Alex Cora Insists Rafael Devers Is Not Injured
BOSTON (CBS) -- Rafael Devers went 1-for-4 in Thursday night's ALDS opener, leaving five runners on base out of the cleanup spot for Boston in the 5-0 loss to the Rays.
While such a night can happen to anyone, there was some alarm about the way Devers looked while swinging the bat. With his right arm in a wrap, Devers' bottom hand was coming off the bat on his follow-through, and he appeared to be grimacing more with each swing and miss.
WEEI's Lou Merloni -- the former MLB player who also calls some games as a radio analyst -- in particular pointed out what looked off with Devers throughout the game.
Despite what appeared to be an issue, Red Sox manager Alex Cora insisted after the game that Devers may not be 100 percent, but he's not injured.
"I mean, three days ago, everybody was saying he was setting up the pitcher whenever he drops the bat. And today, because he didn't get a hit ... you know, I mean, it's the grind of 162, right?" Cora said. "There's things that happen and you get treatment and you grind. Not everybody is 100 percent right now. He's posting, and like I said, a few days ago, he was dropping the bat the same way, and nobody said anything. Actually, I heard he was setting up pitchers with that."
Of course, Devers performed just fine in
Sunday's Wild Card-clinching win in Washington, when he went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs. He was 0-for-2 with two walks in Tuesday night's Wild Card game win over the Yankees, and his lone hit Thursday came on a soft liner to left field.
