NEW YORK -- When Travis Shaw went 3-for-4 Monday night, he made an important point about Torey Lovullo
Shaw came into Monday night with an 0-for-16 slump, but contributed singles in each of his first two at-bats. Then he crushed a two-run homer to right in the seventh to add to the Red Sox' lead.
After the game, Shaw talked about some adjustments he made in the wake of his slump.
But he also went out of his way to credit Lovullo with showing some patience with younger players -- like himself -- going through late-season slumps.
"It means a lot,'' said Shaw. "A lot of times, you need to work through it and you need to learn how to work through it.''
When Shaw or Jackie Bradley Jr. went through a difficult time at the plate, Lovullo kept them in the lineup and gave them time to figure things out.
Of course, that's a lot easier to do when you've been out of contention the last few months and the whole idea behind the final weeks of the season is to take a look at younger, still-developing players. If Shaw or Bradley were on a team fighting for a playoff spot, it's doubtful they would have the luxury of that opportunity.
Boston Red Sox
But credit Lovullo with sending a positive message by sticking with young, slumping players and allowing them the chance to figure things out rather than lose playing time.
His confidence in young players has undoubtedly aided their development.