Manager Alex Cora feels Smith's stuff has gotten better since the start of the season, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.
Smith was expected to be a trusted setup man out of the pen but has a 5.87 ERA through 7.2 innings (10 games). Some of that high ERA is skewed by early results, when Smith gave up two runs each in a pair of outings during the first week of the season. Since then, the right-hander had five scoreless outings before allowing a run Thursday. "You can see it. The slider is a lot better," said Cora. "It's just a matter of putting guys away has been difficult for him throughout the first few weeks, but we do feel that he's turning a corner." Despite the positive words from the manager, Cora's actions suggest he's still not ready to call on Smith in high-leverage situations.