DENVER -- There was a time
\n\nThough Derek Jeter was the player Bogaerts always wanted to be when he grew up watching baseball in Aruba, Garciaparra was also someone who caught his attention at a young age.\n\n\"Yeah, the \\[pulling at the\\] batting gloves. I liked him. Especially playing video games,\" Bogaerts said. \"Obviously he was so awesome and such a great player for this team throughout his career. Injuries obviously kept him back a little, but he was amazing.\"
The power surge by Bogaerts -- which also included his 46th double -- came at a good time as the Red Sox took both games in Colorado and are 4-1 on an eight-game road trip that has one more stop -- Anaheim this weekend.\n\nWith the Athletics and Rays both losing on Wednesday, the defending World Series champs are five behind Oakland for the second [AL Wild Card](https://www.mlb.com/redsox/standings/wild-card) spot and four back of Tampa Bay.
In what has been a challenging title defense so far, the Red Sox have shown signs of life of late, winning nine of their last 12 to move 10 games above .500 for the first time since July 30.\n\nWhile it has to be somewhat comforting for the Red Sox to have the teams they are chasing back in sight, manager Alex Cora isn't ready to talk standings just yet.\n\n\"September 1, we'll talk about it,\" Cora said. \"I've been saying that since April, I'm not going to deviate from that. I know where we are, how talented we are. We just have to do it on the field, and we're playing good baseball.\"
\n\nAt times, Boston looked all but done, such as when it faced an 8 1/2-game deficit in the AL Wild Card standings on Aug. 12.\n\nBut thanks to hitters like Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez (two-run homer in the third), Rafael Devers (homer, triple, single to snap an 0-for-15 drought) and Mookie Betts, the Sox are still breathing in their quest to get back to October.
One of the most fortuitous moments of 2019 for Boston happened on the first road trip of the season, when Bogaerts avoided playing out his walk year by signing a six-year, $120 million extension.\n\nAnd the 26-year-old has spent this season playing like the cornerstone the Red Sox envision he will be for years to come.\n\n\"He's been swinging like that the whole season, driving the ball all over the place,\" Cora said. \"Thirty and 100, hitting for average, that's kind of like the icing on the cake. We talked last year about driving the ball and doing damage, and now he understands he can hit for average and at the same time slugging.\n\n\"If he's not the best shortstop in the league, well, he's in the conversation, and that's what we wanted. I'm very proud he's doing this, and I'm very happy he's going to be here for a while.\"
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