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Home , Alex Cora, Billy Hatcher, Boston Red Sox, Bryan Price (pitcher), Chris Sale, Dana LeVangie

The Sox Wednesday, September 26, 2018

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‘For this to happen is very special’: How the Red Sox pulled off this unprecedented season

Peter Abraham

It has become a ritual for the Red Sox to gather every player and in a room before the first full-squad workout to be introduced to staff members and hear a few speeches designed to set the tone for the coming season.

When new presided over what he called the “company meeting” on Feb. 20, he changed the usual agenda.

Instead of the people who work in community relations, fan services, media relations, and other ancillary departments being asked to leave once they were introduced, they were invited to stay.

Cora’s message was that the Sox were more than 25 players, that every person who worked for the team would be needed for the franchise to win the .

“That day resonated with a lot of people,” said. “He wanted everybody to take ownership of what they did. We were all part of the same crew. Everybody was working toward the same goal.”

That meeting was one of the first examples of how Cora brought change to the Red Sox and turned what was a good team under former manager into a historically great one.

The Red Sox won for the 106th time Monday, breaking a team record set 106 years ago. For the first time since 1946, they will enter the postseason with sole possession of the best record in baseball.

Betts is a leading candidate for Most Valuable Player of the , a legitimate challenger to as the best player in the sport.

J.D. Martinez for average and power, his numbers reminiscent of in his prime.

Recalcitrant lefthander found favor with the fans with one of the best seasons of his career, carrying the rotation when ace spent much of the summer on the disabled list.

The Sox ultimately will be judged by how they perform in the postseason. But it’s already a season worth celebrating.

The last time the Red Sox were this dominant in 1912, the Titanic sank the first week of the season, was brand new, and their manager, , was the son of a Civil War veteran.

“It’s something where we should call time out and enjoy this one,” Cora said after the record-setting victory Monday. “For this to happen is very special.”

It is what the Sox were seeking when they made the unusual decision to fire Farrell after back-to-back AL East championships and 93-win seasons.

President of baseball operations felt the atmosphere around the team was stifling the young players and a new manager and coaching staff were needed.

Cora, the 42-year-old bench coach, had the inclusive personality to pull the team together. That he had played for the Red Sox and worked as an analyst for ESPN made him an even better fit for the job.

Cora had never managed in the majors, but that was almost incidental. More importantly, he would be the first minority manager in team history. The Sox were ready for significant change.

“People feel comfortable around him,” Dombrowski said. “He’s been very good. It’s a tough job, it’s a big job, and he does it very well. The communication is there with everybody.”

It wasn’t only the clubhouse that changed. Cora transformed how the Sox played. A team that once valued working deep into counts and making the opposing work became more aggressive at the plate.

The Sox lead the majors in runs and slugging percentage. They’re even tied for second in stolen bases.

Cora and new hitting coach prodded into hitting for more power, convincing the modest 25-year-old that he is one of the best players at his position in the game.

The coaches revamped the approach of Jackie Bradley Jr. and a more consistent hitter emerged.

The Sox also became more cognizant of the need to give their best players more days off. Throughout the season, the basis of many decisions was to make sure the players would have energy left for the postseason. The team was eliminated in the first round the previous two years.

“I am very proud of the way we have done things,” Cora said. “I don’t like talking about myself. I have a job to do, and one thing’s for sure: I delegate. There are a lot of people who have done an outstanding job.

“When we put together a coaching staff, I wanted people I could trust. When the game starts at 7, I have no doubts the team will be prepared. They’re ready to play.”

The Sox lost on at Tampa Bay, then won nine in a row.

They were 17-2 by late April, the talk of baseball.

The season could have taken a different turn on May 24, when the surprise decision was made to drop Hanley Ramirez from the roster. Cora decided would get more playing time and feared Ramirez could become a disruptive presence.

The Sox won five of the next six games, any controversy quickly pushed aside. After the rival Yankees challenged them in June, the Sox moved back into first place by themselves on July 2 and held that spot the rest of the season.

Through it all, the Sox have yet to lose more than three games in a row.

“We turned the page — good, bad, or indifferent — from one day to the next,” righthander said. “That’s what allowed us to maintain what we’ve been doing.

“When we needed it, Alex would talk to us. Everything he said to us was with a purpose. It wasn’t something out of a book about leadership, it was genuine.”

The Red Sox are certainly not an underdog story. Their payroll is close to $235 million, approximately $28 million more than any other club.

They boosted payroll during the season, trading for righthander , , and first baseman to fill needs.

