BALTIMORE -- With obliques (or abdominal strains) you never quite know until you absolutely know.
According to Mookie Betts, he found his certainty Monday night.
The Red Sox right fielder, who had missed two weeks due to the issue with his side, returned to the lineup, going 1-for-5 before being replaced in the 11th inning by Brock Holt. (The defensive change, according to Sox manager Alex Cora, was simply due to Betts not having played in a game, and the contest extending beyond the norm.)
He hit a ball to deep right field, and collected his sole hit in the eighth inning.
But it was one swing that put all the fears to bed. On the third pitch of his second at-bat against Baltimore starter Dylan Bundy, got the test he was looking for and passed.
"I think I swung through a slider and I didn't feel it so then I knew it was going to be alright," he said after the Red Sox' 2-0, 12-inning win over the Orioles.
As for a synopsis of his night, Betts added, "It felt amazing. It felt normal. I didn't feel it at all."
While Betts' presence didn't take over the game like the Red Sox had seen so many other times this season, Cora noted the difference having his leadoff hitter back made.
"It's fun to have him in the lineup," the Sox' manager said. "He changes the game. He does. But we felt that was enough for today after the layoff. We'll see how he is tomorrow. He told me after the game, 'I'm okay.' We'll see how he feels and we'll decide tomorrow if he plays or not."
