Boston Red Sox open season’s 2nd half with three games in Detroit

BOSTON, MA - JULY 15: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox and Brock Holt #12 celebrate a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on July 15, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JULY 15: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox and Brock Holt #12 celebrate a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on July 15, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Continuing to rake at the plate

Not enough can be said about Boston’s performance at the plate in 2018. They are being led by a core four, all of which who have been hitting well.

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J.D. Martinez, he of 29 home runs and 80 RBI’s, sits atop this list, albeit only slightly. He’s hitting .328, trailing only Mookie Betts for the team lead. Betts is hitting .359 and has collected 20 hits in his last ten games.

Xander Bogaerts has enjoyed quite a run over the last ten games as well. Bogaerts has picked up 13 hits and 17 RBI over this span. Included in this was a walk-off grand slam against the Toronto Blue Jays, his third slam of 2018.

Andrew Benintendi — after a slow start — has been consistent as of late, collecting six multi-hit games over the last ten played. He’s also seen his average jump from .280 to .297 during this span.

Outside of these four, contributions will continue to be needed from, among others, All-Star Mitch Moreland, Brock Holt, and Jackie Bradley Jr. Bradley is hitting .268 in July with 7 doubles and 9 RBI. Which doesn’t seem like much, but for him, a definite positive for the Red Sox.

The Detroit Tigers, meanwhile, sit near the bottom of the American League in hitting. They’ve scored 386 runs and their 80 home runs are second-to-last.

Nick Castellanos has been the Tigers best hitter. With Miguel Cabrera out, Castellanos leads the team in home runs (15), RBI (56) and batting average (.305).