But that did not guarantee success. The , , and Angels all started the season with high payrolls and failed to make the .

The Sox made it work. Nobody roots for Goliath, but this team is undeniably likable.

“How can you not respect them?” Yankees manager said. “They play the game the right way and they play hard. Alex did a great job with them.”

Cora pushes back on such praise. He was a bench player for much of his career and still views the game through that prism.

“There’s no Cora Magic,” the manager said. “There are good players; there’s a lot of talent. It takes a whole organization to be successful. That was the message from the get-go.

“Try and be as close as possible, share information, and be together. As of now, we’ve been able to do it. The goal now is for us to keep doing it all the way to the end of October.”

These are the last days on the beat for Fenway’s famous bullpen cop

Stan Grossfeld

When Torii Hunter went head-first into the Red Sox bullpen during a playoff game in 2013, Boston Police officer Steve Horgan became the most famous bullpen cop on the planet.

Nearly five years after David Ortiz’s , he is still joyously re-creating his touchdown pose, which has become a famous Boston sports photo. Fans still line up before every game to get selfies taken with Horgan.

But time is running out.

The 33-year veteran is retiring in January.

“I feel it’s just time to move on,” he said in a Fenway Park interview interrupted several times by fans raising their arms.

“I want to pursue cooking. The first thing I want to do is go to the King Arthur Baking School and learn how to make bread properly.”

So it’s last call for Horgan selfies. He estimates he has taken 25,000. He always poses with his right hand open and his left hand closed, just like in the picture.

“I try to be authentic,” he said. “I had salt and pepper sunflower seeds in my hand and I didn’t want to drop them.”

It was the eighth inning of Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, and the Sox were trailing, 5-1, and in danger of falling into a two-game deficit against the Tigers.

But Big Papi had other ideas.

Ortiz smashed a Joaquin Benoit toward the bullpen, and Hunter, the right fielder, went full throttle for the ball, which was up in the lights and curving away from him.

First the ball, then Hunter, landed in the Sox bullpen. Hard.

“I think that if that wall wasn’t in his way he would have caught it,” Horgan said. “But the wall was in the way.”

The image — Hunter’s legs in the air next to Horgan’s raised arms — is one of Boston’s iconic sports moments, like Bobby Orr flying through the air to win the 1970 Stanley Cup or waving his home fair. It was a moment that helped heal a city stung by the bombings in April of that year.

“It was joyous,” said Horgan, who was invited to ride on the duck boats after the Sox won the World Series.

Horgan was born in Dorchester and said he’s been a Red Sox fan from birth. He started coming to Fenway when a bleacher seat cost a dollar. In those days, his mother sent him to with a can of Pepsi wrapped in tinfoil to stay cold. He loved Yaz and the Spaceman and passing the time at the old yard with his father.

Horgan landed the gig in the bullpen in 2013 (the assignment is usually at the discretion of the District 4 ) after covering traffic outside Fenway Park since 2004. He had routinely celebrated Red Sox home runs, but “nobody noticed,” he said.

That changed when Hunter went head over heels.

The Sox won that night, 6-5, on ’s walkoff single in the ninth, and went on the take the series in six games.

Hunter said he lost consciousness briefly when he landed on his head and shoulder, and that he was sore for eight months.

“I didn’t realize how bad he was hurt the day it happened because he continued to play in the series,” Horgan said.

After the game, Hunter sounded annoyed with Horgan for not immediately rushing to his aid, but he later said it was in jest.

“He’s always been a gentleman,” Horgan said. “The next time Torii came to Fenway, we tipped our hats to each other.”

The bullpen cop has been Photoshopped onto the deck of the Titanic, descending Splash Mountain, and signaling a Patriots touchdown. He’s even been recognized at in plain clothes.

Now, he wants to study cooking. He wants to wow friends with his signature risotto dish. He aspires to be on the TV show “Master Chef” or challenge master chef Bobby Flay to a cook-off. He also wants grandchildren and to travel with his wife, Jeannie.

“I’m going to miss the whole atmosphere of Fenway Park,” he said. “It’s been fun. I’m going to miss all the great people that work here. Everyone has treated me nice and with respect.”

Horgan is not just a bullpen cop. He rode on the Boston Police mounted unit until it was disbanded in 2009.

On Marathon Monday in 2013, Horgan was stationed on Dartmouth Street between Newbury and Boylston streets. He heard and felt the first explosion. As others ran away, he and fellow officer Tommy Antonino raced toward the scene.

“The first one went off and we started running towards it, and when the second one went off, there was pandemonium,” he said. “We just helped as many people as we could.”

Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said Horgan is a great example of community policing.

“He is one of the most humble individuals that I’ve ever met,” Gross said. “You would think that he would get kind of jaded or, like, grumpy. But not once did he ever deny anyone a picture.”

The only time Horgan declines, he said, is when the person is wearing an offensive T-shirt.

“This is a great thing — how could I not?” he said. “I think it’s easier to be good-natured than not.”

Fenway usher Maureen Wood said she has seen Horgan singing “” with children, and that he has been known to give a bleacher creature a ride at the end of the night so they’ll make it home safely.

“He’s just so kind to everybody,” she said. “He’s a great police officer. He knows the spirit of the law, and he knows the letter of the law.”

The players like him, too. always shakes his hand. Hector Velazquez always salutes him. Once during a TV interview in the bullpen, some relievers harassed him by throwing sunflower seeds at him.

Said bullpen Mani Martinez, “Sometimes I play with him and say, ‘Wow, you’re really famous,’ and he says, ‘I’m not really famous. I’m popular.’ ”’

Jerry Remy will make a cameo appearance in the NESN booth Wednesday

Chad Finn

For an inning Wednesday, a familiar and welcome voice will return to the NESN broadcast booth during the Red Sox-Orioles .

Red Sox broadcaster , who has been undergoing treatment for a recurrence of lung cancer since early August, tweeted Tuesday that he has finished his radiation treatment and will stop by the booth for an inning.

He is expected to join the booth during an early inning of the evening game, which starts at 7 p.m.

Remy, who played second base for the Red Sox from 1978-85 and has been a team broadcaster since ’88, was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008. This is the sixth time he has been treated for the disease.

* The

Chris Sale to start nightcap of doubleheader, Game 1 of ALDS for Red Sox

Jason Mastrodonato

It’s rare that Chris Sale actually has something to prove, but that should be the case tonight when he takes the ball for the final time in the regular season.

This doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to look clean.

Another 73-pitch outing in which he only records 10 outs and averages less than 94 mph on the — like he did last weekend in Cleveland — will be an ominous sign for a franchise that’s fallen behind in the two straight years and is just 1-6 in the playoffs since 2013.

Pitching in the nightcap of a doubleheader (David Price will start Game 1 in the afternoon) against the Orioles, who already have clinched the worst record in the majors, Sale could do his team and fanbase a lot of good with a sharp outing.

The next time Fenway sees him, it’ll be for Game 1 of the ALDS on Friday, Oct. 5.

It was long assumed Sale would start Game 1, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed as much during an appearance on MLB Network Radio yesterday.

“He’s going to pitch (tonight) against the Orioles and that will be his last start of the season,” Dombrowski said. “He will pitch to 90-ish pitches and then be ready to go for 100 pitches for the postseason. He’ll be scheduled to start, I don’t think it will surprise anybody, the first day of the postseason on Friday. I don’t mean to usurp anyone’s announcement, but I think it’s been one of those, it’s been pretty clear.

“And then (manager) Alex (Cora) and pitching coach Dana LeVangie will talk to him between Wednesday and Friday about what he wants to do, when he wants to throw to get him precisely ready for that Friday.”

For as good as Sale has been since putting on the Red Sox uniform for the first time last year — his 2.52 ERA in that time ranks second only to Dodgers lefty — he still has the ALDS disaster in Game 1 against the Astros last year to overcome.

Two of the first three batters hit home runs off Sale in that game. By the time the sixth inning was over, he had been charged with nine hits and seven earned runs.

A gutsy showing for 42∕3 innings out of the bullpen in Game 4 put him on the path to redemption, but manager John Farrell questionably left him in the game to start the eighth against lefty-masher (homer to left field) and that was the ballgame.

Everything from that outing last October has led to this point.

The Sox brass met with Sale before spring training to map out a plan and carefully monitored him each time he so much as lifted his shoulder.

He didn’t throw more than 93 pitches until his fifth start of the year. Through 10 starts, he had thrown 82 fewer pitches than he did at the same point last season.

Now the Red Sox have given him what is essentially a second chance at spring training during August and September.

“That’s exactly how it feels, and it’s kind of weird too at the same time,” Sale said after his last time out. “We’re in the middle of a stretch run . . . but it’s weird, I’m feeling this spring training vibe in the most important part of the season.”

The radar gun agreed, with his average fastball of 93.4 mph against Cleveland rating as his lowest since April 15, according to Brooks Baseball.

It might not mean much, given Sale manipulates his velocity based on what he’s seeing from the opposition, adding and subtracting anywhere from 5-10 mph on his fastball in the middle of the game.

