HOUSTON — Mitch Moreland is generally one of the more affable players in the Red Sox clubhouse but there was a flash of intensity that crossed his face following Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
Jackie Bradley Jr. was the topic of conversation after Game 3, and his offensive performance has put the center fielder in the cross hairs of the critics at times this season. Bradley sported an anemic .178/.275/.288 slash line as late as June 23, [...]
HOUSTON — Mitch Moreland is generally one of the more affable players in the Red Sox clubhouse but there was a flash of intensity that crossed his face following Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
Jackie Bradley Jr. was the topic of conversation after Game 3, and his offensive performance has put the center fielder in the cross hairs of the critics at times this season. Bradley sported an anemic .178/.275/.288 slash line as late as June 23, with his fantastic defense in center field the main reason why he remained in the lineup.
Boston manager Alex Cora kept the faith with Bradley, as did his teammates. David Price and Mookie Betts were among his most outspoken supporters. Their belief in Bradley’s ability has been rewarded in this series through two of the biggest swings of the season.
Bradley’s three-run double off the Green Monster in Game 2 was the momentum shift the Red Sox required in a 7-5 victory. He went one better in Game 3 Tuesday, crushing a grand slam to right field in the top of the eighth inning to blow open what wound up an 8-2 triumph at Minute Maid Park. That Bradley was just 2-for-10 at the plate through three games against the Astros suddenly didn’t seem to matter all that much.
“Obviously, none of us are criticizing him,” Moreland said. “It’s other people. Everybody in here believes in each other. Jackie is a hell of a player, and he can hit.”
Bradley was given a short stretch of days off in early May, and the tweaks made to his left-handed swing didn’t truly take hold until the final three months. He slashed .282/.349/.502 over his last 76 games of the regular season, strong production out of the ninth spot in the batting order. Bradley was due to start for the eighth time in as many playoff games in 2018 on Wednesday night.
“Obviously, you’re working on things, but once the game starts, you’ve got to go out there and compete,” Bradley said Tuesday. “You can’t focus on what your hands are doing, this and that. Just try to go out there, compete, do the best you can and see what happens.”
Bradley honed his even-keeled approach during his high school days in suburban Richmond, Virginia. His coach at the time, Donnie Brittingham, preached to his players that no outsiders should be able to tell whether they were winning or losing based on their demeanor. Bradley never showed any signs of frustration during his struggles, something also noticed by Cora.
“It was a struggle early in the season but he’s been very consistent at the end,” Cora said. “Like I said about Mookie, when those guys are smiling, good things are happening to the Red Sox.”
Bradley’s average exit velocity this season per Statcast was 91.9 mph, good for 19th in the big leagues among qualifying players. The two players directly in front of him are leading contenders to take home the Most Valuable Player Award in their respective leagues — Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich (92.3) and Betts (92.3). Dodgers third baseman Manny Machado (24th), White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (28th) and Angels outfielder Mike Trout (30th) are among those who trailed Bradley in 2018.
“He might not have the best luck at times but he can hit the ball as hard and as far as anybody,” Moreland said. “He comes through in the clutch. He’s a ballplayer. Any time he’s up there, we’ve got complete confidence.”
Of the balls he put in play this season, Bradley hit 50.1 percent of them at 95 mph or more. That ranked him 12th in the big leagues, and again he had some elite company. Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, Yelich, Angels two-way standout Shohei Ohtani and Betts finished in the four spots ahead of Bradley while Machado (18th), Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman (20th) and Oakland’s big league home run leader, Khris Davis (25th), all finished behind him.
“He’s hitting the ball in the air,” Cora said. “He’s going the other way. And I think in the second half, he put his whole game together — defensively, offensively and running the bases.”
Bradley’s grand slam was just the sixth in Boston’s playoff history and the first since Shane Victorino did it against the Tigers in Game 6 of the 2013 ALCS. He’s also just the 21st player in MLB history to drive in three or more runs in consecutive games in the same postseason. Mike Lowell was the last of the five previous Red Sox players to do so, riding a hot streak to World Series glory against the Rockies in 2007.
— bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25