Jarren Duran has practically made a living going to the opposite field and up the middle this season. It shows in the numbers and results.
Heading into Saturday’s 7-2 win over the Angels, 35.6 percent of Duran’s batted balls have gone to the opposite field while he’s gone up the middle at a 46.7 percent clip. He’s pulled the ball at a 17.8 percent rate compared with 32 percent last year.
But Duran says it has more to do with the opponent than his approach.
“I just think it’s one of those things where that’s just the way I’m being pitched right now,” Duran said before going 0 for 3 with an RBI . “I’m just kind of going with it. I’m not trying to do too much. I’m not trying to pull the ball and muscle everything. I’m just trying to stay loose and work the other way. It’s just working out right now. They’re pitching me that way. So I’m just going how they’re pitching me.”
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It’s worked to his advantage with Duran hitting .317/.362/.413 with a .775 OPS from the leadoff spot. It especially works at Fenway where Duran can use the Green Monster as his friend for extra-base hits.
“I think there’s a lot of extra-base hits that way,” said manager Alex Cora. “With his speed, he hits the ball speeds, he’s avoiding the gap, and the team has to cover it and he gets to second. It’s not something that we told him ‘Hey you’ve got to go the other way.’ But I’m glad that he’s taking the humble approach, especially with two strikes. He’s been able to put the ball in play and he’s getting hits.”
Devers still sidelined
Rafael Devers likely will miss Sunday’s series finale with a sore left shoulder that has bothered him since spring training, Cora said. Devers has missed three straight games and five total. The Sox are shooting for Devers to play Monday, but that’s still to be determined.
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“I just want to make sure he’s OK,” said Cora. “He’s too important for us. If he goes out there, he plays, he feels it. What’s the point? At that point we would have to put him on the injured list. So I’d rather just wait and be patient.”
The Red Sox have been waiting for a while and haven’t ruled out a stint on the IL for the third baseman. And the longer Devers sits, the more likely that seems.
“He feels a lot better compared to where he was,” said Cora. “So you’ve got to trust him. He’s very honest about stuff like this. Something that probably later on in the season he would play through. But the swing is different now, trying to protect it. You could see he wasn’t staying inside the ball like he was in spring training. Swing and misses bother him. So I think this is the best way to kind of like taking care of this and then we’ll go.”
Devers dealt with an elbow issue three seasons ago. However, that was during the ALCS, not the 15th game of the season, which might mean that the IL is inevitable.
Not playing has been tough on Devers, which is why he has tried to push Cora into letting him play Sunday, especially with the team struggling.
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Cora, however, probably won’t budge, knowing what Devers means to the club.
“You’ve got to be patient,” said Cora. “You have to. He’s too important for us. And I lived through it my second week as a manager. We gave Mookie Betts an offday in Oakland, and people wanted to get rid of me. We lost, then Mookie hit three home runs in Toronto. So it’s just part of the experience and we have to make sure this kid is healthy for us.”
Grissom begins rehab stint
Vaughn Grissom (groin) played in his first rehab game for Triple A Worcester on Friday, going 0 for 3 as the designated hitter. Saturday’s game at Syracuse was postponed but Grissom will play second base Sunday. Grissom missed all of spring training, so he’ll likely need the full 20 days allowed for his rehab assignment … Rob Refsnyder (toe) will play again Sunday for Worcester. His swing is feeling better, Cora said, but Refsnyder told his manager via text that he needs more at-bats … The Sox placed infielder Romy Gonzalez on the 10-day IL with a left wrist sprain. Initially, the Sox ruled Gonzalez as day to day, but he can’t swing the bat without pain … Nick Pivetta (elbow) played catch Saturday for the first time since he was placed on the IL Tuesday … Cora ran in the Boston Athletic Association 5K Saturday morning alongside his partner. Hitting coach Pete Fatse also took part in the 5K … The first pitch was thrown out in by Natick High senior Yousef Abdelmessih, a Massachusetts Special Olympian who is set to compete in the Marathon on Monday. He will be pushed by Peter Kline, a Bank of America employee who has run more than 100 marathons, most of them with rider athletes. Abdelmessih is a veteran of Natick’s Unified Track and Field program.
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Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him @byJulianMack.