How the Red Sox’s offense has done an about-face

For those first 10 games after the Rafael Devers trade, it seemed impossible to decipher how the Red Sox were going to score runs. It might have seemed like low-hanging fruit considering the chaos that surrounded the deal, but it was also this team’s immediate reality.

During that stretch, only one team (Cleveland) had fewer runs, with not a single big league club possessing a worse OPS or batting average than the Red Sox, which came in at a putrid .556 and .184, respectively.

Now, seven games later, the conversation has done an about-face, with the Red Sox’s 10-3 win over the Nationals Saturday offering the latest taste.

But how?

Maybe it was simply breaking free of the Seattle, San Francisco, and Angels pitching staffs. Perhaps it was shaking off the urge to prove everyone wrong when it came to living life without Devers. Or maybe it was simply taking a deep breath and doing the right things.

A deeper dive suggests the Red Sox’ hitters are doing the right things, and it’s paying off.

Since June 28, the Red Sox have best OPS (.973) and batting average (.331) by a long shot. And, to top it off, the pivotal spot this team needed to fill after Devers’ departure – designated hitter – has been taken care of in the form of 10 hits, the second-most of any team over that span.

And while the additions of Masa Yoshida and Alex Bregman figure to offer some obvious assistance, this recent resurgence has been done by the same participants who lived through that uncomfortable existence on the West Coast. The secret sauce? After Saturday’s win, Roman Anthony offered reporters a powerful hint.

“I think we’re just making good decisions and we’re prioritizing hitting the fastballs, especially over the heart of the plate,” said the rookie. “Obviously, that’s the key to success. You’re only as good as the pitch you swing at, and I think we’re doing a really good job swinging at fastballs.”

Facts.

During these past seven games, no team in baseball has more hits on fastballs in the strike zone than the Red Sox (54). Conversely, Alex Cora’s club was last in MLB over those 10 post-Devers games when it came to claiming hits on heaters out over the plate (29).

Leading the charge in this approach has been the red-hot Trevor Story, whose nine hits on fastballs in the strike zone is the second-most in baseball in these last seven games. Anthony is just one behind, claiming eight.

Those previous 10 games? The Red Sox had the fourth-most swinging strikes of any team when it came to pitches out of the strike zone.

Not complicated, right?

And perhaps the player who has thrived the most after deciphering this reality is Ceddanne Rafaela, who managed two more hits Saturday, including a home run. Since May 27, the outfielder has been the team’s best hitter, carrying a .927 OPS and .306 batting average.

It just so happens that Rafaela figured out this swing-at-the-right-pitch thing right around the time his offensive numbers started skyrocketing. Before May 27, the centerfielder made 31 outs on balls out of the strike zone. Since then there have been just 12. Conversely, 36 of Rafaela’s 38 hits since May 27 have come on pitches in the zone.

All of the numbers should paint the picture, one which looks dramatically different than just more than a week ago.

“I think offensively we’re in a good spot,” Cora told reporters. He added, “It’s 162 [games]. You’re going to have stretches where you’re going to hit. We went through a bad stretch [offensively] a few weeks ago and now we’re in a good one, and one thing for sure, we’re going to get healthier.”