Alex Verdugo ready for a fresh start after month-long slump and MLB trade deadline

BOSTON -- After surviving a massive slump that lasted the entire month of July, Alex Verdugo is ready for a reset in August. The Boston outfielder looked much more comfortable in every facet Tuesday night in Seattle, and let his bat do the talking.

Verdugo, who hit just .151 in July, clubbed his first homer since July 8 against the Mariners. His two-run shot in the fifth put Boston on top 5-1 and was the difference in the team's 6-4 victory to snap a three-game skid. It was his only hit of the evening, but that one swing made Verdugo feel like a new player.

It certainly helps that the trade deadline came and went Tuesday afternoon and Verdugo remained in a Red Sox uniform. He was mentioned in rumors the last few weeks, though the Red Sox were telling potential suitors on Tuesday that they were going to keep the outfielder.

But those rumors were wearing on Verdugo, adding to the stress of his slump.

"You hear some things and you never know what to believe, right? Anybody can report something. And it could be false. It could be right," Verdugo told reporters after Tuesday's win. "So you just don't know. So for me, it was just a little bit of a weird time. 

"I like Boston. I wanted to stay here and I want to continue playing here. So just to kind of know that I'm staying here, and know that it's kind of a restart of the season," he added. "It feels good."

Verdugo admitted to being much more relaxed Tuesday night, and he looked calm and cool when he crushed Bryce Miller's four-seam fastball 398 feet on Tuesday.

Since Chaim Bloom chose to do next to nothing at the trade deadline, the Red Sox are going to need guys like Verdugo to step up the rest of the way if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive. Tuesday's win improved the team to 57-50 and paired with a Toronto loss has Boston just 1.5 games back of the Blue Jays for the final American League wild card spot.

After making it through the most difficult month of his career mixed with a smattering of trade rumors, Verdugo looks and feels ready to turn things around and contribute to some winning baseball.