Alex Cora Had Simple Reason For Jarren Duran Lineup Tweak

Jarren Duran excelled in the No. 2 spot in the Red Sox batting order over the weekend.

The All-Star outfielder occupied that slot Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles, and he went a combined 4-for-8 with a home run, two doubles, four runs scored and six RBIs. But when Boston opened its three-game series in Colorado on Monday, Duran was back in the leadoff position for the visitors.

How come?

“We haven’t won with the other lineup,” Alex Cora told reporters with a laugh, per The Boston Globe.

The Red Sox did, indeed, drop both of those games against the Dodgers and also fell to the Kansas City Royals on July 12 when Duran batted second. But taking superstition out of the equation, Cora noted how he wanted to break up Devers and fellow left-handed bat Rafael Devers to make game planning more difficult for the Rockies.

The tweak didn’t stall Duran’s momentum, as he extended his hit streak with a triple and scored two runs. But unfortunately for Boston, it fell 9-8 in 11 innings at Coors Field.

Cora’s club will try to return to the win column Tuesday night when the 2007 World Series participants meet for the middle game of the series. NESN’s full coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.