Wilyer Abreu is having the month of his career statistically, but don\u2019t tell him that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think [the less] I see my numbers is when I do better, because I\u2019m not paying attention [to] my numbers,\u201d the Red Sox right fielder said Friday. \u201cSo I just try to go out there, have fun, and play the game the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Friday\u2019s contest, when he went 3 for 4 with a walk in a 6-4 win over the Giants<\/a>, Abreu has a .344 batting average and 1.191 OPS in August. Both would be his best in those categories in a month (minimum 10 games). <\/p>\n His August numbers continue a strong season, one in which he already has tied a career high in home runs at 22. He\u2019s also strung together some special series, such as his back-to-back, two-homer games against the Rays.<\/p>\n \u201cHe goes in spurts, man,\u201d Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. \u201cWhen he gets going, the swing shortens. He starts taking really good swings and he can string them together. And that\u2019s what he\u2019s doing now.\u201d<\/p>\n Get 108 Stitches<\/p>\n Receive the Globe’s best reporting and commentary on the Red Sox every weekday.<\/p>\n Abreu\u2019s season hasn\u2019t been all smooth sailing. He hit five homers and had a .933 OPS during the Red Sox\u2019 historic 15-game win streak<\/a> in July, but also struck out a career-high 30 times that month. Fourteen of those punchouts came after the streak concluded.<\/p>\n Abreu also batted a season-low .186. He knew he wasn\u2019t at his best.<\/p>\n \u201cLike a month or so ago, I was chasing a little bit,\u201d Abreu said. \u201cI was chasing too much, so I realized where they were attacking me.\u201d <\/p>\n He made a shift in his approach and has struck out just seven times this month. He\u2019s also had three stretches in which he didn\u2019t strike out in three or more consecutive contests, which happened only twice for him all season previously.<\/p>\n He has tried to keep things simple. <\/p>\n \u201cTry to be stable with my body. Eliminate the movement of my head so I can see the ball a little better, so I can make a better decision when I\u2019m swinging the bat \u2026 try to get a good pitch to do damage and stay on that,\u201d Abreu said.<\/p>\n Abreu did damage on Friday when he got his line drive to ricochet off the outstretched glove of Giants right fielder Jung Hoo Lee. Some might argue it was an error, but he was credited with an RBI triple as Nick Sogard crossed the plate.<\/p>\n As the Red Sox continue to find success, Abreu is far from the only one who has been able to make a shift in his approach and see positive results. First baseman Willson Contreras is up to a career-high 26 home runs this year.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying not to like overthink or think too much,\u201d Contreras said in June. \u201cTrying to keep my game simple: Make contact and let things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n The two are at the top of many major statistics for the Red Sox, with Abreu notably leading the team in walks (59). <\/p>\n As it did during the win streak, Abreu\u2019s hot spurt comes at the perfect time. October is slowly approaching, and outfielder Roman Anthony, along with shortstop Trevor Story, are trending in the right direction in their recoveries<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he gets locked in, he can carry it for a while,\u201d Tracy said. <\/p>\n