Red Sox Notes: Boston Bats Lead To Tough Series Vs. Blue Jays

Bats have gone very cold for the Boston Red Sox.

The Toronto Blue Jays concluded a three-game sweep of the Red Sox after a 3-2 walk-off win at Rogers Centre on Sunday afternoon. It marked the second consecutive game the Red Sox lost via a walk off.

And it was largely due to Boston’s inability to come up with a timely hit.

“It’s tough, and it happens, right? Over 162 (games),” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters after the game, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “But it’s been going on for a while.”

The Red Sox went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners on base in the contest. During their series in Toronto, the Red Sox hit .171 as a team, as shared on the NESN broadcast.

“It’s just one of those (streaks),” Cora said. “When we go to Texas, just try to move the ball forward, play this little game, small game, get him over, get him in and then big things are gonna happen.”

Cora added: “We got swept but, we played some good baseball. Obviously, we’re not hitting. We’re pitching strongly well, playing hard, and that’s all you can ask for from these guys. Obviously, we want different results but its not happening right now.”

Here are more notes from Red Sox-Blue Jays:

— Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu crashed into the wall as he tried to chase down the line drive off the bat of Toronto’s Matt Chapman. Abreu was unable to make the play at the wall, and Cavan Biggio scored from first base.

“It was a very difficult play,” Abreu told reporters after the game, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I was playing to the left-field side and the ball was hit to the right field. So off the wall it was a very difficult play to try to make. I think I did everything I could but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get it.

— Rafael Devers tied the game with a solo home run in the ninth inning. It marked the second hit of the game for Devers, who reached base five times after two walks and one hit by pitch.

“He’s been working hard on a few things and I think he’s given himself room to work the ball up the middle the other way,” Cora told reporters. “He started at home and then obviously this weekend he hit four or five balls that way. He’s locked in right now, taking his walks, working the count, getting pitches that he can drive. He’s in a great place right now.”

— Devers tied Jim Rice with the most home runs by a Red Sox player before turning 27 years old. He also became the 22nd player to record 400 extra-base hits, per Red Sox senior manager of media relations and baseball information J.P. Long.

Most recent players to record 400 extra-base hits before turning 27 years old:
 
Rafael Devers
Bryce Harper
Manny Machado
Mike Trout
Miguel Cabrera
Albert Pujols
Andruw Jones
Alex Rodriguez
Ken Griffey Jr.
 
Devers is the 22nd player to record 400 XBH for the Red Sox.

— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) September 17, 2023

— Nick Pivetta put together another impressive outing for the Red Sox as he limited the Blue Jays to two runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings.

“He’s been excellent the whole season,” Cora told reporters. “I mean, after May 15 (when he) went to a bullpen, he decided that ‘This is what I gotta do, I got to pitch.’ And he’s been available the whole season. It was fun to watch him.”

— The Red Sox will travel to Texas as their three-game series against the Rangers starts Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET, and you can watch it on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.