Dustin Pedroia might singlehandedly turn around the Boston Red Sox’s offense.
Not only did Pedroia collect three hits Thursday in the Red Sox’s 5-1 win over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park to extend his hitting streak to eight games. The second baseman also identified a flaw in Hanley Ramirez’s stride during pregame video work, which Ramirez then corrected en route to drilling two extra-base hits, including his first home run since April 29.
“Pedroia got here at 9 o’clock in the morning today to watch my videos, and he was waiting for me and he told me what I was doing,” Ramirez told reporters in Arlington after Thursday’s victory. “Sometimes there’s things that you don’t realize you’re doing it. It’s why this is a champion team, because players they care about each other. It was great, you know?”
Ramirez credited Pedroia with “keeping everyone awake” while discussing his own recent struggles Wednesday after the Minnesota Twins completed a three-game sweep of the Red Sox. Pedroia clearly has been a vocal leader amid Boston’s early-season woes — he stressed the importance of “less talk, more play” last weekend — and his extra work in the video room has the potential to be a godsend.
Mike Napoli, like Ramirez, recently pointed to a video session with Pedroia as a turning point in his season. The first baseman has been a different player ever since, as he launched five home runs during the Red Sox’s recent homestand, including four in a three-game stretch against the Los Angeles Angels.
There’s no telling whether Pedroia’s tutelage will have a similar impact on Ramirez throughout the final three games of Boston’s current seven-game road trip. But Ramirez driving the ball to left-center field with authority Thursday was extremely encouraging, as he had just three extra-base hits and one RBI over his previous 22 games. His sixth-inning home run marked his first homer in 85 at-bats.
“He was right,” Ramirez said of Pedroia’s lesson, which, according to the Boston Herald, first occurred on video and then in the batting cage.
Pedroia is hitting .424 (14-for-33) during his hitting streak and .333 (39-for-127) over his last 30 games, elevating his average to .298. But that production only scratches the surface of his impact right now.
Pedroia is working double duty as a player and a coach in the hopes of saving the Red Sox’s season.
Thumbnail photo via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
