Xander Bogaerts Thursday put together his first game with multiple extra-base hits since midway through last year.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- It was at Tropicana Field where Xander Bogaerts’ 2017 season changed for the worse.
It’s the same place where the Boston Red Sox shortstop got his 2018 off to a ringing start on Thursday.
Bogaerts put together his first game with multiple extra-base hits since midway through last year, cracking a pair of doubles and a single in the 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay. He ripped a shot off the wall in left in the second inning, lined a base hit into left center in the fourth and led off the seventh by hitting the base of the fence in deep center.
“I’m looking forward to doing it a few more games,” Bogaerts said. “It’s probably the way you want to start, but it obviously wasn’t enough to help us win. I guess I’ve got to do a little more.”
If you’re looking for a silver lining from a day where Boston’s bullpen imploded, this was it. Bogaerts clubbed a pair of homers on June 18 in a 6-5 win at Houston, one in which he also scored twice and drove in four at Minute Maid Park. It was three weeks later at another dome sponsored by a rival orange juice manufacturer where Bogaerts was knocked off track.
Rays starter Jake Faria hit Bogaerts on the right wrist with a riding fastball on July 6, forcing him to leave the game after that lone plate appearance. He went hitless in four of his next six games and eight of his next 13, with his OPS sinking from .818 to a season-ending .746. None of Bogaerts’ five games with multiple extra-base hits came after that date last season, and he dropped from a career-high 21 home runs in a breakout 2016 to just 10 in 2017.
“He’s in a spot where we expect him to drive in runs,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We want that from him. We want him to drive the ball.”
Bogaerts batted fifth for the second straight time on Friday against the Rays, sandwiched between free-agent acquisition J.D. Martinez and third baseman Rafael Devers. Both Martinez and Devers homer on more than 17 percent of fly balls they hit, bracketing Bogaerts with the ideal protection required to enjoy a bounceback season.
“I felt good,” Bogaerts said. “I’m trying to contribute. I have a lot of good hitters in front of me and in back of me to hopefully make me better. I just try to get on base as much as possible.”
Medical update: Starting pitchers Drew Pomeranz (flexor strain) and Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) are both nearing a return while relief pitcher Tyler Thornburg (right shoulder) took a significant step in his own rehabilitation on Friday.
Pomeranz cut a solitary figure in the Boston bullpen more than four hours before the 7:10 p.m. first pitch, throwing an extended session under the watching eye of the coaching staff. He was officially placed on the disabled list Monday and will likely go out on a minor league rehab assignment in the near future.
“A long one, too – working on mechanics,” Cora said of the Friday work from Pomeranz. “When you see those guys start thinking about mechanics and making adjustments it means that they’re feeling better.”
Rodriguez recovered comfortably from his work on Thursday, throwing between 60 and 70 pitches and reporting no setbacks to Cora on Friday. Like Pomeranz, Rodriguez is back on his normal five-day throwing program.
Thornburg has yet to throw a pitch for the Red Sox following his December 2016 acquisition from Milwaukee, with infielders Travis Shaw and Mauricio Dubon highlighting the four-player package going to the Brewers.
“Command was off – up in the zone,” Cora said. “But he finished strong. He’s healthy. Like the whole spring, we’ll see tomorrow.”
Not checking Twitter: Cora said he replayed Thursday’s loss over a few times in his mind, but he stopped short of watching the game again aside from a few video clips.
Where Cora certainly didn’t review the result was on social media. The notifications on one his Twitter account, @ac13alex, are permanently turned off. Cora also doesn’t engage in any self-flagellation by searching for his name in other corners of the internet.
“I don’t have the notifications,” Cora said. “Then you go to filters. Don’t get notifications from people who follow you or the new followers. Then you can block whoever you want.”