hits and three runs to earn the win that pushed the Red Sox to 18-5 and set up a rubber match of this three-game series on Thursday, which will conclude a trip that started on the West Coast. Craig Kimbrel came on in the ninth to pick up his sixth save, one night after he gave up a walk-off homer to Curtis Granderson. The offense was led by Betts and supported by Brock Holt, who had three more hits and six in the last two nights to raise his average from.244 to.327. "Anybody who has Mookie on their side is going to be happy," said Rodriguez. "To have a guy like that who can hit the ball out of the ballpark and do all the things he does, it's pretty fun to see that." The Red Sox saw this type of greatness from Betts on a consistent basis two years ago, when he finished second in the American League's Most Valuable Player Award voting. Last year, he showed flashes and had a solid year but wasn't at the top of his game.