The 2021 Major League Baseball season largely has been a grind for Bobby Dalbec thus far.
The Red Sox first baseman, who flashed star potential when he was called up to the big leagues late last season, currently is batting .185 and is tied for the team lead in strikeouts (65). Dalbec has gone hitless in 10 of his last 12 games, including Tuesday when he went 0-for-4 with three punchouts in Boston’s 7-1 loss to the Houston Astros at Fenway Park.
Following the loss in the series opener, Sox manager Alex Cora addressed Dalbec’s struggles at the dish.
“It’s tough right now,” Cora told reporters, per MLB.com. “He can get hot. We keep talking about making adjustments, being on time, pitch recognition, discipline in the zone. But lately, it’s been hard, especially against lefties, too. He’s had struggles controlling the strike zone against them. It started here against Atlanta, then against the Marlins, same thing.
“It happened today. Just one of those, as a young player, he’s chasing hits. We talked about it last week. You have to chase good at-bats.”
Dalbec and the Red Sox will look to bounce back Wednesday when they meet the Astros for the middle contest of their three-game set. NESN’s complete coverage of the Houston-Boston matchup begins at 6 p.m. ET.
