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The Boston Red Sox Friday, August 18, 2017 * The Boston Globe It’s time for John Farrell to manage with playoffs in mind Peter Abraham The Red Sox have 42 games left to play and a four-game lead in the American League East. Fangraphs.com has the Sox with an 89 percent chance to win the division and nearly a 100 percent chance to make the playoffs. The Red Sox in 2011 and Hillary Clinton in 2016 are proof that such projections can turn meaningless overnight. But the Sox are in a position where manager John Farrell should start to prepare for the postseason in ways that don’t deter the daily cause of winning. Here are five ways to accomplish that: ■ Develop Robby Scott: The bullpen lacks a lefthanded specialist and that should be Scott. Lefties are 6 of 50 (.120) against him this season, but Scott has appeared in only eight major league games since the break. Pick out a lefty hitter for Scott to get every night and send him out for that one batter. Get him accustomed to that role so the Sox have somebody they can trust to get an out in a big spot come October. Farrell lined up Scott to face Didi Gregorius in New York last weekend and he struck him out. There should be more of that. ■ Protect Craig Kimbrel: Now is not the time to be concerned with whether a closer should work in the eighth inning. The focus for the next seven weeks should be to judiciously use Kimbrel so he’s rested and ready to get four-out saves in the playoffs. Kimbrel has thrown 51 innings, two fewer than last season and 8 1/3 fewer than 2015. He should get only one-inning save situations the rest of the way. If the Sox take command of the division, 4-6 days off would be a great idea. ■ Be patient with Dustin Pedroia: If Pedroia does cartwheels across the clubhouse next week, rest him another five days. His left knee is clearly a mess and probably will require surgery after the season. Less of Pedroia is better, even if it’s well into September. He’ll be ready when the time comes. Don’t be fooled into thinking the Sox don’t need their second baseman. Pedroia has the second-highest adjusted OPS on the team this season. Eduardo Nunez is not going to carry a 1.005 OPS forever. ■ Don’t figure out the eighth inning: That’s right, don’t. The Sox should not go ride-or-die with one pitcher for that role. Matt Barnes, Addison Reed, and Brandon Workman should be used based on matchups and who is pitching well at the time. Stay flexible. In the 2013 postseason, the Sox used Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow, and Workman in the eighth inning. No one pitcher had the job. Joe Kelly could figure into that mix, too. ■ Get Xander Bogaerts going: The shortstop has hit .202 with a .523 OPS since getting hit on the right hand by a pitch on July 6. The last three games (5 of 12 with a double and a home run) offer some hope that Bogaerts is on the right track. If not, sit him down for a few days or drop him even lower in the order. Bogaerts didn’t appreciate hitting sixth to start the season. Maybe a kick in the pants will work again. A few other thoughts and observations on the Sox: ■ It’s too late to matter this season, but the Red Sox should examine how they can better prepare their players to deal with the media. The Red Sox play in a unique market and for veteran players who arrive via free agency or trade, the difference from what they are used to can be hard to understand. As one player told me a few days ago, “Nobody is expecting you guys to root for us. But some of you seem to want us to lose.” He’s right about that. There is an active market for misery in Boston and losing is better for business for some in the media. That won’t change. Scripted outrage works in Boston and the Sox are bound to lose 70 or so games even if they’re a playoff team. They’re easy targets. The Red Sox should do a better job of educating their players about this. Explain the situation and advise them on how best to deal with it. Include their agents and families. Too many messy situations — David Price vs. Dennis Eckersley, for instance — needlessly fester. Any rough terrain is easier if you have a map. ■ Apologies to Chad Finn, but the Red Sox should avoid any thought of chasing Giancarlo Stanton after the season. Now that Rafael Devers is in the majors, the Sox do not remotely have the minor league prospects to put together a package that would entice Miami. Getting Stanton would require tearing up the major league roster and taking on a huge salary commitment. Sure, Stanton could provide the power the Sox have lacked this season. But does he have the makeup? Stanton recently celebrated his 250th career home run with an Instagram post that mentioned “all the haters who light my fire.” This from a guy who plays for a team last in the National League in attendance and has sparse media coverage. What “haters” are there? Stanton is trouble waiting to happen in a big market. He was even surly at the All-Star Game and it was at his home park. Let Devers hit home runs for 15 years and Stanton can go to the Dodgers. ■ Game 1 of the American League Division Series is Oct. 5. The Patriots play the Buccaneers that night on Thursday Night Football. If the Sox get in, Major League Baseball would be wise to schedule them for an afternoon game. ■ Fernando Abad has had success with his slower-than-slow changeup. According to MLB.com, opposing hitters have struck out six times against pitches 70 mph or slower. One of them was 58.5 m.p.h. Remember this: The Red Sox discouraged Abad from throwing that pitch last season, but this season have so far overlooked it. The day is coming when somebody will be waiting for it and that ball will go into orbit. The Sox can only hope it doesn’t cost them the game. ■ As do most teams, the Sox have a rule that players are supposed to be on the field for the national anthem. If one or two are otherwise occupied, it’s not a big deal. But on Saturday, there were four players on the field. On Wednesday there were five. That’s a bad look for the organization and it’s been getting steadily worse in recent weeks. That should be cleaned up. ■ Outfielder Bryce Brentz has hit 28 home runs for Triple A Pawtucket and has a 1.047 OPS against lefthanders. There should be a place on the roster for him in September. Brentz probably does not have a long-term future with the Sox. At 28, he’s older than Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, and Jackie Bradley Jr. But Brentz has worked diligently with PawSox hitting coach Rich Gedman to improve the timing of his swing and deserves a promotion. When rosters are expanded, many teams will be carrying three or four lefthanders in the bullpen. Having Brentz around to pinch hit could help win a game. He is not on the 40-man roster, but that can be fixed easily enough. The Sox are carrying a few marginal players they can designate for assignment. ■ When the Sox played at Tampa Bay last week, Devers was caught up in watching the Little League regional tournament on television. The 20-year-old is actually closer in age to the 12-year-old players than several of his teammates. ■ The Red Sox had 28 players with them in New York last weekend. There were 32 staff members along for the ride. Start with Dave Dombrowski and Farrell then add seven coaches, four athletic trainers, three media relations staffers, two equipment managers, two physical therapists, two strength and conditioning coaches, two massage therapists, two bullpen catchers, a video coordinator, a replay coordinator, a mental skills coach, a batting practice pitcher, a social media coordinator, and the traveling secretary. ■ Voting for the Hall of Fame is a lot of fun and Jay Jaffe has helped solve some tough decisions with his research and interpretation of statistics. His new book “The Cooperstown Casebook” is a great read if you’re willing to have an open mind about who should be in the Hall. No writer has studied the Hall more closely than Jaffe in recent years the book reflects both his passion and hard work. Imagine caring about something so much that you came up with a unique way to appreciate it. That’s what Jay did. ■ As to the American League MVP race, it’s pretty easy. The Astros are still in first place if Jose Altuve has an average season. The Red Sox are in third without Chris Sale. ■ Strange-but-true: The Sox will be finished playing the Yankees on Sept. 3. ■ The Sox will spend a lot of time in Florida to start next season. After spring training ends, the proposed 2018 schedule has them opening at Tampa Bay then playing in Miami. ■ Finally, here’s to Brock Holt. When the Sox hosted the annual Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon on Tuesday and Wednesday, he did more than pose for a few photos or shake some hands.

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