“There’s nothing that can kind of prepare you for playing in this type of environment this late in the season, for what’s at stake.”
When the Red Sox crafted a three-year, $120 million contract to Alex Bregman in February, the expectation was that the two-time World Series champion’s veteran mettle would pay dividends for a roster yearning for October baseball.
Bregman has lived up to that expectation as one of the steadying foundations in Boston’s clubhouse.
But Bregman’s $40 million annual price tag isn’t validated just by his off-the-field intangibles, nor his play at the hot corner.
Boston opened up the check book for the 31-year-old infielder due to his reputation for peppering pitches off the Green Monster — and injecting some much-needed pop in the heart of the Red Sox lineup.
Those responsibilities hold more weight now that a decimated Red Sox lineup — trudging forward without arguably their best hitter in Roman Anthony — has gone cold as the crisp fall air settles in at Fenway.
But with Boston’s first playoff berth since October 2021 far from a guarantee, the Red Sox’s top offseason investment has also left a lot to be desired in crunch time.
Since August 23, Bregman has struggled to generate much from the heart of Boston’s order, collecting just 14 hits in his last 93 at-bats. That sustained slide represents a .150 batting average over 23 games — with Bregman only slugging one home run and driving in seven total runs over that stretch.
His slump has been felt as Boston has had to scrap and claw to keep its postseason hopes alive.
Boston eked out a much-needed win on Wednesday against the A’s, with a bit of small ball in the bottom of the 10th culminating in Nick Sogard’s first career walk-off via a fielder’s choice.
As Nate Eaton — who sprinted home from third at the first sight of contact from Sogard — slid home, a disastrous night in the standings was thwarted.
Boston’s 5-4 victory came on a night where just about every team both in front of Boston and behind them in the Wild-Card standings — including the Yankees, Astros, and Guardians — posted wins.
Had Boston come up short against the A’s, the Guardians — who sit on the outside looking in at the playoff picture — would have been just 1.5 games behind Boston in the Wild-Card standings.
“There’s nothing that can kind of prepare you for playing in this type of environment this late in the season, for what’s at stake,” Trevor Story said postgame. “So it’s all about knowing your process and controlling yourself and not making the moment too big. I think we did a good job of that today. Tough to win coming from behind in this league. [We were] able to do it today.”
Boston’s latest white-knuckle result could have been far less stressful had the club solved its woes with runners in scoring position (3-for-17), or had Bregman finally broken out of his extended lull (0-for-4 on Wednesday).
Even though Boston’s third baseman did put a charge into a pitch in the sixth inning with Jarren Duran and Story both in scoring position, it was snagged on a line by A’s left fielder Tyler Soderstrom — snuffing out Bregman’s best chance of the night.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Boston’s lineup has taken a hit since Anthony went down with an oblique strain, while the extended absence of Wilyer Abreu (out since August 17 with a calf injury) has also negated one of the Red Sox’s top power bats in the order.
But the extended struggles of Bregman and other key cogs like Ceddanne Rafaela (16 hits in his last 97 at-bats) have further compounded Boston’s offensive woes — giving a team in desperate need of breathing room little margin for error as they try to stay afloat down the stretch.
Once entrenched in the No. 2 spot of the lineup behind Anthony, Bregman was moved down to third in the batting order on Wednesday. Since Anthony went down with an injury, he’s just 9-for-49 at the plate.
“Chasing pitches,” Cora said of Bregman’s struggles before Wednesday’s game. “Just chasing pitches. If you look at his map, he’s swinging at pitches in the edges of the zone and he’s never done that throughout his career. Well, he’s done it and when he struggles, it’s because of that.”
Bregman’s health is worth monitoring. Prior to suffering a right quad strain that sidelined him for over a month in the middle of the season, Bregman was batting .299 with 17 doubles, 11 home runs, and 35 RBI over 51 games.
Since returning, he’s batting .246 with six home runs and 24 RBI over 54 games.
Cora brushed aside any concerns regarding Bregman’s health, noting that the onus falls on the veteran to be more selective at the plate in order to get through this slump.
“One of the things that I saw in ’17 and he’s done throughout his career is hunting pitches in certain areas and being disciplined on taking the other ones,” Cora said. “And it feels like right now maybe he’s swinging at pitches in the zone, but not the ones he really wants.
“And with Alex throughout his career, he’s very patient. He doesn’t swing much. He’ll be 0-2, and then all of a sudden he’s 3-2. Kind of like one of the best at doing that.”
With just 10 games left in the regular season — and no clarity in place as far as Boston’s unsteady spot in the standings — Cora and the Red Sox will welcome whatever result gets their one of their best hitters going again with October right around the corner.