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That theme would continue in a 10-5 dismantling of the Los Angeles Angels that saw Saltalamacchia continue to set the tone. He crushed a solo shot in the sixth and added a three-run blast in the seventh, both of which were struck to dead center, to record his fourth career multihomer game. Manager John Farrell said Saltalamacchia is seeing the fruits of his labor, which has involved a commitment to try to stay up the middle.
“There’s going to be some swing-and-miss in there at times, but with the approach he’s locked in with right now, you’re looking at a guy in the 6-, 7-hole with that kind of power threat,” Farrell said. “I think it kind of speaks to what our lineup has and the ability to put up runs quickly.”
Before Saltalamacchia’s first homer, the Sox were nursing a 5-3 lead. When he was done one inning later it was 10-3. Those runs came quickly, as have the impressive numbers.
Since May 6, Saltalamacchia is 28-for-88 (.318) with five home runs in 26 games. He has hit in each of the past seven games he has started, batting .367 (11-for-30) with a powerful eight extra-base hits (three homers, five doubles). The surge has boosted his slugging percentage to .515. Saltalamacchia’s previous high in that category was .454 in 2012.
ESPNBoston | Saltalamacchia gets into groove
I've never been the biggest fan of Salty. I spend more time yelling "TAKE A PITCH" at the TV during his at bats than anyone else. Well, maybe Middlebrooks. Actually, Carl Crawford was the king of that. Thank God he's gone. Man, I hated that guy. But I digress.
His power of course isn't in question, the question is consistency. He's put streaks like this together before, and then he'll go in the tank for six weeks. He needs to show some patience more frequently, and he also needs to put together more good at bats more often. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I'd rather have someone like JD Drew (just as an example), who puts in 90% good at bats, than somebody like Salty, who ends up with 25 homers but half the time strikes out or gets out in a pitch or two.
Every conversation about Salty eventually leads to his future, and in particular his future in Boston. What's he worth on the open market? Does anyone care about his questionable defensive abilities? Can he continue to grow late in his career, as catchers often do? Do his intangibles and clubhouse likability play a role? Is it fair to judge a catcher offensively by the same measurements as players from other positions?
It will be very interesting to see how teams treat him. And it will be very interesting to see at what price the Red Sox decide to walk away and finally begin the Ryan Lavarnway Era.
On page 2, our ace may be sidelined for a while.
