Franchy Cordero broke out of his slump Thursday, and Bobby Dalbec had his turn Friday.
The Red Sox first baseman went 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs in Boston’s 6-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night at Camden Yards. Dalbec hit a three-run home run to help put the Red Sox up by four.
The 25-year-old was struggling a bit at the plate coming into Friday but he certainly made up for it by attacking pitches and staying patient.
“He felt good yesterday on his last swing against (Detroit Tigers pitcher Kyle) Funkhouser,” manager Alex Cora said on during his Zoom postgame availability. “He’s been working hard. It’s not lack of effort. “It’s good to see him smile. This is such a tough sport.”
The round-tripper marked the 10th in 50 games for Dalbec, something that put him in with impressive company. Check out this stat:
Dalbec revealed he had the support of his team during his slump and had a lot of help during that time.
“The team as a whole has helped me out,” he said.”
But it still was good to have a strong night.
“Little less pressure I guess,” Dalbec said, “or weight off my shoulders.”
He noted he and Cordero had been “having a few talks” during their slumps, adding they talked for five or 10 minutes after a game against the Texas Rangers.
“I’m very fortunate to have teammates like that.”
Here are some other notes from Friday’s Red Sox-Orioles game:
— Eduardo Rodriguez moved to 5-0 after giving Boston five innings.
“Five is good. We were very short today bullpen-wise. I was hoping six, but he grinded,” Cora said. “… He gave us a chance to win and got us the W.”
The southpaw felt good, but noted in his Zoom postgame press conference that he didn’t feel he had control of his fastball and that’s why he used his secondary pitches.
— Rodriguez continued to be success at Camden Yards, improving to 7-2 through his career.
“The first couple starts of my career I was excited to pitch over here,” he said. “Now it’s just another ballpark to me.”
— Rafael Devers turned on the wheels on more than one occasion.
The third baseman stole third and scored from first in the win.
“I told him the other day on one of the websites they had J.D. (Martinez) ranked ahead of him speed-wise. He took it personally,” Cora said. “He’s fast, actually. He’s in better shape than last year. We know that. He’s a smart baserunner. He’ll take his chances.”
— The bullpen looked pretty sharp only giving up a run — a solo homer off Hirokazu Saramura– in the win.
— The Red Sox became first team in Major League Baseball to reach 20 wins, just narrowly beating out the Oakland Athletics, who won their 20th game minutes after Boston.
— Kiké Hernández was placed on the 10-day injured list prior to first pitch. Michael Chavis was recalled from Triple-A Worcester.
Cora noted he’s hopeful that Hernández only will be out for the 10 days, and that Chavis likely will play Saturday night.
