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Alex Cora explains Red Sox lineup decision; ‘We’re not going to panic’
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- Alex Cora explains Red Sox lineup decision; ‘We’re not going to panic’
MINNEAPOLIS — The Red Sox were shut out by the Twins on Tuesday and rank 22nd in the majors in runs scored (68).
They have been outscored 19-6 in the first two games of this series at Target Field, both losses. They sit in last place in the AL East with a 6-11 record.
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The Red Sox are in need of wins, but manager Alex Cora is sitting Wilyer Abreu, his best hitter, in the series finale against the Twins on Wednesday .
The 26-year-old Abreu is batting .333 with a .380 on-base percentage, .561 slugging percentage, .941 OPS, three homers, four doubles, one triple and 10 RBIs in 17 games (71 plate appearances).
This was a planned day off for Abreu, and Cora said he’s not going to vary from the plan just because the team is struggling.
The Red Sox have a day off Thursday. Cora wanted Abreu to receive two straight days off to reset physically after starting in right field in all 17 of Boston ’s games.
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Cora feels it’s important to stick with the plan even with Willson Contreras , Boston’s second best player, unavailable Wednesday. Contreras is sidelined after leaving Tuesday’s game in the fifth inning due to low back tightness.
“We’ve gotta take care of Wilyer,” Cora said. “We’re not going to panic here. I’m not going to throw Wilyer (in the lineup) because, ‘Oh, we lost two in a row.’ No. This is how we do things. We’ve been doing this since 2018. We got no-hit and we didn’t play our guys the next day.”
Sean Manaea , then a starter for the Athletics , threw a no-hitter against the Red Sox on April 21, 2018. The next day, Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez were not in the starting lineup.
“That’s part of the season and you have to physically take care of them, mentally take care of them,” Cora said.
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Struggling starting third baseman Caleb Durbin (.127) also is not in the lineup. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will play third base. Andruw Monasterio will play first base in place of Contreras.
“Hopefully, whoever’s struggling, they come out of it and the other ones just reset physically and be ready for Friday,” Cora said.
The Red Sox return home Friday to open a four-game series against the Tigers.
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