Or maybe it does.

Perhaps the shoulder inflammation that’s kept him to just 241∕3 innings in the second half is limiting his ability and putting the Red Sox in a difficult position entering the postseason.

Time will tell. So will tonight’s outing.

Finally, Sale has something to prove.

Red Sox vs. Orioles postponed, will play doubleheader Wednesday

Jason Mastrodonato

David Price and Chris Sale will both pitch on Wednesday thanks to a rainout of Tuesday’s Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

The second game of a three-game set with the was postponed around 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. Instead, it’ll be played as part of a day-night doubleheader at 1:05 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. on Wednesday.

Price, who was supposed to pitch Tuesday, will start the first game and Sale will start the second game in what should be the final outing for each of them before the postseason.

Sale is expected to push for 90 pitches in this one after throwing 73 pitches in his last outing against the , when he gave up two runs on five hits and struck out seven in 3-⅓ innings.

His average fastball of 93.4 mph was his lowest since April 15, according to Brooks Baseball.

Neither the Red Sox nor the Orioles will be playing for anything in the standings, since the O’s have already clinched the worst record in baseball and the No. 1 overall draft pick next June, while the Sox clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason and the best record in franchise history.

But the Sox are trying to get themselves on the upswing heading into next week, when they’ll be off for four days before beginning the American League Division Series on Friday against the winner of the Game between the and Oakland A’s.

* The Providence Journal

Rainout gives Red Sox a chance to bask in their record-setting season

Bill Koch

BOSTON — It’s almost as if Mother Nature complied with Alex Cora’s request.

The Red Sox manager asked for a timeout following Monday’s 6-2 victory over the Orioles. Unless replay reviews, rain delays or duration of games is being discussed, baseball is generally a game played without any regard for a clock.

To be more specific, what Cora wanted was a moment to reflect. Tuesday’s postponement and the rescheduled Wednesday doubleheader gave Boston’s manager a few extra hours to digest his club’s latest franchise record. It was the 106th victory earned by the Red Sox this season, eclipsing the 1912 team that went on to capture the World Series.

“For this to happen, it’s very special,” Cora said. “We sit down at home and sometimes we’re in awe, like ‘This is really happening.’

“It’s been great. It’s been fun. Like I said, we’re going to call timeout now and enjoy this one. We’ll get back to business tomorrow. But we should enjoy this one.”

The fairest way to draw a comparison between these two Red Sox teams would be against their respective competition. The 1912 team counted 18 players who finished with at least a 0.1 ranking in Wins Above Replacement, or WAR. Right-handed pitcher Joe Wood (11.5) and outfielder (10.1) were the unquestioned stars, a pair of future Hall of Famers.

Wood’s 1.91 earned-run average was comfortably below the league average of 3.37. His 1.015 WHIP — walks plus hits per — was even more impressive, microscopic compared with the 1.355 posted by that season. More frequent contact and two-strike approaches dominated in what was referred to later as the Dead Ball Era, and Wood’s 258 were more than any other two Boston starters combined.

Speaker’s slash line of a .383 , .464 on-base percentage and .567 slugging percentage buried the league averages of .269/.337/.359 at the plate, and he added 53 doubles and 12 triples. Speaker’s 10 homers were a rare entrance into figures at that time, and his 1.031 OPS was more than 300 points above the league average of .695.

The current Boston club counts 29 players at 0.1 WAR or above, four more than the 25 who began on the Opening Day roster March 29 at Tampa Bay. Mookie Betts (10.7), Chris Sale (6.7), J.D. Martinez (6.2) and David Price (4.3) lead what is a deeper group of impactful performers both in the field and on the pitching staff.

Betts has been nothing short of sensational in what could be an A.L. Most Valuable Player campaign, slashing .343/.434/.639 against league averages of .248/.318/.410. His power numbers also include 32 homers and 46 doubles, allowing Betts to post a 1.073 OPS compared with the league’s .728.

Despite limited duty, Sale’s overall performance fronting Boston’s current staff would compare closest to Wood. His 153 1/3 innings are nearly 200 less than Wood’s 344 that season, but Sale has nearly equaled Wood’s total with 229. His 2.00 ERA is less than half of the league’s 4.14 average, and Sale’s 0.85 WHIP is also barely 65 percent of the league’s 1.30 average.

“We’ve got a great group of guys, a special group of guys,” Betts said. “Just finish out these last few games before playoffs start.”

