New-look Red Sox bid to stay hot vs. Mariners

When the red-hot Boston Red Sox open a three-game series on Monday in Seattle, they’ll do so without superstar Rafael Devers.

The disgruntled Devers, who homered in Sunday’s 2-0 victory against the visiting New York Yankees, was traded after the game to the San Francisco Giants for a four-player package.

The Red Sox received a pair of starting pitchers in hard-throwing right-hander Jordan Hicks and left-hander Kyle Harrison, plus a pair of prospects in outfielder James Tibbs and right-hander Jose Bello.

Devers, who has eight years remaining on a 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed in 2023, was unhappy the Red Sox added free agent Alex Bregman to play third base, his old position, in the offseason. Devers reluctantly moved to designated hitter, then balked when the team asked him to play first base last month after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury.

“I’m not certain what (issue) he has with me,” Devers said through an interpreter of club executive Craig Breslow, according to the Boston Globe. “He played ball, and I would like to think that he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy. I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there. In (spring) training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. Right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”

Despite the distractions, the Red Sox have won five consecutive games and seven of their past eight to pull within 6 1/2 games of the American League East-leading Yankees.

Brayan Bello pitched seven scoreless innings in Sunday’s victory.

“I think it starts on the mound,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You pitch (well), you’re throwing strikes, the defense is going to be better. … I think at the end, pitching and defense are the pillars of baseball. You do that consistently, you’re going to have a chance to win a lot of games.”

The Red Sox won two of three games the previous weekend at Yankee Stadium to start their surge.

“So hopefully we go on the West Coast and play good baseball, and when we come back, we got that winning feeling here around town, and this place gets rocking,” Cora said.

The Mariners are coming off a three-game sweep of visiting Cleveland to seemingly get their season back on track after losing eight of nine. Emerson Hancock pitched seven scoreless innings and J.P. Crawford hit a grand slam in Sunday’s 6-0 win.

Crawford is batting .434 with two homers and nine RBIs over the past 14 games. His .411 on-base percentage is second in the AL to the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.

“I’m not trying to, you know, launch every at-bat,” Crawford said. “I’m just trying to get on base for Julio (Rodriguez), Cal (Raleigh), or whoever to hit me in, and it’s been paying out.”

Monday’s series opener is scheduled to feature a pair of right-handers in Boston’s Lucas Giolito (2-1, 5.45 ERA) and Seattle’s Logan Gilbert (1-1, 2.37).

Giolito beat visiting Tampa Bay 3-1 last Tuesday, allowing one unearned run on three hits over six innings. He’s 1-1 with a 6.14 ERA in three previous starts against Seattle.

Gilbert, the Mariners’ Opening Day starter, will be making his return after being out since April 25 with a right elbow flexor strain. He’s 0-1 with a 5.02 ERA in five career starts versus Boston.

–Field Level Media