It was pretty surprising when Red Sox manager Alex Cora said didn't believe Rafael Devers was truly "locked in" a few weeks back.
Devers had just set a new franchise record by going yard in six consecutive games, after all. It wouldn't be fair to expect anything more out of a guy -- especially considering where the rest of the lineup was at -- right?
"I think people took that the wrong way," Cora said Wednesday, as seen on NESN's postgame coverage. "He wasn't locked in. That's the bottom line. Now he's locked in."
It's hard to argue with Cora, especially after Devers parked a couple balls in the monster seats to help fuel a shutout victory over the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park.
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"He's using the whole field, not chasing pitches, hitting the ball the other way -- that's locked in. He went on a hot streak, hitting six home runs in six days -- which is awesome and we celebrated that -- but now he's very dangerous.
"... He's playing good third base, too. He made a play today to the backhand side that was nice to see. It's been fun to watch."
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Red Sox-Braves
Here are more notes from Wednesday afternoon's matchup between the Red Sox and Braves:
-- Nick Pivetta had nine strikeouts against Atlanta, exercising some demons by picking up a pair against Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna -- who has six career home runs off Pivetta.
-- Jamie Westbrook recorded his first career hit Tuesday, making for a tremendous moment in front of his family at Fenway Park.
Westbrook, who played 1,159 minor-league games, spoke with NESN's Jahmai Webster following the game.
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"Dude -- It was so cool," Westbrook said. "I was going up there, and I was like, 'I gotta swing here. I feel like this is my spot.' It's hard to explain, man, it's been a long time coming but we're here now. It's all gravy now, just gotta keep moving."
-- Westbrook gave the ball to his mom, Jen, who has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. The cancer is now in remission.
-- The Red Sox will hit the road Thursday, kicking off a quick four-game set against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. It'll be the first meeting between the two teams this season, with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
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Featured image via Paul Rutherford/USA TODAY Sports Images
