Jackie Bradley Jr. is becoming a more consistent hitter this season, and that’s great news for the bottom of the Boston Red Sox’s lineup.
The 26-year-old right fielder hit his third home run of the season in Boston’s 8-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Saturday afternoon.
It extended his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest of his career and the best active streak in Major League Baseball. Bradley also has 11 RBIs and nine extra-base hits during this streak.
That smooth step across the plate. https://t.co/ANSXOCUskL #RedSox pic.twitter.com/da65ROPH0b
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 7, 2016
Bradley now is batting .277 with three home runs, 15 RBIs and a .333 on-base percentage on the season. He’s also collected at least one hit in 23 of Boston’s 28 games.
That’s more than enough offensive production for someone with gold glove-caliber defensive skills.
— Hanley Ramirez went 1 for 3 and extended his own hitting streak to 11 games. It’s the longest of his Red Sox career and the second-longest active streak in the majors.
— David Price gave up five or more earned runs for the fourth time in seven outings and took his first loss of the season Saturday.
He’s 4-1, but his ERA now stands at 6.75, in addition to allowing a total of 30 hits and 19 earned runs over 29 2/3 innings.
Price’s velocity also wasn’t very good. His best fastball clocked in at just 92 mph, and on just six occasions did a Yankee swing and miss at a pitch. The changeup he threw Aaron Hicks on an 0-2 count that was smacked for a three-run double in the sixth inning was down in the zone and in a good spot for a left-handed hitter.
Price normally improves as the season progresses, but his first seven starts still are a bit concerning.
— Boston has lost back-to-back games for the first time since April 18 and 19. The Sox are 17-13 and sit in second place in the American League East.
— The bottom three hitters of the Yankees’ order were quite productive. Chase Headley, Didi Gregorius and Austin Romine combined for seven of New York’s 11 hits.
Thumbnail photo via Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports Images
