Bobby Dalbec’s game-winning homer rescues Red Sox against Angels

If there is a roster crunch for playing time coming up in the near future, Bobby Dalbec is starting to make it difficult for the Red Sox to sit him.

Dalbec, who was benched on two consecutive nights this week as he struggled at the plate and other hitters were outperforming him, admitted before Friday night’s opener against the Angels how arduous it’s been to find consistency as the 25-year-old continues to adjust to the big-league level.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Dalbec said. “You never really figure it out.”

It looks like he’s starting to figure something out.

When the Red Sox needed him the most on Friday, Dalbec delivered. Trailing by a run after their bullpen had just coughed up another lead, Dalbec came to the rescue with a go-ahead two-run homer — his second blast in as many nights — as the Sox held off the Angels, 4-3, at Fenway Park.

It was a special moment for Dalbec, who received chants of “Bo-bby! Bo-bby!” from the electric crowd of 9,284 after he returned to the dugout. Christian Vazquez convinced him to oblige as he jumped up to the top step to give the fans a curtain call.

“It was crazy,” Dalbec said. “Crazy moment, special moment, something that you dream of as a kid.”

It had to have felt good for Dalbec, who has been inconsistent since his breakout debut last year. He’s done everything in his power to correct his issues as he continues to develop, from video review to work in the cage all while staying with it mentally through the ups and downs and constant trial and error.

Friday’s game-winning homer may have been his most satisfying yet, given his struggles to start the year — which included an 0-for-27 slump at one point — and the game situation. Dalbec has always hit lefties well, and Angels southpaw Tony Watson threw him a changeup that he absolutely devoured, drilling it deep over the Green Monster seats and into the DraftKings sign high above for his fourth homer of the season.

Watson had a bewildered look on his face as Dalbec trotted around the bases with a bit of pep in his step. He’s certainly feeling good right now, with three homers and nine RBI over his last six games. If he’s been feeling any pressure to perform as playing time and at-bats become more of a premium, the last two nights have probably been a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

“He understands there’s ups and downs during the season,” manager Alex Cora said. “As long as you keep working hard and stay within yourself and are making adjustments, you’re going to be fine. … There are certain times we know he’s going to swing and miss, but the power is there. We know that. It’s just for him to be a little bit more consistent in certain situations. …

“We like the player. We like the person, and we’re going to keep working with him.”

Especially if he can deliver more big moments like he did on Friday.

“He picked us up,” Cora said. “It was a cool Friday night at Fenway, to have a curtain call, it was great to see. The vibe was outstanding. The fans were into it. It was a great night, it was a great night. Hopefully we can get many of those.”

Other takeaways from Friday’s win:

— Nick Pivetta threw another gem, as he pitched six innings and allowed two runs while striking out seven. Most importantly, he walked none for the first time in 10 Red Sox starts. His only real blemish came in the fifth, when he gave up a solo homer to Shohei Ohtani, who somehow flicked an outside pitch to the opposite field and into the second row of the Monster seats.

Pivetta left with a 2-1 lead, but the night was almost ruined by Matt Andriese, who blew the lead in the seventh when he allowed a two-run single to Jose Iglesias. Dalbec’s homer saved the Red Sox bullpen, which has given up 26 earned runs so far in the month of May.

— Hunter Renfroe had made a pair of highlight-reel defensive plays with his arm this week, but before Friday’s game, Cora made a point to mention how well he’s been swinging the bat.

Then, Renfroe went out and proved it. The right fielder, who’s been one of the Red Sox’ best hitters in May, came up with two outs and a man on in the second and hit a 430-foot missile to center to give the Red Sox an early 2-0 lead, his fifth homer of the season. Renfroe now has four homers in May and is hitting .327 with a .942 OPS over his last 13 games.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2SMxjvr