Red Sox Journal: Benintendi looks more like old self

BOSTON — Aside from the occasional blunder on the bases — OK, it’s more than occasional — this has been a very good season for the Red Sox’ interim leadoff batter, Andrew Benintendi.

He has not made fans forget Mookie Betts in the regular right fielder’s absence with an abdominal strain, but he has made them remember a 21-year-old rookie who came up late in the 2016 season and hit .295 in 34 games.

Benintendi hit a leadoff home run in [...]

BOSTON — Aside from the occasional blunder on the bases — OK, it’s more than occasional — this has been a very good season for the Red Sox’ interim leadoff batter, Andrew Benintendi.

He has not made fans forget Mookie Betts in the regular right fielder’s absence with an abdominal strain, but he has made them remember a 21-year-old rookie who came up late in the 2016 season and hit .295 in 34 games.

Benintendi hit a leadoff home run in the first inning Thursday night.

“He likes the spotlight. He likes the challenges,” Sox manager Alex Cora said of the way Benintendi has embraced batting leadoff. “One thing I like is that he’s been aggressive. He seems like he’s swinging the bat the way he did in spring training. If he sees a pitch he feels he can drive, he’s going for it, which is great.

"He’s becoming a complete hitter. Running the bases, stealing bases, he’s a threat.”

Sometimes a threat to his own team, but a threat nonetheless.

Benintendi has a placid demeanor on the field, but there’s a lot going on under the surface.

“He’s intense, let’s put it that way,” Cora said. “He’s very intense. He’s a smart baseball player. He understands what pitchers are trying to do to him. He prepares, but he doesn’t show too much emotion but, yeah, he’s an intense player. He wants to beat you. He hates giving at bats away no matter what the score. He’s proud.

“He’s so quiet — you see him on a daily basis and he’s in his locker and he’s quiet, then at 7:05 it’s like — here we go. It’s all out, and then when the game is over it’s back to being quiet and boring to the media. From 7 to 10, he’s fun to be around.

“I hope he never gets miked.”

Easy series?

The Red Sox are looking at the equivalent of three one-foot putts this weekend as the White Sox visit Fenway for games Friday night and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Boston will send the heart of its rotation — Chris Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello — at Chicago in that order.

Dylan Covey (1-1) is scheduled to start Friday’s game, Reynaldo Lopez (1-4) on Sunday afternoon. Saturday’s projected starter has not yet been announced.

Sale will be making his second career start against his former team. He beat the White Sox in Chicago on May 30, 2017, but went only five innings and was charged with five earned runs in what turned out to be a 13-7 Red Sox victory.

Red Sox fans will get a look at Yoan Moncada, whom Boston shipped to Chicago to get Sale. Moncada has not done muchin a White Sox uniform and was batting .241 with eight home runs and 21 RBI through the team’s first 59 games.

Moncada had struck out 79 times in his first 203 at-bats, third most in the American League.

The Red Sox were 6-1 versus the White Sox last season and carry a six-game winning streak into this series.

Betts batting

Betts took batting practice on the field on Thursday. His initial abdominal strain injury was under-diagnosed and his likely return date was overly optimistic, so when he will return is a matter for the Psychic Hot Line.

What he does prior to his return is a different story. Betts is leading towards getting a few at-bats in the minors before he is back in Boston, Cora said, adding that the team will talk with him about his path back to action after seeing how he reacts to practicing.

Getting to know him

Some particulars about Jalen Beeks, the southpaw who made his major-league debut for Boston Thursday night:

He is the third rookie to make his big-league debut for the Sox this year, joining Bobby Poyner and Marcus Walden. Beeks is merely the third alum of the University of Arkansas to play for the Sox and was a college teammate of Benintendi. Eric Hinske is the only other notable Razorback to have played for Boston.

Beeks is just the third native of Arkansas to wear a Sox uniform; Benintendi grew up in Ohio. The last one before Beeks was Bryant Nelson in 2002. Beeks is the 190th of more than 3,000 Sox draft choices to play in a major-league game for them.

Extra credit to any fan who knows that Ken Poulsen, who went to high school with Sally Field, was the first-ever Sox draft pick to play for them, having a brief stint with the 1967 Impossible Dream team.

Beeks finished the night giving up seven hits and six runs in four innings pitched.