The Boston Red Sox’s offense has been a whirlwind this season, but they’ve been getting some pretty consistent production from an unlikely source.
Christian Vazquez is known for his defense behind the plate rather than his offense, and it’s been great job security for the 27-year-old. He made the Opening Day roster pretty easily this season despite batting .227 with a .585 OPS in 57 games behind the plate in 2016.
But this year, Vazquez has been the starting catcher more often than Sandy Leon, thanks in large part to his .293 average and his strong second-half performance.
After going 2-for-4 with the Red Sox’s lone RBI on Sunday in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Vazquez now is batting .372 (48-for-129) at home this season, including a .423 average (22-for-52) in his last 16 games at Fenway. He’s also batting .327 in the second half while the Red Sox are trying to stay atop the American League East and make a run for the pennant.
Vazquez might not be a star player, but with the season winding down, the Red Sox need all the help they can get to make sure their four-game lead over the New York Yankees doesn’t disappear.
Here are some more notes from Sunday’s loss.
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— For what it’s worth, it really wasn’t Boston’s worse loss of the season. In fact, the Red Sox have allowed four runs or fewer in 91 of 143 games this season, which trails only the AL-leading Cleveland Indians and the National League-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
— Craig Kimbrel was his usual self Sunday, striking out Kevin Kiermaier, Lucas Duda and Evan Longoria in order in the ninth. It was Kimbrel’s 18th outing with three-plus strikeouts — yes, he did record a four-strikeout inning in May — which leads all relievers.
Kimbrel also has fanned 121 of 221 batters (50.7 percent) this season, which is the second-best rate for any pitcher in a single season.
— The Red Sox meet the Rays for another three-game series starting Friday, but it’s unclear at this point if it will take place in St. Petersburg, Fla., like it’s supposed to. The league should have a clearer idea once Hurricane Irma moves out of the area.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Sousa/USA TODAY Sports Images
