Boston Red Sox: Andrew Benintendi’s hot swing key to saving Sox season
Boston Red Sox young slugger Andrew Benintendi is finding his zone at the plate at the right time for the defending World Series champions.
Beyond a closer, some reliable relief pitching and consistency, the 2019 Boston Red Sox need the top of their batting order to set the tone early in games and Andrew Benintendi is key to establishing that trend.
Hitting in the No. 2 spot behind the great Mookie Betts and in front of J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and the power bat of Michael Chavis, Benintendi is the catalyst that could turn the Red Sox inconsistent bats into the potent offensive force they have shown at times during this season.
As one of the players who hasn’t lived up to expectations, the Red Sox outfielder has mostly disappointed in his lack of offensive production in the early innings, but that is starting to change. Hitting .327 since the latter part of May, Andrew Benintendi is finding his groove at the plate.
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Highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance in Wednesday afternoon’s 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers, Benintendi’s swing is proving to be key the team’s success moving forward.
"“I just think that I was trying to do too much,” Benintendi said following his three extra-base hit game, via MLB.com. “I was swinging at bad pitches and not staying in my zone. A combination of those things will lead to not hitting the ball well.”"
Of course, with the amount of blown games the bullpen has relinquished, to say Andrew Benintendi is the key to saving the Boston Red Sox season is a lot to place on his bat. However, this lineup is capable of giving the team enough cushion in games that could allow relievers to come into games with less pressure. They also have the firepower to breakthrough in the later innings of late games like Wednesdays’ walk-off win.
Benny Ballgame
In the middle of the offensive production was Benintendi, which was great to see. With a double in the first inning, he set the team up for their first run of the game. He proceeded with a triple in the third and a double in the fifth to drive in two more runs.
On a day in which the Boston Red Sox bats were mostly held down by Texan Rangers starter Lance Lynn, the patience and poise of Andrew Benintendi keep the Sox in the game and put them in the position they were in to win the game. In what seems like an annual slump by the Red Sox young slugger, it appears his breakthrough has begun, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for a team barely playing .500 baseball.
"“I feel like it’s coming,” Benintendi said. “It’s been a grind for pretty much the whole year trying to find my swing again. I think I’ve been talking to a lot of guys, and I think we found something the last few days which I’m going to try to keep working on. So I feel like I’m barreling up more consistently the last few days. Just go from there.”"
In the second full week of June, it is time for the Boston Red Sox to strike. Andrew Benintendi’s hot bat can lead to a major heat up for a team that is still trying to find that championship passion and identity we all know is there.
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The batters can’t pitch the ball, but sometimes great offense can help overcome those flaws until the team finds some relief (literally speaking).