ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – More than once in spring training, Alex Cora cited the Red Sox penchant for over-aggressiveness on the bases last season – when they led the majors by running into 81 outs – and vowed to correct it.
In Thursday’s season opener, however, the correction hadn’t taken hold. The Sox twice ran into outs.
In the fourth inning, with Xander Bogaerts on first and no outs, Eduardo Nunez hit a sinking liner to right. Sensing the ball was about to fall in, Bogaerts broke a bit toward second, then tried to scurry back to first. Too late: double play.
“That’s a tough one,’’ said Cora. “You’ve got to value all the outs. But on that one, top-spinner, just carried…It’s not actually a really bad one. It’s not like a line drive on the other side of the infield and you get doubled up. It’s a tough read because if the ball falls, he short hops it and he’s out at second. That’s what he’s probably thinking.’’
Then in the eighth, a pitch by Austin Pruitt bounced in the dirt and baserunner Mookie Betts, for an instant, thought about moving up. That was just long enough for catcher Wilson Ramos to fire the ball down to first and pick off Betts.
“That ball hit the (home plate) umpire (Jeff Nelson),’’ said Cora. “I mean, if it doesn’t hit the umpire, he’s at second. That’s not bad baserunning.’’
Said Betts: "I thought it kicked by him but I think it hit the umpire's foot, I think, and rolled right back to him. By that time, I was too far (from first)."
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