The Red Sox entered the month of May four games under .500, and their collective performance in the batter’s box was a major reason why.
Boston scored three runs or less in 12 of its 22 April games. There was also a surprising lack of power from the Red Sox over the first month of the season, as Alex Cora’s club only put 12 baseballs in the seats.
Hitting slumps happen. Even Cora’s best teams dating back to his first season with Boston in 2018 went through cold spells. And when rough patches surface, the Red Sox manager likes to chop it up with an old friend who was a pretty darn good hitter during his day: Carlos Delgado.
“When we go through stuff like this, I like talking to him because he has a different perspective,” Cora told reporters Sunday, per MLB.com. “This guy hit (473) home runs, but the mental side of it made him great. Carlos said it perfectly, ‘Don’t be in that rush to make an out. What’s the point? If you get your pitch, great. But if you don’t, just take it. Get the at-bat going and then see what happens 3-1, 3-2, 2-0.’ We haven’t been able to do that.”
The Red Sox will enjoy a much-needed off day before getting back on the grind Tuesday. Perhaps the comforts of home over the course of a six-game stretch at Fenway Park will spark life into the Boston bats.
