Bobby Dalbec clearly hasn’t obtained off to the beginning he wished to this season.
The Red Sox first baseman entered Saturday with numbers that had been brutal to take a look at – a slash line of .146/.228/.220, an OPS of .448.
After a sizzling second half to his rookie season that culminated with 21 doubles and 25 homers, Dalbec had simply one in every of every by way of his first 29 video games this season.
Something needed to change. Dalbec knew it, and so he’s beginning to combine it up. And one change had nothing to do together with his hitting method or baseball in any respect.
He’s attempting to develop a mustache.
Five days after Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora shaved his beard, a superstitious act to attempt to get his crew going, Dalbec was seemingly impressed. After the Red Sox routed the Rangers with an 11-3 victory, Dalbec confirmed the mustache experiment, which is actually in its toddler phases.
“Absolutely, it is,” Dalbec advised NESN. “I know it doesn’t come in very thick but it’ll come in a couple months if I keep it rolling.”
Dalbec will hope Saturday is the start of one thing nice. The first baseman recorded his first multi-hit sport since April 25 with two hits as he reached base thrice within the win. He hit a go-ahead RBI single within the second – giving the Sox a lead they might by no means relent – earlier than hitting a leadoff double within the fourth on the primary pitch. Even his fly out within the ninth – which traveled 406 ft – was well-hit and one other encouraging signal.
Dalbec’s struggles compounded within the weeks since that final multi-hit sport, as he went 2-for-26 with 13 strikes over that stretch getting into Saturday.
Dalbec obtained a while this week to work some issues out. In addition to off days on Monday and Thursday, he didn’t begin both sport this week in Atlanta – he pinch-hit on Tuesday, didn’t play Wednesday – and pinch-hit once more late in Friday’s win. The work didn’t cease behind the scenes and it translated with an enormous evening when he returned to the beginning lineup Saturday.
“It feels good,” Dalbec advised NESN. “I haven’t been playing much recently, so I’m taking a lot of swings, a lot of early work, so it feels good. I’m just trying to swing through it, figure it out, so I feel like I made some good strides the last few days. I felt pretty good.”
He additionally obtained some invaluable recommendation from a participant who used to occupy his place. Kevin Millar, who performed three seasons in Boston and was a fixture of the 2004 World Series crew, is making his NESN broadcast debut this weekend in Texas and had a dialog with Dalbec earlier than one of many video games.
The 26-year-old Dalbec – nonetheless younger in his profession and studying not solely methods to be an on a regular basis massive leaguer however coping with the pressures of enjoying in Boston – took it to coronary heart as he continues his personal ongoing growth.
“He just told me, it’s early,” Dalbec advised NESN. “Even though it feels like it’s not and all the pressure that comes with playing in Boston and kind of how to handle that and just take it one day at a time and one pitch at a time. I think that’s what he was really good at and something I’m striving to be better at.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com