By slowing down, Mookie Betts and Red Sox could heat up

Mookie Betts is learning that less is more at this time of the season.

Wait, what?

Aren’t the Red Sox holding their lead atop the A.L. East by a narrow margin with 33 games remaining in the regular season? It doesn’t make sense to think about “less” when your team has been outscored 36-9 in the last three games, including a 7-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday at Fenway Park.

The bigger picture is what’s important in this situation.

You don’t become an All-Star, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner by holding back. He’s learning, however, that tweaking his work ethic at this point of the season will benefit the team down the stretch and into the playoffs, if the Sox get there.

“We’re grinding through the dog days of August at 100-plus games, and you make adjustments in your daily routine,” said Red Sox bench coach Gary DiSarcina, who played 12 seasons in the majors.

Meaning, don’t take 75-100 extra BP swings a day, or more fly balls than normal prior to a game.

“Monitor your physical work, which will give you more energy during the game,” DiSarcina said. “We get concerned with him over-working. He needs to understand what time of the year it is, how hot it can get at certain times in certain cities and back off from the work. It’s the quality, not the quantity. We need him fresh.”

Betts is batting .265 with 18 homers and 77 RBI. He went 2-for-3 with a walk during Saturday’s loss. He’s reached base safely in his last 11 games. So, telling a 24-year-old workhorse to slow down isn’t the easiest thing to accomplish at this time of the season.

“It’s your responsibility as a coach,” DiSarcina said. “Chili (Davis) has been through it and Victor (Rodriguez) has been through it, I’ve been through it, other guys on the staff have been through the long grind.”

Betts played a career-high 158 games last season and he’s nearly on pace to match that this year. It’s completely different than the minor league schedule of 144 games.

“When you play in the minor leagues, this time of the year is almost the end of your season. To understand you have 30-plus games to go, plus the playoffs, you need to make sure you get your rest off the field, eat right, monitor your work and be ready for the game,” DiSarcina said. “This sport is every day. It’s not like football where you play once a week.”

The stretch run will be important for the Sox. From a health-standpoint, the team is expecting the return of Dustin Pedroia (knee) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (thumb) to the lineup soon. The club is also hoping David Price (elbow) can return before the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Betts is trying to maintain his energy and consistency.

“Playoffs are right around the corner, but you’ve got to take one game at a time and you have to get there first,” Betts said. “Our mindset is just to continue to play the game, have fun, take one game at a time and see what happens.”

His average isn’t where he would like it to be, but he’s making serious contributions with his glove and on the base paths.

“In any game I try to do something,” Betts said. “Create a run, stop a run, or try to create some momentum. There are many ways to do it, but I just try to find one, but it can come from anybody.”

Betts isn’t a big guy. At quick glance, he doesn’t look like a pro athlete at 5-foot-9, 175-pounds. He tries to outwork everyone but it’s important for him to learn to limit his work at this point.

“I’ve watched him the last two weeks and he’s backed off,” DiSarcina said. “He hasn't done a ton of early work, so he’ll be fine. He needs to just continue what he’s doing. I know his average isn’t where it should be, but he’s got some big hits for us and he’s been on base when we needed it and just continue to have quality at-bats.

“We have 33 games remaining, so he still has a lot of at-bats left in him and the key is to get him going, and most of the guys going, at the right time, which is right about now.”

When Betts first made his big-league appearance during the 2014 season, David Ortiz was impressed with the rookie. At the time, Ortiz predicted the youngster would one day be the leader of this club because he’s a student of the game and is always looking for ways to improve and help the team win.

“What I didn’t know about him is he asks a lot of questions in games,” DiSarcina said. “For instance, even today he asked a question about Friday’s game and whether or not he should have run in a certain situation. We were down 10 runs, he was on second base and Manny (Machado) was basically giving him third base. He’ll ask about swinging 3-0; he asks good baseball questions. He’ll bank the answers and use them later in his career.”

When a team is in a bit of a funk, like right now, a player with Betts’ ability to become a leader on the field can produce a team-wide spark.

“He’s consistent and he brings it every night,” DiSarcina said. “He has a track record and we believe in him.”