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ST. LOUIS \u2014 In search of something, anything, that could spark the Red Sox\u2019 sluggish \u2014 not slugging \u2014 lineup, manager Alex Cora<\/b> has tried something new this weekend: Caleb Durbin<\/b> in the No. 2 spot.<\/span><\/p>\nThat is a tad unorthodox through a modern baseball lens, with teams typically putting a very good hitter, maybe their best, in that spot to try to optimize their scoring chances. Already this year, for example, the Sox have faced the Astros\u2019 Yordan Alvarez<\/b>, the Padres\u2019 Fernando Tatis Jr.<\/b>, and the Brewers\u2019 William Contreras<\/b> as the second batter of the game. Aaron Judge<\/b> slots in there for the Yankees.<\/span><\/p>\nCora has been experimenting since dropping Trevor Story<\/b> in the order at the start of the week. Masataka Yoshida<\/b>, Jarren Duran<\/b>, and Andruw Monasterio<\/b> got a game each. Durbin, with his high-contact, low-strikeout profile, had his second in a row Saturday night against the Cardinals.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Get Starting Point<\/span><\/p>\nA guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cHe\u2019s not chasing,\u201d Cora said. \u201cWhen you start doing that, good things are going to happen, and that\u2019s the reason he\u2019s hitting second.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nDurbin entered Saturday mired in a season-opening slump: a .103 average with twice as many strikeouts (eight) as hits (four). His .186 on-base percentage was tied for fourth-worst among qualified hitters in the majors. Story was worse at .136.<\/span><\/p>\nBut Durbin had struck out just 19 percent of the time, better than all of the Sox\u2019 regulars other than Ceddanne Rafaela<\/b> (18 percent). He has been similarly effective at not swinging at pitches outside the strike zone and at not missing when he does swing.<\/span><\/p>\nAn elementary feat central to the Red Sox\u2019 path back from a dire offensive situation: swinging at strikes.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s what we need to do. We have to control the strike zone, we have to take our walks when they pitch around you,\u201d Cora said. \u201cThat\u2019s how good things start happening. . . . To get going offensively, you have to chase less. Keep it simple. But obviously that guy on the mound is trying to do a job too. It\u2019s not that easy.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cDurbin, in the Milwaukee series, didn\u2019t chase one pitch. And [Friday], although the results weren\u2019t there, the approach was good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nRoman Anthony<\/b> returned to the lineup Saturday \u2014 but was the designated hitter again.<\/span><\/p>\nHe played left field in four of the Sox\u2019 first five games.<\/span><\/p>\nSince then, amid his issues with throwing, he has started in left in just two of nine contests.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s not easy, the moving parts, but we\u2019re making it work,\u201d Cora said. \u201cMost likely he\u2019ll play left field [Sunday]. We\u2019ll see what we do in Minnesota. This is a day-to-day thing. . . . There\u2019s no science behind it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nFor now, Triston Casas<\/b> is shut down indefinitely with what the Red Sox consider an oblique problem.<\/span><\/p>\nBut they also are checking with a doctor who treated the first baseman\u2019s torn rib cartilage in 2024 to be sure that this isn\u2019t related, per Cora.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cHe\u2019s going to be out for a while, but still waiting for news from the doctor,\u201d Cora said.<\/span><\/p>\nKutter Crawford\u2019s<\/b> first game since 2024 didn\u2019t yield positive results \u2014 five runs and six hits in three innings for Triple-A Worcester \u2014 but in Cora\u2019s view, that wasn\u2019t the point.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cLike I told him today, enjoy the day,\u201d Cora said at Busch Stadium shortly after Crawford took the mound at Polar Park. \u201cThat\u2019s the most important thing. It doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s not about results. It\u2019s not about velocity or the shapes of the pitches. It\u2019s about him being able to compete.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThe line can be outstanding or horrible, but the fact that he\u2019s on the mound, it means a lot to him and his family and obviously to the organization, the training staff. They worked very hard to get to this point. And finally, he\u2019s able to go out there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nCrawford missed all of 2025 because of knee and wrist injuries.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Kiner-Falefa\u2019s long wait <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Isiah Kiner-Falefa<\/b>, who totaled 12 plate appearances in the Red Sox\u2019 first 13 games, said he is comfortable biding his time in a backup infield gig (which has been more like a backup-backup role so far). \u201cI\u2019ve been in this role before,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd even though I\u2019m not playing, I\u2019m still ready. I\u2019m always ready.\u201d. . . More very important journalism on the Red Sox\u2019 new T-shirts depicting Willson Contreras<\/b> as Bowser: Although Contreras cited Story as the Boston teammate who first started calling him Bowser, Story said he heard it from Nick Sogard<\/b> during spring training. Why? \u201cLook at him,\u201d Story said. \u201cStrong as hell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nTim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @timbhealey<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n