Change at leadoff; Sawamura makes splash

NEW YORK -- After giving Kiké Hernández a 39-game trial run in the leadoff spot, Red Sox manager Alex Cora went in a different direction for Saturday's game at Yankee Stadium.

With Hernández entering the night in an 0-for-24 drought and having the last two days off, Cora batted the veteran seventh in his return to the lineup.

This was the first start for Hernández this season in anywhere but the leadoff spot, where he slashed .240/.298/.403 with five homers and 12 RBIs.

Danny Santana, who also entered the night in a slump (two hits in previous 24 at-bats), led off for the third straight game.

What exactly is Cora looking for from a leadoff hitter?

"We want somebody who can get on base, or somebody that can drive the ball," Cora said. "We want to set the tempo, and right now we had that in stretches but we haven't been consistent."

One thing that Red Sox fans continue to clamor for is for Alex Verdugo to bat leadoff, which he did successfully during the 2020 season.

However, Cora does not want to disrupt what he feels is a perfect 2-5 combination of Verdugo (lefty), J.D. Martinez (righty), Xander Bogaerts (righty) and Rafael Devers (lefty).

"One thing for sure, putting Alex like everybody wants to in the leadoff spot, it doesn't guarantee us to keep scoring runs at this rate," said Cora. "We've been doing a good job scoring runs. It just happens that our leadoff guy hasn't been able to get on base at the rate that we would love to or he would love to.

"We just have to be patient. Maybe we move one guy to one spot, then we're going to be limited in another spot. It's just one of those that it's a tough thing to maneuver, because it's lineup construction. People can say, 'Yeah, put all the best hitters together,' but then the line stops at one point, and what are we going to do?

"So, we like where we are at right now. We're scoring runs. We have one of the best offenses in the big leagues, so we'll keep trying these guys up there and hopefully they get hot and get going and add to the equation."

From an analytical point of view, Cora also thinks that Verdugo is more valuable in the No. 2 spot.

"I think Alex actually is a complete hitter. In the era that we're talking right now, they say you should hit your best hitter second, right?" said Cora. "So, we like him there. We like J.D. behind him. I like to split up Alex and Raffy. If I'm managing against the Red Sox, I'll be very careful to bring a lefty for Verdugo having those two guys behind."

Last year, the Red Sox tried Martinez as the No. 2 hitter, and that failed miserably.

"He wasn't comfortable. I don't think the lineup is athletic as it should be with J.D. hitting second. It limits my way of managing the game," said Cora. "I like Xander behind J.D. and I like Raffy behind Xander. So far, it has worked. And like I said, somebody has to step up either now or later or in a few months. But we're not going to give up what we're trying to do."

Sawamura shines on big stage
A day after making a dramatic entrance to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry by striking out five and allowing no runs over two innings, Boston reliever Hirokazu Sawamura described the experience during a Zoom call.

"Obviously, it was the Yankees, it was a special moment," Sawamura said. "Obviously I was watching the rivalry between Yankees and Red Sox. That was something special for me. It gets really tense. I had something going on inside of my heart."

Sawamura seems to get better each week as he continues to move up the pecking order in Cora's bullpen.

"I'm happy that AC is giving me a lot of chances to go out there and pitch," said Sawamura. "It all comes down to how much I can prepare for each outing. I'm just sticking to my routine."

Veteran Adam Ottavino has been impressed by the way Sawamura has adapted since arriving from Japan in February.

"He's done a really nice job transitioning over here and getting comfortable. He's definitely one of the guys down there," said Ottavino. "His pitching, overall, I think has been pretty good. He's got nasty stuff, he throws hard and his splitter is probably the hardest in the league. He's an interesting pitcher and I still think his best is in front of him, for sure."

Ottavino: 'Stuff is as good as it's ever been'
Considering how successful a career he's already had, Ottavino's comments on Saturday about his current surge were eye-opening.

After an inconsistent start with the Red Sox, Ottavino has been unscored on in his last nine outings, striking out 11 and giving up just three hits over 7 2/3 innings.

"I think I have the best stuff I've ever had right now, better than any other time," Ottavino said. I just think it's about doing the fundamental things. At times I've been doing a good job of that, but not overall. I've just got to keep grinding away at those basic things, like getting ahead in the count and not beating myself. And I like where I'll be at, because I do think my stuff is as good as it's ever been."

What is the difference?

"I have more weapons than I had before," Ottavino said. "I'm throwing harder than I have in four or five years. I'm smarter, I have more experience. Overall, I just think I have more weapons. It's taken me a long time to develop some of those, but I feel like now I have legitimate weapons to get everybody out."