ST. PETERSBURG -- When it comes to giving his players a day off, Red Sox manager Alex Cora plans well ahead of time and doesn't waver.
The latest case in point? Sitting star slugger J.D. Martinez on Sunday after Boston had lost two in a row and five out of seven. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi also got a breather for the finale at Tropicana Field.
Martinez had started 124 of the Red Sox's first 131 games and 31 in a row entering Sunday.
Was Cora tempted at all to switch his plan given that the Sox are in a rare mini-rut?