BOSTON — For the middle game of the series with the Yankees and the visitors throwing lefty Max Fried, the Red Sox had Nathaniel Lowe on the bench.
In truth, he might have been there anyway if the Red Sox had been facing a righthander. But the presence of Fried guaranteed it.
Lowe, who signed with the Red Sox last month after being released by the Washington Nationals, has fallen into a deep slump of late.
Heading into Saturday, Lowe was hitless in his last 16 at-bats. He also had just one homer in his last 18 games, covering 58 at-bats.
Overall, since Sept. 3, Lowe has struck out in nearly half of his at-bats (12 in 26 at-bats) and produced just one extra-base hit while hitting .115. In Friday’s 4-1 loss to New York, Lowe fanned three times in four at-bats.
“Timing-wise, he’s been getting beat with the fastball,” said Alex Cora. “That’s something that has happened throughout the season. But talking to Pete (Fatse, hitting coach, Friday), his timing has been off. So (we need to) get him back on time with the fastball and then go from there.”
The Sox don’t have many other choices for first, especially against lefties. Romy Gonzalez, who missed the previous two games with a sore knee, was back at first Saturday, but the depth is thin at the position.
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