ATLANTA -- When Jackie Bradley Jr. came to the plate with the bases loaded in the 12th inning late Sunday night in Houston, he was stuck in the kind of slump (4-for-28, nine strikeouts) that was so common through his first three seasons with the Boston Red Sox that it practically became the norm.
But at least he wasn't worried about his job.
The Red Sox have made a commitment to Bradley as their center fielder this season. Sure, he earned the job in spring training, but he also was never seriously challenged in the way that left fielder Rusney Castillo lost his job to utilityman Brock Holt.