Cora sat at the media room podium just beyond the home clubhouse in a black T-shirt with the flag of his native pressed on the front. He hasn’t been shy at any point in his rookie campaign about displaying pride in what he calls “my island” with a ready smile. It would have been an inconceivable scene the last time a Boston team won as many games.

Women were still eight years from receiving the right to vote in the . African-Americans like Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. would not have been welcome in any outfield, with the game still 35 years away from and integration. Cora could never have hoped to be entrusted with a team backed by a franchise approaching $3 billion in value.

Modern training techniques and simple physical evolution has made players bigger, stronger and more athletic than ever before. Expanded rosters allow for fresher arms on the mound through additional bullpen usage, with relievers trotting in and unleashing approaching or above 100 mph. The game has never been more diverse, with 254 players hailing from 21 different countries outside the U.S. represented on Opening Day rosters in 2018.

Success or failure in October will ultimately define this Boston team. Bringing home the organization’s ninth championship is the only way to ensure this club’s legacy as one of the greatest ever seen in the city. Certain statistical and empirical evidence to this point would suggest these Red Sox are already well on their way.

* MassLive.com

Boston Red Sox announcer Jerry Remy finishes radiation, will visit NESN booth Wednesday

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- Red Sox announcer Jerry Remy announced (via ) that he underwent his final session of radiation Tuesday and will visit the NESN booth for an inning during Wednesday night's game against the Orioles.

NESN announced Aug. 7 that Remy was facing another battle with cancer. The color commentator has not returned to the booth since, but made an appearance in Worcester earlier this month when the Red Sox their intention to move their Triple-A club there.

Remy was first diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and has faced multiple recurrences in the decade since. He last dealt with it last season but was able to return for a few games in September.

Remy's former partner, , will be making a of his own to Fenway Park this weekend. Orsillo is slated to call the Sox' game against the Yankees on Saturday afternoon in his first return to Boston since leaving for San Diego for the 2016 season.

* WEEI.com

John Farrell to interview for ' managing job

Rob Bradford

John Farrell isn't ready to put this managing thing completely in the rearview mirror.

According to multiple reports out of Cincinnati, Reds president of baseball operations told reporters that Farrell was in line to be interviewed for the team's managing job. Other candidates who have already interviewed include current third base coach , bench coach and first base coach Freddie Benevidas. Farrell has served in the Reds' scouting department throughout the 2018 season.

Also in the mix is interim manager , who took over for after he was fired earlier in the season.

The Reds head into Wednesday in last-place in the Central Division with a 66-92 record. Their pitching has been a mess this season, with no starter boasting an ERA of better than 4.30. The starting staff's combined ERA is 5.05.

The Reds' interview would be Farrell's third since his departure from the Red Sox, having talked to the Phillies and Nationals last year before they hired and , respectively. Along with his work with Cincinnati this season, the 56-year-old also served as a baseball analyst for ESPN.

Red Sox postpone tonight's game with Orioles, schedule Wednesday doubleheader

John Tomase

The Red Sox announced they've postponed Tuesday night's game with the Orioles and will make it up on Wednesday as part of a day-night doubleheader beginning at 1:05 p.m.

With heavy rains expected in the area this afternoon and evening, the Red Sox called the game early.

Tickets to Tuesday's game will be accepted for Wednesday's early start, which will be followed by the regular 7:05 p.m. nightcap.

The Red Sox have already set a franchise record with 106 wins.

* NBC Sports Boston

Playoff debates: Why Red Sox should choose Eovaldi over E-Rod in rotation

Evan Drellich

BOSTON — Nate Eovaldi may keep his spot in the rotation for the same reason the Red Sox move forward without a lefty specialist in the 'pen: the number of scary lefty bats the Sox can face in the first round are minimal.

The Yankees and A’s are righty heavy, and Eovaldi in particular would probably be preparing for a scenario to pitch on the road. The Sox have seen up close how the Yankees can just wait back and drive lefty pitches out to right field.

Since joining the Red Sox, Eovaldi leads the team in the fewest percentage of fly balls to become home runs, at 5.5 percent, regardless of lefty-righty match-ups. E-Rod is nearly double that, at 10.6 percent.

“One of the teams we know, we know really well,” Alex Cora said on Monday generally. “The other one, we don’t know honestly. So we’ll talk about it. But I think small sample size really doesn’t matter.”

Eovaldi’s final pitch Monday night against the Orioles was a backdoor cutter to , who went down looking. Mullins, a switch-hitter, was batting lefthanded. It was an excellent night overall for the right-handed and cutter-heavy Eovaldi in a 6-2 win, even though he was facing a terrible team. He had 10 strikeouts in five innings.

