Rafael Devers will get a visit from his former team less than a week after he was traded when the Boston Red Sox venture into San Francisco to take on the Giants in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.
Right-handers Hunter Dobbins (4-1, 3.74 ERA) of the Red Sox and Hayden Birdsong (3-1, 2.79) of the Giants, neither of whom has pitched against the opposition, are the scheduled starters in a game matching teams whose only communication previously this year was on the phone.
After arm-wrestling with Red Sox management over his desire to play third base rather than serve as a designated hitter or play first base, Devers was dealt to the Giants on Sunday in a deal that shocked the baseball world. Pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks were among the four players acquired by Boston.
Accepting a role as DH for his new team, Devers had three hits over three games against the Cleveland Guardians in his first series for the Giants, but didn’t homer and had just one RBI.
Giants manager Bob Melvin noted after San Francisco’s 2-1 win over the Guardians on Thursday, when former DH Wilmer Flores was the hero with a two-run, pinch-hit double, that his club has been prepping Devers to play first base. It might even happen in the series against the team for which he balked at the idea.
“We’re going to try to get them both in (the lineup),” Melvin announced after using Devers at DH in all three games against the Guardians. Flores came off the bench twice, sandwiching one start at first base.
“Once we get Raffy to play first base, then we get Flo back in the DH spot,” Melvin continued. “Until we get Raffy up to speed, we get (Flores) to come off the bench in those types of situations (like Thursday’s), which is really valuable.”
Flores was called upon with two on and the Giants trailing 1-0 in the seventh inning of the series finale vs. Cleveland. His two-run double down the left field line accounted for all of San Francisco’s scoring.
While the Giants and Devers were losing two of three to the Guardians, the Red Sox flew across the country without their leader in home runs and RBIs and took two of three from the Seattle Mariners to open the week.
The series win came on the heels of a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees, but shortstop Trevor Story insisted there was something extra special about the success in Seattle.
“It’s big,” said Story, whose 10th homer of the season was the difference-maker in the series-clinching 3-1 win on Wednesday. “(This is) kind of a pivotal point in our season. It could go one way or the other, and still a lot of baseball to be played. We felt like we responded well after something so big and kind of shocking.”
Red Sox youngsters Roman Anthony — the game’s No. 1 prospect according to MLB.com — and Marcelo Mayer also homered in the series. They have never played in San Francisco’s Oracle Park.
The task of ruining Devers’ first reunion falls to Dobbins, who has won his past two starts, beating the Yankees both times while allowing three runs and six hits over 11 innings. He received 15 runs of support in those games, including a home run from Devers in an 11-7 win at Yankee Stadium on June 8.
Birdsong, who takes on a greater role in the Giants’ rotation with Harrison gone, hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his five starts since joining the starting staff on May 20.
–Field Level Media
