- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,195,136
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
BOSTON — At a time when they can least afford it, the Red Sox are about to lose the most fearsome hitter in their lineup.
After Tuesday’s bench-clearing brawl in the bottom of the fourth inning, Willson Contreras is staring down at an MLB-mandated suspension.
It’s unlikely to be for just a game or two.
Never mind that Contreras became the first player in franchise history to be ejected in consecutive games, though that won’t help his case.
Focus, instead, on the fact that Tuesday marked the fifth time this season — half-season, really — in which benches have cleared and Contreras has been in the middle of it.
On a couple of occasions, he was angry at being hit by pitches. But Contreras stands close to the plate and annually is among the league leaders when it comes to being hit by a pitch. Last year, he was struck 25 times. He’s on pace to top that this season with 14 just past the halfway point.
But Major League Baseball is likely to take his history into account. And this year alone, they’re going to see him as the common denominator in too many on-field dust-ups. Though he wasn’t disciplined for any of the first four, the recurrence of bench-clearing incidents, all of them relating to Contreras in one way or another, will get taken into consideration.
The timing couldn’t be worse for the Red Sox, who, until Tuesday night, had won five straight and seven of 10. Better than three months into the season, they were finally showing signs of life in the last two weeks.
Now, they’ll be forced to begin a nine-game, three-city road trip later this week without the services of their best hitter. In a lineup that has otherwise struggled since Opening Day, Contreras has shown himself capable of being a difference-maker.
He has nobody of consequence hitting behind him — Jarren Duran recently was installed as the No. 5 hitter, but he’s cooled since a torrid May and is batting below .200 for the season — and yet, name the category and Contreras leads the Sox: in homers, in RBIs, in extra-base hits, in total bases and slugging percentage.
Without him, the Red Sox would be battling the Angels and Royals for the worst record in the league. With him, they’ve shown enough spark to hint at a second-half charge toward playoff contention in a league that asks its wild-card teams to only be within spitting distance of .500.
Contreras is more than just the team’s most productive hitter. He’s also quickly established himself as the team’s de facto leader. It was Contreras, who weeks into the season, sensed that something was off with the energy in the clubhouse and called out his teammates.
And it was Contreras who galvanized them on the field last Friday in the second game of the weekend series with the Yankees, later professing that the rivalry could use a little shot of adrenaline.
“I think it’s good for baseball,” shrugged Contreras of the confrontation he contributed to on the field. “It makes baseball fun...I think we need a little more saltiness in the rivalry. I’ll say that.”
To an extent, sure. ABC/ESPN, which had the TV rights the following day, surely appreciated what Contreras said and did. So did NBC, which had Sunday night’s game. There’s nothing like the prospect of some bad blood between the Red Sox and Yankees to goose TV ratings.
But only to a point. When it becomes a regular thing, when batting helmets are being flung into a crowd of players, that’s when things get out of hand.
When the MLB disciplinarians rule, it’s possible that Cade Cavalli’s dog-whistle insult (“Sit down, boy”) which ignited things, will be taken into consideration. Contreras had the right to be offended by that remark; what he didn’t have the right to was inciting a full-on brawl, with some real punches thrown on both sides.
Contreras must learn to walk the fine line between inspirational and combustible. If he wants to be a team leader, he has to keep himself on the field and in the lineup, where he can be at his most productive.
It does the Red Sox no good if he’s being baited into explosive displays of temper that detract from the job at hand. The more he reacts to being hit or being brushed back, the more opponents benefit. He can’t be very valuable in street clothes
If they don’t already know that, the Red Sox will soon learn.
More Red Sox coverage
- What Red Sox’ Willson Contreras said after second ejection in two games; ‘I snapped’
- Red Sox make trade with A’s, shore up corner infield depth
- Red Sox cut bait with veteran reliever after poor outing; are more roster moves coming?
- Chad Tracy: Red Sox-Nationals brawl caused by ‘Sit down, boy’ comment toward Willson Contreras
- Red Sox rookie starter to undergo imaging on elbow
Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Continue reading...