Eduardo Rodriguez following Eovaldi in relief on Monday was also a clear signal the Red Sox are looking at keeping Eovaldi in the Division Series rotation and taking E-Rod out.

“I really had everything working today,” Eovaldi said. “I was able to locate the fastball up. Had a really good feel for my curveball, my split today. So with those two pitches, being able to get them off my fastball and the cutter, I felt like it’s a good success tonight.”

Both historically and in 2018, Eovaldi has been better vs. right-handed batters, who carry a .631 OPS against him this season. Lefties (and switch-hitters) are his potential weakness, with a .751 OPS. The numbers in Eovaldi’s time in Boston and in his career are virtually identical, a roughly .100 point OPS gap.

Will that really matter in the Division Series?

The Yankees have and Neil Walker as switch-hitters. Hicks has an .837 OPS vs. righties, Walker a .693 OPS.

The Yanks’ best threat purely from the left side, Didi Gregorious and his .864 OPS against righties, may be out for the season. Brett Gardner, meanwhile, has got a .704 OPS against righties.

“We don't know who we're going to play, but we understand the match-ups and where we can go,” Cora said when asked if Eovaldi is making a case to stay in the rotation. “He’s been great. He's a guy that, first of all, he's a workhorse. We can use him out of the bullpen, and then we can use him in the rotation. I love the fact that his last two outings, they made some adjustments, and he's actually pitching to what we wanted, up in the zone and down, so he's making it very interesting now.”

Matt Olson and Nick Martini of the A’s both have done well as lefties vs. righties this year, the former with an .828 OPS and the latter .824. Switch-hitter ’s right there with them at .846.

So the A's might make the choice a little tougher than the Yankees. But the biggest bats on both teams — Khris Davis and Matt Chapman, and Giancarlo Stanton — are righty, and righties aren't the reason to remove Eovaldi.

* Bostonsportsjournal.com

McAdam: On second base, merit and history

Sean McAdam

The Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles were rained out Tuesday, resulting in a day-night doubleheader Wednesday at Fenway, with game times at 1:05 p.m. and 7:10 p.m.

Until then, here are three thoughts on the Red Sox in the final week:

1. Third base isn’t the only position in flux in the infield.

While the Red Sox evaluate third base and made a decision between Eduardo Nunez and , it seems second base is similarly unsettled.

Veteran Ian Kinsler is slashing .185/.206/.246 since September 1. He’s also 1 for his last 22 and doesn’t have an extra-base hit this month. And his range, no doubt compromised by the hamstring injury he suffered soon after joining the Red Sox at the non-waiver deadline, has dipped considerably, reducing the clear advantage he once owned over in that department.

While Kinsler slumps, Holt has gone in the opposite direction. Since Sept. 1, he’s slashing .353/.476/.676 with three homers and 10 RBI. Typically, Holt is a streaky hitter whose upsurges don’t last long, but in this instance, he may be able to sustain his hot stretch at the plate for another couple of weeks.

At the very least, the Sox may be considering some sort of platoon at the position in the post-season. That, too, would have been unthinkable not long ago.

2. Alex Cora has made his team a meritocracy

From the beginning of the season, manager hasn’t been afraid to make changes to his lineup or pitching usage, based on performance.

His biggest and boldest move, of course, came when he pushed for the release of Hanley Ramirez when the Sox were in need of a roster spot. That was a risky gambit for a rookie manager just two months into the job and could have backfired in the clubhouse. Baseball, by its nature and long schedule, tends to be less reactive than other sports because “it’s a long season and these things have a way of working out.”

Instead, Cora ripped the band-aid right off, theorizing that if Ramirez’s playing time was about to be reduced and would lead to issues down the road, it was better to confront the issue then and there.

Subsequent decisions have followed, though none that dramatic. He reduced playing for Christian Vazquez when it became clear that Sandy Leon was the better receiver. He began using Eduardo Nunez at third more when Rafael Devers’ play fell off. And now he’s broadly hinted that he’d be open to a change — or at the very least, a job share — at second base in October.

“We’ll throw our best lineup out there on a nightly basis in the playoffs,” Cora said Monday. “Whoever we feel can do the job that night.”

What a concept.

3. It’s OK to salute a great regular season.

In Boston, championships have become the and, at times, only measuring stick. Since 2001, The Patriots have won five Super Bowls, the Red Sox three World Series and the Bruins and Celtics have each won titles. It’s been a great time to be a fan in the region.

And thanks to their first-round belly flops in each of the last two trips to the post-seasons, there’s a decidedly “wait-and-see” attitude toward the Red Sox.

