Alex Verdugo made a key play in the eighth inning of the Boston Red Sox's 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park on Wednesday night. And it prompted Alex Cora to offer noteworthy praise.
"He's the best defensive right-fielder in the big leagues," Cora told reporters after the Red Sox used a three-run seventh inning to earn the series-sweeping win.
Verdugo sprinted back to the warning track and hauled in a fly off the bat of Braves' Austin Riley. Verdugo ultimately crashed into the right-field wall as he made the second out of the eighth frame.
"I know he's struggling offensively but defensively, he's been great for us," Cora told reporters. "It's night and day. He's very engaged. He's moving faster. He's taking chances, and we're very happy with the way he's been playing defense."
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The timing of Verdugo's dogged pursuit was notable, too. Boston just erased a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead with Justin Turner belting a two-run double.
Verdugo, as Cora referenced, has struggled at the plate recently. He went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts Wednesday and now is hitting .119 in 67 plate appearances in July. But defensively, Verdugo ranks behind only Fernando Tatis Jr. in defensive runs saved (11) this season.
Featured image via Paul Rutherford/USA TODAY Sports Images
