Red Sox's Christian Vazquez: Sits second straight game
Vazquez was not in the lineup Friday for a second straight game and used the downtime to work more aggressively with Boston's hitting coaches, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports. "We felt he needed to address some things from a timing standpoint at the plate," manager John Farrell said. "He's been scuffling."
Part of the rationale to sit Vazquez stems from manager John Farrell's desire to pair Friday night's starter, Roenis Elias, with catcher Sandy Leon, as the two worked together at Triple-A Pawtucket for much of the season, but the night off also gave Vazquez more time to work with hitting coaches in an attempt to break out of a recent slump. Dating back to June 3, the young catcher is 3-for-26, dropping his season average to .209 with a .248 on-base percentage. If not for his elite defensive skills, those numbers would make Vazquez a backup catcher.