Earlier this season, the narrative took hold that their record was the result of beating up on the multitude of bad teams in the division. And some of that is certainly true. But other contenders have had the same opportunity — the Indians, for instance, have played nearly a quarter of their schedule against the Royals and White Sox and have yet to reach 90 wins, much less 106.

Think of the great Red Sox teams of the past, oh, 50 or so years. Some (1967, 1975, 1986) won the , only to lose in the World Series in Game 7. Others won World Series (2004, 2007, 2013). Still others (1972, 1978, 2003) were star-studded but missed out on the post-season altogether.

And none came close to winning 106 games. , whose time with organization spread out over parts of four decades, played on just one 100-win team. , , , Pedro Martinez, and David Ortiz never did.

“We should call time out and enjoy this one,” observed Cora Monday night.

He’s absolutely right because whether the Red Sox win 11 games next month or none, 106 wins — and counting — in a season is a huge accomplishment.

*

Craig Kimbrel can’t do it all alone; can be his bullpen sidekick?

Chad Jennings

If all goes according to script, at some point in the next four weeks – perhaps as early as next Friday night – the Red Sox will carry a narrow postseason lead into the eighth inning, as Craig Kimbrel waits to handle the ninth. They’ll need only three outs to put the game in the hands of today’s most accomplished , and that’s when manager Alex Cora will face the murkiest part of his postseason plan.

Should he summon the with two career relief appearances? The knuckleballer who’s pitched eight times since the middle of June? The hard-throwing 31-year-old who was pitching in Japan at this time last year?

Or should go to Matt Barnes, the guy he’s used all year? The one who had a legitimately great first half, a bad month of August, and a hip injury in September? Should he trust the first-round pick who has played his whole career in Boston and might finally be ready for just such a moment?

“Playing in that big market, it can be tough for some guys,” Barnes’ longtime friend and college teammate, Astros outfielder , said. “But he likes it. I think he does well with a lot on his plate. Unfortunately, relievers tend to be the goat or the hero. I think he’s really learning how to handle himself through failure and success.”

Turning failure into success might be the deciding factor in the Red Sox’ playoff hopes. This is a team with two MVP candidates, two potential Game 1 starters, and the active leader in career saves, but those superstars are factored into the equation. They’re known quantities. The Red Sox would be nowhere near baseball’s best record without them, and so it goes without saying that they’re vital.

The great mystery is how the Red Sox will handle the late innings when the offense has scored enough runs, the starters have done their jobs, and Kimbrel is waiting to do his. Nathan Eovaldi or Eduardo Rodriguez will have moved into the bullpen at that point. will be there with baseball’s least predictable pitch. will be there too, a minor league free agent turned major league setup man. But it’s Barnes who seems best positioned to take the bulk of the eighth-inning responsibility.

“Barnes is a big part of what we’re trying to do in the bullpen,” Cora said last week. “We’ve relied on him all season.”

Here’s the catch: Last month was Barnes’ worst of the year, this month he’s barely pitched, and next month needs to be his very best. A career of success and failure just might have prepared him to peak at just the right time.

“Everything that you’ve done, that you’ve learned from, helps you come back quicker,” Barnes said. “I think the best part about it being right now is that, given that we’re this far into the season, I’ve got 60 games or something like that. It comes back a lot quicker as opposed to early in the season when you’re still trying to find stuff and figure it out. Once you’ve kind of gone through stretches where everything was good, and you felt locked in, you know what that felt like and how to get back to that.”

Barnes knows what it feels like to be locked in. The Red Sox took the Bethel, Conn., native out of the University of Connecticut in the first round of the 2011 draft. He was a starter then, and he remained a starter through three-plus years of pro ball. It was in 2015 that he carved out a lasting role in the big leagues as a reliever.

“He’s pretty much the same guy, you know?” Springer said earlier this season. “He comes at you. He’s not afraid (and won’t) back down, but I think now he’s starting to pitch. Before, as a young kid, he would just throw. He knew he threw hard. He knew he could throw it by you. Now, with big league hitters, I think he’s pitching more.”

There’s been one other noticeable, and vital, change.

“I think he’s finally understanding his role,” Springer said. “He understands what he has to do out there.”

Barnes’ career numbers show a steady improvement since his first meaningful big league action. He came up as a spot starter and little-used reliever, but his numbers have improved steadily year after year. Walks remain his weakness, but he’s made up for them with increased strikeouts.

