Every game might soon look like Thanksgiving dinner for the Boston Red Sox’s offense.
While the Red Sox still are fighting to consistently win games, they currently have a trio of table-setters capable of making things look mighty tasty for the meat of Boston’s order. Mookie Betts, Brock Holt and Dustin Pedroia all are thriving amid the club’s offensive revival, with the latest example of their impact coming Sunday in an impressive 13-2 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
“It’s given us a little bit different look,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said of deploying Betts, Holt and Pedroia sequentially atop the order. “There’s certainly consistency with those three guys right now.
“There’s the ability to put some pressure on the opposing pitcher with the threat of a stolen base, and the three guys are clicking pretty good right now.”
Farrell has been forced to shuffle his lineup countless times this season in the hopes of providing a spark, putting players into a position to succeed and maximizing the offense’s potential. Betts, Holt and Pedroia are among the pieces that have shifted around, though it appears the skipper might have struck gold with his most recent combination.
Three productive players now are laying the groundwork for an improved middle of the order, enhancing a deep lineup that’s been among the American League’s best units this month. The Red Sox have an AL-best six players — Betts (.375), Holt (.368), Pedroia (.356), Xander Bogaerts (.329), Pablo Sandoval (.327) and Hanley Ramirez (.308) — hitting over .300 since June 1. And the Sox now return home for three games against the Baltimore Orioles on the heels of their best scoring output of 2015. Boston produced 13 extra-base hits — three homers, eight doubles and two triples — in Sunday’s assault in K.C.
“Good way to finish the road trip,” Farrell said. “Evident by the scoreboard, a number of really good at-bats, particularly the top three guys really setting the tone for us.”
Let’s start with Betts, who was reinserted into the leadoff spot Saturday for the first time since May 22. He has come a long way since going through a rough patch that forced Farrell to temporarily install Pedroia atop the order. The 22-year-old is hitting .556 (20-for-36) with three homers, eight RBIs and nine runs scored over the course of a nine-game hitting streak, but more importantly, he’s showing the aggressiveness and game-changing ability that made him an ideal leadoff option to begin with.
“He’s a special player, and there’s a little bit of time that we pointed to as a little bit of a breather, but he can beat out an infield base hit, he can put down a bunt for a base hit, drive the ball out of the ballpark,” Farrell said of Betts, who fell a single shy of the cycle Sunday. “It’s a pretty special talent. You see the instincts on the field starting to flourish each and every game he’s playing.”
Holt, who hit for a cycle earlier this week against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park, went 3-for-5 with a triple, two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored Sunday. He has started the Red Sox’s last 16 games — at six different positions — and has reached base at least once in all of them. Holt has reached base at least twice in 13 of those 16 contests.
And then there’s Pedroia, who one could argue should be the Red Sox’s lone All-Star representative. While he sat three games this week with left knee soreness, in addition to mixing in an 0-for-10 stretch, the veteran second baseman has been nothing short of fantastic for much of this season. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored Sunday, raising his season average to .307.
How long will Farrell stick with Betts, Holt and Pedroia in the No. 1, No. 2. and No. 3 spots, respectively? As long as it works, he said after taking two of three from the defending American League champions.
Makes sense. It sure looks like a successful recipe.
Thumbnail photo via Peter Aiken/USA TODAY Sports Images
