As the Red Sox begin their final push for the American League East crown, their longest-tenured player is starting to heat up.
And so, too, is the youngest player on the roster.
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia’s two-run, first-inning home run propelled the Red Sox to a 9-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday at Fenway Park. And 20-year-old Rafael Devers, who slumped mightily in the second half of August, also contributed to the blowout, as he went 2-for-5 with a double and run scored.
In going 2-for-2 on Saturday, the 34-year-old Pedroia now has five hits in his last 13 at-bats, as he continues to work back from his recent stint on the disabled list. But Devers is even hotter, as his performance against the Rays gives him seven hits in his last 12 at-bats. The important part, though, is that none of those hits have been cheap, as both players have been making solid contact throughout the team’s current four-game winning streak.
The New York Yankees also won Saturday, which means the Red Sox’s lead in the division stays at 4.5 games. And if the Sox are going to go as far as they want to go this season, they’re going to need both their young and old players to step up.
Veterans, such as Pedroia, are vital in helping a relatively young team succeed in September and October. But a bulk of this team’s talent is allocated in its young players, with Devers currently leading the charge.
Every game in September is important. And, so far, these two players — one born in 1983, the other in 1996 — have started the month on fire.
Here are some other notes from Red Sox-Rays:
— David Price took a big step toward returning to the rotation, as he threw 32 pitches to hitters in a two-inning simulated game before Saturday’s Rays-Sox game.
Boston manager John Farrell was encouraged by Price’s performance.
“Got through today fine,” Farrell told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “He was able to accomplish it with no ill effects. It was a good step obviously in his progression to game activity. At a minimum, he’ll go through another sim-game situation in the coming days, four or five days from now.”
— Eduardo Nunez injured his right knee while sliding into second base during the first inning. He remained in the game, but exited the following inning after hitting an infield single. He was diagnosed with a right knee contusion, Browne reported.
— Jerry Remy joined the NESN broadcast booth, alongside Dave O’Brien and Dennis Eckersley, for the second consecutive game.
— JetBlue Park, the Red Sox’s spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla., will serve as a command center for the city and also shelter families of Red Sox players and personnel during Hurricane Irma, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford.
“What’s going to take place (in Fort Myers), you know, we’ve got a lot of guys that either make offseason homes down there or guys that even at this point have families that are unable to evacuate that are actually going to go over to JetBlue and stay there,” Farrell told Bradford. “This is a serious situation, and I think in these times that are challenging, the goodness of people start to really come through.”
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
