One manager who says he’s turned the page and another who is eager to read the next chapter will lead their teams into a rematch Saturday afternoon when the Boston Red Sox vie for a second straight road win over the San Francisco Giants.
A night that began with hugs for Rafael Devers ended with a verbal altercation between Boston’s Aroldis Chapman and San Francisco’s Wilmer Flores as the Red Sox opened the highly anticipated three-game series with a 7-5 victory.
Facing his old team for the first time since they dealt him on Sunday, Devers went 0-for-5 to lower his average since joining the Giants to .188. He was hitting .272 for the Red Sox in their first 73 games.
“It always feels like he has a good at-bat,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said of Devers’ hitless night. “He always puts an aggressive swing on the ball. He hit one ball real good, but probably at the wrong time of night with the wind blowing in.
“It’s just a matter of time before he does some damage.”
Devers struck out with one out in the ninth, then watched as Chapman and Flores exchanged words after the latter had popped out to end the game. Chapman had gotten a warning and then a pitch infraction for not making eye contact with the plate area before two of his pitches.
It was the only non-cordial moment of the action after the pre-game had gotten a bit testy when Red Sox manager Alex Cora was pressed on his thoughts about why his club dealt its top hitter and any role he might have had in the controversial move.
“Clear the air about what? It’s a trade. It’s baseball. It’s a business,” Cora said. “That’s how it works. It’s not the first guy that’s gotten traded; it’s not the last guy.
“People have their opinions about the whole thing: communication, first base, DH, third base, the manager, the GM, the owner … whatever. It’s a baseball trade. For my end, I turn the page.”
The loss of Devers certainly didn’t affect the depth of the Boston lineup in the series opener. The Nos. 8-9 hitters in the batting order — Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton — combined for five hits, including two home runs, and four RBIs.
Hoping to benefit from more of the same will be Boston right-hander Brayan Bello (3-1, 3.49 ERA), who is coming off his best effort of the season. He shut out the New York Yankees on three hits over seven innings in a 2-0 win on Sunday.
Bello has yet to face the Giants in his career. In fact, the 26-year-old has pitched professionally in the state of California just four times, going 0-2 with a 6.14 ERA.
The Giants are expected to counter with righty Landen Roupp (4-5, 3.99). The 26-year-old had his worst effort of the season his last time out, getting shelled for six runs in 1 2/3 innings in an 11-5 road loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last Saturday.
Roupp will make his first career start against the Red Sox after having facing them once in relief by throwing two shutout innings in a 4-0 road loss last April.
The Red Sox have won eight of their past nine games, and the Giants have lost five of six.
–Field Level Media