This season, FanGraphs’ WAR ranked Barnes as the game’s 11th best reliever in the first half. If WAR is a bit too easy to dismiss, especially for relievers, Barnes also ranked ninth in strikeouts-per-nine innings, 14th in opponents’ batting average and 10th in xFIP. Even after his ugly August, when he allowed 10 earned runs after a total of 12 the previous four months, the FanGraphs formula still ranks Barnes among the top 30 relievers in baseball this season, and he has fifth-most strikeouts per nine innings behind only Aroldis Chapman, , Dellin Betances and Edwin Diaz. Most of this season numbers compare favorably to Kimbrel’s. Some are better.

“I noticed (the improvement) every year,” pitching coach Dana LeVangie said. “A guy who can truly look in front of the mirror and truly identify who he is and what he is, and he knows he’s a late-inning reliever now. And that’s his frame of mind. It’s his thinking. The biggest thing that’s probably stood out this year is his commitment to his training. After games he pitches, he’s built in a pretty good routine, and he’s just been really consistent all year long and living and dying by it.”

Some of that comes from Kimbrel, who’s been Barnes’ pregame throwing partner since the two first became teammates in 2016. Barnes was struck by Kimbrel’s focus during those warmup sessions. He also took note of the way Kimbrel stayed hungry and disciplined after so much success.

“Every game after he pitches, it doesn’t matter if it’s 1 o’clock in the morning or it’s 3:30 in the afternoon, he’s going to go upstairs and he’s going to run a mile on the treadmill,” Barnes said. “Every game. One mile. . . . If he’s one of the best in the world, why wouldn’t I kind of take little bits and pieces from what he does?”

But even with Kimbrel as an on-the-field and off-the-field leader, the Red Sox bullpen has been a relative weakness down the stretch. ’s early season dominance evaporated. So did ’s ability to strand runners. Barnes struggled, then got hurt. From Aug. 19 through Sept. 19, the Red Sox bullpen had a 4.49 ERA, more than a run higher than it had been to that point.

Team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski never traded for a reliever to address those issues, but he disagrees with the notion that he ignored the pen. By trading for Eovaldi, Dombrowski knew he was getting a hard thrower who could transition into a relief role in the playoffs (or push a different starter in the bullpen). Dombrowski also knew Wright was on track to come off the disabled list, he’d been impressed by minor league signee Brasier, and minor league call-up had pitched well in his big league return.

Then there was Barnes who, aside from one bad month, had been one of the game’s best in the late innings. Even in that ugly August, Barnes pitched scoreless innings against the Yankees, Indians and Rays – the best teams the Red Sox faced that month – and he started September with two strong, scoreless outings before the hip issue flared up. He was good again on Friday, his first outing back from the injury, and again on Monday when he pitched a scoreless inning on eight pitches.

“Matt Barnes knows the lineup he’s facing,” LeVangie said. “He knows he’s going out there at times and facing the biggest threats in their lineup, and he’s managing threats accordingly. Sometimes people can say, well, he walks too many people. Well, he also punches out a lot of hitters, OK. You can’t walk guys if you can’t punch people out. If you’re a contact pitcher, and you’re walking hitters, now we’re in trouble. So, he evaluates every situation where he’s out there, especially in the one-run games like, that guy’s not going to beat me.”

It all comes with experience. It requires talent, obviously, but every inning builds on the previous inning. Mistakes become easier to correct, strengths become easier to recognize, and that’s true even after a bad month, even coming back from an injury, and even with October right around the corner.

“One hundred percent,” Barnes said. “No question it does. You definitely kind of grow in that aspect and learn what was wrong and how to fix it easier and quicker, the more experience you get. It’s definitely one of those things where, as you continue to grow and pitch more and more often and have a longer career, you get a better understanding of your body and what to do, and when you get away from it, how to get back to it.”

Barnes missed almost three weeks with that hip injury. His return on Friday gave him exactly two weeks to get back to the best version of himself before the division series opener. If this team is going to make a run, it’s going to have to bridge that gap between rotation and closer, it’s going to have to capitalize when the offense provides a lead, and Barnes has done as much as anyone to earn that responsibility.

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Orioles-Red Sox postponed by rain; doubleheader Wednesday

BOSTON -- The game between the Baltimore Orioles and scheduled for Tuesday night has been postponed because of rain.

The teams were rescheduled for a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday.

David Price (15-7, 3.53 ERA) is set to start the first game for the Red Sox and Chris Sale (12-4, 2.00) the second game.

Boston (106-51) has clinched the AL East and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Baltimore (45-111) has tied the franchise record for losses set by the 1939 St. Louis Browns.