DETROIT — There wasn’t much in the way of moral victories after the Red Sox squandered three leads and lost to the Tigers, 10-9, in crushing fashion on Javier Baéz’s three-run walk-off home run Tuesday night. But just a couple minutes before Baéz’s second blast of the night, there was a good sign that a key member of Boston’s offense might be close to getting back on track.
With a back-and-forth game tied, 7-7, in the top of the 11th, righty Beau Brieske got two quick outs before Kristian Campbell came up with the go-ahead run (the ghost runner, Jarren Duran) still at second base. In a flash, Campbell turned around a 97.3 mph, down-and-in fastball and hit it 99.9 mph the other way for a dramatic, two-run, go-ahead homer.
“It was huge. Tie game, two outs. That’s what he can do,” said manager Alex Cora. “He has gotten away from it, from driving the ball to right-center. That’s his superpower. He can do that. That was a tremendous swing.”
Campbell celebrated quite animatedly as he rounded first base. Of course, the good feelings would wear off quickly as Baéz’s game-winner came just three Greg Weissert pitches into the bottom of the inning. But for Campbell, who has been scuffling as of late, the homer might be something to build on.
Campbell entered Tuesday having gone 3-for-34 with 11 strikeouts in his last eight games and after an 0-for-4 start before extras, was riding a 3-for-38 (.079) stretch since April 30 (he was hitless in his last 14 at-bats, too). For a player who won American League Rookie of the Month and had a .935 OPS through 28 big league games, the slump came on fast — and it coincided with Cora moving him to the cleanup spot last weekend.
Tuesday’s blast — just Campbell’s second since April 14 — was important, then.
“Definitely, the last couple weeks haven’t been going my way,” Campbell said. “But I tried to stay as confident as possible and I’m doing my very best to try as hard as possible when it comes to hitting.”
Campbell’s first month in the big leagues went about as smoothly as possible. But pitchers make adjustments to young hitters and they must adjust back. It’s something every veteran has gone through at some point, and the older voices in Boston’s clubhouse have been actively advising Campbell.
“My teammates help me a lot,” he said. “They talk to me a lot just about how it can be playing professional (major league) baseball for the first time. They talk me through the situations.”
After Brieske struck out Rafael Devers and got Alex Bregman to fly out to left, Campbell approached the plate of a good idea of what he wanted to do. The result was the result of executing a plan.
“I was ready for the fastball,” Campbell said. “Going into extra innings, they were attacking everybody. I watched Raffy hit. I hit watched Bregman hit. I was like, ‘He’s not gonna play with me either.’ I was just ready to hit from the get-go.
“Just trying to be on time to the fastball. Trying to contribute to the game, also, and just trying to get the job done and keep the game going.”
His mindset was simple.
“Be on time,” Campbell said. “That’s really it. Don’t be late, don’t be passive when it comes to hitting.”
Campbell experienced struggles throughout spring training before unloading on a Joe Boyle pitch for an opposite-field homer in one of Boston’s final exhibition games in Port Charlotte on March 22. That swing, Cora has said, unlocked a hot end to spring training and a torrid start to the regular season. Maybe Tuesday’s hack will do the same.
“Whenever I get my swing going in that direction and I’m hitting for power that way, I’m usually going in the right direction,” Campbell said.
