“There’s only one manager in the big leagues that can say his shortstop is Xander Bogaerts, and it’s me" - Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora praises his shortstop after monster day at the plate

The Boston Red Sox traveled to Oakland, California, to open up a three-game weekend series against the Oakland Athletics. In the first of the three games, Xander Bogaerts had a huge game at the plate for the Sox. He went 2-for-5 with a home run and three runs batted in. Bogaerts is currently batting .325 with six home runs and 26 RBIs on the season.

"THE KING OF ARUBA" - @ Jared Carrabis

Bogaerts is having a great season and is on his way to his fourth All-Star appearance. Red Sox manager Alex Cora spoke about what it means to have Bogaerts as a shortstop after last night's game.

"There's only one manager in the big leagues that can say his shortstop is Xander Bogaerts, and it's me. I'm proud of that. - Alex Cora Pay. This. Man." - @ Tyler Milliken

Bogaerts is in the last year of his contract, and there has been speculation of a possible trade. From a Red Sox perspective, he will be awfully hard to replace.

Boston Red Sox take series opener in Oakland

Boston Red Sox v Oakland Athletics

The Red Sox gave the ball to starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who went six innings and allowed zero earned runs to pick up his third victory of the season. Eovaldi is now 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA this season. After a shaky start to the year, it seems he is getting back into form.

"Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has thrown 10 straight scoreless innings dating back to the sixth inning of his last start." - @ Christopher Smith

Here are a few splitters he threw last night that fooled the Oakland batters.

"Nathan Eovaldi, Filthy Splitters." - @ Rob Friedman

Kike Hernandez, Trevor Story, and Xander Bogaerts each recorded a two-hit game as part of the 7-2 Athletics thumping. The Red Sox record now sits at 25-27, 12 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East.

What's on Tap?

The Red Sox and Oakland Athletics continue their series today in Oakland, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:07 p.m. EDT. Nick Pivetta gets the start for the Red Sox. Pivetta is 4-4 with a 3.95 ERA. He goes up against Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn. Blackburn is 5-1 with a 2.15 ERA this season. For more news and updates, go to the Sportskeeda Baseball page.