Brandon Moss has shown a penchant for clutch hitting during his young career. His first career RBI was a two-out single that tied a game last season, and his first round-tripper was a game-tying blast in the ninth inning on Opening Day this season.
MLB. Sox manager Terry Francona smiles to himself a little bit while describing the seemingly endless number of youthful reinforcements summoned to the Fens this month while injuries ravage his baseball squad.
The Boston skipper simply can’t help himself when thinking of utility infielder Jed Lowrie and outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss, a pair of Sox prospects that have helped keep the Major League club afloat while injuries to Mike Lowell, Alex Cora and — as of Tuesday night — J.D. Drew tested their depth.
“Lowrie is a player that has not only helped us out at the Major League level during a difficult time, but he’s really listened to the things that we’ve given him along the way,” said Francona. “It’s one thing to have the ability when you get to this level, but Lowrie is a really smart kid, who wants to improve as a baseball player — and it shows.
“You kind of do what you do and hope the [young] guys play good enough because you just get stuck,” said Francona. “Moss can certainly go out there and have some good at-bats ... he’s already proven that.”
It’s been equally encouraging to veteran players within the Sox clubhouse that have watched quality players fill the breach caused by various bumps and bruises, but it’s almost become something of an automatic within the organization.
“The depth of this organization is one of our biggest strengths,” said Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis. “We expect guys to come into this lineup and get the job done, and they’ve been able to do that.”