Devers' perfect night at plate leads Sea Dogs

Rafael Devers was quietly working his way out of a slump, with one homer here and another homer there over a 2-for-23 span.
But he spoke volumes when he busted out Tuesday.
Hitting to all fields, the top Red Sox prospect went 5-for-5 with two long balls, four RBIs and four runs scored as Double-A Portland edged Hartford, 12-11, at Dunkin' Donuts Park.

Box score
After the Yard Goats put up a six-spot in the first inning, Devers led the Sea Dogs' comeback by knocking a single to left field and coming around to score. MLB.com's No. 15 overall prospect added a single to right and a run in the third.
"It's about swinging at strikes and having an idea of how they're going to pitch to him and making an adjustment and having a plan and approach at the plate," Sea Dogs manager Carlos Febles told masslive.com.
Devers brought the power back in the fourth. After leaving the yard Saturday and Monday, the 20-year-old ripped a go-ahead three-run shot to left. Up 11-8, Devers and the Yard Goats weren't done just yet.

Hartford tied it back up just before Devers stepped up to the plate to lead off the sixth. The left-handed hitter then ripped a 2-2 offering from Konner Wade (1-2) over the wall in center to give Portland the lead once and for all. The towering blast reached the last row of the outfield seats, giving Devers his fourth career multi-homer game.
For good measure, the Dominican Republic native beat out an infield single to shortstop Emerson Jimenez in the eighth, securing his third career five-hit contest in four seasons. The four runs scored also tied a personal best, achieved twice before.
"He said it's pitch selection -- that's the thing for him," Devers told the site through Febles. "He's a little anxious right now, so he has to be more selective at the plate and understand how the opposition is going to attack him."
Devers started off hitting .375 in his first 10 games of the season before running into a little rut. Though the seven-game skid lowered his average, he is hitting .324 while navigating his first season in the Eastern League.
"The pitching is different in the lower level," Febles told the site. "You're facing guys who are throwing off experience. They know how to mix their pitches and they'll make adjustments. You have to be able to make adjustments as well."

With five blasts in 18 games this season, Devers is almost halfway to his career high of 11, leaving fans to wonder when his 60-grade power will meet the Pesky Pole.
"Everybody knows, his goal is to at some point make it to the big leagues," Febles told the site. "But in order to do that, he has to prove that he is ready for that level."
Devers' second knock made a winner out of Williams Jerez (1-0). The left-hander allowed an unearned run on three hits without a walk and three strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings. Ty Buttrey followed with two one-hit frames and a pair of punchouts for his second save.
Third baseman Josh Fuentes went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, falling a homer shy of the cycle for the Yard Goats.