In-game adjustments nothing new for J.D. Martinez

BOSTON — It was arguably the worst swing J.D. Martinez has taken all season.

White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon turned loose a high fastball in the bottom of the third inning on Saturday, one that zipped toward the inside corner at 95 mph. The Red Sox designated hitter on this beautiful afternoon at Fenway Park started his right-handed cut, nearly halted in the middle and sheepishly finished by folding the bat lightly over his left shoulder. [...]

BOSTON — It was arguably the worst swing J.D. Martinez has taken all season.

White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon turned loose a high fastball in the bottom of the third inning on Saturday, one that zipped toward the inside corner at 95 mph. The Red Sox designated hitter on this beautiful afternoon at Fenway Park started his right-handed cut, nearly halted in the middle and sheepishly finished by folding the bat lightly over his left shoulder.

It was an ugly strikeout that sent Martinez down the dugout steps and toward the tunnel that runs toward the home clubhouse. Martinez analyzed the at-bat on video, took some swings in the batting cage and returned ready to battle one-on-one with Rodon again in the bottom of the fifth.

Another fastball for a strike preceded the type of swing Boston fans have become accustomed to seeing from Martinez through his first 65 games with the club. Rodon hung a changeup out over the plate, inviting Martinez to take aim at the bullpens in right-center field. His drive landed among the Red Sox relief corps, and Chicago suddenly was on the wrong end of what wound up being a 4-2 loss in front of a sellout crowd.

“I didn’t learn more about him,” Martinez said of his study session between at-bats. “I learned more about me, stuff that I worked on. I felt like early in the game I was jumping off my back side. Then I just kind of went into the cage and grinded on staying on my back side and not twisting and not jumping off it.”

“I hope we don’t do it, but it would be cool to put a camera in the cage in between at-bats,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “There’s a lot of work there. He prepares. He knows what he’s looking for. There’s a few sore arms down there from the coaching staff just throwing during the game.”

A detailed explanation of his thought process at the plate is customary from Martinez. After the deciding home run in a 5-4 victory over the Yankees on May 10, Martinez was asked a question about his bat path in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.

“Do you have an hour?” the slugger quipped. Or was he serious? The truth was likely somewhere in the middle, an answer that could be found between the hand-written notes Martinez keeps on opposing pitchers and the iPad he sets down inside his locker both at home and on the road. The definition of a professional hitter calls the center of the Boston lineup home, but it’s the cool, grounded character of the player that seems to be equally influential as the season progresses.

“He’s becoming a leader, which is something that comes with the territory,” Cora said. “We signed this guy to do what he’s doing offensively, but there’s other stuff that comes in when you sign a contract like that. He’s doing it.”

It’s not often a manager will specifically reference a five-year, $110-million pact like the one Martinez inked in February. Those numbers bring accompanying pressure in a market like this one. But Martinez has made himself at home rather quickly, and the Red Sox have put their popgun offensive numbers of a year ago behind them almost as fast.

“Why wouldn’t he work hard?” asked Jackie Bradley Jr. “I think J.D. wants to get better not only for himself, but he wants to help everybody around him. I think that’s what makes us such a special team.”

Lower back tightness kept Martinez on the bench on Friday night, and it didn’t feel like a coincidence when Boston suffered through a 1-0 blanking by the White Sox. Martinez tried to persuade Cora that he could play, mindful of the fact that fellow masher Mookie Betts (abdominal strain) remains out of the lineup. Cora took the safe option this time, but the implication was clear — Martinez was prepared to sacrifice for the greater good, with even a diminished version of himself prepared to do his part.

“I figured if it was one of those that if I could fight through, I’d fight through it,” Martinez said. “I really didn’t give it a chance to rest. I was fortunate enough that Alex gave me the day off yesterday, and I felt better today.”

-- bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25