Rafael Devers is on a powerful plate over the last few days, homering in each of his last four games. But the Red Sox, who are in something of a free-fall so far in May, haven’t won any of them.
Against the Rays, Devers took reliever Phil Maton deep on Wednesday and starter Zack Littell out of the ballpark on Thursday but the Red Sox lost both games by two runs. In St. Louis, Devers hit a 443-foot solo shot off Kyle Gibson in Friday’s series-opening loss before adding a 431-foot blast off Miles Mikolas to tie Saturday’s game, 1-1. Still, the Red Sox went on to lose, 7-2, when St. Louis scored five times in the eighth.
Rafael Devers’ fourth homer in as many games wasn’t enough for the Red Sox on Saturday night
It’s safe to say Devers isn’t getting much enjoyment out of his showing of power.
“I feel good about the home runs but at the same time, we’re not winning so it’s bittersweet,” Devers said through translator Carlos Villoría Benítez. “The swing feels good but if we’re not winning, it’s just pointless.”
Devers’ swing has come alive with the weather heating up a bit in May. He homered just three times in April, when he was limited to 19 games, but has five blasts in his last 11 games dating back to May 5. Still, there’s a lack of satisfaction because he has frequently failed to come through in clutch situations. Before homering Saturday, he struck out with runners on first and second and one out in what would eventually be a squandered first-inning rally.
Devers is well-aware that he’s hitting just .182 (6-for-33) with one homer with runners in scoring position so far this year.
“I need to make an adjustment,” he said. “I like to hit with men in scoring position and I haven’t been able to hit with men in scoring position. Obviously, that gets me a little bit frustrated. But at the same time, I need to keep working.”
Devers has, unsurprisingly, been a force in a Red Sox lineup that has not met expectations through 46 games this season. Even with little around him with Trevor Story and Triston Casas out and Tyler O’Neill and Wilyer Abreu both scuffling in May, Devers is hitting .284 with eight homers, 19 RBIs, a .537 slugging percentage and a .918 OPS. Before Devers spoke about needing to be better with situational hitting, manager Alex Cora correctly predicted that the star third baseman would not be satisfied with his recent streak.
“He’s getting pitches that he can handle and he’s hitting them out of the ballpark,” Cora said. “If you ask him, he’ll tell you he’s not locked in. Yesterday, he got a pitch down and hit it out of the ballpark. Today, the same thing. He’s feeling better. But if you ask him, I bet he’ll tell you there’s more there. I don’t know what more is. But if that happens, it’ll be fun to watch.”
The Red Sox offense, which was outhit by the Cardinals 14-5 on Saturday, has combined to hit just .229 so far in May, plating less than three runs in 10 of 16 games. Devers acknowledged that things need to change fast if the club wants to get back on track after a solid April.
“We’re struggling as a whole,” Devers said. “They’re pitching us differently than they pitched us at the beginning of the season and we have to make an adjustment. We haven’t been able to do that. We’re working hard to make that adjustment to get the whole offense back clicking.”
