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BOSTON – Jackie Bradley Jr. went 6-for-7 for the last two games. He ran, dubbed and led in four points in the Red Sox's 9-1 win over the Angels here at Fenway Park on Tuesday.
He is a striker. He has always been striated. He will always be.
But no matter how hot or cold he is, he must continue to strike for power.
He sank at times in 2016, his best season in the majors. But he has always hit for power all season long. He ran five times in August when he hit only .198.
He beat .233 with a .315 base percentage in the second half of 2016, but still finished the season with 30 doubles, seven triples and 26 homers.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has no alternative options at this stage. Bradley has to produce.
The center fielder worked with coaches Tim Hyers and Andy Barkett on his mechanics. He alternated between a kick and a kick.
"First of all, it was the kick of the leg and then he went to the hitting, what I thought at the moment was good for him," said Cora. "Then he returned to kick the leg."
Cora has spoken with Bradley on June 11 in Baltimore. He wanted him to decide between kicking and kicking. Bradley chose the leg kick.
"I said," Well, do not stray from it, if you feel like that, we have to stay with it, "recalled Cora." He did a good job, he got his foot in the # Hour, he sees better the ball that breaks and he could stay with the ball fast, I think the most important is that he stays with his approach now. There is not much change. "
Since June 11 in Baltimore, Bradley has hit 22 balls at 95 mph, including 15 at over 100 mph (12 games).
Only seven of the 22 balls over 95 mph dropped for the shots.
"It's someone who will work," said Mookie Betts about Bradley. "He's going to work, it's going to work, it's going to work until he gets it, he's going to work, he's beaten, maybe he's got the worst chance of the league. a fall is certainly a factor of trust for him and I think we all know what he is capable of. "
Yes, he has turned out to be one of the best baseball hitters during his hot streaks. But he can also be the worst hitter when things go wrong.
He needs to find a good environment as he did in 2016, where he is still able to hit extra shots even during cold periods.
"We had a few conversations and we trust the player," said Cora. "One thing about gamers, is that they understand what's going on with the team and that they understand the transactions and obviously the decisions we make, I think that's going on." He understands that we trust him.
"We trust him as a player, not only as a defensive player, but we know that he is much better offensively than was happening earlier in the season, that he was going to make adjustments He came to the point that it was not pretty, obviously he was swaying and missing at a fast pace on the fastball.
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