Notes: HRs reflect Kiké's comfort at leadoff

BOSTON -- Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s seemingly endless search for a productive leadoff hitter might have led him back to his original choice.

Of late, Kiké Hernández has finally started doing what the Red Sox hoped when he was installed at the top of the order on Opening Day.

Christian Arroyo, Michael Chavis, Marwin Gonzalez and Danny Santana are the other players Cora has tried in the No. 1 slot of the order. But it was Hernández back in there for the 48th time in Boston’s 80 games on Tuesday.

On Sunday against Yankees' Gerrit Cole and on Monday against Royals' Danny Duffy, Hernández gave the Red Sox instant offense by leading off the bottom of the first with a homer.

Hernández became the fourth player in Red Sox history to lead off two games in a row with a home run, joining Harry Hooper (1913), Mike Aviles (2012) and Mookie Betts (twice in ’16).

“It’s instant offense,” said Cora. “We know he can hit the ball out of the ballpark. Sometimes he tries [too much] to hit the ball out of the ballpark. You see those two swings, they were short, in the zone, he put a good swing on it.”

The Red Sox will definitely take the home runs, but it is Hernández’s overall improvement in approach that is most significant.

“He’s been good. He’s taking his walks. It started in Kansas City. Hopefully he can continue doing that,” said Cora. “It’s not about him hitting the ball out of the ballpark, but we know he can do damage from that spot.”

In his last nine games, starting with the Kansas City series that Cora mentioned, Hernández is slashing .300/.395/.733 with four doubles, three homers, five walks and seven RBIs in 38 plate appearances.

Despite Hernández's recent improvement, the Red Sox started Tuesday with a .284 on-base percentage at leadoff, which ranked 14th in the American League.

Taking stock of the birthday boy
Bobby Dalbec celebrated his 26th birthday by batting ninth for the Red Sox and starting at first base on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

For future birthdays, he hopes to take on a more prominent spot in the batting order.

But for now, the Red Sox are fine with riding the ups and downs of Dalbec’s rookie season, particularly with the club entering play on Tuesday in first place in the AL East.

Dalbec snapped an 0-for-15 stretch on Monday when he belted a 397-foot homer as part of a 2-for-4 night.

With June winding down, this has actually been Dalbec’s best month so far. His .493 slugging percentage entering Tuesday represents a big jump from .429 in May and .343 in April. Dalbec continues to strike out at a high rate. He had 32 K’s in his first 79 plate appearances in June.

“He’s just starting to play at the big league level so there’s up and downs. I do believe that lately he has understood that at this level, you have to make adjustments,” said Cora. “Everything starts with timing. We’ve been talking about that the whole time. You get there on time, your mechanics are going to be sound anyways. He has his rough patches, but at the same time, one thing I’ve been telling him, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, we’re still winning ballgames.

“That’s why I tell all these kids the young guys, don’t get caught up in your stats. Don’t get caught up in your 0-for-4’s or 4-for-4’s. At the end of the day, if we got 27 outs and we got the win, just smile, have fun and shake hands. That’s the most important thing. Try to contribute offensively, defensively, running the bases, in the dugout, communication-wise. Do whatever it takes for us to win ballgames. I think he’s understanding that part. Obviously as a young player, it’s not easy to struggle.”

Rotation reinforcement?
With Tanner Houck pitching well for Triple-A Worcester since he returned from his strained flexor injury in his right arm, it could make sense for him to make a spot start or two either leading up to or following the All-Star break to give some of the other starters a breather.

The Red Sox have had one of the healthiest rotations in MLB this season. Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards and Martín Pérez started 77 of the team’s first 79 games. The other two went to Houck.

“We’ll talk about it,” said Cora. “We’ll be facing a lot of good lineups [coming out of the break]. We’re talking about that. August, like I said the other day, it’s going to help us with the five off-days. That’s going to be very important, but we’re going to need some help at one point. These guys, they’ve been posting the whole time, and we’ll see where we go with it.”