Xander Bogaerts Building His Own Hitting Streak, Up To 17 Games
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Jackie Bradley Jr. is the talk of the town in Boston after upping his hitting streak to 28 games in the Red Sox's 8-3 win Tuesday night over the Colorado Rockies, putting him halfway to Joe DiMaggio's nigh-unbreakable record. Bradley's otherworldly performance at the plate has overshadowed the emergence of Xander Bogaerts, who is on an impressive hitting streak of his own.
The Red Sox shortstop's hitting streak reached 17 games Tuesday night, upping his league-leading batting average to .349. He is behind only Bradley with the second-longest active hitting streak in the majors. He and Bradley remain 1-2 in the American League in average.
Over the course of the 17 games, Bogaerts has batted .408 and racked up 31 hits, including three home runs and 12 RBI. He is making contact on pitches within the strike zone at an insane 91.1 percent rate during the streak. To put it simply, Bogaerts is locked in right now.
SEE ALSO: Longest Hitting Streaks In Red Sox History
"He's smoking it, ain't he?" Bradley said on Bogaerts Tuesday night. "He's a really good player, a special player. I feel like every time he goes up there, he has a consistent plan. He's sticking to it. He's our three hitter and he's doing a very good job of it."
David Ortiz has been so explosive in the early-going of his final major league season, Mookie Betts has been so productive in the leadoff spot, and Bradley has been so unstoppable at the plate, the 23-year-old Bogaerts' rise to stardom has gone relatively unnoticed as the Red Sox have continued to dominate on offense. But as the No. 3 hitter and still the player with the highest ceiling of any young Red Sox talent, Bogaerts may ultimately be the key to keeping the lineup rolling for a full season and beyond.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
