It hasn't exactly been a memorable stretch for Rafael Devers, but the Boston Red Sox third baseman put those struggles behind him with a game-saving hit in the 10th inning of Monday's 8-4 win against the Texas Rangers.
Devers was 0-for-15 in his last four games and just 4-for-29 in his last eight games entering the contest. He went 2-for-5 on Monday, his first multi-hit game in nine days, and his RBI double to score Xander Bogaerts from first base ultimately extended the game. Devers' hit (and first RBI since Aug. 14) tied the game 4-all.
Alex Verdugo noted the message from the dugout as Devers battled after getting behind 0-2 before connecting on a slider from pitcher Dennis Santana.
"Kind of just yelling from the dugout just to tell him, 'Win this pitch. Win this pitch. It's all you can do,' "Verdugo said on a postgame video conference. "Whatever happened in the past, that previous pitch, learn from it, flush it and go forward and just win the next pitch. And that's exactly what he did and obviously (he) drove it."
Devers' first extra-base hit in six games -- which went 414 feet to center field -- paved way for a Travis Shaw walk-off grand slam one inning later.
"... Like I've been saying all along, I'm going to take my chances with those guys in the middle of the lineup with men on. At one point they're going to produce," manager Alex Cora said after the game. "0-2 count, got a pitch up in the zone and put a great swing on it.
"J.D. (Martinez) did the same thing with man on second and no outs. They're good hitters. They're going through a tough stretch, but I'll take my chances with them, we take out chances with them," Cora continued. "It doesn't matter is they're 0-for-14 or they're hot. We like what they do and today that was a great swing, too."
The Red Sox certainly are hoping Monday's game will provide Devers the confidence he needs to get it going again. He now has 29 home runs and 90 RBIs while his average hovers around .275.
